云南属都湖沉积物金属元素地球化学

通过对属都湖短岩芯Esdrl重金属元素的分析,结合沉积物粒度、流域降水和人类活动资料,讨论属都湖沉积物金属元素地球化学变化特征.结果表明.沉积物中AI、Mg、Co、Zn、Cr、Ti、V、Cu、Ni等元素含量变化与粘土含量、夏季降水量显著相关,降水导致的流域侵蚀强弱变化是影响元素含量变化的主要因素.元素Pb含量从岩芯底部到顶部总体呈上升趋势,25-17.5cm沉积物中Pb含量较稳定主要为自然侵蚀过程控制;17.5-10.5cm沉积物中Pb含量迅速增加后逐渐降低推测为20世纪50年代湖区附近矿山开采产生的粉尘沉降的影响;10.5-Ocm Pb含量逐渐增加,80年代以后大气中Pb含量上升.Pb在漉域的干湿沉降应是岩芯上部Pb含量升高的原因.在氧化还原作用下沉积物中Fe、Mn易在沉积物一水界面发生再迁移.25-7.5cm沉积物中的Fe、Mn含量变化特征为沉积后再迁移作用的结果;7.5-0cm Fe和bin含量明显上升,夏季降水量增加导致流域侵蚀增强和土壤的潜育化可能是岩芯上部Fe、Mn含量显著上升的原因.     

泥炭沼泽不同植物群落中地表糙度变化及其影响机制

对藏南沉错CCl孔216个沉积物样品进行了15种金属元素含量的测试,研究金属元素含量的分布特征,以及与粒度参数的变化关系．结果显示：金属元素的分布特征可分为三组,K、Na、Mg、Al、Ti、Ba、Cu、Zn、Fe、Pb、Cr、V等12种元素具有较为相似的变化趋势;Ca和Sr变化趋势相同;而Mn与其他任何一种元素都不相似．元素分布与粒度参数的相关分析结果表明,Ca、Ti、Pb的变化与沉积物粒度没有明显的关系;K、Na、Al、Ba、Cu、Fe、Cr、V等8种元素与沉积物粘土含量（〈4um）呈正相关关系;Mg、Zn、Mn与粉砂含量（4—63μm）呈正相关关系;而Sr与砂含量（〉63gm）呈正相关关系本研究中大部分元素的粒度效应与其他湖泊、海洋等水体沉积物中元素的粒度效应具有一致的结果．与本岩芯已有的过去1400年来的环境重建资料对比可以发现,在不同的环境变化阶段,元素组合特征都与湖区环境状况具有较好的对应性．其中大部分元素的含量变化受物源条件即流域风化侵蚀程度的影响,而Ca含量不受沉积物粒度变化影响,且与沉积物中碳酸盐含量、Sr／Ba具有很好的相关性,说明其变化受物源条件影响小,而主要与湖水理化性质、蒸发强度以及湖泊沉积过程有关．     

太湖表层沉积物重金属元素的来源分析

根据太湖MS岩芯重金属元素与Al的线性回归分析及元素/Al、V/Al比率散点图变化规律,讨论了太湖沉积物中重金属元素的来源特征。结果表明:20世纪20年代中期以前,重金属元素主要为自然来源;20年代中期—70年代中期,尽管沉积物中Al、Fe、Zn、Mn、V、Cr等重金属元素含量随沉积物粒度变粗而明显下降,但除Hg受到一定程度的人为污染之外,其它重金属元素仍以自然来源为主,物源有所变化;70年代末期以来,沉积物中重金属元素人为污染逐渐加重,Pb、Cu、Zn、Hg、As等元素既有流域母质来源,又受到一定程度的人为污染。     

柴达木盆地托素湖不同位置岩芯沉积物指标对比及其环境意义

湖泊不同位置岩芯沉积物相同代用指标的变化是否一致对于重建可靠的区域气候变化历史至关重要.目前多数研究仅利用深水区单一的沉积岩芯来反演区域的气候环境变化,对于不同位置岩芯重建结果的异同尚缺乏研究.本文选择托素湖不同位置、不同水深的4根短钻岩芯沉积物,在放射性核素(210 Pb和137 Cs)定年的基础上,对比分析各岩芯沉积物粒度、碳酸盐含量等代用指标的变化情况.结果显示,湖泊内相近的沉积岩芯沉积物粒度变化相似,但相距较远的岩芯之间粒度变化差异较大;浅水区的沉积物粒度(粒径或组分含量)在短时间尺度上变化很大,而深水区的沉积环境比较稳定,在百年尺度上的变化不明显;有机质与碳酸盐含量总体变化趋势一致且有较好的相关性,表明碳酸盐可能受到湖泊生产力的影响.碳酸盐含量、碳酸盐氧同位素(δ18 O)和TL06孔孢粉的A/C比值变化基本一致,反映的有效湿度变化与同期气象记录的相对湿度一致,但与降水量和蒸发量的变化不一致.因此,托素湖粒度指标仅指示不同位置钻孔沉积环境状况,与气候变化的关系并不明显,用碳酸盐及其同位素等地球化学指标恢复区域气候变化历史更可靠.     

