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Influence of Sediment Characteristics on Heavy Metal Fraction Distribution in the Water-Level Fluctuation Zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China

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Abstract

The concentrations and fractions of heavy metal in sediments at different altitudes in the water-level fluctuation zone (WLFZ) of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) were determined. The Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the differences between heavy metal fractions and physicochemical properties. The results showed that Cr and Cu were mainly horizontally and vertically distributed in the residual (RE) fractions with the highest stability and relatively low ecological risk. Pb and Zn were mainly in the Fe-Mn oxide-bound (Fe-Mn) fractions, which can be reduced to a bioavailable state when the redox potential decreased or the oxygen was severely depleted in the aquatic environment. There were significant differences in the heavy metal fractions and risks in sediment in the three different altitudes of the TGR. The physicochemical characteristics of the sediment indicated that the sediments in the low altitude area had rough forms and large pores. In addition, heavy metals at low altitudes were likely to be released into the water during antiseasonal water storage, causing secondary pollution, which greatly increased the mobility of heavy metals and ecological risks to the environment.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31670467, 51808089) and the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (grant no. KJZD-K201801202).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Water Environment Evolution and Pollution Control in the Three Gorges Reservoir, College of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing Three Gorges University, Chongqing, 404100, China

    Chuan Fu, Qiaojuan Lan, Yan Wu, Bin Yan, Wei Ping, Lianqi Huang & Binrong Yang

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  1. Chuan Fu
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  2. Qiaojuan Lan
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  3. Yan Wu
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  4. Bin Yan
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  5. Wei Ping
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  6. Lianqi Huang
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  7. Binrong Yang
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Correspondence to Yan Wu.

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Fu, C., Lan, Q., Wu, Y. et al. Influence of Sediment Characteristics on Heavy Metal Fraction Distribution in the Water-Level Fluctuation Zone of the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. Water Air Soil Pollut 231, 175 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-020-04525-x

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