Copper, Nickel and Cadmium in the Surface Waters of the Mediterranean

Copper, nickel, and cadmium have been determined on 50 surface samples throughout the Mediterranean. All of these elements are substantially more concentrated in the surface waters of the Mediterranean than in similar nutrient-depleted waters in the open ocean. A mass-balance model for the Mediterranean allows limits to be placed on the magnitudes of the trace element sources. The actual source or sources cannot be resolved from the data, and it is not clear whether this trace element enrichment is natural or anthropogenic in origin.