title: Reconstruction of centennial-scale fluxes of chemical elements in the Australian coastal environment using seagrass archives.
abstract: The study of a Posidonia australis sedimentary archive has provided a record of changes in element concentrations (Al, Fe, Mn, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, Co, As, Cu, Ni and S) over the last 3000 years in the Australian marine environment. Human-derived contamination in Oyster Harbor (SW Australia) started ~100 years ago (AD ~1900) and exponentially increased until present. This appears to be related to European colonization of Australia and the subsequent impact of human activities, namely mining, coal and metal production, and extensive agriculture. Two contamination periods of different magnitude have been identified: Expansion period (EXP, AD ~1900-1970) and Establishment period (EST, AD ~1970 to present). Enrichments of chemical elements with respect to baseline concentrations (in samples older than ~115 cal years BP) were found for all elements studied in both periods, except for Ni, As and S. The highest enrichment factors were obtained for the EST period (ranging from 1.3-fold increase in Cu to 7.2-fold in Zn concentrations) compared to the EXP period (1.1-fold increase for Cu and Cr to 2.4-fold increase for Pb). Zinc, Pb, Mn and Co concentrations during both periods were 2- to 7-fold higher than baseline levels. This study demonstrates the value of Posidonia mats as long-term archives of element concentrations and trends in coastal ecosystems. We also provide preliminary evidence on the potential for Posidonia meadows to act as significant long-term biogeochemical sinks of chemical elements.
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences & Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, WA, Australia; The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia. Electronic address: o.serranogras@ecu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Serrano
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences & Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Grace
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences & Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, WA, Australia; Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Blanes 17300, Spain.
authors.forename: Paul S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Lavery
authors.affiliation: The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, 4700 KAUST, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia; Institut Mediterrani d'Estudis Avançats, Department of Global Change Research, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Mallorca, Spain.
authors.forename: Carlos M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Duarte
authors.affiliation: Departamento Edafologia y Quimica Agricola, Facultad di Biologia, Campus Sur s/n, 15706 Santiago, Spain.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Martinez-Cortizas
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences & Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, WA, Australia; Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Blanes 17300, Spain.
authors.forename: Miguel Angel
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Mateo
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences & Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, WA, Australia; The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; School of Physics, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia; Departament de Física and Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Pere
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Masqué
authors.affiliation: Departament de Física and Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia, Spain.
authors.forename: Ariane
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arias-Ortiz
authors.affiliation: School of Natural Sciences & Centre for Marine Ecosystems Research, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Science, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup 6027, WA, Australia; School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rozaimi
authors.affiliation: The UWA Oceans Institute, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia; The School of Plant Biology, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA, Australia.
authors.forename: Gary A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kendrick
mesh_terms: D035961:Alismatales; D001109:Archives; D001315:Australia; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D014877:Water Pollution, Chemical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D008670:Metals; D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Contamination; Marine biogeochemical cycles; Posidonia seagrass archive; Recent Holocene; Southern Hemisphere