太湖沉积物重金属和营养盐变化特征及污染历史

通过对太湖北部开阔湖区沉积岩芯粒度、营养盐、重金属元素等指标的分析,结合硅藻分析结果,讨论了该湖区近100年来沉积环境变化特征、营养演化规律及重金属元素污染历史.结果表明,20世纪20年代前后,流域人为活动方式的改变及强度加大使沉积物特征开始发生变化,沉积物粒度变粗,重金属元素及TP含量减少.20世纪50年代～20世纪70年代末期,受人为污染影响,沉积物及水体TP含量逐渐增加,湖泊处于中等营养水平.20世纪70年代末期以来,沉积物中TOC,TN含量升高,C/N比值增大,沉积物中人为排放的外源有机成分所占比例增加,沉积物及水体中TP含量明显升高,硅藻组合以富营养型种属为主,湖泊水体发生显著富营养化;同期,随着重金属元素人为污染程度的加重,Cu,Mn,Ni,Pb和Zn等元素总量及有效结合态含量升高,并具有一定程度的潜在生物毒性.     

巢湖沉积物重金属富集特征与人为污染评价

本文分析了巢湖主要入湖河流河口区表层沉积物及西部湖心区沉积岩芯中Al、Fe、Ni、Cr、Cu、Zn、Pb、Li、V等金属元素变化特征,采用地球化学方法对金属元素变化的"粒度效应"进行矫正,并以Li、V为参照元素对矫正结果进行检验;参考历史沉积物,对河口区及西部湖心区沉积物重金属人为污染特征进行分析;结合沉积岩芯210Pb年代结果,估算西部湖心区近150a来Ni、Cr、Cu、Zn、Pb等重金属元素的人为污染贡献量.结果表明,河口表层沉积物重金属污染具有显著的空间差异,南淝河河口重金属人为污染最重,其中Ni、Cr、Cu、Zn、Pb的人为污染贡献量分别为12.2、32.2、25.3、479.9和76.0 mg/kg,分别占总含量的35%、37%、64%、92%和77%;其次是柘皋河河口,主要重金属污染元素为Cu、Zn和Pb,人为污染贡献量达57.6、57.0和19.5 mg/kg,分别占总含量的73%、47%和36%;而派河、白石山河、杭埠河等河口表层沉积物中重金属元素人为污染程度较弱.巢湖西部湖心区主要污染元素为Cu、Zn、Pb,人为污染开始于1950s,1980年以来其人为污染贡献量显著增加,平均为16.2、245.6、47.8 mg/(m2.a),分别占各元素沉积通量的23%、61%和37%;Ni人为污染开始于1980s初期,人为污染贡献量平均为12.6 mg/(m2.a),占其沉积通量的13%左右;Cr基本未受人为污染影响.西部湖心区沉积岩芯及南淝河河口表层沉积物中重金属污染程度均表现为Zn>Pb>Cu,而且南淝河河口沉积物重金属污染程度显著高于西部湖心区.结合主要入湖河流径流量与河口沉积物重金属污染特征,认为巢湖西部湖心区重金属污染主要通过南淝河输入,来自合肥等城市的废水是主要的污染源.     

太湖近代沉积物中重金属元素的累积

利用210Pb、137Cs定年技术,对来自太湖不同生态和沉积特征的三个湖区的沉积物柱状样品进行了定年,用ICP—AES分析了沉积物中重金属等元素的含量,分析了太湖沉积物中重金属的累积特征及其成因.污染较重、蓝藻水华暴发频繁的梅梁湾沉积物中的重金属含量在近25年来逐年增加;太湖上游风浪较大的夹浦湖区表层10cm沉积速率大、粒度粗,除表层1cm外,1—10cm沉积物中各种重金属含量都较低,且层间变化剧烈;下游湖区正逐渐草型化的胥口湾除表层3cm外,沉积物中重金属的含量自底层向表层大致呈不断下降的趋势.研究表明,不同年代的太湖沉积物中重金属含量差异很大,明显大于不同湖区间沉积物重金属平均含量间的差异.水动力作用引起的沉积物粒度分异很可能是影响沉积物中重金属积累的一个重要因素.总体上太湖沉积物中重金属的污染比较轻微,但已经有一定程度的Cd污染,梅梁湾沉积物中自上世纪70年代开始明显积累Cd,其他重金属元素的积累也逐渐增加,值得关注.     

