Abstract
Reliable measurements of the concentrations of dissolved trace metals in rivers are needed for calculating oceanic chemical mass balances, understanding continental weathering and freshwater chemistry, and evaluating anthropogenic chemical perturbations. For dissolved zinc, it has been suggested1 that typical river concentrations are as high as 450 nmol kg−1. However, it has also been proposed2 that most published values are incorrect and the true value of dissolved zinc may be 2 orders of magnitude lower. Because zinc is one of the most commonly used metals in the industrial world, the sampling and analysis of this element in natural waters is particularly prone to contamination2. We present here the dissolved zinc concentrations from various rivers draining both pristine and industrially influenced environments. These samples were collected and analysed by methods that have yielded reliable oceanic data for other metals3. The data indicate that in relatively undisturbed systems dissolved zinc concentrations are typically only 10−9–10−8 mol kg−1, with some dependence of concentration on pH. In industrially influenced river systems, however, zinc concentrations can be 1–2 orders of magnitude higher.
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Shiller, A., Boyle, E. Dissolved zinc in rivers. Nature 317, 49–52 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1038/317049a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/317049a0
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