An analysis of arsenic concentrations associated with sargassum influx events in Barbados.

Autor: Alleyne KST; World Maritime University, Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, P.O. Box 500, SE 201 24 Malmӧ, Sweden. Electronic address: w2005361@wmu.se., Neat F; World Maritime University, Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute, P.O. Box 500, SE 201 24 Malmӧ, Sweden., Oxenford HA; Centre for Resource Management and Environmental Studies, Cave Hill Campus, University of the West Indies, Bridgetown BB11000, Barbados.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Marine pollution bulletin [Mar Pollut Bull] 2023 Jul; Vol. 192, pp. 115064. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 May 17.
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115064
Abstrakt: Tropical Atlantic blooms of pelagic Sargassum spp. present major socioeconomic and ecological challenges for Caribbean and West African nations. Valorisation of sargassum provides an opportunity to ameliorate some of the damage to national economies; however, the active uptake of arsenic by pelagic sargassum creates significant barriers to its use. When defining valorisation pathways, it is important to understand arsenic speciation in pelagic sargassum, given the different levels of toxicity associated with different arsenic species. In this study, we assess the temporal variability of total arsenic and inorganic arsenic in pelagic sargassum arriving in Barbados; and test whether arsenic concentrations are linked to oceanic sub-origins. Results indicate that inorganic arsenic, the most toxic form, represents a consistent and substantial percentage of the total arsenic present in pelagic sargassum, and that variability in arsenic concentration does not appear to be driven by sample months, years or oceanic sub-origins/transport pathways.
Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
(Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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