Abstract
During the periods 1974–75 and 1977 mixed microplankton and individual species of macrozooplankton and nekton were sampled from a number of areas in the mediterranean Sea in order to establish baseline levels of selected trace elements in pelagic species from the open Mediterranean. Trace elements analyzed were Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cs, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Rb, Sc, Se, V, and Zn. Variability for concentrations of many of the trace elements was high, and broadly speaking if trace element concentrations in all species examined from any one area in the Mediterranean are considered, no general regional differences in element levels were evident. On the other hand, metal concentrations in certain individual pelagic species did suggest limited regional variations. No significant differences between metal concentrations in organisms collected in 1974–75 and 1977 were noted. For most of the elements, similar data for the same species collected in other years do not exist, therefore at present it is not possible to establish temporal trends for metals in pelagic Mediterranean organisms. Comparison of these results with data reported for similar species from other oceanic regions suggests that metal levels in open ocean organisms are no higher in the Mediterranean than elsewhere. It is concluded that long-term, open ocean ecological monitoring programmes, while useful and possible to carry out technically, may be severely limited by the high costs of shiptime and lack of long-term commitment and financial support from both national and international bodies.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
OsterbergC. and KeckesS.: 1977, ‘The State of Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea’, Ambio 6, 321–326.
FowlerS. W.: 1985, ‘Assessing Pollution in the Mediterranean Sea’, in H.W.Nürnberg (ed.), Pollutants and their Ecotoxicological Significance, J. Wiley & Sons, Chichester, pp. 269–287.
Ves Journées d'Etudes sur les Pollutions Marines en Méditerranee, C.I.E.S.M., Monaco, 1981, 1095 pp.
MartinJ. H., and KnauerG. A.: 1973, ‘The Elemental Composition of Plankton’, Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta 37, 1639–1653.
FowlerS. W.: 1977, ‘Trace Elements in Zooplankton Particulate Products’, Nature 269, 51–53.
LeatherlandT. M., BurtonJ. D., CulkinF., McCartneyM. J., and MorrisR. J.: 1973, ‘Concentrations of Some Trace Metals in Pelagic Organisms and of Mercury in Northeast Atlantic Ocean Water’, Deep-Sea Res. 20, 679–685.
MartinJ. H., and BroenkowW. W.: 1975, ‘Cadmium Concentrations in Plankton: Elevated Levels off Baja California’, Science 190, 884–885.
FowlerS.W., and OregionB.: 1976, ‘Trace Metals in Mussels from the N. W. Mediterranean’ Mar. Pollut. Bull. 7, 26–29.
PapadopoulouC., GrimanisA. P., and HadjisteliosI.: 1973, ‘Mercury and Arsenic in Fish Collected in Polluted and Non-Polluted Seawater’, Thalassia Jugosl. 9, 211–218.
GrimanisA. P., Vassilaki-GrimaniM., PapakostidisG., PapadopoulouC., PapacharalambusN., PlassarasG., and KotoulasD.: 1973, Neutron Activation Analysis Methods for the Determination of 14 Trace Elements in Tissue Samples, Results obtained with analytical reference materials. Technical Report 157, IAEA, Vienna, pp. 29–51.
UtheJ. F., ArmstrongF. A. J., and StaintonM. P.: 1970, Mercury Determinational in Fish Samples by Wet Digestion and Flameless Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry, J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 27, 805–811.
LeastC. L.Jr., RejentJ. A., and LeesH.: 1974, ‘Modification of a Cold Vapor Technique for the Determination of Mercury in Urine’, Atom. Absorp. News. 13, 4–7.
FowlerS. W., OregioniB., and LaRosaJ.: 1976, ‘Trace Metals in Pelagic Organisms from the Mediterranean Sea’, in Activities of the International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity, 1976 Report, IAEA, Vienna, pp. 110–122.
IAEA: 1976, Intercalibration of Analytical Methods on Marine Environmental Samples, Progress Report No. 13. International Laboratory of Marine Radioactivity, IAEA, Monaco, non-paginated.
Fukai, R. and Huynh-Ngoc, L.: Unpublished results.
ZafiropoulosD. and GrimanisA.P.: 1977, ‘Trace Elements in Arcartia clausi from Elefsis Bay of the Upper Saronikos Gulf, Greece’, Mar. Pollut. Bull. 8, 79–81.
Hardstedt-RomeoM. and LaumondF.: 1980, ‘Zinc, Copper and Cadmium in Zooplankton from the N.W. Mediterranean’, Mar. Pollut. Bull. 11, 133–138.
VuceticT., VernbergW.B;., and AndersonG.: 1974, ‘Longterm Annual Fluctuations of Mercury in the Zooplankton of the East Central Adriatic’, Rev. Intern. Oceanogr. Méd. 33, 75–81.
VinogradovaZ. A. and KovalskiyV.V.: 1962, ‘Elemental Composition of the Black Sea Plankton’ (in Russian), Dokl. Akad. Nauk. SSSR 147, 1458–1460.
RozhanskayaL. I.: 1974, ‘Zinc and Cobalt in Water and Hydrobionts of the Pelagic Zone’, in G. G.Polikarpov (ed.), Chemoradioecology of Pelagic and Benthic Zones (Metals and Their Radionuclides in Hydrobionts and Environments), Naukova Dumka, Kiev, pp. 41–55.
WilliamsP. M. and WeissH. V.: 1973, ‘Mercury in the Marine Environment: Concentration in Seawater and in a Pelagic Food Chain’, J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 30, 293–295.
