Geochemistry of major and trace elements in surface sediments of the Saronikos Gulf (Greece): Assessment of contamination between 1999 and 2018

The Saronikos Gulf receives pressures from the most urbanized and industrialized areas in Greece, the Athens metropolitan area and Pireaus port, and as such, it is considered as a hot spot of pollution in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Decades after policies aiming to achieve clean seas have been introduced and implemented, it is currently relevant to evaluate their impact on the environmental quality. Here we propose a methodology for this topical issue and we assess the distribution of major and trace elements using a 20 year (1999–2018) sedimentary record, and determine the current status, as well as contamination trends. The proposed synthesis of methods is outlined by the following major steps: establishment of background levels from dated cores, calculation of Enrichment Factors (EFs) and the multi-elemental, Modified Pollution Index (MPI), and assessment of temporal trends of MPI in a sub-regional scale. Copper, Zn, and Pb exhibited the highest EFs, mostly observed in the Elefsis Bay, the Inner sector of the Gulf, and the area parallel to the western Attica coast. The MPI classified the latter areas as moderately-heavily to severely polluted. Decreasing trends were detected in the industrialized Elefsis Bay, and were attributed to the decrease of land-based metal loads. No trends were detected in the other sub-regions, highlighting the need for intensifying efforts to abate pollution by designing management plans towards the reduction of metal contamination in the Saronikos Gulf. Finally, the present study illustrates that multi, regionalized background levels are necessary for effectively resolving elemental variations, particularly in the presence of metal-rich lithological complexes within the catchment areas. This finding should be taken into account when the background levels and background assessment levels are established for the Eastern Mediterranean's sub-regional seas within the framework and implementation of the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive.