CESAM (Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e Mar), Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitário de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.
Mar Pollut Bull. 2010 Feb;60(2):272-82. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2009.09.008. Epub 2009 Sep 30.
Sediment descriptors (grain size, total volatile solids, redox potential) and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were used to trace the origin of organic matter in a coastal area under multiple organic enrichment sources (urban outfall and a major estuary). The sediments fines content and total volatile solids were similar to outfall pre-operation period (1994), but the incorporation of terrestrial organic matter within the sediments located closer to the outfall was diagnosed by depleted (13)C values (-24.2+/-0.38 per thousand) and (15)N values (2.4+/-0.93 per thousand). Data also indicated depleted nitrogen signature at larger distances from the outfall than the carbon signature, due to confounding sediment grain size properties. Analysis in the bivalve Abra alba gave the same results for both isotopes and thus allowed a coherent interpretation of the spatial extent of the organic enrichment, highlighting the importance of bringing a biological element into the environmental assessment.
沉积物指标（粒径、总挥发性固体、氧化还原电位）和稳定的碳氮同位素被用来追踪多种有机物富集体（城市排污口和一个主要河口）影响下的沿海地区有机物的来源。沉积物粉土含量和总挥发性固体与排污口运行前时期（1994 年）相似，但通过贫化的（13）C 值（-24.2+/-0.38 per thousand）和（15）N 值（2.4+/-0.93 per thousand）可以判断出靠近排污口的沉积物中陆地有机物的掺入。由于沉积物粒径性质的干扰，数据还表明，离排污口越远，氮的特征比碳的特征更贫化。双壳类贻贝 Abra alba 的分析结果对两种同位素都是如此，因此可以对有机物富化的空间范围进行一致的解释，突出了将生物因素纳入环境评估的重要性。
