Sources and history of heavy metal contamination and sediment deposition in Tivoli South Bay, Hudson River, New York |
| |
Authors: | Gaboury Benoit Edward X Wang William C Nieder Michael Levandowsky Vincent T Breslin |
| |
Institution: | (1) St. Croix Watershed Research Station, Science Museum of Minnesota, Marine-on-St Croix, MN 55047, USA;(2) Department of Biological, Geological, & Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Persistent inorganic constitutents preserved in sediments of aquatic ecosystems record temporal variability of biogeochemical
functioning and anthropogenic impacts.210Pb and137Cs dating techniques were used to study the past variations of heavy metals (Pb, Cu, and Zn) and accumulation rates of sediments
for Tivoli South Bay, in the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve ecosystem. South Bay, a tidal freshwater embayment
of the Hudson, may play an important role in the sediment dynamics of this important river. The measured sedimentation rate
range of 0.59 to 2.92 cm yr−1 suggests that rapid accumulation occurred during the time period represented by the length of the cores (approximately the
past 50 yr). Direct measurements of sediment exchange with the Hudson River reveal high variability in the sediment flux from
one tidal cycle to the next. Net exchange does not seem to be adequate to explain sediment accumulation rates in the bay as
measured by210Pb and137Cs. The difference may be supplied from upland streams or the Hudson River during storm events. Concentrations of the metals
Pb, Cu and Zn were found to be well correlated with each other within individual cores at five of six sites tested. This suggests
a common proximate source for the three metals at a specific site. The evidence is consistent with mixing in some environmental
compartment before delivery to the bay. While metals self-correlate within individual cores, absolute concentrations, depth
distribution patterns, and ratios of the metals to each other vary among the cores collected at different locations within
the bay. Organic matter, Fe content, and particle size distribution of sediments do not account for the intercore variations
in metal concentration. It is likely that cores collected from different sites may have derived metals from different sources,
such as watershed streams and tidal exchange with the Hudson River. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|