Trace metal concentrations in estuaries and coastal regions
- Battelle Ocean Sciences, Duxbury, MA (United States)
Estuaries and coastal regions are highly variable in the physical and hydrographic conditions. As a result of heavy urbanization and industrialization of the head waters of most estuaries, there are substantial localized inputs of contaminants to the estuary. These factors combined with the flushing characteristics of individual estuaries to create relatively unique features that result in variation in the typical levels of trace metals for these systems. This makes intercomparison of the estuaries difficult. Comparability among estuaries becomes even more difficult when metals analyses are conducted without proper control of field and laboratory contamination, now firmly established in the trace metal analytical literature as a prerequisite for reliable marine trace metals analysis. This paper compares the concentrations of selected trace metal (Ag, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentrations in the waters of several major estuaries of the United States. The basis of comparison is that all samples war collected under rigid trace metal clean collection and analysis procedures. Generally, metal concentrations within the estuaries are similar. Metal concentrations in the higher salinity coastal regions are more similar in concentration. The comparison provides a baseline of typical concentrations of these trace metals in the coastal waters against which future analytical results can be compared.
- OSTI ID:
- 49618
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-9410273-; TRN: IM9523%%441
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 15. annual meeting of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), Denver, CO (United States), 30 Oct - 3 Nov 1994; Other Information: PBD: 1994; Related Information: Is Part Of Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 15th annual meeting: Abstract book. Ecological risk: Science, policy, law, and perception; PB: 286 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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