| Most of trace elements have a non conservative behavior in estuarine environments. It is the case of cadmium, cobalt and caesium for which the fate in estuarine and coastal zones is largely controlled by their distribution between water and suspended particles, which generally have high residence times or can be definitely deposited in these areas. Metallic contaminants and radionuclides can be present under various species : dissolved (mineral and organic complexes), colloidal and particulate forms (adsorbed, precipitated) or integrated by various mechanisms in the organisms. Such distributions are the result of processes (physical, chemical, biological) which are controlled by many factors (ionic strengh, pH, Eh, major cations concentration, nature and... |
