Leisure boat harbours, metal pollution and alien foraminifera: a case study of Hinsholmskilen Harbour (Gothenburg, Sweden)

• Small leisure boat harbours have important aesthetic and recreational values in any country with a coastline. Sweden, with its long and complex coastline, is a particularly good example of a rich public boat life. It is estimated that there are about 860 000 leisure boats in Sweden, which is one of the highest numbers in the world in relation to the country’s population. Yet, small boat harbours also present a wide range of environmental problems such as e.g. metal pollution and introduction of alien species. In this study we have investigated the ecological quality status (EcoQS) of the small boat harbour of Hinsholmskilen, located south-west of Gothenburg city (Sweden). We have analysed surface sediment (0-1 cm) samples, taken in 2019, for heavy metals (As, Cu, Zn, Pb, Co, Ni, Cr and Hg) and performed a reconnaissance survey of the harbour’s previously unstudied benthic foraminiferal communities. The results showed that the harbour has good to high EcoQS corresponding to no or little deviation from reference conditions for Cd, Co, Ni and Pb distribution. Some of the metals (Pb, As, Zn and Cr) showed poor to bad EcoQS in the innermost harbour in proximity to high pressure cleaning plants, where boats are usually lifted up, cleaned, and prepared for winter storage on land. Finally, Cu and Hg showed consistently bad and poor EcoQS all over the harbour, reflecting use of both metals as biocides in antifouling boat paints. Based on the total fauna distribution, the benthic foraminiferal assemblages in the Hinsholmskilen Harbour represented a typical estuarine community with highly abundant Ammonia and Elphidium species, as documented elsewhere in European estuaries. Based on molecular and morphological data, we report two alien and putatively invasive species likely originating from Asia: Trochammina hadai and Ammonia confertitesta (phylotype T6). Both species have been recently identified elsewhere on the Swedish west coast based on molecular data but were not recorded by morphology-based studies yet.

Ämnesord

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Miljövetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Environmental Sciences (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Geovetenskap och miljövetenskap -- Multidisciplinär geovetenskap (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Earth and Related Environmental Sciences -- Geosciences, Multidisciplinary (hsv//eng)

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