Tracing acid mine drainage from an accidental spill on the Estuary of Huelva (SW Spain)
Abstract
The Estuary of Huelva in southwestern Spain is severely impacted by acid mine drainage (AMD), primarily due to extensive mining activities in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), and to a lesser extent by industrial sources. The AMD has led to significant contamination of the Odiel and Tinto rivers, which carry high loads of metals into the estuary. In May 2017, an accidental spill occurred at La Zarza mine, releasing approximately 270,000 m3 of acidic water contained in a pit lake. This event increased the contamination levels in the Odiel River and subsequently in the Estuary of Huelva and the Atlantic Ocean. The current focus of our investigation is to understand the geochemical behavior of contaminants during estuarine mixing and evaluate the environmental impact of the spill, from the river to the littoral. Key findings include the chronic exposure of the estuary to mining pollutants, with specific contaminants escaping retention processes and altering the metal background levels in the Gulf of Cádiz. This study highlights the need for effective control measures in historical abandoned mining districts worldwide to prevent similar environmental disasters in the future.
Related
- Children Allergic to Peanut and/or Tree Nuts Are at Risk of Accidental Allergic Reactions
- Fecal Contributors to an Urbanized Estuary Identified by a Multi-Species qPCR Approach
- Lipid peroxidation in Spartina alterniflora in relation to anthropogenic particles (APs) and sediment conditions in the Bahía Blanca Estuary, Argentina
- The effects of estuary salinization on benthic assemblages: a richer and treacherous future
- Accidental poisonings in young children at home: A retrospective analysis from the Western France Poison Control Center database
BibTeX
@article{perezlopez2026tracing,
title = {{Tracing acid mine drainage from an accidental spill on the Estuary of Huelva (SW Spain)}},
author = {Rafael Pérez-López and Carlos Cánovas and Francisco Macías and M. Dolores Basallote and Rémi Freydier and Manuel Olías and José Miguel Nieto},
journal = {Environmental Pollution},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126033},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05764746v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tracing acid mine drainage from an accidental spill on the Estuary of Huelva (SW Spain)
AU - Rafael Pérez-López
AU - Carlos Cánovas
AU - Francisco Macías
AU - M. Dolores Basallote
AU - Rémi Freydier
AU - Manuel Olías
AU - José Miguel Nieto
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/25
JO - Environmental Pollution
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2025.126033
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05764746v1
AB - The Estuary of Huelva in southwestern Spain is severely impacted by acid mine drainage (AMD), primarily due to extensive mining activities in the Iberian Pyrite Belt (IPB), and to a lesser extent by industrial sources. The AMD has led to significant contamination of the Odiel and Tinto rivers, which carry high loads of metals into the estuary. In May 2017, an accidental spill occurred at La Zarza mine, releasing approximately 270,000 m3 of acidic water contained in a pit lake. This event increased the contamination levels in the Odiel River and subsequently in the Estuary of Huelva and the Atlantic Ocean. The current focus of our investigation is to understand the geochemical behavior of contaminants during estuarine mixing and evaluate the environmental impact of the spill, from the river to the littoral. Key findings include the chronic exposure of the estuary to mining pollutants, with specific contaminants escaping retention processes and altering the metal background levels in the Gulf of Cádiz. This study highlights the need for effective control measures in historical abandoned mining districts worldwide to prevent similar environmental disasters in the future.
SN - 0269-7491
SN - 1873-6424
ER -