Spatial distribution,environmental assessment and source identification of metals content in surface sediments of freshwater reservoir,Pakistan

Surface sediments were collected from different sites of a freshwater reservoir, Pakistan, and analyzed for eight metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Pb and Zn) using flame atomic absorption spectrometry. The estimated metals levels were found higher than other reported studies. The environmental indices including geoaccumulation index, enrichment factor and contamination factor identified Cd, Co, Pb and Zn as the priority pollutants of concern. Chromium, Cu and Mn were also found to be enriched in some areas. The pollution load index (≥1) indicated progressive deterioration of the sediments quality. Principal component and cluster analyses revealed that Cd, Co, Pb and Zn were mainly originated from agricultural activities, domestic wastes, road runoffs and recreational activities. Chromium, Cu, Fe and Mn were mainly derived from natural sources though Cr, Cu and Mn were partially contributed by human inputs. Based on spatial distribution, inlet and middle sites of the reservoir were found more contaminated. This study would drive urgent attention to develop preventive actions and remediation processes for aquatic system protection and future restoration of the reservoir.     

Speciation and potential remobilization of heavy metals in sediments of the Taihu Lake, China

The species of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd and Cr in sediments of the Taihu Lake, China, have been analyzed using the sequential chemical extraction method. Variations in the chemical fractions of these metals and their geographic distributions have also been studied. For all five metals, the residual fraction is highest but the exchangeable fraction is lowest among all the fractions. Compared to other metals, Cd has the highest percentage in the exchangeable fraction, and Cr is associated mainly with the residual fraction. Cu in the organic fraction and Pb in the Fe-Mn fraction are the important species, whereas the lowest percentages are found for Cd in the organic fraction, Cu in the Fe-Mn oxide fraction and Pb in the carbonate fraction. With respect to spatial differences, the total contents in the non-residual fractions of the metals in bay sediments are found to be higher than those in other sediments. The fractions of Cd, Cu and Cr showed significant variations in different regions. The fractions of Pb and Zn, however, did not show significant variations in spatial distribution, suggesting different amounts and different paths of anthropogenic input for the metals. Comparisons of the metal speciation indicated that Cd might be the most bioavailable metal, followed by Pb.     

Assessment of trace element geochemistry of Hampton Roads harbor and lower Chesapeake Bay area sediments

Acid extractable Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb. and Zn were determined in sediments from the Inner Virginia Shelf, and from shipping channels in the lower Chesapeake Bay and Hampton Roads, Virginia, harbor system. Data were evaluated by a variety of techniques Levels of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn exceeded average crustal abundances for most of the study sites. Cumulative frequency curves suggested that there were two major populations for all metals and perhaps a third and smaller, one for Cd, Cr, and Mn Plots of metal vs Fe indicated no anthropogenic inputs of metals for shelf and Chesapeake Bay channel sites, but suggested anthropogenic influences for all metals in several of the inshore sites. Enrichment factor calculations showed enrichment of Cd, Pb, and Zn with respect to average crustal abundances for all sites and of Cu for the industrial harbor system. A recommendation of this study for evaluation of environmental geochemical metals data is to utilize mean concentrations, cumulative frequency plots, and metal vs Fe and/or enrichment factor calculations when evaluating the pollution status of sediments.     

Distribution and immobilization of heavy metals in Pliocene aquifer sediments in Wadi El Natrun depression, Western Desert

