A PRELIMINARY-STUDY OF THE GEOCHEMISTRY OF METHYLAMINES IN A SALT-MARSH

Concentrations of three aliphatic amines namely, methylamine, dimethyl amine. and trimethylamine were monitored in different vegetation zones of an inter-tidal salt marsh over a period encompassing two spring ti des in March/April 1992. The analytes were abundant in both the pore-w aters and sediments of the marsh, but there was considerable temporal variability in their concentrations. Maximum observed levels were high er than in any previous held studies, particularly for monomethylamine . The methylamines were depleted in pore-waters and sediments during p eriods of tidal inundation, which supports their suggested role in the osmotic strategies of the flora and fauna of estuarine environments. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.