A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF TRACE-METAL DISTRIBUTION IN BERMUDIAN GROUNDWATER

Results of analyses of Bermudian non-saline groundwater for the trace metals aluminium, cadmium, copper, iron, manganese, nickel, lead and zinc are presented. Concentrations of all the metals are low (nM range) though iron and manganese are markedly higher in marsh areas than non-marsh areas, while for other metals the differences are much smaller. In the non-marsh areas, trace metal concentrations show much less variability than chloride (derived from saline water underlying the fresh groundwater) or nitrate (input to the groundwater largely via cesspit seepage and fertiliser usage) though there is evidence to suggest that cesspit seepage may give rise to locally elevated trace metal concentrations. It is apparent that geochemical factors operate to retain trace metal concentrations within a narrow range, despite the inputs to the system. -Authors

A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF TRACE-METAL DISTRIBUTION IN BERMUDIAN GROUNDWATER Academic Article