The Pliocene aquifer receives inflow of Miocene and Pleistocene aquifer waters in Wadi El Natrun depression. The aquifer also receives inflow from the agricultural activity and septic tanks. Nine sediment samples were collected from the Pliocene aquifer in Wadi E1 Natrun. Heavy metal (Cu, Sr, Zn, Mn, Fe, Al, Ba, Cr, Ni, V, Cd, Co, Mo, and Pb) concentrations of Pliocene aquifer sediments were investigated in bulk, sand, and mud fractions. The determination of extractable trace metals (Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, and Pb) in Pliocene aquifer sediments using sequential extraction procedure (four steps) has been performed in order to study environmental pathways (e.g., mobility of metals, bounding states). These employ a series of successively stronger chemical leaching reagents which nominally target the different compositional fractions. By analyzing the liquid leachates and the residual solid components, it is possible to determine not only the type and concentration of metals retained in each phase but also their potential ecological significance. Cu, Sr, Zn, Mn, Fe, and Al concentrations are higher in finer sediments than in coarser sediments, while Ba, Cr, Ni, V, Cd, Co, Mo, and Pb are enriched in the coarser fraction. The differences in relative concentrations are attributed to intense anthropogenic inputs from different sources. Heavy metal concentrations are higher than global average concentrations in sandstone, USEPA guidelines, and other local and international aquifer sediments. The order of trace elements in the bulk Pliocene aquifer sediments, from high to low concentrations, is Fe?>?Al?>?Mn?>?Cr?>?Zn?>?Cu?>?Ni?>?V?>?Sr?>?Ba?>?Pb?>?Mo?>?Cd?>?Co. The Pliocene aquifer sediments are highly contaminated for most toxic metals, except Pb and Co which have moderate contamination. The active soluble (F0) and exchangeable (F1) phases are represented by high concentrations of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn and relatively higher concentrations of Pb and Cd. This may be due to the increase of silt and clay fractions (mud) in sediments, which act as an adsorbent, retaining metals through ion exchange and other processes. The order of mobility of heavy metals in this phase is found to be Pb?>?Cd?>?Zn?>?Cu?>?Fe?>?Mn. The values of the active phase of most heavy metals are relatively high, indicating that Pliocene sediments are potentially a major sink for heavy metals characterized by high mobility and bioavailability. Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide phase is the most important fraction among labile fractions and represents 22% for Cd, 20% for Fe, 11% for Zn, 8% for Cu, 5% for Pb, and 3% for Mn. The organic matter-bound fraction contains 80% of Mn, 72% of Cu, 68% of Zn, 60% of Fe, 35% of Pb, and 30% of Cd (as mean). Summarizing the sequential extraction, a very good immobilization of the heavy metals by the organic matter-bound fraction is followed by the carbonate-exchangeable-bound fraction. The mobility of the Cd metal in the active and Fe–Mn oxyhydroxide phases is the highest, while the Mn metal had the lowest mobility.     

The distribution and risk assessment of heavy metals in water,sediments, and fish of Chaohu Lake,China

In this study, the concentrations of seven heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the water, sediments, and nine tissues of eight fish species in Chaohu Lake were detected. And the ecological risk of sediments and food safety caused by heavy metals were evaluated. The mean concentrations of metals (As: 8.21, Cd: 0.58, Cu: 2.56, Cr: 0.50, Ni: 26.47, Pb: 3.51, Zn: 23.05 μg/L) in the water were found lower than the threshold values for the first-grade water quality (China environmental quality standards for surface water). The mean concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the sediments were 41.79, 19.31, 7.61, 7.09, and 102.85 μg/g, respectively, while the concentration of As and Cd was recorded below the detection limit. The ecological risk assessment demonstrated that metals in the sediments posed low ecological risk. The bioaccumulation of metals in fish tissues showed relatively high concentrations in liver, brain, kidney, and intestines while low levels of metals were detected in muscle. A fascinating phenomenon was firstly noticed that all metals highly existed in fish brain and exhibited an especially significant positive correlation with the metal concentrations in sediment, indicating a health risk for Chinese due to their consumption favor of fish head.     

Metal distributions in seawater,sediment and marine benthic macroalgae from the South Australian coastline

Algal species which are ubiquitous along the coastlines of many countries reflect the environmental conditions of the coastal seawater and may serve as useful biomonitors of anthropogenic pollution. Heavy metal concentrations of ten elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) of potential environmental concern were determined in seawater, sediments and twelve species of benthic marine macroalgae from four locations (Glenelg, Port Adelaide, Port Broughton and Port Pirie) along the South Australian coastline. The four sites chosen represented varying degrees of metal contamination, where the capacity for benthic macroalgae to accumulate heavy metals from the environment was evaluated. Spatial differences in heavy metal concentration in both seawaters and sediments were observed at all sites with the highest concentrations of heavy metals including Cd (125 μg g^?1), Pb (2,425 μg g^?1) and Zn (7,974 μg g^?1) found in the finer sediment fractions (<250 μm) of Port Pirie. While all algal species studied (Acrosorium polyneurum, Anotrichium tenue, Cystophora Cephalornithos Cystophora monillifera, Cystophora monilliformis, Dictyopteris australis, Gelidium micropterum, Gracilaria, Hormophysa Cuneiformis, Sargassum cinctum, Scaberia agardhii and Ulva lactuca) accumulated metals to varying degrees, Blindigia marginata was a good biomonitor species for a number of metals including Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Pb and Zn, exhibiting both relatively high total metal concentrations and significant concentration factors.     

