130 years of heavy metal pollution archived in the shell of the intertidal dog whelk, Nucella lapillus (Gastropoda, Muricidae)

Mayk, Dennis ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5017-1495; Harper, Elizabeth; Backeljau, Thierry; Peck, Lloyd ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3479-6791; Fietzke, Jan. 2022 130 years of heavy metal pollution archived in the shell of the intertidal dog whelk, Nucella lapillus (Gastropoda, Muricidae). Marine Pollution Bulletin, 185 (A), 114286. 8, pp. 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114286

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Abstract/Summary

Heavy metals in coastal waters are a great environmental concern in the North Sea since the middle of the 20th century. Regulatory efforts have led to a significant reduction in atmospheric and water-transported heavy metals. Still, high concentrations of these in sediments remain a risk for ecosystems, requiring close monitoring. Here, we investigated the applicability of Nucella lapillus museum collections as a tool for targeted tracking of chronic anthropogenic heavy metal pollution. We analysed the concentration ratios of the common heavy metals Cu, Cd, Pb, and Zn in relation to Ca in N. lapillus shells collected from the Dutch and Belgian intertidal zone over the last 130 years. We found that shell Cu/Ca and Zn/Ca concentration ratios remained remarkably constant, whereas Pb/Ca concentration trends were closely aligned with emissions of leaded petrol in Europe. Our results suggest that N. lapillus provides a suitable Pb pollution archive of the intertidal zone.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114286
ISSN:	0025-326X
Additional Keywords:	Environmental monitoring, Lead emission, Museum collections, Pollution management, Sewage
Date made live:	03 Nov 2022 08:15 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533118

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114286

ISSN:

0025-326X

Additional Keywords:

Environmental monitoring, Lead emission, Museum collections, Pollution management, Sewage

Date made live:

03 Nov 2022 08:15 +0 (UTC)

URI:

https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/533118