Iron, manganese and trace metal concentrations in seaweeds from the central west coast of the Gulf of California

Concentrations of Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in four macroalgae species (Ulva lactuca, Chondracanthus squarrulosus, Sargassum sinicola and Gracilariopsis lemaneiformis) were obtained for the first time from the central part of the west coast of the Gulf of California. Generally, no differences in metal concentrations were found among the different seaweed species, although spatial differences were apparent. Iron, Mn and Cu exhibited higher concentrations at the stations located in front of Angel de la Guarda Island, probably because of high vertical mixing processes present in the zone. The results were compared with dissolved metal concentrations reported for the Gulf of California (Cd, Mn and Fe) and the North Pacific Ocean. The resulting linear regression of the results vs. North Pacific Ocean concentrations indicated that the levels of Cu, Ni and Zn measured in this study were within its 95% confidence level. Furthermore, this comparison was capable of detecting dissolved Fe and Mn enrichments in Gulf of California waters relative to the North Pacific Ocean concentrations. Calculations of total masses of metals associated with algal biomass on the west coast of the Gulf of California indicated that the lowest masses were represented by Cu (108 ± 25 kg) and Ni (184 ± 52 kg), whereas Pb (1.1 ± 0.6 ton) and Fe (10.9 ± 8.5 ton) were the elements with the highest associated masses.