
%0 Journal Article
%A Ferguson, J 
%T Concentrations and speciation of lead, zinc and cadmium in seawater-like smelter effluent and adjacent marine environments, Port Pirie, South Australia
%J Marine and Freshwater Research
%D 1983/06/01
%V 34
%N 3
%P 375-385
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/MF9830375
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/MF9830375 
%X High concentrations of particulate and dissolved lead, zinc and cadmium (total dissolved Pb, 750µg l-1; Zn, 4300µg 1-1; Cd, 64 µg l-1; particulate Pb, 236 µg l-1; Zn, 64 µg l-1; Cd, < 1 µg l-1) occur in seawater- like effluent from a lead-zinc smelting complex at Port Pirie. This effluent is discharged through a silled tidal channel into the offshore marine environment, where dilution by seawater eventually reduces the metal concentrations to values similar to those in near-surface seawater in Spencer Gulf, remote from centres of industrial activity (average total dissolved Pb, 0 4 µg 1-1; Zn, < 10 &#956;g l-1; Cd, 0 3 µg l-1; average particulate Pb, <0.05 µg l-1; Zn, 0 21 µg I-1). Precipitation of dissolved metals or conversion of originally weakly complexed dissolved metals to more strongly complexed species does not occur to a significant extent. Particulate metal concentrations are influenced by resuspension of metal-rich sediments and by uptake of dissolved cadmium by unicellular algae that grow in the tidal channel. 
