Pollution Research Paper

STUDY OF CONCENTRATIONS OF HEAVY METALS CADMIUM TRAPPED IN PORITES LUTEA SKELETON IN KONDANG MERAK, EAST-JAVA, INDONESIA

OKTIYAS MUZAKY LUTHFI, SIGIT RIJATMOKO, ANDIK ISDIANTO,MUHAMMAD ARIF ASADI, DADUK SETYOHADI, ALFAN JAUHARI,ALI ARMAN LUBIS AND AGOES SOEGIANTO

Abstract

Coral reef ecosystems are increasingly threatened as a result of various activities that areanthropogenic one of them is the entry of heavy metals into waters that threaten coral health. Thereef area of Pantai Kondang Meraka is dominated by coral with massive growth form as a form of coral adapatasi to strong currents and waves. Cadmium (Cd) is bound by soft tissue or hard marinebiota such as for aminifera and plankton. When this biota dies then Cd will undergo deposition at the bottom of the waters. Due to something like an up-welling event, the heavy metal Cd will rise to the surface and be absorbed by corals. The purpose of this research is to know the concentration of Cd in coral framework. The heavy metal Cd is quantified from two colonies of P. lutea namely KM1 and KM2 using ICP-OES (iCAP 7400 Series). The results showed that the concentration of C din KM1 was between 1.442 – 2.912 mg/ kg and at KM2 was 0.961 – 3.448 mg/ kg with a mean of Cdmetal concentration is 2.158 mg/ kg. The presence of heavy metal Cd on corals in Kondak Merakwaters away from the industrial area is an interesting events. The main source of Cd trapped in the coral skeleton may be from up welling events where water with cold periods rises to the surface andconcerns the hard coral colonies at Kondang Merak Beach which are further trapped in aragonitehard corals.