Spatial variability of arsenic speciation in the Gironde Estuary: Emphasis on dynamic (potentially bioavailable) inorganic arsenite and arsenate fractions

Abstract Inorganic arsenic (As) speciation and behaviour were studied in the Gironde Estuary, a major European estuary in the south west of France. For the first time ever, the dynamic (potentially bioavailable) fraction of inorganic arsenite, As(III), and arsenate, As(V), were quantified in this estuary, using an antifouling gel-integrated gold microelectrode interrogated by square wave anodic stripping voltammetry (GIME-SWASV). The concentrations of dissolved As(III) and As(V) were determined by hydrid generation-flow injection-atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-FI-AAS) and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) in collected samples following filtration through 0.2 μm, as well as 0.02 μm pore size filters. The concentrations of arsenite in the dynamic fraction, As(III)dyn, ranged from 1.3 to 3.3 nM, contributing almost completely to the dissolved arsenite, As(III)diss, which ranged between 0.9 and 3.1 nM in the 0.2 μm fraction, and between 1.2 and 3.7 nM in the 0.02 μm fraction. Concentrations of arsenate in the dynamic fraction, As(V)dyn, ranged from 0.9 to 22.9 nM, and contributed to the dissolved arsenate, As(V)diss, by 4–73% in the 0.2 μM fraction, and by 5–90% in the 0.02 μm fraction. The concentrations of As(V)diss in the 0.2 μm fraction were between 14.5 and 36.2 nM, and between 15.2 and 34.9 nM in the 0.02 μm fraction. The impact of this work is two-fold. Measurements of As species with different techniques allowed one to validate the on-board GIME voltammetric measurements. In addition, determination of As species in different fractions, as well as combining the obtained results with the conducted measurements of dissolved Mn and Fe, particulate suspended matters, and master physicochemical parameters (T, pH, O2, redox E), helped to broaden the understanding of biotic and abiotic processes governing the distribution of arsenic, especially its bioavailable forms, in the Gironde Estuary.