太湖流域东沈、西沈近百年汞的富集特征

通过对太湖流域的东沈、西沈沉积岩芯中汞（Hg）等金属元素的分析,研究了Hg的富集特征;在精确定年的基础上,计算了近百年来Hg的累积通量、人类活动导致的增量及累积通量变化,揭示了人类活动与降水等自然因素对东沈、西沈沉积物中Hg含量变化的贡献量．结果表明,近百年来,东、讥、西沈沉积物中Hg浓度呈持续上升趋势,人为贡献量占到沉积物中Hg浓度的2／3左右．20世纪早期,沉积物中Hg浓度的增加主要与邻近地区城市发展、化石燃料使用和西方工业革命导致的全球Hg的释放通量增加有关;20世纪30年代以来,沉积物中Hg的人为贡献量随着流域工业规模阶段性的变化而变化,总体呈增加趋势．20世纪70年代中后期至90年代中期,沉积物中Hg的人为污染程度最高;90年代中期以来,随着流域内重污染工业规模的压缩,沉积物中Hg的含量逐渐降低．     

菲律宾海西北部岩芯记录的125 ka以来的地磁场强度及其影响因素

沉积物记录的地磁场强度首先提供了模拟地磁场演化的数据约束,其次提供了沉积物的年龄信息. 本文报道了菲律宾海西北部岩芯记录的地磁场相对强度,并结合岩石磁学和沉积学性质探讨了影响强度的各个因素. 除底部红粘土层的局部磁偏角偏转可能揭示了沉积后改造以外,磁化率各向异性和地磁场方向特征表明沉积物为原状沉积. 岩石磁学性质表明沉积物符合磁性均一性,可以记录可靠的地磁场强度. 由于红粘土层及其下部的磁偏角异常,本文讨论其上部约125 ka的结果. 常规归一方法获得的两个地磁场强度参数NRM/ARM(特征剩磁和非磁滞剩磁比值)和NRM/κ(特征剩磁和磁化率比值)与其它记录对比得到时间-深度对比点,对比点之间的年龄为线性内推或者外推. 地磁场强度时间模型上的岩芯氧同位素与全球氧同位素综合曲线一致证明强度结果的有效性和对比的正确性. 磁化率为归一参数的强度大多低于以非磁滞剩磁为归一参数的强度,频谱和相关分析证明NRM/ARM不与ARM和磁性矿物粒度(ARM/κ)相关,也没有轨道周期性,而NRM/κ却与κ和ARM/κ相关,而且有13~12 ka的周期. 由此我们认为NRM/ARM记录的地磁场强度比NRM/κ更好地消除了气候印记. 进一步探讨了超顺磁含量、碳酸钙含量、磁性矿物组成以及磁性矿物粒度变化与地磁场强度差值的关系,发现末次间冰期较高的超顺磁含量和磁性矿物粒度的较大范围变化造成了地磁场强度差值,后者至少造成了90%差异. 中等含量的碳酸钙和较小的磁性矿物组成变化不是磁场强度差值产生的原因. 如何校正磁性矿物粒度变化的影响将是下一步工作的重点.     

太湖北部沉积物金属和营养元素的垂向变化及其影响因素

通过对太湖北部2个柱状沉积物进行了210Pb、粒度、金属元素、有机碳、总氮、总磷及磷的形态分析,探讨了其垂向分布特征及其影响因素. 粒度分析表明,沉积物呈现随深度变浅而变细的总体趋势. 210Pb分析显示该区域表层沉积物扰动较为强烈,并存在侵蚀现象. Cu、Zn、Ni、Li、V、Fe、Al垂向上的变化主要与粘土含量呈正相关,其含量表明金属污染不显著. 沉积物C/N比值显示有机质主要为陆源性质,磷以无机磷占绝对组分,有机磷含量向表层明显升高,反映了表层沉积物有机磷的输入较多或更好的保存条件.     