Spatio-temporal trends of heavy metals and source apportionment in Tolo Harbour,Hong Kong

This study provided a picture of the spatial and temporal distributions of Cr, Co, Ni Cu, Zn, As, Cd and Pb in bottom sediments of Tolo Harbour. The concentrations of the eight heavy metals differed significantly between sites due to the poor tidal flushing in Tolo Harbour. The levels of Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were generally enriched in sediments from inner Tolo Harbour, while sediments from outer Tolo Harbour (Tolo Channel) had higher levels of Cr, Co and Ni. The redox sensitive element arsenic showed no distinct spatial pattern in Tolo Harbour. The decreasing levels of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in sediments with increasing distance from land demonstrated a typical diffusion pattern from land to the direction of sea. Two hot spots of Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in sediments were located near Tai Po and Sha Tin new town, indicating that Cu, Zn, Pb and Zn were from land-derived sources. The sites with relatively high levels of Cr, Co and Ni in sediments were located in areas close to waste spoil in sea floor. The natural and anthropogenic inputs from Sha Tin and Tai Po to Tolo Harbour were mostly responsible for Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb enrichment in sediments from inner Tolo Harbour. The waste spoil in sea floor was believed to contribute to the Cr, Co and Ni in outer Tolo Harbour. The results of correlation coefficient between the eight heavy metals showed that Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were strongly positively correlated, and Cr, Co and Ni were also significantly correlated with each other. The best explanation of strong correlation was their similar source. As, however, is not well correlated with the other seven heavy metals. The average concentrations of Cu and Zn displayed general increasing trends from 1978 to 2006 in Tolo Harbour, while the mean levels of Cr and Pb displayed a substantial decrease from 1978 to 1987, then a slight increase after 1987. No distinct temporal trends of the concentrations of Ni and As were observed from 1978 due to the inconsecutive data. On the other hand, the increasing trends of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb were observed since 1996.     

Trends in the solid phase partitioning of metals in the Thames Estuary sediments during recent decades

A sequential extraction method was employed to extract the metals Al, Ag, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Pb, Fe, Li, Mn, Ni, and Zn from a 10-m sediment core taken from the Tilbury Basin on the Thames Estuary. Characteristics of the observed metal partitioning distributions were attributed primarily to the composition of the estuarine waters at the time of deposition. For some metals, a decrease in the bulk sediment metal concentrations from a depth of ?6.59 m ODN to the surface was also observed in one of the solid phases. This was the case for Cr, Cu, and Pb extracted from the organic phase and for Zn extracted from the carbonate phase. This decrease in sediment concentrations is thought to reflect reported improvements to water quality in this region of the Thames Estuary in the early 1960s, following updating of major sewage treatment works (STW) approximately 20 km upstream. These findings give an indication of the influence of estuarine inputs from STW on metal partitioning distributions. The order of mobility for the metals of environmental concern was Cd>Ag>Cr>Ni, Zn>Co, Cu, Pb. for Cd and Ag there was a tendency to partition towards the exchangeable phase, both at the surface and at depth, which indicates the potential for long-term leaching of these metals from the sediments.     

Concentrations and solubility of heavy metals in muck sediments from the St. Lucie Estuary,U.S.A.

To evaluate muck sediments as a potential soil amendment, total and Mehlich III-extractable concentrations of Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Co in 59 muck sediment samples from the St. Lucie Estuary were analyzed. A seven-step chemical fractionation procedure was used to assess the potential mobility of heavy metals. Except for Cd, the average total concentrations of the metals are lower than the reported average concentrations of these elements in municipal composts in the U.S.A. The concentrations were also below critical levels for the safe use of wastes and byproducts in agriculture, as established by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn and Co in the sediments were predominantly associated with silicate minerals in the residual form. Most metals in the muck sediments occur predominantly in weakly mobile or nonbioavailable forms. Use of mucks in neutral pH upland soils should not pose any significant hazards or risk to the environment. However, Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Co, especially Zn, Cu, and Pb, could be more readily released from the muck sediments under acidic soil conditions.     

Study on effective species of heavy metals in lacustrine sediment core from Xijiu Lake,Taihu Lake catchment,China

The BCR sequential extraction procedure is applied to probe into the speciation distribution of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Zn, Cu and Pb) in lake sediments of Core XJ2 in Xijiu Lake, Taihu Lake catchment, China. The results showed that the effective species concentration of this five heavy metal elements increased obviously during the past century, the proportions of organic/sulphide fractions of Zn, Cu and Pb decreased while the Fe–Mn oxide fractions increased, and the proportion of Fe–Mn oxide fractions of Cd decreased while the exchangeable and carbonate fractions increased. The concentrations of exchangeable and carbonate fractions of these five elements were increased in the past century, especially the proportions of these fractions of Cd, Zn, Cu and Pb increased prominently. These changes could be attributed to the anthropogenic pollution. Since the changes of the heavy metal concentrations were corresponding to the history of human activities, especially the industry development, within the catchment.     

