Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in marine organisms and sediments from Admiralty Bay, King George Island, Antarctica

• Levels of heavy metals were established in sediments and biota of Antarctica.
• The results showed high concentrations of copper and zinc in the sediments.
• There was bioaccumulation of arsenic in the biota of Admiralty Bay.
• There was bioaccumulation of zinc specifically in the biota of Martel Inlet.

The Antarctic continent is considered a low-impact environment; however, there is a tendency to increase the contaminants' levels due to human activities in the research stations. In this study, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn levels in sediment and biota were determined in the environmental samples from Admiralty Bay (King George Island, Antarctica) collected in 2003. The results demonstrated high concentrations of Cu and Zn in the sediments. There was bioaccumulation of As in the biota from Admiralty Bay and bioaccumulation of Zn specifically in the biota from Martel Inlet. In addition, the results were useful in order to understand the heavy metal levels for the pre-accident condition of Comandante Ferraz Antarctic Station, where an accident occurred in 2012, and also for the comparison with current conditions within the monitoring work developed by INCT-APA (National Institute of Science and Technology for Environmental Research Antarctic).