Recent sedimentary history of anthropogenic impacts on the Culiacan River Estuary, northwestern Mexico: geochemical evidence from organic matter and nutrients

• Published in: Environmental pollution (1987) Vol. 118; no. 3; pp. 365 - 377
• Main Authors: Ruiz-Fernández, A.C, Hillaire-Marcel, C, Ghaleb, B, Soto-Jiménez, M, Páez-Osuna, F
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: 210Pb geochronology; Agriculture; Applied sciences; Brackish; Carbon - analysis; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Monitoring; Eutrophication; Exact sciences and technology; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Isotope ratios; Lead Radioisotopes - analysis; Mexico; Mexico, Culiacan R; Natural water pollution; Nitrogen - analysis; Nutrient enrichment; Phosphorus - analysis; Pollution; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Pollution, environment geology; Retrospective Studies; Seawaters, estuaries; Sedimentary organic matter; Sewage; Sewage pollution; Soil and sediments pollution; Water treatment and pollution; Gulf of California; Central America; Mexico; Pacific Ocean; America; North Pacific; ISE, Mexico, Sinaloa, Culiacan Estuary; Nutrient enrichment; Sedimentary organic matter; Isotope ratios; Sewage pollution; 210Pb geochronology; Geochronology; Demography; Estuaries; Geochemistry; Lead 210; Phosphorus; Nitrogen; Sediments; Carbon; Case history; Coastal zone; Diagenesis; Pollution; Correlation analysis; Pollution source; Nutrient; Urban waste water; Waste water discharge
• ISSN: 0269-7491; 1873-6424
• DOI: 10.1016/S0269-7491(01)00287-1

210Pb geochronology and C and N stable isotopes were used to detect sewage pollution in estuarine sediments. 210Pb geochronology and sediment profiles of carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen were used to study time dependent changes in nutrients fluxes to Culiacan River Estuary. Results indicate that the release of urban sewage and agriculture wastes transported through Culiacan River has produced historically increased carbon, phosphorus and nitrogen fluxes to the study area. C:N:P elemental ratios showed that increments in the nutrients input begins simultaneously for C, N and P in 1948 with the clearing of the catchment for agriculture; although excess of nutrients input increased most importantly around the 1970s to roughly follow the rapidly growing population of Culiacan City. C/N ratios, δ 13C and δ 15N suggested that nutrient enrichment is mostly influenced by sewage delivered through Culiacan River.