Skip to main content

IMIS

A new integrated search interface will become available in the next phase of marineinfo.org.
For the time being, please use IMIS to search available data

 

[ report an error in this record ]basket (0): add | show Print this page

130 years of heavy metal pollution archived in the shell of the intertidal dog whelk, Nucella lapillus (Gastropoda, Muricidae)
Mayk, D.; Harper, E.M.; Fietzke, J.; Backeljau, T.; Peck, L.S. (2022). 130 years of heavy metal pollution archived in the shell of the intertidal dog whelk, Nucella lapillus (Gastropoda, Muricidae). Mar. Pollut. Bull. 185(Part A): 114286. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114286
In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. Macmillan: London. ISSN 0025-326X; e-ISSN 1879-3363, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keywords
    Nucella lapillus (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    Museum collections; Environmental monitoring; Pollution management; Sewage; Lead emission

Authors  Top 
  • Mayk, D.
  • Harper, E.M.
  • Fietzke, J.
  • Backeljau, T., more
  • Peck, L.S.

Abstract
    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.

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors