water-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Biogeochemical Cycling of Trace Elements in Aquatic Environments

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 336

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Kinnreret Limnologica Institute (KLI), Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR), P.O. Box 447, Migdal 49500, Israel
Interests: nutrients; micro-nutrients; trace element mobility; heavy metals; sediment geochemistry; geomorphology; hydrology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Trace elements in aquatic environments comprise an important part of various bio-geochemical cycles in a wide range of habitats. While some trace elements are regarded as micro-nutrients, others are considered harmful or poisonous to the biology. In natural, non-polluted waters the study of trace element cycling has been hampered by the typical small concentrations which required laborious analysis. Today, the abundance of state-of-the-art analytical instruments such as ICP-OES and ICP-MS enable the study of a series of trace elements in aquatic systems, opening paths to unraveling their cycles and ascertaining their significance to various biological cycles.

With this Special Issue of Water, we offer a platform for the publication of innovative original articles and reviews regarding the sources, and fate of different trace elements in a range of aquatic habitats. We expect that the role biogeochemical cycling of these elements, will be an important aspect in these contributions. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to the following: the biogeochemistry of trace elements in natural and polluted environments, and the role of sediments and suspended material as vectors to trace element mobility in the aquatic system. Finally, quantifying these aspects of biogeochemical cycling of trace elements will enable to assess the response to a changing environment.

Dr. Yaron Be'eri-Shlevin
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biogeochemical cycling
  • trace elements
  • aquatic systems
  • sediment–water interaction
  • water trace element pollution
  • micro-nutrients
  • heavy metals

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

15 pages, 9355 KB  
Article
Anthropogenic and Watershed Controls on the Distribution of Selenium Species in Waters of an Estuarine System (Adour River Estuary, France)
by David Amouroux, Emmanuel Tessier, Andrea Romero-Rama, Sandrine Veloso, Jonathan Deborde, Laurent Lanceleur, Mathieu Sebilo and Maïté Bueno
Water 2026, 18(10), 1161; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18101161 - 12 May 2026
Abstract
Selenium plays a crucial role in estuarine biogeochemistry, balancing essential nutrient functions with potential environmental toxicity. This study examines the seasonal distribution of dissolved Se species, including volatiles, in the Adour estuary in relation to anthropogenic influences. To characterize major Se inputs from [...] Read more.
Selenium plays a crucial role in estuarine biogeochemistry, balancing essential nutrient functions with potential environmental toxicity. This study examines the seasonal distribution of dissolved Se species, including volatiles, in the Adour estuary in relation to anthropogenic influences. To characterize major Se inputs from upstream watersheds to downstream tributaries, water samples were collected at low tide during three different seasons in upstream freshwaters, industrial/urban effluents and downstream estuarine waters. A tidal-cycle sampling campaign was conducted under low discharge conditions to assess Se dynamics during downstream estuarine mixing. Total dissolved Se (TDSe) concentrations ranged from 71 (pristine river) to 656 ng L−1 (industrial/urban-impacted tributaries). TDSe correlated strongly with nitrate (r = 0.84) in upstream waters, indicating significant agricultural and livestock contributions at the watershed scale. Selenate was the dominant species, followed by Se(-II+0) fraction and selenite. Volatile Se compound concentrations varied from 51 to 2757 pg L−1. Seasonal changes suggest that Se speciation is mainly controlled by watershed inputs derived from land use (agricultural and livestock practices) rather than downstream estuarine inputs. This speciation study further indicates that Se reactivity/bio-availability in estuarine systems can be largely influenced by anthropogenic activities, although further characterization of the aqueous reduced Se fraction is still needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Biogeochemical Cycling of Trace Elements in Aquatic Environments)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop