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Updated: Jun 2, 2026

Clean Sampling and Analysis of River and Estuarine Waters for Trace Metal Studies
Published on: July 1, 2016
Characterization of land-based sources of pollution in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico: status of heavy metal concentration in
Dennis A Apeti1, David R Whitall, Anthony S Pait
1National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Centers for Coastal and Ocean Science, Center for Coastal Monitoring and Assessment, 1305 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. Dennis.Apeti@noaa.gov
Abstract:
As part of an assessment of land-based sources of pollution in Jobos Bay, Puerto Rico, sediment samples were collected at 43 sites to characterize concentrations of a suite of pollutants, including metals. Fifteen major and trace metals (Ag, Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn Ni, Pb, Sb, Se, Sn, and Zn) were measured along with total organic carbon and grain size in surficial sediments. For most metals, maximum concentrations were seen in the eastern bay; however, values were still within concentration ranges found in other estuarine systems. In contrast, silver was higher in the western region. In general, metal distribution in the bay was positively correlated with grain size. Additionally, correlations between Al and other metals suggest natural sources for metals. The data presented here suggest that, although the Jobos Bay watershed contains both urban centers along with industrial and agricultural developments, anthropogenic inputs of metals may be negligible.
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