Heavy metal partitioning in river sediments severely polluted by acid mine drainage in the Iberian Pyrite Belt

This study provides a geochemical partitioning pattern of Fe, Mn and potentially toxic trace elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) in sediments historically contaminated with acid mine drainage, as determined by using a 4-step sequential extraction scheme. At the upperstream, the sediments occur as ochreous precipitates consisting of amorphous or poorly crystalline oxy-hydroxides of Fe, and locally jarosite, whereas the estuarine sediments are composed mainly of detrital quartz, illite, kaolinite, feldspars, carbonates and heavy minerals, with minor authigenic phases (gypsum, vivianite, halite, pyrite). The sediments are severely contaminated with As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn, especially in the vicinity of the mining pollution sources and some sites of the estuary, where the metal concentrations are several orders of magnitude above background levels. Although a significant proportion of Zn, Cd and Cu is present in a readily soluble form, the majority of heavy metals are bonded to reducible phases, suggesting that Fe oxy-hydroxides have a dominant role in the metal accumulation. In the estuary, the sediments are potentially less reactive than in the riverine environment, because relevant concentrations of heavy metals are immobilised in the crystalline structure of minerals.     

Evidences for heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of seagrass ecosystem of Lakshadweep archipelago, India

Surface sediments of nine islands of Lakshadweep were evaluated for their heavy metal concentration (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn). Sediments of thirteen seagrass and seven non seagrass sites were collected randomly and analysed for heavy metal concentration using Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer. Heavy metals like Cu, Ni and Zn were found in higher concentrations in the seagrass sediments, whereas other heavy metals such as Cd, Co, Cr, Fe, Mn and Pb were higher in non seagrass sediments. Different pollution indices were calculated to evaluate contamination level of all heavy metals in the sediments. Cadmium recorded higher contamination factor (1.733–21.067), enrichment factor (276.10–12,270) and Geo-accumulation Index (0.208–3.811) both in seagrass and nonseagrass sediments. Multivariate statistical analysis such as principal component analysis and cluster analysis coupled together with correlation co-efficient was used to identify the possible sources of heavy metal pollution in the region. Average concentrations of Cd in Lakshadweep islands were slightly higher than effective range, low but still below effective range medium. All other metals were still below these ranges indicating fairly uncontaminated sediment in the region.     

An assessment study of heavy metal distribution within soil in upper course of Zarqa River basin/Jordan

Levels of heavy metals are found in soils and waters of the major tributary valleys of the Jordan Valley. Heavy metal content in soils irrigated by treated waste water were measured for a 40 km reach of Zarqa River. Soil samples from eight different sites along the upper course of this river were analyzed to determine the concentration of selected heavy metals (CO, Cr, Cu, Pb, Ni, Zn). Silt forms the major component of the soils with an average of 54%. Clay fractions show an increase with depth from 17 to 41%. Trends in particle size distribution and metal contents were compared across sample sites. Samples contained moderate to considerable levels of Pb and Ni. Concentrations of Cu and Cr ranged between 33–59 and 65–90 ppm, respectively. These values represent a slight to moderate class of pollution. The concentration of Cr shows a decrease with depth and distance from the waste water plant. Cu, Zn, and Ni show increasing concentrations with depth but Pb and CO do not. The concentrations of the measured heavy metals increases near the waste water treatment plant but decreases with distance from the plant due to precipitation in the stream bed and dilution with stream water. This decline in metal content with distance from the treatment plant suggests that most metals reaching floodplain soils may derive from the same source. Although current metal concentrations are low to moderate, floodplain surface soils in this area should be regarded as a potential source for future heavy metal pollution downstream.     

