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Trace contaminants in water-column and food-web of the Scheldt estuary
Baeyens, W.; Leermakers, M.; De Gieter, M.; Nguyen, H.L.; Elskens, M. (2002). Trace contaminants in water-column and food-web of the Scheldt estuary, in: ECSA Local Meeting: ecological structures and functions in the Scheldt Estuary: from past to future, Antwerp, Belgium October 7-10, 2002: abstract book. pp. 27
In: (2002). ECSA Local Meeting: Ecological structures and functions in the Scheldt Estuary: from past to future, Antwerp, Belgium October 7-10, 2002: abstract book. University of Antwerp: Antwerp. 73 + 1 cd-rom pp.
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open Marine Archive 66584 [ download pdf ]
Document type: Conference paper
Keywords
    Biological phenomena > Accumulation > Bioaccumulation
    Chemical elements > Metals > Heavy metals > Cadmium
    Chemical elements > Metals > Heavy metals > Lead
    Chemical elements > Metals > Heavy metals > Mercury
    Depletion
    Evacuation
    Fauna > Aquatic organisms > Aquatic animals > Fish > Estuarine organisms > Brackishwater fish
    Food webs > Food chains
    Layers > Water column
    Pollutants
    Population characteristics > Population number
    Sediments
    Self purification
    Trace elements > Trace metals
    Wastes > Effluents
    ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]; Belgium, Schelde R. [Marine Regions]
Authors  Top 
  • Baeyens, W.
  • Leermakers, M.
  • De Gieter, M.
  • Nguyen, H.L.
  • Elskens, M.
Abstract
    Action plans for a better protection of the North Sea were presented at the successive North Sea Conferences. These plans included far-reaching undertakings to reduce aqueous discharges and atmospheric emissions of substances such as trace metals that are toxic, persistent and liable to bioaccumulate. For cadmium, lead and mercury the reduction targets were achieved, but an additional effort is necessary for copper and zinc. It is interesting to compare, for the various trace metals, the above mentioned emission reduction percentages with the immission reduction levels observed in the Scheldt estuary over the same period. The Scheldt estuary is not only a receiving water body: evacuation of pollutants to the sea, storage in the bottom sediments and depuration via efflux to the atmosphere all contribute to a reduction of the metal burden in the water column. All in- and outgoing flows have been put together in a box-model, and a mass balance for each box has been calculated. Only in 5 boxes on 30, the imbalance was larger than 20% with a highest value of 29%. For mercury, also the food-chain transfer in the Scheldt, including bioconcentration and bioaccumulation factors, has been studied. Despite the fact that Hg levels in the Scheldt estuary are much higher than in the North Sea, it appears that Hg concentrations in fish are even slightly lower in the Scheldt. A more striking observation is the very low MMHg fraction in Scheldt fish (average 57%), compared to that in North Sea fish (average 95%).
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