Assessment of heavy metal impact on sediment quality of the Xiaoqinghe estuary in the coastal Laizhou Bay,Bohai Sea: Inconsistency between two commonly used criteria

Surface sediments in the Xiaoqinghe estuary, southwestern coastal Laizhou Bay, were examined to assess the bio-toxic risk of heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) with the effects range-low and effects range-median guidelines (ERL–ERMs) and the concentration ratio of simultaneously extractable metals to acid volatile sulfides ([SEM]/[AVS]). Based on the ERL–ERM guidelines, bio-toxic effect caused by Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn could be expected in the riverine surface sediments of the Xiaoqinghe estuary; and the surface sediments in the marine area were in good quality and only Ni might cause bio-toxic effect occasionally. The AVS–SEM guidelines revealed that no bio-toxic effect could be caused by any of the studied metals in both the riverine and marine sediments, since there were excess sulfides in surface sediments which could form water-insoluble substances with free metal ions and reduce the bioavailability of heavy metals.     

A geochemical record of environmental changes in sediments from Sishili Bay,northern Yellow Sea,China: Anthropogenic influence on organic matter sources and composition over the last 100 years

Total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N were measured in sediment cores at three sites in Sishili Bay, China, to track the impacts of anthropogenic activities on the coastal environment over the last 100 years. The increased TOC and TN in the upper section of sediment cores indicated a eutrophic process since 1975. In comparison, the TOC and TN in the sediment core near to a scallop aquaculture area displayed a much slower increase, indicating the contribution of scallop aquaculture in mitigating eutrophication. Combined information from δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N and TOC:TN indicated an increased terrestrial signal, although organic matter sources in Sishili Bay featured a mixture of terrestrial and marine sources, with phytoplankton being dominant. Increased fertilizer use since 1970s contributed to the eutrophic process in Sishili Bay since 1975, and increased sewage discharge from 1990s has added to this process.     

滇池福保湾间隙水氮磷分布及其与底泥微生物和磷酸酶相互关系

在滇池福保湾不同区域应用Peeper(渗析膜式)技术,分析了底泥间隙水NH4 -N、Po43--p的垂向分布特征和近表层10cm内底泥的微生物活性(FDA)、碱性磷酸酶活性(APA),并对它们之间的相互关系进行了统计分析.结果表明,NH4 -N和Po43--p浓度自上覆水向下层间隙水呈先升后降趋势,反映它们有自间隙水向上覆水扩散的潜在危害;底泥有机质(Loss-on-Ignion,LOI)、APA和FDA活性也有从表层底泥向下层逐步降低的趋势.在空问分布上,Po43--p浓度变化为河口区>湾心区>西部沿岸区>东部沿岸区,与沉积物中LOI、APA和FDA活性的大小顺序基本相同.间隙水NH4 6-N浓度与表层10cm内底泥的APA和FDA活性具有显著正相关性(α＝0.01).Po43--p浓度与底泥APA和FDA活性具有负相关性.但相关系数很低.     

The distribution and speciation of trace metals in surface sediments from the Pearl River Estuary and the Daya Bay, Southern China

Surface sediments collected from the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) and the Daya Bay (DYB) were analyzed for total metal concentrations and chemical phase partitioning. The total concentrations of Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the PRE were obviously higher than those in DYB. The maximum concentrations of trace metals in DYB occurred in the four sub-basins, especially in Dapeng Cove, while the concentrations of these metals in the western side of the PRE were higher than those in the east side. Such distribution pattern was primarily due to the different hydraulic conditions and inputs of anthropogenic trace metals. The chemical partitioning of metals analyzed by the BCR sequential extraction method showed that Cr, Ni, and Zn of both areas were present dominantly in the residual fraction, while Pb was found mostly in the non-residual fractions. The partitioning of Cu showed a significant difference between the two areas.     

Terrestrial and marine biomarker estimates of organic matter sources and distributions in surface sediments from the East China Sea shelf

