title: Trace element fluxes in sediments of an environmentally impacted river from a coastal zone of Brazil.
abstract: Data regarding trace element concentrations and fluxes in suspended sediments and bedload are scarce. To fill this gap and meet the international need to include polluted rivers in future world estimation of trace element fluxes, this study aimed to determine the trace element fluxes in suspended sediment and bedload of an environmentally impacted river in Brazil. Water, suspended sediment, and bedload from both the upstream and the downstream cross sections were collected. To collect both the suspended sediment and water samples, we used the US DH-48. Bedload measurements were carried out using the US BLH 84 sampler. Concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were determined by inductively coupled plasma (ICP-OES). As and Hg were determined by an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AA-FIAS). The suspended sediments contributed more than 99 % of the trace element flux. By far Pb and to a less extent Zn at the downstream site represents major concerns. The yields of Pb and Zn in suspended sediments were 4.20 and 2.93 kg km(2) year(-1), respectively. These yields were higher than the values reported for Pb and Zn for Tuul River (highly impacted by mining activities), 1.60 and 1.30 kg km(2) year(-1), respectively, as well as the Pb yield (suspended + dissolved) to the sea of some Mediterranean rivers equal to 3.4 kg km(2) year(-1). Therefore, the highest flux and yield of Pb and Zn in Ipojuca River highlighted the importance to include medium and small rivers-often overlooked in global and regional studies-in the future estimation of world trace element fluxes in order to protect estuaries and coastal zones.
authors.affiliation: Agronomy Department, Soil Conservation Engineering Laboratory, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manuel de Medeiros street, s/n - Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Yuri Jacques Agra Bezerra
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: da Silva
authors.affiliation: Agronomy Department, Soil Conservation Engineering Laboratory, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manuel de Medeiros street, s/n - Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: José Ramon Barros
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Cantalice
authors.affiliation: Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department and Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843-2117, USA.
authors.forename: Vijay P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Agronomy Department, Soil Fertility Laboratory, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manuel de Medeiros street, s/n Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil. cwanascimento@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Clístenes Williams Araújo
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: do Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Rural Technology Department, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manuel de Medeiros street, s/n - Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Victor Casimiro
authors.initials: VC
authors.lastname: Piscoya
authors.affiliation: Rural Technology Department, Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (UFRPE), Dom Manuel de Medeiros street, s/n - Dois Irmãos, 52171-900, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sérgio M S
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Guerra
mesh_terms: D001938:Brazil; D063366:Estuaries; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D045483:Rivers; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D060753:Water Quality
chemical_list: D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Environmental chemistry; Flux; Metal contamination; Sediment quality; Sediment transport; Trace elements; Water discharge