Monitoring Heavy Metal Pollution with Padina pavonica (Linnaeus) Thivy, 1960: Summer Season Samples from Akliman and Karakum

This study investigates the bioaccumulation of cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and zinc (Zn) in Padina pavonica, a brown macroalga recognized as a bioindicator of marine pollution. Samples of seawater, sediment, and macroalgae were collected from two coastal sites, Akliman and Karakum (Sinop Province, Black Sea), during the summer of 2022 to assess spatial variations in metal concentrations. The findings revealed location-dependent differences in metal accumulation in P. pavonica, with the highest Fe levels recorded in Karakum (1608.9 mg kg-1), followed by Akliman (903.7 mg kg-1). In Akliman, the descending order of metal concentrations was Fe > Mn > Zn > Pb > Cd > Hg, whereas in Karakum, Zn concentrations exceeded those of Mn. Seawater analyses revealed relatively high levels of Pb and Mn in Akliman, pointing to possible anthropogenic inputs. The Biota Concentration Factor (BCF) for Mn was particularly high, demonstrating substantial uptake by the macroalgae. Moreover, the Biota-Sediment Accumulation Factor (BSAF) values exceeded 2 for both Cd and Zn, signifying substantial accumulation in the algal tissue relative to sediment concentrations. These findings provide basic information on the ecological condition of the coastal waters and demonstrate that P. pavonica could serve as an effective biomonitor for heavy metal pollution.