1. Mercury distribution in water masses of the South Atlantic Ocean (24°S to 20°S), Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone.
- Author
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Kütter VT, de Oliveira Pires AC, da Rosa Quintana GC, Mirlean N, Silva-Filho EV, Machado W, Garnier J, Aguilera O, Rosário RP, Kawakami SK, and Albuquerque ALS
- Subjects
- Atlantic Ocean, Brazil, Water, Mercury, Water Pollutants, Chemical analysis
- Abstract
Mercury (Hg) is a toxic globally spread pollutant that has been found at increasing concentrations in the South Atlantic Ocean. The present work provides the first insight into the total mercury (HgT, unfiltered waters) content in the water of the Brazilian Exclusive Economic Zone (BEEZ), within a 24°S to 20°S. Water samples were collected from surface to 3400 m depth along transects, and analyzed with atomic fluorescence. The mean HgT concentration for the Tropical Water mass (TW) was 6.3 ± 1.4 pM (n = 16), for the South Atlantic Central Water (SACW), 5.9 ± 0.7 pM (n = 8), for the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW), 5.0 ± 0.6 pM (n = 2), for the Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW), 6.5 pM (n = 1), and for the North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW), 5.7 ± 0.9 pM (n = 12). HgT concentrations were highest throughout the BEEZ in comparison with other parts of the Atlantic Ocean, farther from the coast., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2022
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