Trace metals in seawater and copepods in the ocean outfall area off the northern Taiwan coast

The distribution, partitioning and concentrations of trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) in seawater, including dissolved and particulate phases, and in copepods in the ocean outfall area off the northern coast of Taiwan were investigated. Normalization of metal concentrations to the background metal concentration to yield relative enrichment factors (EF), which were used to evaluate the contamination of dissolved and particulate trace metals in seawater around the ocean outfall. The EF results indicated that the outfall area was significantly contaminated by dissolved Fe and Zn, and by particulate Fe, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn. In addition, most trace metals were chiefly in the particulate phase. The average percentage of total metal concentrations (dissolved plus particulate phases) bound by suspended particulate matter followed the sequence Al(95%) = Mn(95%) > Pb(88%) > Cu(86%) > Fe(72%) > Zn(32%) > Cr(17.5%) > Cd(3.4%). Therefore, metal contamination is better evaluated in solid phase than in the dissolved phase. The concentration ranges of trace metals in the copepods, Temora turbinata, Oncaea venusta and Euchaeta rimana, near the outfall were: Cd, 0.23–1.81 μg g−1; Cr, 16.5–195 μg g−1; Cu, 14–160 μg g−1; Fe, 256–7255 μg g−1; Mn, 5.5–80.8 μg g−1; Pb, 2.6–56.2 μg g−1; Zn, 132–3891 μg g−1; and Al, 0.21–1.13%. Aluminum, and probably Fe, seemed to be the major elements in copepods. The concentrations of trace metals in copepods, especially Temora turbinata, near the outfall were generally higher than those obtained in the background station. The mean increase in bioconcentration factor of metals in copepods ranged from 4 to 7 and followed the sequence Al(6.4) > Cu(6.2) > Fe(6.0) > Zn(5.7) > Pb(5.6) > Cr(5.5) > Cd(5.1) > Mn(4.7). Therefore, marine copepods in the waters of northern Taiwan can accumulate trace metals over background concentrations and act as contamination indicators