Revealing of the sources and distributions of sedimentary organic matter in the East China Sea (ECS) is important for understanding its carbon cycle, which has significant temporal and spatial variability due to the influences of recent climate changes and anthropogenic activities. In this study, we report the contents of both terrestrial and marine biomarkers including ∑C₂₇+C₂₉+C₃₁n-alkanes (38.6-580 ng/g), C₃₇ alkenones (5.6-124.6 ng/g), brassicasterol (98-913 ng/g) and dinosterol (125-1521 ng/g) from the surface sediments in the Changjiang River Estuary (CRE) and shelf areas of the ECS. Several indices based on biomarker contents and ratios are calculated to assess the spatial distributions of both terrestrial and marine organic matter in the ECS surface sediments, and these results are compared with organic matter distribution patterns revealed by the δ¹³C (−20.1‰ to −22.7‰) and C/N ratio (5-7.5) of total organic matter. The contents of terrestrial biomarkers in the ECS surface sediments decrease seaward, controlled mostly by Changjiang River (CR) inputs and surface currents; while higher contents of the two marine biomarkers (brassicasterol and dinosterol) occur in upwelling areas outside the CRE and in the Zhejiang-Fujian coastal zone, controlled mostly by marine productivity. Four proxies, f_Terr(δ¹³C) (the fraction of terrestrial organic matter in TOC estimated by TOC δ¹³C), odd-alkanes (∑C₂₇+C₂₉+C₃₁n-alkanes), 1/P_mar-aq ((C₂₃+C₂₅+C₂₉+C₃₁)/(C₂₃+C₂₅) n-alkanes) and TMBR (terrestrial and marine biomarker ratio) (C₂₇+C₂₉₊C₃₁n-alkanes)/((C₂₇+C₂₉+C₃₁) n-alkanes+(brassicasterol+dinosterol+alkenones)), reveal a consistent pattern showing the relative contribution of terrestrial organic matter (TOM) is higher in the CRE and along the Zhejiang-Fujian coastline, controlled mostly by CR inputs and currents, but the TOM contribution decreases seaward, as the influences of the CR discharge decrease.     

Geochemical modeling,fate distribution,and risk exposure of potentially toxic metals in the surface sediment of the Shyok suture zone,northern Pakistan

The objective of the current study was to assess the contamination of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in weathered surface sediment, along stream tributaries, and surrounding area of the river Chitral, Shyok suture zone district Chitral, Pakistan. To understand the geochemical features of 113 sediment, samples were collected from the Mirkhani and Drosh area. Then, different statistical tools including the geo-accumulation index (Igeo), cluster analysis (CA), principal component analysis (PCA), and ecological risk assessment (ERA) were used to unravel the origin, intensity, and exposure level of PTMs to control risk and restore the ecosystem within the study area. The results for the PTMs namely nickle (Ni), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and cobalt (Co) in Mirkhani and Drosh were in the following ranges: 10–150, 15–210, 15–250, 0.08–1.00, 10–70, 76–240 and 14–51; and 13–240, 17–210, 15–150, 0.08–0.60, 7–140, 47–150 and 13–36 mg/kg, respectively. In consequence, the potential ecological risk caused by Pb, Ni, Cu, Co, Cr, and Zn is reflected by the percentages of samples with an ecological risk index (ERI) greater than one which were 100%, 91%, 100%, 100%, 92%, and 100%, respectively. However, the overall mean decreasing order of ecological risk of PTMs in the district Chitral was Pb > Ni > Cu > Co > Cr > Zn > Cd. Moreover, the PCA yielded 78% variability which indicated that mineral prospects play an important role in the contamination of sediment. Furthermore, the mineral phases of Pb and Zn suggested supersaturation, while that for Cd revealed unsaturation. The results of Igeo, ERI, and CA indicated contamination of PTMs in the study area. The ERI value of Pb, Ni, Cu, Co, Cr, and Zn was higher than 1 suggesting an ecological risk in the study area. Moreover, the current study showed the dominance of geogenic contamination with major contributions from ultramafic rock and known mineral prospects. Therefore, contaminated sediment of the Shyok suture zone is extremely detrimental to the aquatic ecosystem of the study area.     

Composition and sources of organic matter and its solvent extractable components in surface sediments of a bay under serious anthropogenic influences: Daya Bay, China

Organic matter of nine surface sediments from the Daya Bay was Soxhlet-extracted with a mixture of 2:1 (v/v) dichloromethane-methanol and separated into five fractions: non-aromatic hydrocarbons, aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, alcohols, and fatty acids and asphaltenes, and analyzed to determine their bulk and biomarker composition. Marine autogenic input appears to be a major source of organic matter. Generally, non-aromatic hydrocarbons are the most dominant fraction of solvent-extractable organic matter (EOM) followed by the other four fractions in decreasing amounts: fatty acids and asphaltenes, ketones, alcohols and aromatic hydrocarbons. On average, both non-aromatic hydrocarbon fraction and fatty acid and asphaltene fraction account for approximately 40% of EOM. The sources of acyclic methyl ketones, alkanols and fatty acids were examined. For n-alkan-2-ones, allochthonous input is a more important source than marine autogenetic input; the reverse is true for n-fatty acids; for n-alkanols, allochthonous and autogenetic inputs seem comparable. Both n-alkan-2-ones and n-fatty acids in the surface sediments of different areas appear to be derived from common sources.     

