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Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons

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Environmental Sciences

WWU Graduate School Collection

Theses/Dissertations

Metals

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Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Legacy And Emerging Contaminants Of Concern In Edible Seaweeds Of The Salish Sea, Holly L. Suther Jan 2024

Legacy And Emerging Contaminants Of Concern In Edible Seaweeds Of The Salish Sea, Holly L. Suther

WWU Graduate School Collection

Seaweed are cultivated and harvested around the world for many uses including food, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and fuel. Seaweed aquaculture has been on the rise globally, and interest has been expressed in the United States in furthering the development of the industry. Because seaweed can absorb contaminants into their tissues, an understanding of the risks to consumers is important for informing those consumers and maintaining public support for the industry. Seven species of seaweed that are either wild-harvested or of interest to aquaculture were collected from the Washington State Salish Sea and analyzed for differences in contaminants by season, site, algal …


Trophic Transfer Of Metals From Seaweed To Shellfish In An Aquaculture System, Sophia Boyd Jan 2023

Trophic Transfer Of Metals From Seaweed To Shellfish In An Aquaculture System, Sophia Boyd

WWU Graduate School Collection

Seafood, including fish, shellfish, and seaweed, are an important source of nutrients that could meet some of the increasing demand for food globally. In addition to nutrients, chemical contaminants can also be acquired from the environment by primary producers. Seaweeds take up a variety of inorganic and organic contaminants, including metals, that may pose risks to human health. Through trophic transfer, organisms can accumulate elevated levels of contaminants from consuming lower trophic-level organisms. Since particulate organic matter, including seaweed detritus, is a food source for filter-feeding bivalves, contaminants present in seaweed could transfer to shellfish via ingestion. The purpose of …


Bioaccumulation Of Metals In Whatcom County Estuaries By Native Tidal Plants, Margaret Critchlow Jan 2022

Bioaccumulation Of Metals In Whatcom County Estuaries By Native Tidal Plants, Margaret Critchlow

WWU Graduate School Collection

Estuaries are unique environments which provide many needed ecosystem services, but are threatened by anthropogenic activities. Contamination with metals represents a significant concern, as even small amounts can persist in the soil and affect biological functions. Phytoremediation, or the use of plants to take up contaminants from the soil, is one possible solution. There is a lack of research on estuarine phytoremediators native to the Pacific Northwest, as well as the ultimate fate of these metals following plant senescence. In this study, we evaluated the total metal concentration at three Whatcom County, WA estuaries and sampled four native plant species …