Inorganic trace elements and nutrients

Water and brine samples were filled into 60 ml FEP teflon bottles, pre-washed with HNO$_{3}$ and were stored at -20° C  for further analyses (bulk composition and anions) at the Institute of Geosciences, Kiel. Any contact of the water sample with ambient air was avoided. 500 ml of brine samples were filtered immediately after sampling (Sartorius filtration device) by using water jet pumps. The samples were filtrated through a 0.2 $\mu$ m polycarbonate membrane filter (Nuclepore). The remaining filtrate (125 ml) will be used for the determination of dissolved major (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Si) and trace elemental composition (Li, Rb, Cs, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Y, Mo, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Ba, REE, W, Tl, Pb, Bi, TH, and U) by ETAAS, ICPAES, ICPMS. After filtration of the brine membrane filters were recovered and stored in pre-cleaned polycarbonate petri-dishes for the determination of particulate elemental composition. A second set of water samples for nutrient and trace metal analyses was collected in 500 ml acid cleaned HDPE-bottles (cleaned with 1 M HCl acid) and stored at -20°C  after collection. These samples will be analyzed at the laboratories of Marine Chemistry Department at King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Nutrients will be analyzed using spectrophotometric methods whereas trace metals will be analyzed using cathodic stripping voltammetry.