Marina developments as sources of hydrocarbon inputs to estuaries

The intense development of marinas, especially within estuaries on the coastline of southern England, has led to major inputs of potentially toxic organic compounds. During a research programme on the occurrence, transport and fate of volatile organic compounds within the estuarine water and sediments of Southampton Water, we discovered massive inputs of hydrocarbons, both during and after construction phases. In one instance, measurements made before development and at 3-monthly intervals over a 3-year period showed a 10-fold increase of a range of aromatics, alkanes cycloalkanes and organohalogens. Our investigations show that, during construction phases, the local aquatic environment becomes a major sink for anthropogenic wastes relating to construction activities. At post-construction phases, yachts and small boats continue to act as major sources of hydrocarbons to the estuary.