Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Marine Pollution Bulletin journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/marpolbul Ecological quality status of the NE sector of the Guanabara Bay (Brazil): A case of living benthic foraminiferal resilience Maria Virgínia Alves Martins a,b, ⁎ , Johann Hohenegger c , Michael Martínez-Colón d , Fabrizio Frontalini e , Sérgio Bergamashi a , Lazaro Laut f , Pierre Belart f , Michel Mahiques g , Egberto Pereira a , Rene Rodrigues a , Denise Terroso b , Paulo Miranda h , Mauro César Geraldes a , Hélio Heringer Villena i , Tadeu Reis i , Orangel Antonio Aguilera Socorro j , Silvia Helena de Mello e Sousa g , Cintia Yamashita g , Fernando Rocha b a Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Departamento de Estratigrafia e Paleontologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil b Universidade de Aveiro, GeoBioTec, Departamento de Geociências, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal c Universität Wien, Institut für Paläontologie, Althanstrasse 17, A 1090 Wien, Austria d Florida A&M University, School of the Environment, FL, USA, FSH Science Research Center, RM306B, 1515 South MLK Blvd, Tallahassee, FL 32307, USA e Università degli Studi di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Dipartimento di Scienze Pure e Applicate (DiSPeA), Urbino, Italy f Universidade Federal do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - UNIRIO, Laboratório de Micropaleontologia - LabMicro, Av. Pasteur, 458, IBIO/CCET sala 500 Urca, 22.240-490, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil g Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto Ocenográfico, Departamento de Ocenografia Física, Brazil h Governo Regional dos Açores, Direção Regional dos Assuntos do Mar, Horta, Açores, Portugal i Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, UERJ, Faculdade de Oceanografia, Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, 4° andar, Bloco E, sala 4018, CEP 20550-900 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil j Universidade Federal Fluminense, Instituto de Biologia, Departamento de Biologia Marinha, Laboratorio de Paleoecologia e Mudanças Globais Campus de Gragoatá, Bloco M, CEP: 24210-200, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ARTICLEINFO Keywords: Pollution Multiproxy approach Ammonia-Elphidium Index (AEI) Foram stress index (FSI) Complex statistical analyses Chemical fractionation ABSTRACT The ecological quality status of the NE region of the Guanabara Bay (SE Brazil), one of the most important Brazilian embayments, is evaluated. For this purpose, sediment samples from in the inner of the Guanabara Bay (GB) were collected and analyzed (grain-size, mineralogy, geochemistry and living foraminifera). In this study, it is hypothe- sized that the potentially toxic elements (PTEs) concentrations, in solution and associated with organic matter ( OM PTEs, potential nutrient source), may represent two potential pathways to impact benthic foraminifers. A mul- tiproxy approach applied to complex statistical analyses and ecological indexes shows that the study area is, in general, eutrophic (with high organic matter and low oxygen content), polluted by PTEs and oil. As a consequence, foraminifera are not abundant and their assemblages are poorly diversifed and dominated by some stress-tolerant species (i.e., Ammonia tepida, Quinqueloculina seminula, Cribroelphidium excavatum). The results allow us to identify a set of species sensitive to eutrophication and OM PTEs. Factors such as the increase of organic matter contents and OM PTEs and, in particular of Zn, Cd and Pb, the oxygen depletion and the presence of oil, altogether contribute to a marked reduction in the abundance and diversity of foraminifera. Ammonia-Elphidium Index and the Foram Stress Index confrm that the NE zone of GB is, in general, “heavily polluted”, with “poor ecological quality status” and experiences suboxic to anoxic conditions. In light of it, special attention from public authorities and policymakers is required in order to take immediate actions to enable its environmental recovery. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111449 Received 9 April 2020; Received in revised form 1 July 2020; Accepted 6 July 2020 ⁎ Corresponding author at: Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Faculdade de Geologia, Departamento de Estratigrafa e Paleontologia, Av. São Francisco Xavier, 524, sala 2020A, Maracanã, 20550-013 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil. E-mail addresses: virginia.martins@ua.pt (M.V. Alves Martins), johann.hohenegger@univie.ac.at (J. Hohenegger), michael.martinez@famu.edu (M. Martínez-Colón), fabrizio.frontalini@uniurb.it (F. Frontalini), sergiobe@uerj.br (S. Bergamashi), lazarolaut@hotmail.com (L. Laut), pbelart@gmail.com (P. Belart), mahiques@usp.br (M. Mahiques), egberto@uerj.br (E. Pereira), rene@uerj.br (R. Rodrigues), laraterroso@ua.pt (D. Terroso), pfnmiranda@gmail.com (P. Miranda), mauro.geraldes@gmail.com (M.C. Geraldes), heliovillena@gmail.com (H.H. Villena), tadeu.reis@gmail.com (T. Reis), orangel.aguilera@gmail.com (O.A.A. Socorro), silviahelenamello@gmail.com (S.H. de Mello e Sousa), cintia.yamashita@usp.br (C. Yamashita), tavares.rocha@ua.pt (F. Rocha). Marine Pollution Bulletin 158 (2020) 111449 Available online 16 July 2020 0025-326X/ © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T