Trace metal concentration along the Brazilian coast: An assessment of the influence of the Doce River plume

Échily Sartori; Cristiane Dos Santos Vergilio; Pedro Vianna Gatts; Braulio Cherene Vaz de Oliveira; Marcelo Gomes de Almeida; Fabiano Thompson; Carlos Eduardo de Rezende

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114640

Trace metal concentration along the Brazilian coast: An assessment of the influence of the Doce River plume

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Mar:188:114640. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114640. Epub 2023 Feb 5.

Authors

Échily Sartori¹, Cristiane Dos Santos Vergilio², Pedro Vianna Gatts³, Braulio Cherene Vaz de Oliveira³, Marcelo Gomes de Almeida³, Fabiano Thompson⁴, Carlos Eduardo de Rezende⁵

Affiliations

¹ Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000, Parque Califórnia, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro 28013-602, Brazil. Electronic address: echilysartori1@gmail.com.
² Laboratório de Ecotoxicologia, Departamento de Biologia, Centro de Ciências Exatas Naturais e da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo - Campus Alegre, Alto Universitário, S/N, Guararema, Alegre, Espírito Santo 29.500-000, Brazil.
³ Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000, Parque Califórnia, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro 28013-602, Brazil.
⁴ Instituto de Biologia, CCS, Laboratório de Microbiologia, Anexo ao Bloco A, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Ilha do Fundão, Rio de Janeiro 21941-902, Brazil.
⁵ Laboratório de Ciências Ambientais, Centro de Biociências e Biotecnologia, Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, Avenida Alberto Lamego, 2000, Parque Califórnia, Campos dos Goytacazes, Rio de Janeiro 28013-602, Brazil. Electronic address: crezende@uenf.br.

PMID: 36750004
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114640

Abstract

The Fundão Dam rupture released tons of iron ore tailings into the environment. This study analyzes the long-term impacts and provides a possible scenario of Doce River (DR) plume dispersion. For this, water and surface sediment were collected in November 2019 along three Brazilian states to determine metal concentrations and δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N compositions. The δ¹³C_sediment values of the DR plume showed a dispersion pattern mainly to the north but also in areas closer to the south of the DR mouth. Furthermore, the most negative values of δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were observed in mud, followed by suspended particulate matter, sediment and the dissolved fraction, indicating that geological matrices are involved in the transport of organic matter coupled to metals to the ocean and pointing to the DR as the main source of metals in the region. Thus, this study highlights the need for continuous studies to monitor the environmental and biological conditions in these areas.

Keywords: Coastal areas; Environmental disaster; Isotopic composition; Metals; Sediment.

MeSH terms

Brazil
Disasters*
Environmental Monitoring
Metals / analysis
Rivers
Trace Elements*
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Trace Elements
Metals
Water Pollutants, Chemical