筑坝拦截对黑河河道沉积物粒度空间分布的影响

河流沉积物对流域环境变化具有敏感响应,其粒度参数能反映沉积环境中物质来源和水动力环境.本文以黑河流域上中游为研究区域,探究河流沉积物粒度对流域环境变化的响应.从黑河上中游干流22个主要控制断面采集河床沉积物样品,采用筛分法和吸管法对沉积物样品粒度参数进行测定,并分析其空间分布规律对筑坝拦截为主的环境改变响应.研究结果表明：受梯级水库建设影响,黑河上中游泥沙粒径大小差异显著.干流库区泥沙粒径较自然河段明显减小,分选很好,呈正偏或极正偏尖锐分布,而且在库区不同沉积高度上表现出分层沉积特征;坝下游河段因遭受强烈冲刷,较自然河段泥沙粒径粗化显著,分选变差,偏态趋向极正偏,峰态尖锐化;水库回水区受水库壅水及下泄清水的双重制约,泥沙粒度参数介于自然河段和坝下游河段之间,整体分选中等,呈极正偏尖锐分布;沉积环境分析表明,上游支流河段沉积物粒度特征受泥沙供给和物源特征的影响较水动力条件显著,干流河段沉积物粒度特征主要受水动力条件控制.研究结果既符合河流上中游沉积物粒度分布规律,也反映了河流环境变化对沉积物粒度组成的影响.     

Concentration and fractionation of trace metals in surface sediments of intertidal Bohai Bay, China

Surface sediments from intertidal Bohai Bay were sampled for the geochemical and environmental assessment of six trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn). Results indicate that sediment grain size plays an important role in controlling the distribution and fractionation of them. Metal concentrations in clayey silt sediments are all clearly higher than in sand and silty sand ones. Cd and Pb in clayey silt sediments are more mobile than in sand and silty sand ones. Two sediment quality guidelines and two geochemical normalization methods (index of geoaccumulation and enrichment factor) were used to judge the potential risk and accumulation of metals. According to the mean probable effects level quotient, the combination of studied metals may have a 21% probability of being toxic. The sediments with high fraction of clay and silt have been contaminated by trace metals to various degrees, among which Cr contributes the most to contamination.     

抚仙湖沉积物重金属时空变化与人为污染评价

分析了抚仙湖表层沉积物及沉积短岩芯中10种金属元素含量,结合沉积年代学,定量研究了Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb、Zn的污染特征及时空变化规律;参考沉积物质量基准与潜在生态风险指数法探讨了表层沉积物重金属的潜在生态风险.结果表明,表层沉积物中重金属含量具有一定的空间差异性,近岸地区重金属含量总体上高于湖心区;Pb、Zn含量自1980s中期以来逐渐增加,而Cr、Cu、Ni含量呈下降趋势.重金属富集系数与聚类分析结果表明,抚仙湖沉积物主要重金属污染元素为Pb、Zn,污染开始于1980s中期,并逐渐加重.表层沉积物中Pb、Zn富集系数分别为1.6~4.1和1.4~2.6,已达到弱—中等污染程度,北部湖区污染程度略高于南部湖区;除此之外,北部湖区近岸区域Cr污染程度也略高于其他湖区.除了大气沉降来源之外,抚仙湖沉积物重金属污染还可能与入湖河流输入有关.单因子生态风险指数表明,表层沉积物中Cr、Cu、Ni、Pb、Zn具有较低的潜在生态风险;而综合潜在生态风险指数表明,表层沉积物中重金属具有中等程度的潜在生态风险,这与根据沉积物质量基准所获得的评价结果一致.     

The role of vegetation in the retention of fine sediment and associated metal contaminants in London's rivers

Many urban rivers receive significant inputs of metal‐contaminated sediments from their catchments. Restoration of urban rivers often creates increased slack water areas and in‐channel vegetation growth where these metal‐contaminated sediments may accumulate. Quantifying the accumulation and retention of these sediments by in‐channel vegetation in urban rivers is of importance in terms of the planning and management of urban river restoration schemes and compliance with the Water Framework Directive. This paper investigates sediment properties at four sites across three rivers within Greater London to assess the degree to which contaminated sediments are being retained. Within paired restored and unrestored reaches at each site, four different bed sediment patch types (exposed unvegetated gravel, sand, and silt/clay (termed ‘fine’) sediments, and in‐channel vegetated sediments) were sampled and analysed for a range of metals and sediment characteristics. Many samples were found to exceed Environment Agency guidelines for copper (Cu), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) and Dutch Intervention Values for Cu and Zn. At all sites, sediments accumulating around in‐channel vegetation were similar in calibre and composition to exposed unvegetated fine sediments. Both bed sediment types contained high concentrations of pseudo‐total and acetic acid extractable metal concentrations, potentially due to elevated organic matter and silt/clay content, as these are important sorbtion phases for metals. This implies that the changed sediment supply and hydraulic conditions associated with river restoration may lead to enhanced retention of contaminated fine sediments, particularly around emergent plants, frequently leading to the development of submerged and emergent landforms and potential river channel adjustments. High pseudo‐total metal concentrations were also found in gravel bed sediments, probably associated with iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) oxyhydroxides and discrete anthropogenic metal‐rich particles. These results highlight the importance of understanding the potential effects of urban river restoration upon sediment availability and channel hydraulics and consequent impacts upon sediment contaminant dynamics and storage. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Distribution and fate of metals in the Montenegrin part of Lake Skadar

