Obiettivo
ESTIMATION OF THE FLUX OF HEAVY METAL POLLUTANTS TO THE SEDIMENTS, DUE TO THE SETTING OF DEAD PLANKTON AND PLANKTON EXCRETION.
DEAD PLANKTON AND SOLID EXCRETION PRODUCTS OF ZOOPLANKTON REPRESENT THE MAIN FRACTION OF PARTICULATE ORGANIC MATTER FALL-OUT TO THE SEDIMENTS.
HOWEVER, AS FAR AS HEAVY METALS ARE CONCERNED, THE CONTAMINATION OF DIFFERENT STAGES OF PRODUCTION AND DECAY OF BIOGENETIC PARTICULATE MATTER IS NOT NECESSARILY IN A CONSTANT RELATION TO THEIR CARBON CONTENT. ACCUMULATION OR DEPLETION IN SOME COMPARTMENTS DOES OCCUR, AS SHOWN EXPERIMENTALLY IN VITRO, BUT REMAINS TO BE VERIFIED IN SITU. FURTHERMORE, AS A RESULT OF CELL-AUTOLYSIS OF THE PHYTOPLANKTON HEAVY METALS CAN ENTER THE DISSOLVED PHASE; POSSIBLY AS ORGANO-METAL COMPLEXES. BY THIS COMPLEXATION THE HEAVY METALS CAN BE MADE UNAVAILABLE FOR FURTHER BIOLOGICAL UPTAKE.
THEREFORE THE FOLLOWING RESEARCH WILL BE DONE:
- IN SITU STUDY OF PHYTO- AND ZOO-PLANKTON MORTALITY RATES, ESPECIALLY DURING DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE PHYTOPLANKTON BLOOMS;
- DETERMINATION OF THE CARBON AND HEAVY METAL CONTENT (CD, PB, CU, ZN, HG) OF SURFACE SAMPLES AND SEDIMENT TRAP SAMPLES;
- COMPARISON BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE DATA ON HEAVY METAL FALL-OUT AND DATA ON HEAVY METAL INPUT BY RIVER DISCHARGE AND DUMPING AT SEA.
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1050 BRUXELLES
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