Heavy metal concentration in mangrove surface sediments from the north-west coast of South America

•Heavy metal levels in mangrove sediments from the north-west coast of South America were generated.•Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Ag and V were higher than those previously reported for other mangrove sediment.•Enrichment Factor for Ag, Cd, Cu, Se and Pb indicates anthropogenic origin due to industrial waste...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Marine pollution bulletin 2014-05, Vol.82 (1-2), p.221-226
Main Authors: Fernández-Cadena, J.C., Andrade, S., Silva-Coello, C.L., De la Iglesia, R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Brackish water ecosystems
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Ecuador
Environmental Monitoring
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Geologic Sediments - chemistry
Heavy metals
Mangrove
Marine and brackish environment
Metals, Heavy - analysis
Sea water ecosystems
Surface sediments
Synecology
Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis
Wetlands
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•Heavy metal levels in mangrove sediments from the north-west coast of South America were generated.•Zn, Cu, Ni, Co, Cr, Ag and V were higher than those previously reported for other mangrove sediment.•Enrichment Factor for Ag, Cd, Cu, Se and Pb indicates anthropogenic origin due to industrial wastes. Mangrove ecosystems are coastal estuarine systems confined to the tropical and subtropical regions. The Estero Salado mangrove located in Guayaquil, Ecuador, has suffered constant disturbances during the past 20years, due to industrial wastewater release. However, there are no published data for heavy metals present in its sediments and the relationship with anthropogenic disturbance. In the present study, metal concentrations were evaluated in surface sediment samples of the mangrove, showing that B, Cd, Cu, Pb, Se, V, and Zn levels exceeded those declared in international environmental quality standards. Moreover, several metals (Pb, Sn, Cd, Ag, Mo, Zn and Ni) could be linked to the industrial wastewater present in the studied area. In addition, heavy metal levels detected in this mangrove are higher than previous reports on mangrove sediments worldwide, indicating that this mangrove ecosystem is one of the most disrupted on earth.
ISSN:0025-326X
1879-3363
DOI:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.03.016