Spatial and seasonal variations of major, minor and trace elements in Antarctic seawater. Chemometric investigation of variable and site correlations

The concentrations of fourteen elements in seawater collected during the 19 94-95 and 1995-96 Italian expeditions to Antarctica were determined by stri pping voltammetry or atomic spectroscopy. The results obtained are discusse d as a function of the sampling period and location. Heavy metal concentrat ions for samples collected during the 1993-94 campaign are also reported. D issolved levels of major, minor and trace elements were found to decrease a fter pack ice melting because of water dilution and bioaccumulation, the la tter being particularly relevant for heavy metal concentrations. The elabor ation by chemometric multivariate techniques allowed identification of two groups of samples, respectively, collected before and after pack ice meltin g, and to find correlations among variables, such as alkaline-earth metals. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.