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Heavy metal research in lacustrine sediment: a review

  • Environment and Chemistry
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Abstract

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, modern 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.

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  1. School of Petroleum Resources, Xi’ an Shiyou University, Xi’an, 710065, China

    Yao Zhigang  (姚志刚) & Gao Pu  (高璞)

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  1. Yao Zhigang  (姚志刚)
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Correspondence to Yao Zhigang  (姚志刚).

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Supported by China Geological Survey (No. 200314200021).

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Yao, Z., Gao, P. Heavy metal research in lacustrine sediment: a review. Chin. J. Ocean. Limnol. 25, 444–454 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-007-0444-7

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