Heavy Metal Bioaccumulation in Enteromorpha intestinalis, (L.) Nees, a Macrophytic Algae: The Example of Kadin Creek (Western Anatolia)

ABSTRACT This study aims to specify the amount of ten heavy metals (Al, Cr, Mn, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Hg, Pb) in water, sediment and Enteromorpha intestinalis samples gathered from Kadin Creek in seasonal periods in 2011 and 2012 and to reveal bioaccumulation capability of this macrophytic algae. In this regard, heavy metal concentrations in the gathered samples were determined first with mineralization and then via inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) method. Findings suggested that algae could be used as an indicator in freshwater ecosystems in terms of studied heavy metals. W...