Heavy metals content and distribution in the surface sediments of the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River,Southern China

The long-term industrialization and urbanization of Guangzhou city may lead to heavy metal contamination of its aquatic sediment. Nevertheless, only few studies have been published on the distribution and contamination assessment of heavy metals in this urban river sediment. Thus, the major objective of this study was to quantitatively assess contamination of heavy metals and their chemical partitioning in the sediments of the Guangzhou section of the Pearl River (GSPR). Surface sediment samples were collected at 10 sites in the main river and 12 sites in the creeks of the GSPR. The total content of Cd was determined by graphite furnace atomic adsorption spectrometry (GF-AAS), and content of Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn was determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The chemical partitioning of these heavy metals in the sediments of the main river was determined by the sequential selective extraction (SSE) method. Results indicated that the average total concentrations of Cd, Cr, Pb, Cu and Zn in the sediments of the main river were 1.44, 63.7, 95.5, 253.6 and 370.0 mg/kg, respectively, whereas they were 2.10, 125.5, 110.1, 433.7 and 401.9 mg/kg in the sediments of the creeks. The sediment at M4 and C9 sites was heavily contaminated with about 8 and 11 of toxic unit, respectively. Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn were mostly bound to organic matter and in the residual phase, whereas Cd was mostly associated with the soluble and exchangeable phase and the residual phase. The mobility and bioavailability of Cd, Zn and Cr in the sediments of the main river were relatively higher than Cu and Pb, due to higher levels in the soluble and exchangeable fraction and the carbonate fraction. The potential acute toxicity in the sediments of the main river and creeks was mainly caused by Cu contamination, accounting for 21.7–37.1% and 16.9–46.3% of the total toxicity, respectively, followed by Zn and Pb. Adverse biological effects induced by heavy metals would be expected in the sediments of the GSPR. Therefore, the sediments of the GSPR, especially at M4 and C9 sites, need to be remediated to maintain aquatic ecosystem health.     

Interactions between Cd,Cu, Pb,and Zn and four different mine soils

The chemical associations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in four mine soil samples from the Amizour-Bejaia Pb/Zn mine (Algeria) have been investigated by a five-step sequential extraction procedure. Although Cd preferentially binds to carbonates, Cu, Pb, and Zn are mainly associated with the organic and reducible fractions. Batch adsorption experiments with either mono- or multi-metallic solutions are described with the Freundlich isotherm model. Whatever the nature of the soil sample, the sorption behavior for each given metal except Pb is very similar, indicating that the binding sites at the soil surface are progressively occupied by the metal from the solution. On each soil sample, the decreasing order of sorption can be established as Pb >> Cu > Cd > Zn. When the four metals are simultaneously applied to each soil sample, their specific behavior is strongly affected by their interactions and/or competition for the available surface sites: we generally observed isotherm curves with a slight maximum before the plateau at higher solution concentration. Although Cu is only slightly affected by the other metals, in the case of Pb, Cd, and Zn, the sorbed amounts strongly decreased.     

Geochemistry and speciation of metals in sediments of the Maharlu Saline Lake,Shiraz, SW Iran

In this study, the total concentration and speciation of trace elements (As, Cr, Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Ni), in sediments of the Maharlu saline Lake, SW Iran are investigated. Comparison with sediment quality guidelines, calculation of the enrichment factors, and trace metal profiles in the Khoshk River inflow point indicate that Maharlu Lake is in the threat of contamination, especially with respect to Ni and Cd. Sequential extraction analysis reveals that elemental speciation in this lake is strongly affected by oxidizing condition of the lake water. The studied elements (except Cr) are mainly associated with oxide phases, as a result of prevailing oxidizing conditions of the lake and also probably due to the source of elements. The ratio of metals in mobile fractions to sum of fractions in lake sediments is very low. However, metal ratios (except for Cr) in mobile fractions are much higher in surface sediments, indicating the impact of anthropogenic loading of trace metals in the recent years.     

太湖沉积物中重金属的地球化学形态及特征分析

用连续提取法分析了太湖沉积物5种重金属的地球化学形态,对地球化学形态的组成和地理特征进行了分析研究.重金属地球化学形态配分的共同特点是可交换态最低,残渣态最高.两种形态中Cd的可交换态最高,Cr的残渣态最高,可交换态最低.Cd的碳酸盐态较高,Cr的最低;Pb、Cd的Fe-Mn氧化态较高,Cu的偏低;Cu的有机态最高,Cd的最低;Zn的地球化学形态比例大都处于中间.地域上变化较大的元素是Cd和Cu,变化不明显的元素有Pb和Zn.化学成分中Fe2O3、MnO与重金属地球化学形态的相关性最好,TOC与Cu的形态相关系数最高.综合对比分析表明,太湖沉积物重金属的生物有效性以Cd为最高,其次为Pb.     

