title: Characterization of land-based sources of pollution in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico: status of heavy metal concentration in bed sediment.
abstract: As part of an assessment of land-based sources of pollution in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico, sediment samples were collected at 43 sites to characterize concentrations of a suite of pollutants, including metals. Fifteen major and trace metals (Ag, Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, and Zn) were measured along with total organic carbon and grain size in surficial sediments. For most metals, maximum concentrations were seen in the eastern bay; however, values were still within concentration ranges found in other estuarine systems. In contrast, silver was higher in the western region. In general, metal distribution in the bay was positively correlated with grain size. Additionally, correlations between Al and other metals suggest natural sources for metals. The data presented here suggest that, although the Jobos Bay watershed contains both urban centers along with industrial and agricultural developments, anthropogenic inputs of metals may be negligible.
authors.affiliation: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. Dennis.Apeti@noaa.gov
authors.forename: Dennis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Apeti
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Whitall
authors.forename: Anthony S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pait
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dieppa
authors.forename: Adam G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Zitello
authors.forename: Gunnar G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Lauenstein
mesh_terms: D061006:Bays / Q000737:chemistry*; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D011647:Puerto Rico; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical