Concentrations of cadmium and other metals in Fucus vesiculosus L. and Fontinalis dalecarlica Br. Eur. from the northern Baltic Sea and the southern Bothnian Sea.

Concentrations of Cd and ten other metals (Al, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn) were determined in the brown seaweed Fucus vesiculosus L. and the aquatic moss, Fontinalis dalecarlica Br. Eur. from the northern Baltic Sea and the southern Bothnian Sea. Elevated concentrations of metals were found in samples taken close to densely populated areas, such as Stockholm and Nynäshamn. Very high concentrations of especially Zn were found in both Fucus and Fontinalis samples taken from the area south of the Gulf of Gävle. The results indicate that mining and industrial activities along the river Dalälven are the main sources of Zn and several other metals. Cd concentrations in Fucus plants reached maximum values (24.5 mg kg(-1)) at the northern site. The gradual increase of Cd concentrations in Fucus plants northward could not be totally explained by the salinity gradient in the Baltic Sea; reasons for this are discussed in this paper.