The impact of marine shallow-water hydrothermal venting on arsenic and mercury accumulation by seaweed Sargassum sinicola in Concepcion Bay, Gulf of California

Abstract

The influence of hydrothermal venting activity on arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) accumulation was investigated in the shallow-water marine ecosystem of Concepcion Bay in the western Gulf of California. Geochemical data indicate that the marine shallow-water hydrothermal system of the Mapachitos site is a source of As and Hg for the water, sediment and algae collected along a transect moving across the western region of the bay. Although a small proportion of As and Hg precipitates close to the hydrothermal vent, both elements remain largely in the dissolved fraction, spreading a long distance from the source. The brown seaweed Sargassum sinicola thriving near the area of hydrothermal venting accumulates large quantities of As (above 600 mg kg⁻¹), surpassing its typical concentration in the genus Sargassum by an order of magnitude. In contrast to As, the seaweed does not significantly accumulate Hg.