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Distribution of Trace Metals in Channel Sediment: a Case Study in South Atlantic Coast of Spain

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Abstract

Recently, Sancti Petri channel on the southwestern (SW) part of Iberian Peninsula has been experiencing urban, industrial, and vehicular expansion. Until recently, there have been only few published reports documenting the pattern of metal accumulation in this estuarine sediment. In the present study, trace metals such as Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn, Pb, Co, Cd, As, and Hg concentrations were analyzed from 69 sediment samples collected from 23 sampling sites of the Santi Petri channel. The magnitude of trace metal accumulation found as the following trend: Mn > Zn > Cu > Pb > Ni > Co > As > Cd > Hg. Spatial distribution pattern demonstrated overall decreasing trend of trace metal from Cadiz Bay mouth to the open ocean mouth, clearly correlative to the presence of anthropogenic inputs. Results of the principle component analysis (PCA) revealed that sediment metal chemistry of Sancti Petri channel is mainly regulated by the concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, and Ni; possible sources of those were from vehicular-related emissions. Pollution load index (PLI) and geo-accumulation index (I geo ) indicated overall low values. The study will stimulate improvement of our understanding regarding the pattern of accumulation of metals in the coastal sediments, and the recorded values of metals in the present study can be used as suitable reference for future studies.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Erasmus Mundus Master in Water and Coastal Management program under the European Commission Joint Master Program. We would like to thank Mr. Antonio for his help during the sediment sampling and Mrs. Mila for her support and laboratory assistance in the analytical procedures. We would like to thank the anonymous reviewer and editor for their useful comments on this paper. Thanks are extended to Mohammad Zubayer Bin Mukhlish (Kagoshima University) for helping to calculate the I geo values.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences, University of Cádiz, Puerto Real Campus, Puerto Real, Spain

    Md. Khurshid Alam Bhuiyan, Suresh Varma Kammella, Md. Rushna Alam & Sunuram Ray

  2. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Basic Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Science and Technology Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh

    Sabrina Qureshi

  3. The United Graduate School of Agriculture Sciences, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan

    Md. Masum Billah

  4. Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh

    Md. Mostafa Monwar

  5. Department of Design and Planning in Complex Environments, Università Iuav di Venezia, Venice, Italy

    Md. Mostafa Monwar

  6. Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences, Department of Animal Science and Fishery, Universiti Putra Malaysia Campus Bintulu, Bintulu, Malaysia

    Abu Hena M. K.

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  1. Md. Khurshid Alam Bhuiyan
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  2. Sabrina Qureshi
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Bhuiyan, M.K.A., Qureshi, S., Billah, M.M. et al. Distribution of Trace Metals in Channel Sediment: a Case Study in South Atlantic Coast of Spain. Water Air Soil Pollut 229, 14 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-017-3653-5

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