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Medium-term assessment of the effects of the Prestige oil spill on estuarine benthic communities in Cantabria (Northern Spain, Bay of Biscay) |
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| Authors: | A Puente JA Juanes B Echavarri-Erasun G García-Castrillo |
| Institution: | a Environmental Hydraulic Institute “IH Cantabria”, University of Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Cantabria, Spain b Scientific Association of Marine Studies, Canalejas 55, 4°F, 39003 Santander, Spain c Maritime Museum, Government of Cantabria, Avda. S. Martín de bajamar s/n, 39002 Santander, Spain |
| Abstract: | A specific monitoring program was implemented in the estuaries of Cantabria (northern Spain) in order to assess the medium-term effects (2003-2005) of the Prestige oil spill (POS) on benthic macroinvertebrate communities. A control-impact design was adopted, examining four unaffected and five oil-affected estuaries. High mortalities and significant differences in overall richness and diversity between the control and impacted estuaries were not detected. Some changes in the temporal evolution of species abundance were observed for some key species, but these could not be related to the spillage event. It was not possible to ensure that low magnitude effects had not occurred, due to the high range of natural variability of benthic communities, the confounding effects of other contamination sources and the absence of previous reference conditions. |
| Keywords: | Prestige oil spill Impact assessment Benthic macroinvertebrates Estuaries Cantabria Spain |
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