Passive samplers (PS) for the assessment of dredging activity impacts

From October 2021 to January 2022, researchers from AZTI (Basque Country, Spain) used passive samplers (PS) for the assessment of dredging activity impacts on the quality of port waters in the Royal Maritime Club of Abra (Bilbao Port, N. Spain) and supported by the Port Authority of Bilbao.

Following the guidelines developed by the European MONITOOL project^[1], Diffusive Gradients in Thin- films (DGT) PS were deployed (5 days) at five stations at increasing distance from a dredging area, in 3 different periods: before, during and after dredging activities. Simultaneously, spot water samples were collected at the same stations, at the DGT deployment and retrieval time. Hydrographic parameters were measured in situ: temperature, oxygen, salinity and pH. Priority (Cd, Ni, Pb) and other specific metals (Cu, Co, Zn) were analysed in the DGTs and in the water samples by ICP-MS. Total organic carbon, turbidity and suspended matter were also analysed in the collected water samples.

Results will be presented in ECSA 59 Conference next September, in the special session organized by the MONITOOL project entitled “Potential Roles of Passive Sampling in Investigative and Regulatory Monitoring”^[2], whose abstract submission deadline has been extended to 29 April.

^[1] https://www.monitoolproject.eu/images/Publicaciones/A_Good_Practice_Guide_for_the_Use_of_DGTs.pdf

^[2] http://www.estuarinecoastalconference.com/special-session.asp#0033