Baseline Metal Concentrations In Marine Algae From Sao Miguel (azores) Under Different Ecological Conditions - Urban Proximity And Shallow Water Hydrothermal Activity

摘要

Algae are amongst the more suitable organisms for studies of heavy metal contamination in aquatic ecosystems. They have often been used as bioindicators for metal pollution in seawater because of their sessile nature, longevity, metal accumulation capacity and presence at sites prone to pollution (Abdallah et al., 2005; Moham-ed and Khaled, 2005; Misheer et al., 2006; Chaudhuri et al., 2007). The Azores archipelago comprises nine islands and is located in the North Atlantic Ocean at the triple junction of the Eurasian, African and North American plates. Sao Miguel Island (Fig. 1) is the largest and the more populated island. Although remote from heavy industrial activity, Sao Miguel Island's expanding tourism has led to strong urban development in the last 20 years, thus increasing the potential sources of seawater contaminants (e.g. marinas, commercial harbours and sewage treatment facilities).