title: A critical examination of the possible application of zinc stable isotope ratios in bivalve mollusks and suspended particulate matter to trace zinc pollution in a tropical estuary.
abstract: The application of zinc (Zn) isotopes in bivalve tissues to identify zinc sources in estuaries was critically assessed. We determined the zinc isotope composition of mollusks (Crassostrea brasiliana and Perna perna) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in a tropical estuary (Sepetiba Bay, Brazil) historically impacted by metallurgical activities. The zinc isotope systematics of the SPM was in line with mixing of zinc derived from fluvial material and from metallurgical activities. In contrast, source mixing alone cannot account for the isotope ratios observed in the bivalves, which are significantly lighter in the contaminated metallurgical zone (δ66ZnJMC= +0.49 ± 0.06‰, 2σ, n = 3) compared to sampling locations outside (δ66ZnJMC= +0.83 ± 0.10‰, 2σ, n = 22). This observation suggests that additional factors such as speciation, bioavailability and bioaccumulation pathways (via solution or particulate matter) influence the zinc isotope composition of bivalves.
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Geociências, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, L2, Asa Norte, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil; Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, GET-UMR 5563 CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, IRD, 14 Edouard Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France; Laboratoire Mixte International-Observatoire des Changements Environnementaux -LMI-OCE, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Universidade de Brasilia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasilia, Brazil. Electronic address: danielunb.ferreira@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Araújo
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal Fluminense, Departamento de Geoquímica, Campus do Valonguinho, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Wilson
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.affiliation: Imperial College London, Earth Science and Engineering, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Dominik
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weiss
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Tocantins, Departamento de Química Ambiental, Rua Badejós, Lote 7, Chácaras 69/72, Zona Rural, Gurupi, Tocantins, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniel S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Mulholland
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Geociências, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, L2, Asa Norte, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Geraldo R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Boaventura
authors.affiliation: Géosciences Environnement Toulouse, GET-UMR 5563 CNRS, Université Paul Sabatier, IRD, 14 Edouard Belin, 31400, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Viers
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Geociências, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, L2, Asa Norte, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil; Laboratoire Mixte International-Observatoire des Changements Environnementaux -LMI-OCE, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), Universidade de Brasilia, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, Brasilia, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jeremie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garnier
authors.affiliation: Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Geociências, Campus Darcy Ribeiro, L2, Asa Norte, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elton L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.affiliation: Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Geociências, Rua do Lago 562, Cidade Universitária, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marly
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Babinski
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049872:Bivalvia / Q000378:metabolism*; D001938:Brazil; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D063366:Estuaries; D007554:Isotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D008669:Metallurgy; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000378:metabolism; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*; D015032:Zinc / Q000032:analysis* / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D052638:Particulate Matter; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D015032:Zinc
keywords: Bioaccumulation; Coastal zones; Environmental contamination; Metal isotopes; Zinc