Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West Africa
Diogo Cao Bay is a massive transitional system northeast of Angola at the Congo/Zaire River mouth, the second-largest river in the world and the largest river in Africa, making it ideal for urban development. The Bay's physicochemical features, nutrients, and trace element contamination were ev...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Environmental and Sustainability Indicators |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000315 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832583037448093696 |
|---|---|
| author | Celso Paulo João A. Carreiras Susanne Tanner Carmen Van-Dúnem dos Santos Vanessa F. Fonseca Bernardo Duarte |
| author_facet | Celso Paulo João A. Carreiras Susanne Tanner Carmen Van-Dúnem dos Santos Vanessa F. Fonseca Bernardo Duarte |
| author_sort | Celso Paulo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Diogo Cao Bay is a massive transitional system northeast of Angola at the Congo/Zaire River mouth, the second-largest river in the world and the largest river in Africa, making it ideal for urban development. The Bay's physicochemical features, nutrients, and trace element contamination were evaluated to assess the system's anthropogenic pressure. Sediment and water samples were taken via a pressure gradient from Bocolo (BO), Moita Seca (MS), and Pululu (PLO). Water physicochemical characteristics (including nitrogen and phosphorus inorganic forms) varied seasonally, whereas sediments as trace element archives revealed a spatial variation pattern. DIN concentrations were between 8 and 140 times higher, and DIP concentrations were between 1 and 75 times higher than those in previous studies, highlighting the need for a comprehensive monitoring program. Pb and Hg Enrichment Factors (EF) and Sediment Quality Guideline-Quotient (SQG-Q) indicated the presence of anthropogenic contamination with high potential for specific adverse biological effects. Nevertheless, in terms of ecological risk, the majority of the samples were classified as having a low to moderate ecological risk. Within each of the surveyed abiotic compartments (water and sediment), the analyzed elements showed significant correlations with each other, indicating a shared source and accumulation mechanism. The pressure gradient revealed PLO as the most polluted area and BO as a potential reference site for future impact assessment studies. The current results provide key baseline information in a data-poor environment, serving as a stepping stone for future ecological health assessments and conservation efforts of this large transitional system. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-94e0d6c5d7bc4f6a85c4585008925e49 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2665-9727 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental and Sustainability Indicators |
| spelling | doaj-art-94e0d6c5d7bc4f6a85c4585008925e492025-01-29T05:01:59ZengElsevierEnvironmental and Sustainability Indicators2665-97272025-06-0126100610Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West AfricaCelso Paulo0João A. Carreiras1Susanne Tanner2Carmen Van-Dúnem dos Santos3Vanessa F. Fonseca4Bernardo Duarte5MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET, Aquatic Research Network Associated Laboratory, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal; Corresponding author. MARE—Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET – Aquatic Research Infrastructure Network Associated Laboratory, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisbon, 1749-016, Portugal.MARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET, Aquatic Research Network Associated Laboratory, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal; BioISI—Biosystems and Integrative Sciences Institute, Plant Functional Genomics Group, Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, PortugalMARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET, Aquatic Research Network Associated Laboratory, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia Animal da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, PortugalUniversity Agostinho Neto, Luanda, AngolaMARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET, Aquatic Research Network Associated Laboratory, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia Animal da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, PortugalMARE - Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre & ARNET, Aquatic Research Network Associated Laboratory, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, Portugal; Departamento de Biologia Vegetal da Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016, Lisboa, PortugalDiogo Cao Bay is a massive transitional system northeast of Angola at the Congo/Zaire River mouth, the second-largest river in the world and the largest river in Africa, making it ideal for urban development. The Bay's physicochemical features, nutrients, and trace element contamination were evaluated to assess the system's anthropogenic pressure. Sediment and water samples were taken via a pressure gradient from Bocolo (BO), Moita Seca (MS), and Pululu (PLO). Water physicochemical characteristics (including nitrogen and phosphorus inorganic forms) varied seasonally, whereas sediments as trace element archives revealed a spatial variation pattern. DIN concentrations were between 8 and 140 times higher, and DIP concentrations were between 1 and 75 times higher than those in previous studies, highlighting the need for a comprehensive monitoring program. Pb and Hg Enrichment Factors (EF) and Sediment Quality Guideline-Quotient (SQG-Q) indicated the presence of anthropogenic contamination with high potential for specific adverse biological effects. Nevertheless, in terms of ecological risk, the majority of the samples were classified as having a low to moderate ecological risk. Within each of the surveyed abiotic compartments (water and sediment), the analyzed elements showed significant correlations with each other, indicating a shared source and accumulation mechanism. The pressure gradient revealed PLO as the most polluted area and BO as a potential reference site for future impact assessment studies. The current results provide key baseline information in a data-poor environment, serving as a stepping stone for future ecological health assessments and conservation efforts of this large transitional system.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000315Congo riverTrace elementsNutrientsSedimentsTropical system |
| spellingShingle | Celso Paulo João A. Carreiras Susanne Tanner Carmen Van-Dúnem dos Santos Vanessa F. Fonseca Bernardo Duarte Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West Africa Environmental and Sustainability Indicators Congo river Trace elements Nutrients Sediments Tropical system |
| title | Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West Africa |
| title_full | Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West Africa |
| title_fullStr | Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West Africa |
| title_short | Spatial-temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in West Africa |
| title_sort | spatial temporal baseline study of nutrients and trace elements characterization of a large tropical transition system in west africa |
| topic | Congo river Trace elements Nutrients Sediments Tropical system |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2665972725000315 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT celsopaulo spatialtemporalbaselinestudyofnutrientsandtraceelementscharacterizationofalargetropicaltransitionsysteminwestafrica AT joaoacarreiras spatialtemporalbaselinestudyofnutrientsandtraceelementscharacterizationofalargetropicaltransitionsysteminwestafrica AT susannetanner spatialtemporalbaselinestudyofnutrientsandtraceelementscharacterizationofalargetropicaltransitionsysteminwestafrica AT carmenvandunemdossantos spatialtemporalbaselinestudyofnutrientsandtraceelementscharacterizationofalargetropicaltransitionsysteminwestafrica AT vanessaffonseca spatialtemporalbaselinestudyofnutrientsandtraceelementscharacterizationofalargetropicaltransitionsysteminwestafrica AT bernardoduarte spatialtemporalbaselinestudyofnutrientsandtraceelementscharacterizationofalargetropicaltransitionsysteminwestafrica |