Automated determination of gallium in seawater using seaFAST pre-concentration and high-resolution inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

There has been increased interest in dissolved gallium (Ga) in natural waters due to its long residence time and its usefulness in tracking water masses; however, current analytical approaches are time consuming and labor intensive (e.g., magnesium hydroxide co-precipitation method, (Mg(OH))) or have concerns such as carryover and sample recovery (automated resin column extraction).

Trace element distributions in the water column near the Deepwater Horizon well blowout.

To understand the impact of the Deepwater Horizon well blowout on dissolved trace element concentrations, samples were collected from areas around the oil rig explosion site during four cruises in early and late May 2010, October 2010, and October 2011. In surface waters, Ba, Fe, Cu, Ni, Mn, and Co were relatively well correlated with salinity during all cruises, suggesting mixing with river water was the main influence on metal distributions in these waters. However, in deep oil/gas plumes (1000-1400 m depth), modestly elevated concentrations of Co and Ba were observed in late May, compared with postblowout conditions.

A lanthanide-based chemosensor for bioavailable Fe3+ using a fluorescent siderophore: an assay displacement approach.

The measurement of trace analytes in aqueous systems has become increasingly important for understanding ocean primary productivity. In oceanography, iron (Fe) is a key element in regulating ocean productivity, microplankton assemblages and has been identified as a causative element in the development of some harmful algal blooms. The chemosenor developed in this study is based on an indicator displacement approach that utilizes time-resolved fluorescence and fluorescence resonance energy transfer as the sensing mechanism to achieve detection of Fe3+ ions as low as 5 nM.