Distribution et évolution saisonnière du cuivre dissous dans un écosystème estuarien macrotidal d'Europe occidentale (estuaire de l'Aule, France)

The seasonal variations of total dissolved copper were surveyed during one year (1983/1984) in the Aulne estuary (Western Brittany, France), an ecosystem with a high rate of water renewal. Copper in filtered water samples (after and without acidification) was determined after preconcentration on Chelex 100, and the eluates were analyzed by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy. The concentrations of free and complexed copper were then plotted versus chlorosity. Globally, the total dissolved copper concentrations tend to decrease with salinity. The role of physicochemical parameters such as pH and suspended matter (adsorption-desorption mechanisms) on dissolved copper content is shown to be significant. With a variable intensity, desorption (release) takes place in summer and in autumn, while adsorption is observed at very low chlorosity in winter. The dissolved copper concentrations in the Aulne estuary (0.26 to 2.52-mu-g.l-1, with the highest values in autumn) are similar to most estuarine copper values. The proportion of complexed species ranges from 4 to 69% (average of 27%).