Baseline study on Cd,Cu and Pb concentrations in Atlantic neuston organisms

Neuston organisms were caught during two Atlantic expeditions (1982 and 1987) between 48°N and 40° S. About 1200 individuals from 19 taxa were analysed for cadmium, copper and lead. The distribution of metal concentrations was log-normal and thus best described by the median and the percentiles. Fourteen taxa with sample numbers larger than 20 were subjected to a logarithmic regression of weight vs metal concentration. The metal concentrations from populations with significant correlations were then weight-corrected: eight populations for lead, five for cadmium and four for copper. When grouped into ecological categories the pleuston organisms displayed significantly higher cadmium concentrations than the euneuston, which in turn had higher values than the pseudo-and/or facultative neuston. The relative deviation from the median was used in an averaging operation to obtain a broader spatial resolution of the neuston-bound metals, based on 16 taxa which were encountered at ten or more stations. The geographical distribution of cadmium and lead can be interpreted in light of chemical oceanographic knowledge and underlines the importance of organisms in the biogeochemical cycling of metals in the sea.