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Flux estimation, temporal trends and source determination of trace metal contamination in a major tributary of the Seine estuary, France

Thomas Gardes 1, 2 Maxime Debret 3 Yoann Copard 3 Alexandra Coynel 4 Julien Deloffre 3 Matthieu Fournier 3 Sidonie Révillon 5 Jean Nizou 6 Anne-Lise Develle 7 Pierre Sabatier Stéphane Marcotte 2 Edouard Patault 8 Quentin Faivre 3 Florence Portet-Koltalo 2
1 UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie
2 COBRA - Chimie Organique et Bioorganique : Réactivité et Analyse
3 M2C - Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière
4 EPOC - Environnements et Paléoenvironnements OCéaniques
5 LDO - Domaines Océaniques
6 IFREMER Centre de Bretagne - Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer - Brest
7 CEREGE - Centre européen de recherche et d'enseignement des géosciences de l'environnement
8 MINES ParisTech - École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris
Abstract : Anthropogenic impacts on rivers have increased significantly over the past ~150 years, particularly at the beginning of the industrial revolution. Among other signs, this impact is manifested through the addition of trace metals and metalloid elements to rivers. The Eure River watershed in France covers an area of 6017 km2 and is a major tributary of the Seine estuary. It is not exempt from anthropogenic pressures and has been exposed to significant metal discharges over the last 80 years. The average concentrations of metals (i.e., Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, Cd, Sb, and Pb), in suspended particulate matter currently transported by the river are high compared to the local geochemical background. Moreover, the lack of correlation between concentration variations and the hydrosedimentary behaviour of the Eure River suggests that the river is currently under anthropogenic pressure. Analysis of sediment cores indicate strong As contamination during the 1940s, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ag, and Cd contamination during the 1960s and 1970s, and Sb and Pb contamination during the 1990s and 2000s. The enrichment factors calculation suggests that total anthropogenic pressure within the Eure River watershed since the 1940s was comparable or higher than those in many other French watersheds. An estimation of particulate metal flux in 2017 shows that the Eure River watershed contributed to 7, 8, 9, 10 and 16% of total inputs to the Seine estuary in Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb respectively. Moreover, the estimation of past theoretical flux indicates that during the 1990s the Eure River watershed was the main contributor of particulate Pb to the estuary. The use of Pb isotopes has revealed that this contamination was primarily of industrial origin.
Keywords : Eure River watershed Temporal trends Particulate metal flux Pb isotopes Anthropogenic impacts Trace metals and metalloids
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https://hal-normandie-univ.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02556187
Contributor : Florence Koltalo <>
Submitted on : Monday, April 27, 2020 - 7:10:17 PM
Last modification on : Tuesday, March 30, 2021 - 12:30:02 PM

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COMUE-NORMANDIE | CDF | UNIV-BREST | INRA | CEREGE | M2C | INC-CNRS | ENSMP | LGO | INSA-ROUEN | UNIROUEN | UNIV-AMU | COBRA | INSA-GROUPE | PARISTECH | UNICAEN | EPHE | CNRS | INRAE | INSU | OSU-INSTITUT-PYTHEAS | INSTITUT-TELECOM | ENSICAEN | UNILEHAVRE | PSL | RRH

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Thomas Gardes, Maxime Debret, Yoann Copard, Alexandra Coynel, Julien Deloffre, et al.. Flux estimation, temporal trends and source determination of trace metal contamination in a major tributary of the Seine estuary, France. Science of the Total Environment, Elsevier, 2020, 724, pp.138249. ⟨10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.138249⟩. ⟨hal-02556187⟩

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