Impact of pollution on benthic marine algae in the Northern Adriatic

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Abstract
The Northern Adriatic is a shallow shelf area, which receives a heavy load of organic and inorganic pollutants from domestic sewage and industrial discharges. Riverborne and direct urban effluents are transferred in the surface water by a regular, circular convection current. Long‐term integrated influences of both organic and inorganic pollutants are reflected in the profound changes of the benthic algal vegetation. Observations were carried out along the Istrian coast (surroundings of Piran and Rovinj). They have revealed a reduction in species number, a decrease of the fresh‐weight biomass along with changes in zonal patterns and leading algal associations.