Spectrographic Analyses of Marine Plankton1

Abstract
The results of spectrographic analyses of ten species of zooplankton are presented. The methods used are described in detail. The elements determined quantitatively were boron, molybdenum, vanadium, nickel, cobalt, titanium, chromium, lead, tin, and copper. Manganese, cesium, rubidium, barium, strontium, and silver were detected in some or all of the specimens. Antimony, germanium, gallium, gold, and arsenic were sought for but not found. Cadmium was just detectable in only one species, the squid Ommastrephes (Illex) illecebrosa. The analytical results support the view that boron is actively concentrated or excluded by some marine animals. There is evidence that sedimentation of pteropod shells could be a major pathway for the removal of vanadium and lead from sea water. Lead was greatly enriched in Centropages. Nickel and cobalt showed random variations with respect to one another.

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