Geophysical Research Abstracts, Vol. 8, 04414, 2006 SRef-ID: 1607-7962/gra/EGU06-A-04414 © European Geosciences Union 2006 Recent benthic foraminiferal assemblages and chemical pollution in box-core sediments from the SE Sicilian coast, Central Mediterranean R. Di Leonardo (1), A. Bellanca (1), L. Capotondi (2), A. B. Cundy (3), S. Mazzola (4), R. Neri (1) (1) Università di Palermo, Palermo, Italy, (2) Istituto ISMAR-CNR, Bologna, Italy, (3) University of Sussex, Brighton, UK, (4) Istituto IRMA-CNR, Sezione IAMC, Mazara del Vallo (TP), Italy (bellanca@unipa.it / Phone: +39-091-6161574) In this study we compare the distribution and morphology of benthic foraminifera with pollutant (mercury and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons – PAHs) concentrations in box-core sediments, in order to establish a historical record of the biological response to pollution. Sediments have been collected along a west-east transect near the Sicil- ian coast, offshore of the Augusta urban and industrial area, during two oceanographic cruises onboard the oceanographic ship “URANIA” in summer 2003 and 2004. Pol- lutant inputs in this area are mainly derived from industrial and harbour activities, particularly from chloro-alkali plants active since the 1960s. The sediments display SiO 2 contents generally greater than 50% and carbonate contents ranging between 10 and 67% (mean value 21%). TOC concentration varies from 0.15 to 0.99%, with increasing values (a) from offshore towards nearshore, and (b) with decreasing core depth. TOC maxima in the lower portions of the offshore cores correlate to C/N values higher than 10, thus indicating significant inputs of land-derived organic matter. Total mercury concentrations range from 0.018 to 1.7 mg kg -1 . Offshore samples have an average Hg content of 0.095 mg kg -1 , which is slightly higher than the back- ground value calculated in the Sicily Strait (0.038 mg kg -1 ; Tranchida, 2005). In the nearshore samples Hg is enriched by more than 20 times. These Hg concentrations ap- pear to be hazardous because they grossly exceed national (D.M. 367/2003: 0.300 mg kg -1 ) and international regulatory guidelines (ERL: 0.150 mg kg -1 ; ERM: 0.710 mg