The origin,historical variations,and distribution of heavy metals in the Qiongzhou Strait and nearby marine areas

We analyzed heavy metal concentrations in a number of surface sediments and cores from the Qiongzhou Strait and surrounding marine areas.The areas of high concentrations are primarily outside the eastern mouth of the Qiongzhou Strait and on the west side of the Leizhou Peninsula,whereas the areas of low concentrations are located primarily in the eastern Qiongzhou Strait.The maximum Cd,Pb and Zn concentrations in the samples collected in our study do not exceed the official standards for marine sediments,whereas the concentrations of Cr and Cu slightly exceed the standards.Correlations exist between the concentrations of Cu,Pb,Zn,Cr and Cd,and the concentrations of these metals are positively correlated with the mean particle size(φ value),indicating that the finer sediments have adsorbed greater amounts of heavy metal elements than the coarser sediments.An evaluation of the potential environmental risks demonstrates that certain indices of heavy metal pollution and environmental risks are relatively low and may be assigned low risk levels,thereby indicating that,in terms of heavy metals,the marine sedimentary environment in this region is only mildly impacted.Our analysis of the contaminant origins shows that the heavy metals in this region primarily originate in the Pearl River Estuary and that a small amount of them is derived from local runoff.The elevated heavy metal concentrations from the upper sections of the cores started 130 years ago,which indicats that heavy metals in the surface sediments are primarily due to human activities associated with industrialization.     

Distribution and accumulation characteristics of heavy metals in sediments in southern sea area of Huludao City, China

The southern sea area of the Huludao City, Liaoning Province might be polluted by heavy metals because it is close to the Jinzhou Bay, one of the heaviest sea area polluted by heavy metals in China. The undisturbed modern sediment core can be used to analyze the accumulation and source of the pollutants using 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex . Thirty-five samples of surface sediment and two core sediments were collected from the southern sea area of Huludao City. The concentrations of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), chrome (Cr), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) in the surface sediments as well as Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, 137 Cs and 210 Pb ex in the core sediments were determined to research the spatial distribution and accumulation characteristics, and to analyze the sources and the potential risks of heavy metals. The results show that the pollution levels of Zn and Hg are serious, and 26 stations are at moderate or heavy ecological risks. The concentrations of the heavy metals increase from east to west, as well as from open sea to offshore marine area. The concentrations of heavy metals are not high in the sediments adjacent to the Jinzhou Bay, and the influence caused by the seawater exchange with the Jinzhou Bay is little. The concentrations of the heavy metals in the core sediments show low-high-low characteristic, and it coincides with the pollution history of Huludao City. The atmospheric deposition of heavy metals from the Huludao Zinc Plant is likely to be the main source of pollution without direct discharge of wastewater. The high concentrations of heavy metals appear on the upper sediment of 20 cm. The shallow sediment with high heavy metal contents might be exposed to surface when it was disturbed by the ocean engineering and big storm surge, then cause risk to the safety of aquaculture and human healthy.     

Sediment Characteristics,Sources, and Transport Patterns in Kompong Som Bay,Cambodia: Indications from Grain Size and Heavy Minerals

In this paper, we analyzed the grain size and heavy mineral compositions of 52 surface sediment samples collected from the Kompong Som Bay of Cambodia and the adjacent rivers to depict the marine sedimentary environments and transport processes. Heavy minerals in sediments are dominated by authigenic pyrite, siderite, and tourmaline, with average percentages of 36.52%, 29.02%, and 10.94%, respectively. Two provinces can be divided according to the spatial similarity of minerals. The sediments from Province I, covered by silt grains in the northern bay, are characterized by autogenic pyrite, indicating a weakly reducing environment;whereas in Province II, covered by sand grains in the southern bay, the siderite-tourmaline-authigenic pyrite-zircon-hornblende assemblage occurs, indicating a mild reducing environment and locally oxidizing environment. Most of the sediments in the Kompong Som Bay are introduced from the Preak Piphot River and Srae Ambel River, except that some of them in the south areas come from coastal erosion. Generally, the sediments are difficult to be transported because of the low sediment loads entering the sea and weak hydrodynamic conditions. However, they are transported from the north to the south during the tide ebbing when the hydrodynamic force is much stronger. The sediment distribution and transport patterns are controlled by many factors, including submarine topography, hydrodynamic conditions, the southwest monsoon, land contours, and sediment supply.     

