ISSN:
1573-515X
Keywords:
arsenic speciation
;
interstitial water
;
organoarsenicals
;
sediment
;
mine-tailings
;
Rupert Inlet
;
Alice Arm
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Geosciences
Notes:
Abstract Arsenic speciation data are presented for pore waters squeezed from some native and anthropogenically influenced sediments. Ten stations were sampled with a box corer (to 20 cm) at two British Columbia coastal sites that are influenced by mine-tailings discharges. These are Rupert Inlet and Alice Arm as well as their associated systems of Quatsino Sound/Holberg Inlet and Hastings Arm respectively. Total dissolved arsenic concentrations (ΣAs D) usually exhibited subsurface maxima at 5–10 cm and were generally related to solid phase arsenic (As p) levels, but there was also a dependence on the nature of the substrate. Tailings exhibited both the lowest (Rupert Inlet) and the highest (Alice Arm) ΣAs D values. Inorganic arsenicals, arsenate (AsV) and arsenite (AsIII) constituted the majority (〉90%) of the dissolved species butevery sample contained organoarsenicals. This is the first report of mono-, di- and tri-methylated arsenic species in marine interstitial water. A strong positive correlation between the sum of the methylarsenic compounds (ΣMeAs) and the total dissolved arsenic (ΣAs D) was found, indicating in situ microbial methylation similar to that observed in non-aquatic systems. Flux values for arsenic at the sediment-water interface suggest that, at present, there is no significant mobilization of arsenic from these mine-derived sediments into the water column.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02182997
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