Metal concentration in macroalgae from East Antarctica

Marine macroalgae have been widely used as biomonitors of metal pollution.
At Casey Station in East Antarctica, the Thala Valley tip is in the path of a melt stream that forms each summer and flows directly into Brown Bay carrying with it contaminated particles. Despite the tip no longer being used, this mechanism continues to carry contaminants, principally heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn) and hydrocarbons, into the bay causing impacts on the marine benthos.