Investigation of Anthropogenic and Emerging Contaminants in Sinkholes (Cenotes) of the Great Mayan Aquifer, Yucatan Peninsula.

ABSTRACT: Karst water bodies are vital groundwater resources particularly vulnerable to pollution. Protecting their water quality requires documenting contaminants traditionally associated with anthropogenic activities (metals, nutrients, and fecal indicator bacteria) as well as emerging contaminants, such as antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs) and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). This study detected contaminants in karst-associated water bodies on the Yucatán Peninsula, including 10 sinkholes (cenotes) and one submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) site. The concentrations of metals (strontium, cadmium, nickel, lead), nutrients (phosphate, silicate, ammonium, nitrate, and nitrite), and fecal indicator bacteria (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli) were consistent with previous reports, sometimes ex

SUBMITTER: Kopczynski S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12568887 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature