Distribution and relationships between selected chemical elements in green alga Enteromorpha sp. from the southern Baltic Rados1aw _ Zbikowski a,b , Piotr Szefer a, * , Adam Lata1a b a Department of Food Sciences, Medical University of Gdan ´sk, al. Gen. J Hallera 107, PL 80-416 Gdan ´sk, Poland b Institute of Oceanography, University of Gdan ´sk, Av. Pilsudskiego 46, PL 81-378 Gdynia, Poland Received 12 August 2005; received in revised form 2 December 2005; accepted 8 December 2005 Enteromorpha sp. can be used as efficient biomonitor for chemical elements in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. Abstract The concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn and Mn) and macroelements (K, Na, Ca and Mg) were determined in green alga Enteromorpha sp. from the coastal zone of the southern Baltic including Gulf of Gdan ´sk and Vistula Lagoon in 2000e2003. In order to estimate the degree of accumulation of each element by the green alga, concentration and discrimination factors (CFs) with respect to seawater were calculated. The results of factor analysis (FA) and ANOVA clearly indicate geographical differences between concentrations of chemical ele- ments. Enteromorpha sp. from Vistula Lagoon and the southern Baltic exhibited higher levels of Mn and Ni, and Na and K, respectively. An- thropogenic impact of Cu, Pb and Zn, possibly originated from municipal sewage, was identified in alga samples collected in the Gulf of Gdan ´sk, especially in the vicinity of Gdynia. From comparison our data with those published earlier results that Pb content in Enteromorpha sp. from the Gulf of Gdan ´sk decreased within 1978e2003 reflecting reducing use of leaded petrol in Baltic countries in this period. The alga Enteromorpha sp. can be used for biomonitoring surveys of metal contaminants in coastal areas of the Baltic Sea. Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Chemical elements; Enteromorpha sp.; Bioaccumulation; Southern Baltic; ANOVA; Factor analysis 1. Introduction The Baltic Sea, with an average depth of 56 m, is much shallower than most of the world’s seas. The water exchange with North Sea through the Danish Straits is small and its res- idence time is 20e35 years. Due to developed shore line and drainage area which is more than four times greater than the Baltic Sea it is especially subjected to contaminants flowing from the surrounding land. Therefore, there are favourable conditions for accumulation of different dissolved pollutants in living organisms (Szefer, 2002). Macrophytes have a high capacity to bind trace metals be- cause cellular wall is rich in hydroxyl, sulphate and carboxyl groups of the polysaccharides which are strong ion- exchangers, and therefore they are important complexation sites for metal cations (Ragan et al., 1979; Bryan et al., 1985; Steffens, 1990; Tropin, 1995). Additionally seaweeds are the base of aquatic chain and therefore can influence the chemical elements content in higher trophic levels (Bryan et al., 1985; Sanchiz et al., 2001; Szefer, 2002; Amado Filho et al., 2004). Coastal and estuarine habitats are highly produc- tive and support complex ecosystems, these regions in general are also exposed to the greatest degree of human impact and activity. A few studies have been done on heavy metals content in benthic plants from the coastal zone of Poland (Bojanowski, 1973; Szefer and Skwarzec, 1988; Szefer, 1991; Szefer and Szefer, 1991; Szefer et al., 1994; Haroon et al., 1995; Kruk-Dowgia11o and Pempkowiak, 1995). In coastal zone of the southern Baltic especially Enteromorpha sp. is often abundantly growing and dominant benthic plant * Corresponding author. Tel./fax: þ48 58 349 3110. E-mail address: pszef@amg.gda.pl (P. Szefer). 0269-7491/$ - see front matter Ó 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2005.12.007 Environmental Pollution 143 (2006) 435e448 www.elsevier.com/locate/envpol