Distribution and enrichment of heavy metals in a sediment core from the Pearl River Estuary

A sediment core collected from coastal zone near the Qiao Island in the Pearl River Estuary was analyzed for total metal concentrations, chemical partitioning, and physico-chemical properties. Three vertical distribution patterns of the heavy metals in the sediment core were identified, respectively. The dominant binding phases for Cu, Pb, Cr, and Zn were the residual and Fe/Mn oxides fractions. Cd in all sediments was mainly associated with exchangeable fraction. Influences of total organic carbon content and cation exchange capacity on the total concentrations and fractions of almost all the metals were not evident, whereas sand content might play an important role in the distributions of residual phases of Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn. In addition, sediment pH had also an important influence on the Fe/Mn oxides, organic/sulfide and residual fractions of Cr, Cu, and Zn. Contamination assessment on the heavy metals in the sediment core adopting Index of Geoaccumulation showed that Cr, V, Be, Se, Sn, and Tl were unpolluted, while Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Co were polluted in different degrees throughout the core. It was remarkable that the various pollution levels of the metals from moderate (for Cu, Pb, and Zn) to strong (for Cd) were observed in the top 45 cm of the profiles. The relative decrease of the residual fraction in the upper 45 cm of the core is striking, especially for Zn and Cu, and, also for Pb, and Cr. The change in fraction distribution in the upper 45 cm, which is very much contrasting to the one at larger depths, confirms that the residual fraction is related to the natural origin of these metals, whereas in the upper part, the non-residual fractions (mainly the Fe/Mn oxides fraction) are increased due to pollution in the last decade. The possible sources for Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cd contaminations were attributed to the increasing municipal and industrial wastewater discharges, agricultural runoff, atmospheric inputs, and runoff from upstream mining or smelting activities, which may be associated with an accelerating growth of economy in the Pearl River Delta region in the past decade.     

渤海西部表层沉积物中重金属的环境地球化学特征

为探讨渤海西部在多重环境因素变化下沉积物中重金属的环境地球化学行为,分析了渤海西部44个站位表层沉积物样品中8种重金属元素含量,研究了重金属元素的分布特征、环境影响因素及其生态风险。结果表明,渤海西部表层沉积物中As、Cu、Cd、Cr、Hg、Ni、Pb、Zn的平均含量分别为117 mg/kg、255 mg/kg、014 mg/kg、689 mg/kg、0037 mg/kg、303 mg/kg、223 mg/kg、757 mg/kg;Cu、Cr、Ni、Zn含量与有机碳含量、小于63 μm细粒沉积物呈显著正相关,其在表层沉积物中的分布明显受到有机质含量和沉积物粒径的控制,而As、Hg分布没有明显受到有机质含量的影响。富集系数显示,Cr、Ni、Pb和Zn为无富集,Cu、As为轻度富集,Cd和Hg为中度富集。与多种背景值和一致性沉积物质量基准相比较,渤海西部表层沉积物Pb、Cd的含量超出背景值,而Cu、Zn、Ni、Cr、As、Hg含量也存在一定的异常,但其含量水平引发有害生物效应的可能性不大,尽管重金属元素含量偏高,但生态风险较小。     

Heavy metal pollution in freshly deposited sediments of the Yamuna River (the Ganges River tributary): a case study from Delhi and Agra urban centres, India

 The Yamuna River sediments, collected from Delhi and Agra urban centres, were analysed for concentration and distribution of nine heavy metals by means of atomic adsorption spectrometry. Total metal contents varied in the following ranges (in mg/kg): Cr (157–817), Mn (515–1015), Fe (28,700–45,300), Co(11.7–28.4), Ni (40–538), Cu (40–1204), Zn (107–1974), Pb (22–856) and Cd (0.50–114.8). The degree of metal enrichment was compared with the average shale concentration and shows exceptionally high values for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in both urban centres. In the total heavy metal concentration, anthropogenic input contains 70% Cr, 74% Cu, 59% Zn, 46% Pb, 90% Cd in Delhi and 61% Cr, 23% Ni, 71% Cu, 72% Zn, 63% Pb, 94% Cd in Agra. A significant correlation was observed between increasing Cr, Ni, Zn, and Cu concentrations with increasing total sediment carbon and total sediment sulfur content. Based on the Müller's geoaccumulation index, the quality of the river sediments can be regarded as being moderately polluted to very highly polluted with Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd in the Delhi and Agra urban centres. The present sediment analysis, therefore, plays an important role in environmental measures for the Yamuna River and the planning of these city centres. Received: 21 June 1999 · Accepted: 1 October 1999