​Understanding trace metal biogeochemistry in Singapore and the region with studies of metal concentrations, sources and bioavailability

​Event Type: Seminar

Event Date: 25 Jan 2018

Venue: N1.1-B2-01e, Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University

Speaker: Gonzalo Carrasco

About the speaker:

Gonzalo Carrasco currently works at the Center of Environmental Sensing and Modeling, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. Gonzalo does research in Electrochemistry, Oceanography and Geochemistry.

About the event:

Trace metals can have nutritious or toxic roles for phytoplankton and marine life depending on the metal, its concentration and the bioavailability of its chemical species. Using a combination of ICP-MS and electrochemistry methods, we tracked the anthropogenic and natural sources of trace metals (Zn, Cd, Cu, Pb) in Singapore coastal waters and the surrounding region. Here, we present results that show spatiotemporal variations in concentrations and bioavailability of metals in seawater around Singapore (Singapore and Johor Straits) that were driven by natural and anthropogenic sources, specifically industrial and agriculture/aquaculture sources. We compare these two results from our study along the Malacca Straits, the South China Sea and Malaysian Borneo, where natural riverine organic matter is the dominant control of metal bioavailability, as part of a larger river-to-ocean transport mechanism. Further studies and applications of our results will also be shared, including the use of coral proxies for reconstructing metal bioavailability and the characterization of responses of mangroves to metal loading.