Concentrations of ten trace elements at five localities in New South Wales
coastal waters were measured by ultratrace sampling and analysis. Mean
concentrations of cadmium (2.4 ng L-1), copper (31 ng
L-1), nickel (180 ng L-1), lead (9
ng L-1) and zinc (<22 ng L-1)
are among the lowest reported in the Southern Hemisphere and are consistent
with recent oceanographic data for the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean.
Waters from the southernmost sampling locality (Eden) contained higher
phosphate, silicate, cadmium and nickel, but lower chromium concentrations
than waters from the other four localities, reflecting the inputs of water
from the Tasman Sea in the south compared with the dominance of waters from
the Coral Sea along the rest of the coast. Cadmium concentrations were
positively correlated with both phosphate and silicate. Chromium and lead
concentrations were also significantly correlated. It is likely that a major
source of lead is atmospheric deposition. The trace metal concentrations were
comparable to those in the surface waters of the Pacific Ocean, indicating
that fluvial inputs or processes occurring in the coastal margin were of
limited importance in determining trace metal concentrations.
Trace metal uptake in cockles Anadara trapezium from Lake Macquarie, New South Wales
