Baseline concentration of 210Po and 210Pb in Sargassum from the northern Gulf

This baseline study highlights the 210Po and 210Pb concentration in two species of the benthic macroalgae Sargassum from northern Gulf, also known as the ROPME Sea Area (RSA). Within the marine environment, 210Po is initially absorbed from water and concentrated by phytoplankton and macroalgae, and this concentrated 210Po can then readily be passed along to the higher trophic level of the marine food web. The 210Po concentration measured in Sargassum boveanum (22.5–25.6 Bq kg−1) was higher than that in Sargassum oligocystum (20.2–22.5 Bq kg−1), but is not statistically significant (p > 0.064), where as the difference between 210Pb concentrations in Sargassum boveanum (15.3–16.8 Bq kg−1) and Sargassum oligocystum (18.4–22.0 Bq kg−1) was statistically significant (p > 0.019). The measured concentration factor for 210Po in Sargassum in the northern Gulf varied between 0.55 and 1.2 × 104, values higher to the IAEA recommended value of 1 × 103. The 210Po enrichment is observed in both the species of Sargassum, 210Po/210Pb ratio was >1 at all the stations for all the samples.