Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Distribution, fractionation, and contamination assessment of heavy metals in offshore surface sediments from western Xiamen Bay, China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Acta Geochimica Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Surface sediment samples were collected at 21 offshore sites in western Xiamen Bay, Southeast China. Total concentrations of Li, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr, Mn, Pb, Ba, Fe, and Ti were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry; Hg was determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. A modified BCR sequential extraction procedure was used to extract fractions of the above elements. Concentrations of Pb, Cr, and Hg at most sites met the primary standard criteria of Marine Sediment Quality except site S12 for Pb and S7 for Cr, while concentrations of Zn at 17 sites and Cu at seven sites exceeded the criteria. The mean concentration of Hg was three times higher than the background, with a possible source being the Jiulong River. Fe, Ti, Ba, Co, V, and Li dominated the residual phase, mainly from terrestrial input. Ni, Cr, Pb, and Hg in the non-residual phase varied largely between sites. Sr, Mn, Cu, and Zn were mainly in the non-residual fraction. Most sites showed considerable ecological risk; exceptions were site S7 (very high) and sites S10, S11, and S14 (moderate). Cu showed moderate-to-high pollution and Pb exhibited no-to-low pollution, while other metals had a non-pollution status according to their ratios of secondary phase to primary phase (RSP). Results of two assessment methods showed moderate pollution and a very high ecological risk for Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cr at site S7, which might be due to the local sewage treatment plant.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Apeti DA, Hartwell IS (2015) Baseline assessment of heavy metal concentrations in surficial sediment from Kachemak Bay, Alaska. Environ Monit Assess 187:4106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bindler R, Yu RL, Hansson S, Claßen N, Karlsson J (2012) Mining, metallurgy and the historical origin of mercury pollution in lakes and watercourses in Central Sweden. Environ Sci Technol 46:7984–7991

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen JS, Dong L, Deng BS, Wan LB, Wang M, Xiong ZL (1987a) Modeling study on copper partitioning in sediments, a case study of Poyang Lake. Acta Sci Circumst 7:140–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen S, Xu AY, Luo BK (1987b) Distribution and sources of hevay metals in sediments from the Xiamen Harbour. J Oceanogr Taiwan Strait 6:139–145

    Google Scholar 

  • China State Bureau of Technical Supervision (2002) GB18668-2002 marine sediment quality. Standards Press of China, Beijing

  • Davutluoglu OI, Seckın G, Kalat DG, Yılmaz T, Ersu CB (2010) Speciation and implications of heavy metal content in surface sediments of Akyatan Lagoon-Turkey. Desalination 260:199–210

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fernandes HM (1997) Heavy metal distribution in sediments and ecological risk assessment: the role of diagenetic processes in reducing metal toxicity in bottom sediments. Environ Pollut 97:317–325

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China (AQSIQ) (2002) The People’s Republic of China National Standards GB 18668-2002 Marine Sediment Quality. 10 pp (in Chinese)

  • Guo TZ, DeLaune RD, Patrck WH Jr (1997) The influence of sediment redox chemistry on chemically active forms of arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and zinc in estuarine sediment. Environ Int 23:305–316

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo FX, Lv SH, Teng DQ, Jiang T, Jiao ZP (2011) Distribution patterns and evaluation on potential ecological risk of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Yellow Sea. J Anhui Agric Sci 39(9212–9216):9313

    Google Scholar 

  • Håkanson L (1980) An ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control of sediment ecological approach. Water Res 14:975–1000

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He C, Gao LM, Liu YL, Ning GX, Zhang CL, Wen H, Guan Y, Niu SP (2010) Total amount of heavy metals in sediments and speciation analysis in Huainan Nihe River. Environ Chem 29:766–767

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu GR, Yu RL, Chen LP, Zhang JQ, Tu XL (2011) Evaluation of pollution of heavy metals in Luoyangjiang inter-tidal sediments, Quanzhou Bay. J Mineral Petrol 31:109–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Kumar RN, Solanki R, Kumar JI (2013) Seasonal variation in heavy metal contamination in water and sediments of river Sabarmati and Kharicut canal at Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Environ Monit Assess 185:359–368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin C, He M, Liu X, Guo W, Liu S (2013) Contamination and ecological risk assessment of toxic trace elements in the Xi River, an urban river of Shenyang city, China. Environ Monit Assess 185:4321–4332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lin C, Liu Y, Li WQ, Sun XW, Ji WD (2014) Speciation, distribution, and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in Xiamen Bay surface sediment. Acta Oceanol Sin 33:13–21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma ZW, Chen K, Yuan ZW, Bi J, Huang L (2013) Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of six major Chinese freshwater lakes. J Environ Qual 42:341–350

