River flooding reshapes sediments, contaminants and benthic microbial communities in a Mediterranean coastal system

Abstract

This study examines the sedimentary and microbial responses offshore the Marche Region (Italy) to the September 2022 flood, one of the most severe recent hydrological events, which delivered large amounts of sediment and anthropogenic contaminants to the Adriatic Sea. We employed a multidisciplinary approach integrating sedimentology, geochemistry, organic matter analysis, pollutant assessments (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, PAHs and Poly- and Perfluorinated alkyl substances, PFASs), and benthic microbial community structure. Sediments collected just five days after the event offshore river mouths reveal that flood deposits, ranging from fine sand to coarse silt, remained substantially confined to the nearshore zone, whereas finer clay particles were dispersed further offshore and down to the 15 m isobath. This distribution reflects intense riverine inputs and a brief windstorm-enhanced coastal circulation that generated patchy, temporary sediment accumulations mainly in the prodelta sector. Simultaneously, the flood forced a strong spatial heterogeneity in benthic bacterial communities, through the introduction of short-distance shifts in sediment texture and organic matter content. Freshwater taxa became prominent in prodelta deposits, highlighting riverine sedimentary imprints. Heavy metal concentrations remained below regulatory thresholds, whereas organic pollutants, heterogeneously distributed, reach peak concentrations offshore urban and industrial zones. PAH signatures indicate mixed pyrogenic and petrogenic sources, while next-generation PFASs (6:2 FTS) showed localized but severe contamination linked to upstream industrial activities. Despite the flood's magnitude onshore, its offshore sedimentary signatures resulted ephemeral and spatially limited. These findings underscore the ecological significance of episodic sediment and contaminant input, while highlighting the challenges in detecting such transient events in the marine stratigraphic record.