CONCENTRATIONS OF DIFFERENT MACRO AND TRACE ELEMENTS IN SEDIMENT AND FISH SAMPLES FROM THE COAST OF TEKIRDAG MARMARA SEA

Abstract

Monitoring the aquatic organisms (especially bottom-living organisms) and sediment samples is a common method used for environmental toxicology studies. This study aims to investigate the presence of macro and trace elements in four different deep sea fish (Solea vulgaris, Merlangius merlangus euxinus, Mullus surmuletus, and Lophius piscatorius) and sediment samples in the Marmara Sea. For this aim, the fish was collected from four different stations along the Tekirdag province coast of the Marmara Sea in the spring of 2018. The macro and trace element concentrations were analyzed using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometry. The sediment samples were evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy and Total Organic Carbon analyses. The findings showed that the determined mean macro and trace element concentrations in the deep sea fish muscle tissues and sediment samples were Ca > P > K> Na > S> Al > Mg > B > Co > Se > Pt >Sb and Ca > Al > Mg > Na> S> K > P > B > Co > Pt > Sb, respectively. The results showed that many strong correlations (rmax: 0.794) were determined by considering the fish species and the locations for the target elements. Although these correlations included new information, they were not clear enough to draw general conclusions. Clear results related sources of pollutants have not been achieved using Principal Component Analysis. This study indicated that all the carbon found in sediments is sourced from inorganic carbon in the Marmara Sea. In conclusion, these data obtained in this study suggest that there is no critical hazard in the Sea of Marmara. This data have vital importance for the evaluation of environmental risks and the creation of environmental disaster scenarios in the future.