The impact of marine sediment pollution is crucial for the health of the seas, particularly in densely populated coastal areas worldwide. This study assesses the concentration and distribution of heavy metals in the marine sediments of the main regions of the Mediterranean Sea. The results underscore high concentrations of mercury (Hg), nickel (Ni), and copper (Cu), whereas chromium (Cr), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), barium (Ba), and vanadium (V) exhibit moderate values. To assess the heavy metal results, sediment quality guidelines and pollution indices (Igeo and Geochemical Signal Type-GST) were employed, revealing a consistent trend of decreasing concentrations from the coastal zone to the open sea. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) emphasizes the significant roles of Cu, Zn, Ba, and Cr in sediment chemistry. The study suggests that the distribution patterns of heavy metals are linked to wastewater discharges in coastal areas, requiring effective management strategies to ensure the health of the Mediterranean Sea.

Sea-level rise and groundwater abstraction are reshaping coastal systems in karst environments, particularly in low-gradient coastal plains where groundwater-dependent ecosystems are strongly coupled to aquifer dynamics. However, most coastal assessments remain based on topographic inundation and shoreline retreat, neglecting groundwater processes that control the inland propagation of marine influence. This study develops an integrated hydrogeomorphological framework to quantify coastal influence under combined scenarios of sea-level rise and groundwater decline in Mallorca (Spain), and to assess implications for the spatial definition of the maritime–terrestrial public domain (MTPD). The approach integrates (i) DEM-based marine inundation, (ii) hydrogeological signals of piezometric decline and salinization derived from monitoring data, and (iii) a multi-criteria hydro-coastal vulnerability index incorporating ecological sensitivity, hydrogeological susceptibility, anthropogenic pressure, and system resilience. Direct marine inundation alone affects between 9.24 and 43.76 km² (0.25–1.20% of the island) across sea-level rise scenarios, but underestimates the inland extent of coastal influence. Including groundwater processes expands the functional coastal domain and increases ecosystem exposure, with up to 97% of wetland area and a significant proportion of springs and coastal caves located within the integrated coastal-influence zone under high-end scenarios. Vulnerability is concentrated in low-lying coastal plains, particularly in s’Albufera, Campos–Es Trenc, and Albufereta, where strong aquifer–sea connectivity and anthropogenic pressure converge. These findings show that coastal evolution in Mediterranean karst settings emerges from the interaction between surface and groundwater processes, and suggest that static representations of the MTPD may underestimate the effective extent of coastal influence under future environmental change.

The great megalithic sites reveal an extended use of their monuments. In Late Prehistory, in Protohistory, and even in historical times, dolmens remained visible references on the landscape and were central for navigating it. The megaliths of Menga, Viera, and Romeral provide quality data to confirm their continued relevance. Our aim here is to understand whether menhirs also played that role, using the area of Tierras de Antequera, which is connected to the sea, as a case study. With that goal in mind, a research project has been initiated through intensive archaeological field surveying, combined with the collection of testimonies from oral tradition and other archaeological tools such as GIS, geophysical prospection, photogrammetry and RTI, for the detection of engravings and paintings on some of the located landmarks. We present in this paper the first geological analyses in the megalithic territory of Antequera to determine the raw material of the menhirs that are studied and the geological outcrops from which they come.