Bioactive Particulate Trace Metal Distributions and their Biogeochemical Controls in the Central Arabian Gulf

We present data on bioactive trace metal concentrations of suspended particulate matter (SPM) samples from the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Qatar as part of a broader study examining the distributions of particulate bioactive metals, biogenic and lithogenic influences, and biogeochemical controls on particulate trace metal concentrations in the Arabian Gulf. The influence of dust deposition and hydrography was also investigated as factors controlling on bioactive metal concentrations. In this study, we analyzed the composition of water column SPM (> 1 µm) along a transect across the Gulf during two seasonal periods: late spring (May) and late summer (September) 2019. Eight  bioactive trace metals (Fe, V, Mn, Zn, Co, Cu, Ni and Ba) were measured in SPM using ICP-MS. Our results show that Fe and Zn are enriched in SPM, likely due to aerosol depositions, while Mn, Ni, Cu, Co and Ba exhibited trends corresponding to hydrographic parameters such as density. Fe, Mn, Co, Ba demonstrated negative correlations with oxygen, explaining their depletion at depth and near sediment layer.