Element variability in lacustrine systems of Terra Nova Bay (Antarctica) and concentration evolution in surface waters

• Published in: Chemosphere
• Main Authors: Zelano, Isabella, Malandrino, Mery, Giacomino, Agnese, Buoso, Sandro, Conca, Eleonora, Sivry, Yann, Benedetti, Marc, Abollino, Ornella
• Other Authors: Univ Turin, Dipartimento Chim, Via Giuria 5, I-10125 Turin, Italy, Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire des Environnements Continentaux (LIEC), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Observatoire Terre et Environnement de Lorraine (OTELo), Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Lorraine (UL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut Ecologie et Environnement (INEE), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Dipartimento di Chimica IFM and NIS, Università degli studi di Torino (UNITO), Univ Turin, Dipartimento Sci & Tecnol Farmaco, Via Giuria 9, I-10125 Turin, Italy, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de La Réunion (UR)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-IPG PARIS-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS), Laboratoire de géochimie des Eaux (LGE), Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, Italian National Research Program for Antarctica (PNRA
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2017
• Subjects: Antarctica; Metals; Freshwater; Algae; Mosses; [SDU]Sciences of the Universe [physics]; Terra Nova Bay; Victoria Land; Antarc*
• Online Access: https://hal-insu.archives-ouvertes.fr/insu-02865508; https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.04.005

International audience Major, minor and trace elements were determined in freshwater of lacustrine systems in Terra Nova Bay, along Victoria Land coast, Antarctica, as well as in algae and mosses. The samples were collected during some of the sampling campaigns between 2007 and 2011 (and the one of 2002) within the framework of the Italian National Program of Research in Antarctica (PNRA). Data were processed with chemometric techniques. Results showed that elements typically considered as potential anthropogenic pollutants (e.g. As, Pb, Zn, Cu and Ni) present a strong correlation with the lithogenic elements (e.g. Al, Si, Fe) in all matrices, suggesting that their origin is connected to natural phenomena. Metal concentrations in vegetation samples are in the same range as previously published data. The obtained results were compared with older literature data (since the early '90s) from the same lacustrine systems, in order to present a historical overview of element concentrations. This approach furnishes important information on surface water evolution as a function of time. A considerable variability was observed in metal concentrations but no clear trend was identified. This suggests that their concentration evolution is hardly correlated to specific natural or anthropic phenomena. No evidence of an increase of concentrations over time was apparent. Our results represent new important data about metal concentrations in lacustrine systems in Antarctica, furnishing ranges of values that can be considered as a reference. These data, therefore, could be used to detect or monitor future local andior global anthropogenic contaminations