Heavy metal research in lacustrine sediment： a review

Heavy metals are released into environment from a wide range of natural and anthropogenic sources. Aquatic ecosystems are normally at the receiving end and in many cases, with lakes as intermediaries. Lacustrine sediments are important sinks for heavy metals and play a significant role in enrichment and remobilization of heavy metals in aquatic systems. Therefore, characteristics of heavy metal in lacustrine sediments become one of the important issues in environmental sciences. Progress in heavy metal research of lake sediments since late 1980s is reviewed comprehensively in this paper from over 100. The Highlights are placed on the establishment of aquatic sediment quality guidelines, references chemical speciation of heavy metals, heavy metal transport mechanisms in lakes, and high-resolution study of lake borehole cores. Meanwhile, suggestions for heavy metal research in lacustrine sediment in the future are proposed, including such issues as using integrated approaches to assess aquatic ecosystem, modem lake dynamic process, high-resolution evolutionary sequence and spatial differentiation of environments and international lake database, which should be referential to the promotion of research on heavy metal in aquatic system.     

Spatial distribution and controlling factors of sedimentary bodies in Jiaozhou Bay and Adjacent Sea Areas, Qingdao

The distributions of thickness of unconsolidated Quaternary sedimentary layers in Jiaozhou Bay and Qingdao offshore area were studied by using 1079-km high-resolution shallow seismic profiles and drilling core data, and the factors controlling the Quaternary evolution were discussed. The results show that such thickness distributions resulted from the coactions of geologic structures and marine hydrodynamic conditions since the Holocene. The geologic structures controlled the slope deposit, proluvial and fluvial fillings since the late Pleistocene. Holocene marine hydrodynamics eroded away sediments at the bay mouth, and tides carried these eroded materials to the sides of the bay mouth and released them there, forming channel-ridge-alternating geomorphic features. During transgressive processes, the sea level rose rapidly, and insufficient sediment supply and tidal actions yielded the relict sediments in the east of Qingdao offshore area.     

Introduction to the China-Vietnam Cooperation Project: A Comparative Study of the Holocene Sedimentary Evolution of the Yangtze and Red River Deltas

Both China and Vietnam confront the challenges of natural geohazards and environmental changes in their deltas and coastal zones due to rapid urbanization, economic development, and the impacts of global climate change. China and Vietnam initiated a comparative study of the Holocene sedimentary evolution of the Yangtze River Delta(YRD) and Red River Delta(RRD) for the period 2015–2018 in order to improve the understanding of the two delta evolution histories in the Holocene. Previous investigative data of the two rivers, onshore delta plains, and offshore subaqueous deltas have been explored and reinterpreted. New data gleaned from boreholes, piston cores, shallow seismic and hydrodynamic sources have been collected from the offshore YRD and the East China Sea inner shelf, and surface sediments and short cores have been collected from the RRD near-shore areas. Six focal areas of the joint project have been defined for comparative studies of the two deltas, including morphological development, sequential stratigraphy, coastline shifting, sedimentary characteristics, sedimentary dynamics, and correlation with anthropogenic global climate change. The results of these study areas are presented herein. The joint project also includes cooperative capacity building; exchanges of young scientists have been organized during the project period, and hands-on training in laboratory geochemical analysis, numerical modeling, and seismic data processing and interpretation have been provided by China and its Vietnamese geoscientist partners. Joint field excursions were organized to the upstream of the Yangtze and Red Rivers in Yunan Province, China, all the way downstream along the Vietnamese portion of the Red River. These joint studies have, over the past three years, improved understanding of the evolutionary history of these two major rivers and their mechanisms of source to sink. Joint project results of these two major deltas are not limited to the geosciences; the cooperative mechanical and operational experiences have been helpful for future cooperation in the field of marine geoscience between China and Vietnam, as well for cooperative activities with other ASEAN member countries.     

