HEAVY METAL AND NUTRIENT CONCENTRATIONS IN JAMAICA BAY, NEW YORK

Metal contamination of estuarine sediments and water is an increasing problem as urbanization continues to extend. Jamaica Bay, an embayment of the Atlantic Ocean on southwestern Long Island receives a large inputs from waste water treatment plants, sewage outflows, and surface runoff enriched with nutrients and heavy metals poses a serious concerns. As an initiative of broader study to understand the spatial and temporal variability of trace metal and nutrient concentrations in this area, water and sediment samples are being collected periodically from three different sites capturing the wide range of flushing zones. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved nutrients (phosphate, silicate, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite) by Lachet QuickChem 8500 and dissolved trace metals (As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mo, Mn, Ni, Se, Zn) were measured by ICP-OES (inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry). Temperature, conductivity, salinity, turbidity, pH, ORP, dissolved oxygen (DO) were measured on site by YSI multiparameter probe (600 QS). Auger samples were analyzed for 26 elements including heavy metals by XRF (x-ray fluorescence spectrometry). The recent data from site A showed a consistency in trace metal concentrations in surface water and sediments. Higher aqueous concentration of Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn corresponds the higher sedimentary level of those metals. In both phases, significant variation was observed in meter scales. Trace amount of As (3.3 ± 1.5 μg/l) and Cd (3.9 ± 1.5 μg/l) were found in dissolved phase where as no As and Cd were detected by XRF in sediments. Large variation was observed in nutrients concentrations except Ortho-phosphate and nitrite. No significant correlation was identified between nutrients and heavy metals.