|
(46-35) Multivariate analysis of heavy metal contamination of the Lower Vistula River ecosystem: spatial variations and interdependences among heavy metals. Wyrzykowska, Barbara*,1, Falandysz, Jerzy1, 1 Department of Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology, University of Gdansk, Gdansk, Poland ABSTRACT- The Vistula (Wisla) River is the biggest river in Poland, and due to the size of wathershead area and volume of water runoff, it is an important source of nutrients, persistent and toxic chemicals transported to the Gulf of Gdansk and the Gdansk Basin in the Baltic Sea. Total concentrations of heavy metals were determined in the surface layer of bottom sediments, as well as in the biota samples, representatives of different trophic levels (primary producers, herbivores, carnivores, detritivores) collected in 1998-2001 from several locations along the river course between the Vistula River outlet and Wloclawek dam situated upstream of the town of Wloclawek. Fish samples were obtained from several commercially important fish hatcheries and angling sites located along the river. The microwave-assisted closed vessel wet digestion method used for sample preparation was both repeatable and quantitative and allowed for determination of metals by inductively coupled atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) and cold vapour atomic absorption spectrometry (CV-AAS) respectively. The spatial variations and interdependences among determined metals were examined using principal component analysis (PCA) method. Key words: heavy metals, Vistula River, Baltic Sea, multivariate analysis |
