Preface
Increasing interest in ocean chemistry is prevalent nowadays owing to the introduction of pollutants into the ocean via land-based sources, ocean dumping and shipping
activities. The majority of the pollutants originate from land-based sources and are
transported into the ocean via river flows, submarine groundwater discharge and
atmospheric deposition. These pollutants comprise sewage and nutrients (leading
to eutrophication phenomena); persistent organic pollutants (POPS); oil spills and
petroleum derivatives and heavy metals and organometallic compounds. Heavy
metals are one such pollutant that is of growing interest due to their potential toxicity and the ability to bioaccumulate in the marine environment and therefore its
effect on corals is deliberated here. Heavy metal pollution is recognized as a major
environmental concern.
This monograph is designed to serve as an exceptional interdisciplinary resource
material for upcoming marine researchers and/or chemists, post graduate students and
those interested in marine pollution. It delves into the effects of heavy metal pollutants
on scleractinian corals, which is part of research work undertaken for MSc thesis
titled, “Study of Heavy Metal Accumulation in Scleractinian corals of Viti Levu, Fiji
Islands”. The monograph contributes to an overview of heavy metals, their sources
to the marine environment, their effects on scleractinian corals and techniques for
analysis. Furthermore, this monograph examines and evaluates the current state of
knowledge on the status quo of heavy metals in the marine environment, responses of
corals to heavy metals and heavy metal regulation in corals and tabulates analytical
techniques for determining heavy metals and suggests possible recommendations for
the future.
Heavy metals can occur naturally as well as anthropogenically and enter into
the marine environment via direct and indirect sources. Heavy metals are regarded
as perpetual additions to the marine environment and do not get broken down by
bacterial action. They are considered toxic, persistent and non-biodegradable as they
cannot be broken down by chemical or biological processes. Once in the marine
environment, the heavy metals have a series of deleterious sub-lethal and lethal
effects on marine biota. The toxicity of a particular heavy metal is closely associated
to its chemical speciation.
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Increasing interest in ocean chemistry is prevalent nowadays owing to the introduction of pollutants into the ocean via land-based sources, ocean dumping and shipping
activities. The majority of the pollutants originate from land-based sources and are
transported into the ocean via river flows, submarine groundwater discharge and
atmospheric deposition. These pollutants comprise sewage and nutrients (leading
to eutrophication phenomena); persistent organic pollutants (POPS); oil spills and
petroleum derivatives and heavy metals and organometallic compounds. Heavy
metals are one such pollutant that is of growing interest due to their potential toxicity and the ability to bioaccumulate in the marine environment and therefore its
effect on corals is deliberated here. Heavy metal pollution is recognized as a major
environmental concern.
This monograph is designed to serve as an exceptional interdisciplinary resource
material for upcoming marine researchers and/or chemists, post graduate students and
those interested in marine pollution. It delves into the effects of heavy metal pollutants
on scleractinian corals, which is part of research work undertaken for MSc thesis
titled, “Study of Heavy Metal Accumulation in Scleractinian corals of Viti Levu, Fiji
Islands”. The monograph contributes to an overview of heavy metals, their sources
to the marine environment, their effects on scleractinian corals and techniques for
analysis. Furthermore, this monograph examines and evaluates the current state of
knowledge on the status quo of heavy metals in the marine environment, responses of
corals to heavy metals and heavy metal regulation in corals and tabulates analytical
techniques for determining heavy metals and suggests possible recommendations for
the future.
Heavy metals can occur naturally as well as anthropogenically and enter into
the marine environment via direct and indirect sources. Heavy metals are regarded
as perpetual additions to the marine environment and do not get broken down by
bacterial action. They are considered toxic, persistent and non-biodegradable as they
cannot be broken down by chemical or biological processes. Once in the marine
environment, the heavy metals have a series of deleterious sub-lethal and lethal
effects on marine biota. The toxicity of a particular heavy metal is closely associated
to its chemical speciation.
v