千岛湖表层沉积物中有机氯农药的残留特征及生态风险评价

对千岛湖表层沉积物中21种有机氯农药(OCPs)的残留现状进行调查,明确HCHs与DDTs的组成特征及源解析,并评估其生态风险.结果表明,千岛湖表层沉积物中共检出12种OCPs,各采样点位OCPs总量的浓度范围在0.43~12.70 ng/g之间,平均值为5.28±4.84 ng/g,处于低残留水平,其中DDTs是主要的残留物,街口、大坝前点位样品出现OCPs高残留.工业DDTs的历史使用是千岛湖表层沉积物DDTs残留的主要来源,仅街口点位样品存在林丹的污染并有新的DDTs输入,应引起重视.利用沉积物质量基准法、沉积物质量标准法分别对千岛湖表层沉积物中OCPs的生态风险进行评价,结果表明部分点位样品中OCPs的残留现状对该区生物可能存在生态风险.     

Evaluation of metal contamination in coastal sediments of the Bay of Bengal, India: geochemical and statistical approaches

Surface sediment samples collected from the inner shelf region of the Bay of Bengal, were analysed for the major elements and total and acetic acid available trace elements (Al, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, Si, Zn) to evaluate geochemical processes influencing their distribution. Major elemental analysis showed that the sediments had high concentrations of Si and relatively low concentrations of Al and Fe. Both major elemental and trace metal concentrations indicated that the sediments represent weathered products of granite and charnockite. Normalization of metals to Al indicated relatively high enrichment factors for Pb, Cd, Zn and Cr. The higher proportions of nondetrital Pb (66%), Cd (41%) and Co (28%) reveal metal contamination due to anthropogenic inputs. Factor analysis (FA) identified six possible types of sedimentological and geochemical associations. The dominant factor accounting for 26.9% of the total variance identifies an anthropogenic input and accumulation of nondetrital Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb. Association of these metals with CaCO3 reveals that shell fragments in the surface sediments are likely act as a carrier phase for nondetrital metals. The results are discussed in the context of the sources and pathways of elements in the Bay of Bengal.     

Grain size characteristics of surface sediment and its response to the dynamic sedimentary environment in Qiantang Estuary,China

The composition and grain size characteristics of sediment in estuarine and coastal environments provide important information on the material source, hydrodynamic environment, environmental events,etc. However, few studies have focused on the sediment characteristics of the entire Qiantang Estuary,particularly, on the correlation between hydrodynamics and sediment properties. Through systematic sampling of the surface sediment in a large area of the Qiantang Estuary, the spatial distribution ch...     

澜沧江中下游泥沙微表面电荷特性与磷吸附关系研究

河流泥沙是水生态系统生源要素的重要附着载体,其微形貌及电荷特性直接关系着泥沙对溶解态营养盐或污染物的吸附能力。本研究选取澜沧江中下游干流及主要支流为考察对象,采集28个河流水库断面的悬移质泥沙,采用原子力显微镜测定泥沙微表面电荷量,探究澜沧江泥沙的微表面电荷性质,研究纳米尺度下泥沙的微表面特性。研究结果表明:(1)微观界面,形貌对表面电荷分布影响明显,在纳米尺度下电势图与相位差图均展现出明显非均匀分布特征;(2)在流域分布上,不同区域表面电荷存在较大差异,流域沿程变化对泥沙表面电荷产生重要影响,总体变化呈现先减小后增大的趋势,表面电势值变化范围为-201.47～35.34 mV,表面电荷密度范围为0.07～3.65 mC/m²,不同区域电荷特性差别明显;(3)在梯级水电筑坝影响下,坝上坝下泥沙颗粒电势差与水库库容存在较好的线性相关关系,相关系数为0.8214,且坝下电势普遍高于坝上区域;(4)泥沙表面电势与磷吸附之间具有较强相关性,其相关系数为0.6657,同时表现出较好的线性拟合关系。研究结论对深入理解水电大坝建设对流域内污染物的迁移转化及解释泥沙的表面电性特征...     

The role of sediments in the phosphorus cycle in Lake Lugano. II. Seasonal and spatial variability of microbiological processes at the sediment-water interface

P, Fe, Mn, and S species were analyzed in water samples from the sediment-water interface collected at four seasonally different times during the course of a year at two sampling sites in the southern basin of Lake Lugano (Lago di Lugano). The results reveal the strong influence of the biogeochemical processes in the sediment on the chemical composition of the lake water above. Consumption of oxygen and nitrate under oxic to microoxic conditions in the water column as well as sequential release of reduced manganese and iron under anoxic conditions was observed as a direct or indirect consequence of microbially mediated degradation of organic matter. The seasonal pattern observed for the release and the retainment of dissolved reduced iron and manganese correlates well with the one for dissolved phosphate. Iron, manganese and phosphorus cycling are coupled tightly in these sediments. Both sediment types act as sinks for hydrogen sulfide and sulfate. An inner-sedimentary sulfur cycle is proposed to couple iron, manganese and phosphorus cycling with the degradation of organic matter. Nutrient cycling at the sediment-water interface might thus be driven by a microbially regulated electron pumping mechanism. The results contribute to a better understanding of the role of sediment processes in the lake's internal phosphorus cycle and its seasonal dynamics.