Anthropogenic contamination analyzed by TTPIXE in samples from the Odiel salt marsh at the SW Spain

Abstract

The studied marsh area is located at the southwest of Spain in an estuarine system formed by the confluence of the Odiel river and the Atlantic ocean. 23 samples collected in the marsh have been analysed by Thick Target Proton Induced X-ray Emission using 2 MeV protons from the 3 MV Van de Graaff accelerator of the ITN. Elemental concentrations in the samples are affected by the Atlantic ocean, the materials transported by the Odiel river and the wastes discharged by the factories of a nearby industrial area. The study has shown that certain areas of the estuary present high concentrations of P, Cu, Zn, As and Pb, which were attributed to the operation of a phosphate fertilizer factory and a Cu extraction factory. The mining activity carried out near the source of the river could be also responsible of part of this contamination. Finally, the spatial distribution of the contamination has reflected the dinamic of the Odiel river waters, due to tidal movements, into the marsh area.