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Biogeochemical Behavior of Arsenic Species at Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, Southern Brazil

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Abstract

The behavior and dynamics of arsenic at Ilha do Mel, Guaraqueçaba, and Paranaguá, located in the Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, Brazil, were investigated in this work. Samples were collected in March, September, and December of 2005. With respect to arsenic behavior, the total concentrations were higher for Paranaguá (22.5 ± 2.5 μg L−1) on average, followed by the samples of Guaraqueçaba (14.4 ± 3.2 μg L−1) and Ilha do Mel (8.7 ± 1.1 μg L−1). The concentrations found in this work were consistently greater when compared to other estuaries. The results can be attributed to geological factors. Nevertheless, it was also possible to realize that higher concentrations were found in Paranaguá, the more impacted environment. These results represent a strong indication that human activities in the area contribute to the enrichment of the estuary with this metalloid. Arsenic was mainly present in the dissolved phase, which corresponded to more than 70% of the total concentration. This behavior can represent a greater residence time of this metalloid in the water column. The marine phytoplankton presence was decisive in dictating the distribution of As in the waters of Paranaguá estuary. Organic species, which are considered the less toxic, were found in higher concentrations in the eutrophic areas such as Guaraqueçaba and Paranaguá. This was a typical behavior during the summer probably due to higher biological activity.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank National Council of Technological and Scientific Development—CNPq for financial support. This research was funded by Edital Universal, Proc. 474713/2003-2 and CT-INFRA/Finep. VEA also thanks Coordenation for the Improvement of the Higher Level Personnel—CAPES and CNPq for the fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Química, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), CP 19081, Curitiba, PR, 81531-990, Brazil

    Vanessa E. dos Anjos & Marco T. Grassi

  2. Centro de Estudos do Mar, Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR), Av. Beira Mar s/n, CP 5002, Pontal do Paraná, PR, 83255-000, Brazil

    Eunice da C. Machado

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  1. Vanessa E. dos Anjos
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  2. Eunice da C. Machado
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  3. Marco T. Grassi
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Correspondence to Marco T. Grassi.

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dos Anjos, V.E., da C. Machado, E. & Grassi, M.T. Biogeochemical Behavior of Arsenic Species at Paranaguá Estuarine Complex, Southern Brazil. Aquat Geochem 18, 407–420 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10498-012-9161-8

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