First results on the study of metal contamination along the Corsican coastline using Posidonia oceanica

Our plain-English summary of First results on the study of metal contamination along the Corsican coastline using Posidonia oceanica, by C. Lafabrie, C. Pergent-Martini, G. Pergent (Marine Pollution Bulletin, 2008).

The study

• Authors: C. Lafabrie, C. Pergent-Martini, G. Pergent
• Journal: Marine Pollution Bulletin
• Published: 2008;57(1-5):155-9
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

This study aims at determining the metal concentrations in blades and sheaths of Posidonia oceanica adult leaves, in 16 stations of the Corsican coastline. It shows that except for Cr, all the metals are preferentially accumulated in the blades. This result is particularly interesting as it means that trace metals analyses may be carried out only on the blades avoiding thus the removal of the shoots. Moreover, this study shows that metal concentrations generally fall within the range of the lowest values available in literature and may reflect the "background noise" of the Mediterranean. Station 15 (Canari) can however be distinguished from the others due to its high Co, Cr and Ni concentrations. This result may be related to the presence of a previous asbestos mine, located near this station. Therefore, this study reinforces the relevance of the use of P. oceanica as a tracer of metal contamination.

In plain English

This study surveyed metals in Posidonia oceanica, a Mediterranean seagrass, along the coast of Corsica, France. In summer 2003 the authors collected shoots at about 10 metres depth at 16 stations. They measured mercury, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead and nickel in the blades and sheaths of adult leaves. Cadmium, cobalt, mercury, nickel and lead were significantly higher in blades than in sheaths, while chromium was higher in sheaths. Cobalt at station 15 (Canari), and chromium and nickel at stations 14 (Saint Florent) and 15, were significantly higher than at all other stations. Lead was highest at station 10 (Ajaccio), and mercury was lowest at station 12 (Calvi). Levels generally fell among the lowest reported in earlier Mediterranean studies. Station 15 lies just below the former Canari asbestos mine. According to a study the authors cited, that mine discharged 11 million tons of serpentinite rubble into the sea between 1948 and 1965. The authors concluded that the high cobalt, chromium and nickel at stations 14 and 15 may be related to this mine.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Environmental field survey using a seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) as an indicator of metal contamination; metals measured by atomic absorption spectrometry and compared between leaf tissues and stations
• Who was studied: Shoots of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica (blades and sheaths of adult leaves) collected in summer 2003 at about 10 m depth at 16 stations along the coast of Corsica, France
• Exposure: Trace metals (mercury, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, lead, nickel) in seagrass. Station 15 lies below the former Canari asbestos mine, which, according to an earlier study the authors cited (Bernier et al., 1997), discharged 11 million tons of serpentinite rubble into the sea between 1948 and 1965. No asbestos fiber type is named.
• Main results:
  • Cadmium, cobalt, mercury, nickel and lead were significantly higher in blades than in sheaths (P less than 0.05); chromium was more accumulated in sheaths (P less than 0.05)
  • Cobalt at station 15 (Canari), and chromium and nickel at stations 14 (Saint Florent) and 15, were significantly higher than at all other stations (P less than 0.05)
  • Cadmium at stations 2, 10, 11, 12, 14 and 15 was significantly higher than at stations 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 (P less than 0.05)
  • Mercury was lowest at station 12 (Calvi) (P less than 0.05); other stations had similar mercury levels
  • Lead was highest at station 10 (Ajaccio), significantly higher than at stations 1, 4, 7, 8, 9, 13 and 15 (P less than 0.05)
  • Compared with published Mediterranean data, contamination levels in this study generally fell in the range of the lowest values reported
  • The authors stated that the high cobalt, chromium and nickel at stations 14 and 15 may be related to the former Canari asbestos mine
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that the study confirms the relevance of Posidonia oceanica as a biological indicator of metal contamination in coastal ecosystems

Related studies

• Metal contamination of Posidonia oceanica meadows along the Corsican coastline (Mediterranean) — C. Lafabrie, C. Pergent-Martini, et al. (2008)
• Utilization of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica to evaluate the spatial dispersion of metal contamination — C. Lafabrie, G. Pergent, et al. (2009)
• Artificial geochemical barriers for additional recovery of non-ferrous metals and reduction of ecological hazard from the mining industry waste — V. Chanturiya, V. Masloboev, et al. (2011)
• Translocation and bioaccumulation of metals in Oryza sativa and Zea mays growing in chromite-asbestos contaminated agricultural fields, Jharkhand, India — A. Kumar, S.K. Maiti (2014)
• Composition of heavy metals and airborne fibers in the indoor environment of a building during renovation — M.T. Latif, N.H. Baharudin, et al. (2011)
• Heavy Metals in Harvested Rainwater Used for Domestic Purposes in Rural Areas: Yatta Area, Palestine as a Case Study — F. Anabtawi, N. Mahmoud, et al. (2022)

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