HamanakaT. and TsujitaT.: 1981, ‘Cadmium and Zinc Concentrations in Zooplankton in the Subarctic Region of the North Pacific’, J. Oceanogr. Soc. Jap. 37, 160–172.
Windom, H. L.: 1972, ‘Arsenic, Cadmium, Copper, Lead, mercury and Zinc in Marine Biota —North Atlantic Ocean’, in Baseline Studies of Pollutants in the Marine Environment, Background papers for a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation's IDOE, Brookhaven National Laboratory, 24–26 May 1972, pp. 121–148.
Fitzgerald, W. F., Hunt, C. D., and Lyons, W. B.: 1972, ‘Pb, Cu, and Hg Studies: Quantities Associated with Zooplankton of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean’, in Baseline Studies of Pollutants in the Marine Environment, Background papers for a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation's IDOE. Brookhaven National Laboratory, 24–26 May 1972, pp. 325–344.
CocorosG., CahnP. H., and SilerW.: 1973, ‘Mercury Concentrations in Fish, Plankton and Water from Three Western Atlantic Estuaries’, J. Fish. Biol. 5, 641–647.
WindomH., TaylorF., and StickneyR.: 1973, ‘Mercury in North Atlantic Plankton’, J. Cons. Int. Explor. Mer. 35, 18–21.
Topping, G.: 1972, ‘Heavy Metals in Zooplankton frommScottish Waters, North Sea and Atlantic Ocean’, in Baseline Studies of Pollutants in the Marine Environment, Background papers for a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation's IDOE. Brookhaven National Laboratory, 24–36 May 1972, pp. 149–158.
SteeleJ. H., McIntyreA. D., JohnstonR., BaxterI. G., ToppingG., and DooleyH. D.: 1973, ‘Pollution Studies in the Clyde Sea Area’, Mar. Pollut. Bull. 4, 153–157.
StrohalP. and DzajoM.: 1971, ‘Concentration of Mercury in the North Adriatic Biota’, Thalassia Jugosl. 7, 591–596.
Huynh-Ngoc, L. and Fukai, R.: 1979, Levels of Trace Metals in Open Mediterranean Surface Waters, IVes Journées Etud. Pollutions, C.I.E.S.M., Monaco, pp. 171–175.
FitzgeraldR. A., GordonD. C.Jr., and CranstonR. E.: 1974, ‘Total Mercury in Seawater in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean’, Deep-Sea Res. 21, 139–144.
KnauerG. A. and MartinJ. H.: 1973, ‘Seasonal Variations of Cadmium, Copper, Manganese, Lead and Zinc in Water and Phytoplankton in Monterey Bay, California’, Limnol. Oceanogr. 18, 579–604.
Fowler, S. W. and Papadopoulou, C.: Unpublished results.
Robertson, D. E., Rancitelli, L. A., Langford, J. C., and Perkins, R. W.: 1972, ‘Battelle-Northwest Contribution to the IDOE Baseline Study’, in Baseline Studies of Pollutants in the Marine Environment, Background papers for a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation's IDOE. Brookhaven National Laboratory, 24–26 May 1972, pp. 231–273.
Cutshall, N. and Holton, R.: 1972, ‘Metal Analyses in IDOE Baseline Samples’, in Baseline Studies of Pollutants in the Marine Environment, Background papers for a workshop sponsored by the National Science Foundation's IDOE. Brookhaven National Laboratory, 24–26 May 1972, pp. 67–81.
FujitaT., YamamotoT., YamaziI., and ShigematsuT.: 1969. ‘The Contents of Ash, Iron and Manganese in Marine Plankton’, Nippon Kagaku Zasshi 90, 680–686.
FowlerS. W.: 1982, ‘Biological Transfer and Transport Processes’, in G.Kullenberg (ed.), Pollutant Transfer and Transport in the Sea, Vol. II, CRC Press, Boca Raton, pp. 1–65.
LegandM., BourretP., FourmanoirP., GrandperrinR., GuérédratJ. A., MichelA., RancurelP., RepelinR., and RogerC.: 1972, ‘Relations trophiques et distributions verticales en milieu pélagique dans l'océan pacifique intertropical’, Cah. O.R.S.T.O.M., ser. Océanogr. 10, 303–393.
Baldi, F., Renzoni, A., and Bernhard, M.: 1979, Mercury Concentrations in Pelagic Fishes (Anchovy, Mackerel and Sardine) from the Italian Coast and Strait of Gibraltar, IVes Journées Etud. Pollutions, C.I.E.S.M., Monaco, pp. 251–254.
BernhardM. and RenzoniA.: 1977, ‘Mercury Concentration in Mediterranean Marine Organisms and their Environment: Natural or Anthropogenic Origin’, Thalassia Jugosl. 13, 265–300.
Renzoni, A., Bernhard, M., Sara, R., and Stoeppler, M.: 1979, Comparison Between the Mercury Body Burden of Thunnus thynnus from the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. IVes Journées Etud. Pollutions, C.I.E.S.M., Monaco, pp. 255–260.
BernhardM.: 1978, ‘Heavy Metals and Chlorinated Hydrocarbons in the Meditterranean’, Ocean Manag. 3, 253–313.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fowler, S.W. Trace metal monitoring of pelagic organisms from the open Mediterranean Sea. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 7, 59–78 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00398029
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00398029