SyBAM : Synergic interaction between arsenic species and microorganisms in freshwater contrasting dynamic conditions

The project in a nutshell

Arsenic (As), from natural and anthropic sources, is a trace element of environmental concern because of its persistence, carcinogen properties, tendency to bioaccumulate and its trophic transfer through the food chain. Arsenic exists in various oxidation states and under inorganic and organic forms. The inorganic arsenite (iAs(III)) and arsenate (iAs(V)) oxyanions are predominant in aquatic systems and more toxic than most of the organic forms.

This project aims to apply state of the art analytical sensing tools to monitor in situ and/or on-site and at high resolution the bioavailable (dynamic) fractions of inorganic arsenic species as well as the microorganisms. The specific goal is two-fold; (1) the study of the spatial and temporal behavior of the dynamic fractions of inorganic arsenic and micro algal-bacterial species; (2) the investigation of the feedback interactions between dynamic arsenic species and microorganisms and their influence on the hazardous iAs species and phytoplankton abundance, communities, activities and blooms in contrasting seasonal dynamic conditions.

Team members

Back to Current Projects