Comparison of high spatial resolution trace metal distributions with model simulations for surface waters of the Gulf of Cadiz

A multidisciplinary study in the Gulf of Cadiz is revisited, using additional diagnostic modelling tools. The dissolved trace metal (Cu, Ni, Zn, Co) distributions in the Gulf of Cadiz are analysed using modelled tracer evolutions, field observations and the concept of tracer ages. This study shows that a significant part of the observed metal distributions can be explained by the metal inputs of three river systems (Guadiana, Rio Tinto and Odiel, Guadalquivir) discharging into the Gulf of Cadiz, while the remainder of the signal is most likely associated with the benthic metal remobilisation along the shelf of this coastal region.