THE RESEARCH ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND FORMS OF HEAVY METALS IN THE XIANGJIANG RIVER SEDIMENTS

In this paper, the contents and various forms of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb in the sediments of the Xiangjiang River have been investigated. The presentation of this paper focuses on the various forms and characteristics of the heavy metals in the column sediments at Xiawan Port of Zhuzhou, which has been severely polluted by a metallurgical plant.The forms of the heavy metals discussed in this paper are: The concentration of the exchangeable forms of Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb, in the forms of carbonates and Fe/ Mn oxide in water, the combination of Cu with organic matter and form, and the proportion of the residue form at each section have been studied.     

海洋沉积物释光测年现状与展望

自释光现象被用于沉积物测年的半个多世纪以来,释光测年技术已被广泛应用于各类海洋沉积物的年代测定,为古环境古气候和构造活动及地形地貌演变等研究提供了高精度年代学约束的同时,释光测年技术的精度和准确性也取得了长足发展。在系统回顾和总结海洋沉积物释光测年的发展历史基础上,详细讨论了释光测年技术在海洋沉积物测年中的研究现状,总结了全球海洋沉积物释光测年研究的特点。海洋沉积物的沉积埋藏过程相对复杂,部分晒退现象普遍存在,饱和含水的沉积环境导致环境剂量精确测定存在一定困难。因此在海洋沉积物年代测定和计算过程中需要根据实际情况对样品的释光性质进行分析,选择合适的等效剂量测试方法,并使用合适的环境剂量校正方法进行年代计算。释光测年方法在晚更新世以来海洋沉积物测年中表现出了独特的优势,释光测年目标矿物在海洋沉积物中普遍存在,并且随着近年来研究的不断深入,测年精度也得到了明显的提高,可以为晚更新世以来的海洋沉积物研究提供高精度的绝对年代地层格架。      

Impact of Drain Effluent on Surficial Sediments in the Mediterranean Coastal Wetland: Sedimentological Characteristics and Metal Pollution Status at Lake Manzala,Egypt

Surface sediments were collected from Lake Manzala, the Mediterranean coastal wetland located to the east of the Nile Delta, Egypt, to assess the effect of drain effluent on the spatial variations of sedimentary characteristics and heavy metal pollution. Grain-size compositions, textures, and heavy metal distribution patterns in sediments are presented using GIS technique. Results of the analysis of the sediment showed a clear effect of drain effluent, with an increase in fine fractions and homogeneous suspensions in transportation mode. Lake sediments were dominated by sandy mud textures, and mode of transportation was homogeneous suspension and rolling. Spatial distribution of heavy metals(Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr, and Pb) was studied in the lake's surficial sediments, along with their relationship to drain effluent and their contamination status in the ecological system. Heavy metal pollution status was assessed by means of accepted sediment quality guidelines and contamination assessment methods(contamination factor, contamination degree, modified contamination degree, geo-accumulation, and enrichment factor). Among the determined heavy metals, Pb had the most ecological risk. Generally, the heavy metals in the surface sediments indicated pollution risk ranging from moderate to considerable, particularly, in those sites facing drains and inlets that had the highest toxic effluent. The results were interpreted by statistical means. A cluster analysis defined areas facing drain discharge and inlets as separated groups. ANOVA indicated that most of the sedimentation and studied metals directed this clustering.     

Heavy mineral stratigraphy of sediments from the southern outer shelf of the East China Sea since the last glaciation using fuzzy C-means cluster method

Correspondence analysis and fuzzy C-means cluster methods were used to divide the stratigraphy of heavy mineral assemblages,and the sediment sources and depositional dynamics of the environment reconstructed.The assemblages were taken from marine sediments from the late Pleistocene to the Holocene in Core Q43 situated on the outer shelf of the East China Sea.Based on the variable boundaries of the mineral assemblage at 63 and 228 cmbsf (cm below sea floor),the core might have previously been divided into th...     

