Abstract
Spatial distribution, ecological risk, pollutant source, and transportation of trace metals in surface sediments, as well as the sediment properties, were analyzed in this study to assess the pollution status of trace metal in the Laizhou Bay, China. Results of provenance analyses indicate that surface sediments were primarily from weathering products carried by the surrounding short rivers and partially from loess matters carried by the Yellow River. Variations of trace metal concentrations were mostly controlled by the accumulation of weathering products, organic matters, and the hydrodynamics. Geoaccumulation index suggests that no Cr pollution occurred in the study area, and Cu, Pb, and Zn pollutions appeared only at a few stations. Comparatively, Cd and As pollutions were at noticeably weak to moderate level at many stations. The combination of six trace metals in this study had a 21 % probability of being toxic in our study area based on sediment quality guidelines. Enrichment factors (EFs) and statistical analyses indicate that Cu, Pb, and Zn were primarily derived from the natural process of weathering. By contrast, Cd, As, and Cr (especially Cd and As) were provided by the anthropogenic activities to a large extent. Due to the dilution of coarse-grained sediments, there was even no contamination at some of stations that were obviously influenced by humans. Based on the current study of transportation process of fine-grained sediments in combination with the spatial distribution of EFs, it is found that the migration of anthropogenic trace metals was mainly controlled by the tide in the Laizhou Bay. The study suggests that an effective strategies and remedial measures should be designed and undertaken to prevent further anthropogenic Cd and As pollutions in this area in the future.
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Acknowledgments
Financial supports for this study mainly came from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41406078, 41306175, 41330964, and 41206073), the Marine Safeguard Project (Grant Nos. GZH201200505 and GZH201200503), the Science and Technology Development Fund Project in Shinan District (2013-14-007-JY), the Ministry of Land and Resources program (Grant No. 201111023), and the Funding of Science and Technology Activities for Scholars from Abroad: the application of isotope tracer techniques to precisely determine the carbon sequestration capacity in wetland waters. We thank Prof. Qixiang He for his great help in preparation of this manuscript. We express our appreciation to the anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments.
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Xu, G., Liu, J., Pei, S. et al. Sediment properties and trace metal pollution assessment in surface sediments of the Laizhou Bay, China. Environ Sci Pollut Res 22, 11634–11647 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4393-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-015-4393-y