Arsenic in the marine environment

Maher, William A.; Butler, Edward C. V.

doi:10.1002/aoc.590020302

Cited by 149 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 144 publications

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“…Therefore, in the future, more systematic flux data are needed for the development of predictive models that can be used to estimate the contribution of As bio-volatilization to overall global As biogeochemical cycle. These flux data should also come from marine environment, since marine biota appears to be particularly efficient in transforming low level inorganic As into organic forms (Maher and Butler, 1988;Kohlmeyer et al, 2002), yet, little is known about the scale of As biovolatilization from the ocean.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review on completing arsenic biogeochemical cycle: Microbial volatilization of arsines in environment

Wang¹,

Sun²,

Jia³

et al. 2014

Journal of Environmental Sciences

149

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a b s t r a c t Arsenic (As) is ubiquitous in the environment in the carcinogenic inorganic forms, posing risks to human health in many parts of the world. Many microorganisms have evolved a series of mechanisms to cope with inorganic arsenic in their growth media such as transforming As compounds into volatile derivatives. Bio-volatilization of As has been suggested to play an important role in global As biogeochemical cycling, and can also be explored as a potential method for arsenic bioremediation. This review aims to provide an overview of the quality and quantity of As volatilization by fungi, bacteria, microalga and protozoans. Arsenic bio-volatilization is influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors that can be manipulated/elucidated for the purpose of As bioremediation. Since As biovolatilization is a resurgent topic for both biogeochemistry and environmental health, our review serves as a concept paper for future research directions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A review on completing arsenic biogeochemical cycle: Microbial volatilization of arsines in environment

Wang¹,

Sun²,

Jia³

et al. 2014

Journal of Environmental Sciences

149

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“…Some phytoplankton species are better adapted to live in regimes with high As : P ratios than others (Planas and Healey 1978;Sanders and Vermersch 1982). For example, several phytoplankton have evolved a P uptake mechanism that discriminates against As 5+ transport into the cell (Maher and Butler 1988). Nevertheless, the excretion of detoxification products is potentially marking waters where P limitation is occurring and therefore As 3+ and methylated As are potential proxies.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Arsenic and phosphorus biogeochemistry in the ocean: Arsenic species as proxies for P‐limitation

Wurl

Zimmer

Cutter

2013

Limnology & Oceanography

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Arsenic and phosphorus are biochemically very similar, and hence arsenate (As 5+ ) is toxic by interfering with the energy metabolism, in particular during P limitation. However, many phytoplankton detoxify As by reducing arsenate to arsenite (As 3+ ), and/or methylating it to mono and dimethyl As. Such As detoxification becomes operative in oligotrophic waters when phosphate concentrations are below those for As; therefore, we evaluated the potential use of these detoxification products as indicators of P limitation by measuring As speciation during the US GEOTRACES North Atlantic transect. The distribution of As 3+ concentrations in surface waters is similar to that of N : P ratios and alkaline phosphatase activity (APA), two conventional proxies for P-limitation. As 3+ concentrations have a very similar relationship to phosphate as APA to phosphate, and therefore indicate the potential of As 3+ as proxy for P-limitation. From the relationship to phosphate we derived threshold values of As 3+ concentration to indicate moderate and extreme P-limitation. We then applied these threshold values to assess P-limitation with high horizontal resolution in the North Atlantic, improving on the contradictory assessments using the conventional proxies. Our new evaluation is consistent with the general concept that the North Atlantic is moderately to extremely limited in phosphate.Arsenic and phosphorus are biochemically very similar, so that phytoplanktonic uptake of arsenate (As 5+ ) induces toxic effects due to its substitution in the adenotriphosphate (ATP) cycle, effectively decoupling the energy metabolism (Lehninger 1975). Many phytoplankton species evolved different strategies to ameliorate the toxic effects of As 5+ , including reduction to arsenite (As 3+ ) and methylation to monomethyl-(MMAs) and dimethylarsenic (DMAs). These detoxification products are less harmful and easier to excrete (Andreae and Klumpp 1979;Sanders and Riedel 1993;Hellweger et al. 2003). Hellweger et al. (2003) proposed a mechanistic model with a limited methylation capacity due to slower kinetics compared with the preceding reduction. Such capacity may be exceeded during luxury P uptake because the chances of taking up As 5+ increase with higher rates of P uptake. Hellweger et al. (2003) proposed that exceeding methylation capacity leads to the excretion of the reduced As 3+ . Surface waters of oligotrophic central gyres have particularly high As : P ratios, with As 5+ concentrations in a range of 10-15 nmol L 21 (Cutter et al. 2001;Cutter and Cutter 2006), while phosphate is typically within a range of 0.2-10 nmol L 21 (Wu et al.

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“…It is found in minerals and ores, such as tin-ore, and could be released into the aquatic environment by dissolution and erosion. The levels of dissolved arsenic in unpolluted rivers are of the same magnitude as in seawater with a global average concentration of between 1 and 2 µg dm -3 (Maher & Butler, 1988;Yusof et al, 2001). Some arsenic must have come from natural or geogenic origins, but anthropogenic inputs also cannot be ruled out.…”

Section: Arsenicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial, Temporal and Depth Profiles of Trace Metals in an Urban Wetland System: A Case Study with Respect to the Deepor Beel, Ramsar Site 1207, India

Kapil¹,

Bhattacharyya²

2012

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The Deepor Beel is a permanent, freshwater wetland at the southwest corner of Guwahati (India) and it is a major stormwater storage basin for the city. Beel was designated as a Ramsar site (No. 1207) in 2002 and recognized as an important habitat for a large number of migratory aquatic birds. Orchids of commercial value are also found in the forests on the bank. The Deepor Beel is presently under stress due to excessive fishing activities, hunting of water fowl, input of contaminants from the agricultural fields and industries in the surroundings and infestation by water hyacinth. This study reports on monitoring of pH and 10 trace metals (As, Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Ni, Mn, Pb, Hg, Zn) in the Deepor Beel water at 13 sites for three different depths consisting of surface layer, middle layer or euphotic zone, and bottom layer or euphotic zone x 1.5. The assessment was done bimonthly for a year.

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Arsenic in the marine environment

Cited by 149 publications

References 144 publications

A review on completing arsenic biogeochemical cycle: Microbial volatilization of arsines in environment

A review on completing arsenic biogeochemical cycle: Microbial volatilization of arsines in environment

Arsenic and phosphorus biogeochemistry in the ocean: Arsenic species as proxies for P‐limitation

Spatial, Temporal and Depth Profiles of Trace Metals in an Urban Wetland System: A Case Study with Respect to the Deepor Beel, Ramsar Site 1207, India

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