Sedimentary records of mangrove evolution during the past one hundred years based on stable carbon isotope and pollen evidences in Maowei,SW China

Mangroves accumulate sedimentary sequences, where cores can provide historical records of mangrove evolution with past climate change and human activity. The study traced the history of mangrove evolution during the past one hundred years in a mangrove swamp of Maowei Sea, SW China. The sedimentation rates(0.38-0.95 cm yr~(-1)) were calculated on the basis of ln(~(210)Pb_(xs)/Al) and mass depth in the core sediments. Chemical tracers, such as δ~(13)C_(org) and C:N values, were utilized to trace the contribution of mangrove-derived organic matter using a ternary mixing model. Because of potential diagenetic alteration and / or overlap in the isotopic signatures of different components, simultaneous use of mangrove pollen diagrams can help to supplement some of these limitations. Combined with mangrove pollen, mangrove evolution was reconstructed and could be divided into three stages: flourishment(1886-1905 AD), slight degradation(1905-1949 AD) and rapid degradation period(1949-2007 AD), which was consistent with previous reports. The reclamation of mangrove swamps to shrimp ponds was the major reason for rapid degradation of mangrove ecosystems in recent years, rather than climate change in the region.     

Sedimentary Characteristics of the Second Marine Layer During the Late Marine Isotope Stage 3 in Southern Yellow Sea and Their Response to the East Asian Monsoon

We use the particle size of sediments in core YS01 A to study the sedimentary environment of the mud deposit in the central South Yellow Sea of China during late Marine Isotope Stages 3(MIS3;40.5 kyr–31.3 kyr).In addition,the East Asian Monsoon and its relationship with the North Atlantic Ocean climate change are discussed based on the sensitive grain-size calculation and the spectrum analysis.The results show that during late MIS3,the muddy area in the central South Yellow Sea experienced the evolution of coastal facies,shallow marine facies,coastal facies,and continental facies,with weak hydrodynamic conditions.Compared with other climate indicators,we found that there were many century to millennium-scale climate signals documented in the muddy area sediments in the central South Yellow Sea.According to our particle size results,three strong winter monsoon events occurred at 37.6 kyr,35.6 kyr and 32.2 kyr.The East Asian Winter Monsoon records in core YS01 A are consistent with the Greenland ice core and the Hulu cave stalagmite δ~(18)O.The millennial and centennial scale cycles,which are 55 yr,72 yr,115 yr,262 yr respectively,correspond to solar activity cycles,while the 1049 yr and 2941 yr cycles correspond to the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles.These cycles indicate that the paleoclimate evolution of the area was controlled by the solar activities,with the high-latitude driving thermohaline circulation as the main energy conveyor belt,followed by the sea-air-land amplification of the winter monsoon variation in the central Yellow Sea in the late MIS3.     

Sedimentary evolution since the late Last Deglaciation in the western North Yellow Sea

To decipher the sedimentary evolution and environmental changes since the late Last Deglaciation, two gravity cores were analyzed from the western North Yellow Sea (NYS). The two cores (B-L44 and B-U35) were sampled for grain size, clay minerals, detrital minerals, and 14C dating. They are comparable in lithofaies, and the observed succession was divided into four depositional units based on lithology and mineral assemblages, which recorded the postglacial transgression. Depositional unit 4 (DU 4) (before 11.5 ka) was characterized with enrichment in sand, and was interpreted as nearshore deposits in shallow water during the Younger Dryas Event. DU 3 (11.5-9.6 ka) displayed a fining-upward succession composed of sediments from local rivers, such as the Huanghe (Yellow) River, and from coastal erosion, which clearly were related to the Early Holocene transgression. Stable muddy deposition (DU 2) in NYS began to form at about 9.6 ka, which received direct supply of fine materials from the Shandong subaqueous clinoform. It is believed that the Yellow Sea circulation system played a major role in controlling the formation of fine sediment deposition in DU 1 (after 6.4 ka) after the sea level maximum.     

