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Pollution in mediterranean-climate rivers

  • MEDITERRANEAN CLIMATE STREAMS
  • Review Paper
  • Published:
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Abstract

This review examines information generated over the past decade on the pollution of rivers in regions with a mediterranean-type climate (med-climate). Pollution has clearly increased in the last 100 years and is correlated with the development of industry, agriculture and human population. Important efforts have been made in some med-climate countries in order to characterise the chemical status of rivers. In addition, the number of chemical substances detectable in mediterranean-climate rivers (med-rivers), as well as the limits of detection, have improved from the development of better analytical methods. New substances detected in rivers are gaining attention. We discuss available knowledge regarding real and potential effects of pollutants on the biota and ecosystems in med-rivers, taking into account natural environmental characteristics of these rivers. The extreme seasonal conditions in med-rivers add to the potential risk because these characteristics can enhance pollutant effects. Efforts and policies to prevent or reduce pollution effects on med-rivers are linked to the knowledge about pollution pressures associated with the degree of economic development. Aquatic communities in med-rivers are more sensitive to pollutants because they are exposed to strong natural and human stressors.

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Acknowledgments

This review was supported by the European Commission through the MODELKEY Project (511237-GOCE) and by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the Consolider-Ingenio 2010 CSD2009-00065 Project. We thank Vincent Resh and Núria Bonada for their comments and the invitation to participate in this special issue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departament d’Ecologia, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Diagonal 643, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Julio C. López-Doval & Isabel Muñoz

  2. Department of Environmental Chemistry, Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, IDAEA-CSIC, c/Jordi Girona 18-26, 08034, Barcelona, Spain

    Antoni Ginebreda

  3. INRA, UMR985 Écologie et Santé des Écosystèmes, Équipe Écotoxicologie et Qualité des Milieux Aquatiques, Agrocampus Ouest, 65 Rue de Saint Brieuc, 35042, Rennes, France

    Thierry Caquet

  4. Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Clifford N. Dahm

  5. Catalan Institute for Water Research (ICRA), Parc Científic i Tecnològic de la Universitat de Girona, C/Emili Grahit, 101, Edifici H2O, 17003, Girona, Spain

    Mira Petrovic & Damià Barceló

  6. King Saud University, Box 2454, Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia

    Damià Barceló

Authors
  1. Julio C. López-Doval
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  2. Antoni Ginebreda
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  3. Thierry Caquet
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  4. Clifford N. Dahm
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  5. Mira Petrovic
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  6. Damià Barceló
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  7. Isabel Muñoz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Julio C. López-Doval.

Additional information

Guest editors: N. Bonada & V. H. Resh / Streams in Mediterranean climate regions: lessons learned from the last decade

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López-Doval, J.C., Ginebreda, A., Caquet, T. et al. Pollution in mediterranean-climate rivers. Hydrobiologia 719, 427–450 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1369-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-012-1369-5

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