Skadar Lake,the largest lake on the Balkan Peninsula,is famous for a wide range of endemic and rare,or even endangered plant and animal species.Different anthropogenic pressures have,however,influenced the fragile equilibria of the lake ecosystem,with metal pollution as one of the primary concerns.Therefore,this study investigated spatial distribution of metal pollutants in the water and sediment phase of Skadar Lake,and anthropogenic and environmental factors affecting this distribution.A sieving analysis showed that sediment in Skadar Lake is mainly distributed in the three smallest fractions（colloid,clay and silt）.Eleven metals were analyzed in the lake surface and bottom water,and only six of them were detected：potassium,magnesium,calcium,nickel,aluminum and manganese.They were all present at low concentrations.In contrast,sediments contained elevated levels of some metals with concentrations between 28.1-126.8 mg kg~（-1） for Ni,23.6-79.2 mg kg~（-1） for Cr,9.2-36.9 mg kg~（-1） for Cu,199-878 mg kg~（-1） for Mn and 9.6-23.1 g kg~（-1） for Fe.Nickel exceeded consensus-based guidelines for safety towards freshwater dwelling organisms.The organic matter content of the sediment fluctuated between 4.7 and 21.5%.No correlations were found between metal concentrations,organic matter and sediment particle size fractions,suggesting that the latter are not the main factors controlling metal accumulation in Skadar Lake.     

Traditional and multivariate techniques in the interpretation of floodplain sediment grain size variations

The vertical and horizontal variation of sedimentary fades is the raw data for the interpretation of flood plain history from which palaeohydrological inferences are frequently drawn. Mixed and fine floodplain sediments present problems of interpretation because of a large grain size range and frequent polymodality caused by the mixing of process-associated grain size components. This paper discusses the use of traditional grain size statistics and the use of the mode and multivariate statistics. The mode, although much neglected, is indicative of up-profile grain size changes and has practical advantages over the mean for mixed and fine floodplain sediments. Constrained cluster analysis and principal components analysis are used directly on Coulter counter results. These techniques can rapidly divide a floodplain profile into grain size units and indicate the principal vectors of grain size variation which will be related to the changing processes of deposition. Principal components analysis reveals the importance of the medium to fine silt category in accounting for grain size variations, suggesting that a critical factor in determining the type of alluvial unit deposited is the degree to which it has received fine suspended material. Grain size data from the Lower Severn are used to construct a CM diagram which is compared with a texture triangle. From both the CM and multivariate analysis a generalized backswamp profile is constructed which shows the existence of a coarser top unit caused by the addition of a fine to medium sand component to the underlying sediment during the Late Holocene.     

Burrowing responses of the short-neck clam Ruditapes philippinarum to sediment contaminants

The burrowing responses of a common tropical bivalve, the short-neck clam Ruditapes philippinarum, to cadmium (Cd)-spiked sediment, variations of sediment grain size and natural sediments collected from 15 locations in Hong Kong's inshore waters were investigated through a series of laboratory tests. Results showed that the burrowing response exhibited a negative relationship with an increase in Cd concentration in the spiked sediments. The level of Cd was also found to be directly proportional to the percent mortality of the clam. However, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the time elapsed for the clam to burrow into sediments with different grain size composition. The elapsed time for 50% of the test clams to burrow into the sediment (ET₅₀) over a period of 48 h was calculated for the sediment samples collected from the 15 locations. Results of ANOVA showed significant difference (p<0.05) among the sediment samples. Tukey's multiple comparison test revealed two groups of sediments: group 1 containing 3 sediment samples collected from Victoria Harbour and group 2 containing 12 samples obtained from other coastal areas of Hong Kong. The ET₅₀ value for group 1 sediments was found to be greater than 2880 min whilst the ET₅₀ for group 2 sediments had a mean of 173.9 min. Agglomerative classification of the sediment samples, based on metal content (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), also showed two similar groups, suggesting that the ET₅₀ values were correlated with the metal level of the sediment samples. Group 1 sediments collected from Victoria Harbour had greater concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn as compared to that in group 2. The present study demonstrated that high metal content in the sediment tends to inhibit the burrowing responses of the clam and that there is potential to develop the burrowing responses of R. philippinarum as a sublethal sediment toxicity test.     

