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Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of northern littoral zone of Lake Çıldır, Ardahan, Turkey

Environmental Monitoring and Assessment volume 186, pages 3847–3857 (2014)Cite this article

Abstract

In this paper, the heavy metal levels (Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Fe, As, Cd, Cr, Hg), organic carbon, and chlorophyll degradation products were studied to prove their ecological effects in Lake Çıldır, where fossil fuels are used as an energy source in the studied area for most of the year, and domestic waste from settlements is discharged directly into the lake. Sediment samples were collected from six sites on the northern shore of Çıldır Lake, Turkey in November 2012. Enrichment (EF) and contamination factor (CF) values were determined, and Pollution Load (PLI) and Potential Ecological Risk (PER) indices were calculated. Average concentrations of heavy metals in the sediments were, in descending order, Fe > Mn > Zn > Ni > Cr > Cu > Pb > As > Cd > Hg, respectively. According to mean values, the source of these elements may be considered natural due to lack of enrichment in Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and Cr in the sediment samples. Regarding enrichment of As, Cd, Mn, and Hg, the highest EF belongs to Hg. PLI and PER values indicate there are moderate ecological risk in the lake.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to warmly thank Drs. Hürriyet Çimen and A. Evren Erginal for field work assistance. Graham Lee is thanked for proof reading the earlier version of the text. We thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments and suggestions for improving the manuscript. This study was supported financially by the Research Foundation of Ardahan University (project number: 02/2012) and the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TÜBİTAK; contract number: 113Y205), for which we are thankful.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ardahan University, Ardahan, Turkey

    Serkan Kükrer

  2. Department of Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ardahan University, Ardahan, Turkey

    Sebahat Şeker

  3. Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Ardahan University, Ardahan, Turkey

    Z. Tuğba Abacı

  4. Department of Hydrobiology, Faculty of Fisheries, Tunceli University, Tunceli, Turkey

    Banu Kutlu

Authors
  1. Serkan Kükrer
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  2. Sebahat Şeker
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  3. Z. Tuğba Abacı
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  4. Banu Kutlu
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Correspondence to Serkan Kükrer.

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Kükrer, S., Şeker, S., Abacı, Z.T. et al. Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of northern littoral zone of Lake Çıldır, Ardahan, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 186, 3847–3857 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3662-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3662-4

Keywords

  • Lake Çıldır
  • Sediment
  • Heavy metal
  • Ecological assessment