COMPARISON OF THE PARTITIONING OF TRACE-METALS IN THE HUMBER AND MERSEY ESTUARIES

Citation
Sdw. Comber et al., COMPARISON OF THE PARTITIONING OF TRACE-METALS IN THE HUMBER AND MERSEY ESTUARIES, Marine pollution bulletin, 30(12), 1995, pp. 851-860
Citations number
23
Categorie Soggetti
Marine & Freshwater Biology","Environmental Sciences
Journal title
ISSN journal
0025326X
Volume
30
Issue
12
Year of publication
1995
Pages
851 - 860
Database
ISI
SICI code
0025-326X(1995)30:12<851:COTPOT>2.0.ZU;2-9
Abstract
Studies into the partitioning of trace metals between the dissolved ph ase and suspended solids have been performed on two major UK estuaries , the Mersey and the Humber. Aqueous phase trace metal concentrations were determined, along with partitioning data (K-p) determined from bo th laboratory equilibration experiments and by chemical leaching techn iques. Dissolved trace metals in the Humber essentially exhibited cons ervative behaviour (or a slight positive deviation). In the Mersey, ho wever, removal of zinc, chromium, and, in particular, copper and cadmi um occurred in the low salinity region. Sequential extraction data gav e an indication of the nature of trace metal bindings to suspended sed iment, and revealed total extractable trace metals on the Mersey suspe nded sediment to be a factor of two greater than that found in the Hum ber. Similarly, partition coefficients in the Mersey were approximatel y an order of magnitude greater than in the Dumber, Chloro-complexatio n was shown to control the partitioning of cadmium within estuaries. C opper, however, exhibited a distinct trend of increasing K-p with incr easing salinity.