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qian H (2001) Study of elements geochemistry of sediments in Xiamen Bay. Master Degree Thesis, Xiamem University

  • Qin YW, Zhang L, Zheng BH, Cao W (2012) Speciation and pollution characteristics of heavy metals in the sediment of Taihu lake. Environ Sci 33:4291–4299

    Google Scholar 

  • Tam NFY, Wong YS (2000) Spatial variation of heavy metals in surface sediments of Hong Kong mangrove swamps. Environ Pollut 110:195–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vaezi AR, Karbassi AR, Fakhraee M (2015) Assessing the trace metal pollution in the sediments of Mahshahr Bay, Persian Gulf, via a novel pollution index. Environ Monit Assess 187:613

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang LJ, Zhang CS (1999) Concentration and speciation of 27 elements in sediments and suspented refrom Guangzhou section of the Pearl River. J Basic Sci Eng 7:16–24

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang P, Jia XX, Tu M, Wang CC (2012) Heavy metal speciation of soil sample collected from either side of a thoroughfare in Beijing and heavy metal pollution. Environ Sci Technol 35:165–172

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang S, Hu GR, Yu RL, Yu WH, Zhou CF (2014) Pollution assessment and source analysis of heavy metals in surface sediments from Jiulong River estuary. Res Environ Sci 27:1110–1118

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu ZQ, Ni SJ, Tuo XG, Zhang CJ (2008) Calculation of heavy metals’ toxicity coefficient in the evaluation of potential ecological risk index. Environ Sci Technol 31:112–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Yan CZ, Li QZ, Zhang X, Li GX (2010) Mobility and ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of Xiamen Bay and its adjacent areas, China. Environ Earth Sci 60:1469–1479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang ZF, Wang Y, Shen ZY, Niu JF, Tang ZW (2009) Distribution and speciation of heavy metals in sediments from the mainstream, tributaries, and lakes of the Yangtze River catchment of Wuhan, China. J Hazard Mater 166:1186–1194

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu RL, Wang LJ, Hu GR, Zhao YH (2008) Speciation and potential ecological risk of heavy metals in sediments from tidal reaches of the Jinjiang River. Earth Environ 36:113–118

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu RL, Hu GR, Wang LJ (2010) Speciation and ecological risk of heavy metals in intertidal sediments of Quanzhou Bay, China. Environ Monit Assess 163:241–252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X, Man XB, Jiang HL (2015) Spatial distribution and source analysis of heavy metals in the marine sediments of Hong Kong. Environ Monit Assess 187:504

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao YY, Yan MC (1993) Chemical element abundances of Chinese shallow sea sediment. Sci China (Ser B) 23:1084–1090

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhu LM, Xu JA, Wang F, Lee B (2011) An assessment of selected heavy metal contamination in the surface sediments from the South China Sea before 1998. J Geochem Explor 108:1–14

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhu HN, Yuan XZ, Zeng GM, Jiang M, Liang J, Zhang C et al (2012) Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in sediments of Xiawan Port based on modified potential ecological risk index. T Nonferr Metal Soc 22:1470–1477

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21177043, 21077036), State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry (SKLEG2013801), and Cultivation Project on 2014 Postgraduates’ Research and Innovation Capability of Huaqiao University (426). The authors express heartfelt thanks to the colleagues who participated in the sampling work. Thanks to anonymous reviewers and their constructive comments.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Huaqiao University, Xiamen, China

    Qiuli Yang, Gongren Hu, Ruilian Yu, Haixing He & Chengqi Lin

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Geochemistry, Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guiyang, 550002, China

    Gongren Hu

Authors
  1. Qiuli Yang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Gongren Hu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Ruilian Yu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Haixing He
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Chengqi Lin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruilian Yu.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yang, Q., Hu, G., Yu, R. et al. Distribution, fractionation, and contamination assessment of heavy metals in offshore surface sediments from western Xiamen Bay, China. Acta Geochim 35, 355–367 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-016-0101-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11631-016-0101-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation