[Mixing behavior of arsenic in the Daliaohe Estuary]

Mixing behavior of arsenic in the Daliaohe Estuary was studied. Twenty samples were collected from the Daliaohe Estuary during April, July and November, 2010 and arsenic was determined by HG-AFS. The concentrations of arsenic varied from 2.98-44.1, 1.19-14.6, 1.27-12.4 microg x L(-1) in April, July and November. The seasonal variation of arsenic content was significant. In July, the concentration of arsenic was lower than that in April, and higher than that in November. The data indicated that arsenic did not behave conservatively in April and November, but behaved conservatively in July. An important mobilization of dissolved arsenic was observed from the river up to halfway in the estuary in April and November, 2010. Both input flux (from river to estuary) and output flux (from estuary to coastal zone) of dissolved arsenic were calculated from statistical interpretations of the salinity profiles. Concentration of arsenic in the Daliaohe Estuary is higher than large systems, like the Changjiang Estuary and Zhujiang Estuary.