Integrated Ecological Assessment of Heavily Polluted Sedimentary Basin within the Broader Industrialized Area of Thriassion Plain (Western Attica, Greece)

Abstract

The Thriassion Plain, the Saronikos Gulf and Eleusis Bay, Western Attica in Greece, receive pressures from the enormous industrial activity, as well as the Athens metropolitan area and the Piraeus port. Therefore, it is considered as brownfield in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. The multi-component industrial activity has impacted the soil, the groundwater of Thriassion Plain and the coastal marine sediments of the adjacent Eleusis Bay, part of Saronikos Gulf as well as a brackish lagoon, Koumoundourou Lake. The industrial activity is expressed by high contents of metals, and oil products. This study presents the pollution record of selected published papers that indicate the temporal evolution of legislated polluting compounds, supporting researchers to provide solutions and policy makers to focus on the whole spectrum of potential policy alternatives.

Distribution, Risk Assessment and Source Identification of Potentially Toxic Elements in Coal Mining Contaminated Soils of Makarwal, Pakistan: Environmental and Human Health Outcomes

“…The sources of trace metal pollution in the soil samples were influenced by many factors, including natural and anthropogenic ones, as also reported by Hussain et al [18] and Chifflet et al [58]. Natural factors can be, for example, the weathering processes of rocks and minerals [59][60][61], while in many cases, the anthropogenic factors can include several activities, such as urban, agricultural, industrial, mining, or transportation [2,9,11,[61][62][63][64][65].…”

“…Soil is the primary pool for pollutants and biota, where elemental pollutants can be transferred to living organisms, groundwater, food crops, and the nearby environment [8][9][10][11]. Soil has a natural elemental and nutrient concentration associated with its parent materials, but the boosted elemental content is because of mining (coal mining, copper mining) and other human activities, i.e., the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and contaminated water for irrigation [12].…”

Assessment of Hydrogeochemical Characteristics and Seawater Intrusion in Coastal Aquifers by Integrating Statistical and Graphical Techniques: Quaternary Aquifer, West Nile Delta, Egypt

“…The dissolution of Fe and Mn oxides in the aquifer is at the cost of the oxidation of organic matter [70,71], and the bicarbonate will increase. The reaction Equations (7) and (8) The encountered dissolved silicate minerals are albite, anorthite, K-feldspar, kaolinite, and quartz. Groundwater samples are undersaturated with albite and anorthite.…”

“…Groundwater is a valuable natural resource that is essential for social and economic growth and human needs, especially in arid and semi-arid regions which suffer from shortage of precipitation and fresh surface water sources [1][2][3]. Aquifer rock material, climate conditions, and human activities in addition to seawater intrusion have a significant impact on groundwater quality and quantity in coastal aquifers [4][5][6][7].…”

Toward a Sustainable Blue Economy in the Coastal Zone: Case Study of an Industrialized Coastal Ecosystem in Greece

“…The case study of this paper is Elefsis Gulf (Figures 3 and 4), a coastal ecosystem in Central Greece with the special characteristics of cultural heritage and interest, industrial activity, port, urbanization, and protected natural area [32]. The gulf of Elefsis presents increased scientific interest and is supposed to be one of the most studied coastal areas in the eastern Mediterranean, because of its unique characteristics, its location-just 18 km of the historic capital of Athens-and its important cultural past-the ancient city of Elefsis was one of the four sacred cities of the ancient world [33].…”