舟山西蟹峙海洋倾倒区及邻近海域表层沉积物重金属污染及其生态风险评价

根据2011年7月浙江舟山西蟹峙海洋倾倒区及邻近海域表层沉积物重金属的监测结果,采用单因子指数法和Hakanson生态危害指数法分析表层沉积物重金属的污染特征,并评价其潜在生态风险。结果表明:沉积物重金属元素Cu、Zn、Pb、Cd、Cr、Hg、As含量均符合国家海洋沉积物质量一类标准;重金属元素污染程度由高到低依次为Zn、Cr、Pb、Cu、As、Cd、Hg,其中Cu、Pb、Cd、Hg和As 5种重金属元素为低污染水平,Zn和Cr 2种重金属元素为中等污染程度水平;7种重金属元素单个和综合潜在生态危害程度均为低风险水平,由高到低依次为Cd、Hg、As、Pb、Cu、Cr、Zn。     

Responses of primary productivity to current and climate changes in the mud area to the southwest of Cheju Island during the past 800 years

The biogenic silica (BSi), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and grain size were analyzed with a gravity core (3250-6) collected from the mud area in the north East China Sea. The average deposition rate of the upper core was about 0.078 cm yr^?1 based on the results of ²¹⁰Pb_ex. The mean grain size increased with depth in general. The frequency distribution of grain size showed that two marked changes of deposition environment occurred at 30 cm and 50 cm depths (about 1550 AD and 1300 AD, respectively). The variations of BSi and TOC indicated two distinct major periods of primary productivity over the past 800 years: a stage of low primary productivity corresponding to weak upwelling and low nutrient input below 30 cm depth (about 1200–1550 AD), and a stage of high primary productivity with strong currents and upwelling above 30 cm depth (about 1550–1950 AD). The stage with high primary productive appeared to be due to the northward-expanded muddy area caused by strong Asian Winter Monsoon and enhanced Yellow Sea Warm Current in winter. In conclusion, the BSi and TOC in the muddy sediments, the symbols of marine primary productivity, can be then used to investigate the evolution history of currents and relative climate change in the offshore areas.     

Heavy metals in sediments of Yellow Sea and East China Sea: Chemical speciation,distribution, infl uence factor,and contamination

Metal species and the degree of environmental pollution are related to the hydrogen sulfi de(H 2 S), an important product of early diagenesis that can react with metals to form stable compounds. To investigate the eff ects of H 2 S to metals and evaluate metal environment eff ect in the sediments of the East China Sea(ECS) and Yellow Sea(YS), geochemical characteristic and spatial distribution of nine heavy metals and H 2 S profi le were studied. Higher H 2 S content and lower metal content was observed in the sediments 10 cm in depth in the North Yellow Sea and the west coast of South Korea. The pollution load index( I pl) indicates that the southern coast of Shandong Peninsula underwent moderate pollution( I pl =1) of heavy metals and no heavy metal pollution appeared in other areas( I pl 1). To some extents, the ecological risk of Cd and As enrichment was moderately severe in all stations. The chance of heavy metal combination to be toxic in ECS and YS during summer was 21%. In addition, correlation between H 2 S content and metals in both solid and porewater phases was obvious, corroborating important eff ect of H 2 S on metal distribution. Moreover, H 2 S could aff ect the spatial distributions of heavy metals in porewater directly and be indicative of potential biological eff ects of combined toxicant groups in the study region.     

GEOCHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SEDIMENTS AND ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGJIANG ESTUARY ENVIRONMENT

Analysis of material from three 55- cm long cores collected with box corer m summer of 1988 in the Changjiang Estuary region yielded data on the sedimentation rate, granulometric composition and contents of carbonates, organic matter, Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu and Pb there. Subsequent study of the data led to the conclusion that there is no obvious pollution in the region based on the absolute value of the content of heavy metals, but the region is in potential danger of being polluted as seen by the obvious increase of sedimentation flux of heavy metals to and the enrichment of them on the surface sediment during the last several years, e.g. Pb increased by 10-20μg/g, Zn by about 30μg/g, Cu by 5-10μg/g and Mn by 150μg/g.A ferromanganese redox interface was found at about 40 cm depth of sediments where Fe and Mn and associated trace metals are enriched. The trace metals such as Zn, Cu have (but Pb does not) the same source, forms, displacement mechanism and geochemical behaviours as those of Fe and Mn in t     

Characteristics of Heavy Minerals and Quantitative Provenance Identification of Sediments from the Muddy Area Outside the Oujiang Estuary Since 5.8 kyr