Variation characteristics of heavy metals and nutrients in the core sediments of Taihu Lake and their pollution history

The sedimentary environment change, trophic evolution and heavy metals pollution history of the northern Taihu Lake in the last 100 years are studied according to the sedimentary geo-chemical proxies of the core sediments, such as grain size, nutrients, heavy metals, diatom, etc. The nutrients in the sediments depended mainly on the lake internal circulation and the heavy metals were from natural geogenic sources before the 1920s, which were not influenced by human activities generally, and grain size was one of the key factors influencing heavy metals content in the sediments. The alternation of manner and strength of human activities in Taihu Lake catchment before and after the 1920s made the lake sediments coarser, and hence heavy metals and TP content decreased contrasted with that before the 1920s. TP content in sediments and water increased from the 1950s to late 1970s due to anthropogenic pollutants discharge, and the lake belonging to mesotrophic state. TN and TOC content and C/N ratio increased due to the increasing external pollutants into Taihu Lake by human activities, TP content also increased obviously in water and sediments, and the diatom association was dominated by eutrophic species since the late 1970s, indicating the eutrophication state of Taihu Lake in this period. Meanwhile the increasing in heavy metals content, such as Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, and their proportion of valid fractions in the sediments indicates that they all result from human pollutants since the late 1970s. The heavy metals in the surface sediments have certain potential biological toxicity due to the higher SEM/AVS ratio.     

Burrowing responses of the short-neck clam Ruditapes philippinarum to sediment contaminants

The burrowing responses of a common tropical bivalve, the short-neck clam Ruditapes philippinarum, to cadmium (Cd)-spiked sediment, variations of sediment grain size and natural sediments collected from 15 locations in Hong Kong's inshore waters were investigated through a series of laboratory tests. Results showed that the burrowing response exhibited a negative relationship with an increase in Cd concentration in the spiked sediments. The level of Cd was also found to be directly proportional to the percent mortality of the clam. However, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the time elapsed for the clam to burrow into sediments with different grain size composition. The elapsed time for 50% of the test clams to burrow into the sediment (ET₅₀) over a period of 48 h was calculated for the sediment samples collected from the 15 locations. Results of ANOVA showed significant difference (p<0.05) among the sediment samples. Tukey's multiple comparison test revealed two groups of sediments: group 1 containing 3 sediment samples collected from Victoria Harbour and group 2 containing 12 samples obtained from other coastal areas of Hong Kong. The ET₅₀ value for group 1 sediments was found to be greater than 2880 min whilst the ET₅₀ for group 2 sediments had a mean of 173.9 min. Agglomerative classification of the sediment samples, based on metal content (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), also showed two similar groups, suggesting that the ET₅₀ values were correlated with the metal level of the sediment samples. Group 1 sediments collected from Victoria Harbour had greater concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn as compared to that in group 2. The present study demonstrated that high metal content in the sediment tends to inhibit the burrowing responses of the clam and that there is potential to develop the burrowing responses of R. philippinarum as a sublethal sediment toxicity test.     

Magnetic characteristics of sediment grains concurrently contaminated with TBT and metals near a shipyard in Busan,Korea

Bottom sediments near shipyards are often susceptible to receiving accidental spills of TBT and metals or their degradation products from hull scraping of antifouling system paints applied prior to 2008, when the AFS Convention 2001 was not in force. We investigated TBT and metal contamination of sediments near the shipyards of a small marina located in Busan, Korea and found that they were highly contaminated with TBT, Cu, and Zn. To better understand the environmental impacts and to make an optimal remediation plan, we characterized individual antifouling fragments in terms of metal and TBT contents, magnetic properties, and grain-size. Coarse-sized individual antifouling fragments exhibited simultaneously high levels of TBT, metals and high magnetic susceptibility, and appeared to be a major source of pollution in the sediment. Therefore, magnetic separation in combination with size-separation appears to be a cost-effective remediation method to remove the TBT and metals from contaminated shipyard sediments.