Distribution of Trace Elements in the Filterable and Acid Extractable Fractions of Waters of the Northern Jordan River

Abstract

Waters of the northern watershed of Lake Kinneret, sampled during the period 1985-1987, were analysed for their acid extractable and filterable major and trace element contents as part of an on-going research project. Water exploitation and reuse, mainly in the Hula Basin, resulted in an increase in concentration of trace elements in the different drainage canals. The distribution of high, exceptional values appears to be random, and cannot be clearly related to time-environmental processes. The highest concentrations of some major and trace elements were consistently recorded in the canal that drains peat soils. Nevertheless, the southern reaches of the Northern Jordan River were only slightly higher in concentration than the pristine sources. This implies that parts of the metal load were eliminated by poorly defined processes. The acid extractable concentrations were usually twice those of the filterable fraction, with the exception of interrelated Fe and AI, which were highly enriched in the suspended phase. The low levels of the element contents in the highly dynamic system prohibited the proposal of a model explaining the observed variations. The trace metal concentrations, generally below the regulation values, were similar to those reported for unpolluted world-wide streams.