The heavy mineral compositions of the sediments in core D04 with a length of 20.2 m from the muddy area outside the Oujiang Estuary along the coast of Zhejiang-Fujian Provinces have been analyzed. Core D04 can be divided into three units: DU1(0–7.4 m), DU2(7.4–11.4 m) and DU3(11.4–20.2 m). The results showed that the heavy minerals are authigenic pyrite(65.6%)– hornblende(16.0%) – epidote(4.6%) assemblages. The core sediments are mainly composed of clayey silt, which belongs to the clinoform deposit formed since 5.8 kyr, indicating a weak hydrodynamic environment. The deposition rates changed in the trend of high-low-high upward. Quantitative analysis shows that the core sediments were mainly from the suspended sediments of the Changjiang(Yangtze) River, accounting for 79.2%, with only 10.0% from Oujiang, and 10.8% from other provenance. The Oujiang-derived sediments were gradually increased from the bottom unit DU3(3.1%) to the top unit DU1(17.8%), but the Changjiang-derived sediments were gradually decreased. The source changes are closely related to the development of Yangtze River Delta and Wenzhou Bay, climate changes and human activities. During the period of 2.1–3.7 kyr, the sediment supply was greatly reduced due to the poor reclamation capacity of the river basins, resulting in a low deposition rate. Since 2 kyr, the enhancement of human activities in the Yangtze River Basin and the Oujiang River Basin led to more soils to be eroded and transported to the study area. Due to the short distance of the site of core D04 from the Oujiang River mouth, the study area received more Oujiang-derived sediments when upper unit(DU1) deposited than the lower units(DU2 and DU3).     

Heavy Minerals in Shelf Sediments off Fujian-Zhejiang Coast of the East China Sea: Their Provenance and Geological Application

To examine the composition and source variations of heavy minerals in the Fujian-Zhejiang mud belt(FZMB) over the past few hundred years, heavy minerals in 150 surficial sediment samples and two sediments cores collected from the southern FZMB were identified and analyzed. The results show that the mineral assemblage of hornblende-magnetite-epidote-chlorite is dominant in the study area. Based on the heavy mineral contents, the study area is divided into two mineral zones, namely a near-shore muddy sediment zone(zone Ⅰ) and an offshore mixed sediment zone(zone Ⅱ). The sediments from zone Ⅰ contains relatively abundant metallic minerals with proximal sediments from the Oujiang River and the Minjiang River as the primary component. The sediment from zone Ⅱ has relatively low content for minerals from the near-shore materials and is significantly affected by the Oujiang River sediments, and by the flaky minerals from the Yangtze River to a certain extent. The characteristics of heavy minerals in the cores may be affected by a variety of factors. Before the 20th century, under the influence of strong East Asian winter monsoon(EAWM), the sandy sediment in FZMB is significantly affected by the Oujiang River and the Yangtze River sediments, and relatively unaffected by near-shore terrigenous matter. In the 20th century, as the intensity of the Zhejiang-Fujian Coastal Current(ZFCC) decreased, the influence of the Minjiang coastal sand enhanced. Since the 1980s, as the collective effect of relatively weak EAWM and frequent storm surges and typhoons, the impact of the Minjiang River sediments on the FZMB sediments has increased considerably.     

Short- and long-term sediment transport in western Bohai Bay and coastal areas

Sediment cores (∼40–100 cm) were collected at 12 locations in the western Bohai Bay, the Haihe River estuary, the Yongding River estuary and the Tianjin Harbor, China, during 24–26 July 2007, and analyzed for ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb activities. Due to localized hydrodynamic patterns and frequent disturbance from dredging activities, steady-state sedimentation features were not observed in this study. As demonstrated in the ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb profiles, the temporal and spatial variations of these radionuclides support a non-steady state depositional environment in the study area. By comparing ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb inventories in the sediments with those of the atmospheric source, we found that: 1) sediments dredged from the Tianjin Harbor or eroded from nearby estuarine and coastal areas are retained in the western Bohai Bay for relatively short intervals (several months), as reflected in the relatively high ⁷Be inventories in the western Bohai Bay; 2) over the long-term (years to decades), ²¹⁰Pb inventories in the sediments imply that there is a net on-shore transport of sediments, and the sediments are mass-balanced in the entire study area. Overall, our results suggest that the sediments are retained in the estuaries and the western Bohai Bay despite local variability in sediment dynamics and disturbance due to human activities.