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The assessment and source apportionment of metals in the water-level fluctuation zone of the upper reaches Yangtze mainstream

  • Soils, Sec 3 • Remediation and Management of Contaminated or Degraded Lands • Research Article
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Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the contamination status and potential sources of soil metals of fluctuation zones in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

Materials and methods

The contents of metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in soil samples from 13 sampling sites (S1–S13) distributed along the upper reaches of the Yangtze mainstream were examined to evaluate the spatial distribution, environmental risk, and possible sources.

Results and discussion

The regional concentrations of six metals were 0.36, 61.00, 74.82, 44.18, 28.15, and 110.98 mg kg−1 for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni Pb, and Zn, respectively. The upper and lower reaches (S2, S8, and S13) had higher concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Zn, which was proven to be derived from agricultural activities and mineral exploitation. The middle reaches (S3, S4, and S6) had higher concentrations of Cu, Ni, and Cr, which were mainly derived from crustal material, mineral exploitation, and industrial waste. In addition, the concentrations of Cd and Cu were significantly high in the soils at all sampling sites, which suggested that Cd and Cu posed a greater threat to the ecological environment in the study area. The potential ecological risk index for all metals indicated that this region posed low and moderate ecological risk.

Conclusions

In general, attention should be devoted to the environmental threat of metals, especially Cd, in the water-level fluctuation zone of the upper reaches of the Yangtze mainstream.

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Funding

This study is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2016YFC0502208), the Innovative Group Project of Hubei Province (2020CFA046), the Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Hubei University of Technology (BSQD2019041) and the International Collaborative Research Fund for Young Scholars in the Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment, Innovation Demonstration Base of Ecological Environment Geotechnical and Ecological Restoration of Rivers and Lakes, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Pengcheng Wang, Li Ma, Qiuyun Huang, Hai Yu, Ying Liu, Weiwei Jiang, Juan Wan, Qin Wang & Henglin Xiao

Authors
  1. Pengcheng Wang
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  2. Li Ma
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  3. Qiuyun Huang
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  4. Hai Yu
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  5. Ying Liu
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  6. Weiwei Jiang
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  7. Juan Wan
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  8. Qin Wang
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  9. Henglin Xiao
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Contributions

All the authors contributed to the study conception and design. PW conceived the experiments. PW, LM, HY, and QH performed the experiments and analyzed data. YL, WJ, JW, and QW contributed materials. PW wrote the paper; and HX revised the paper. All the authors approved the submitted version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henglin Xiao.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Responsible editor: Maria Manuela Abreu

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Wang, P., Ma, L., Huang, Q. et al. The assessment and source apportionment of metals in the water-level fluctuation zone of the upper reaches Yangtze mainstream. J Soils Sediments 22, 1724–1734 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03181-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-022-03181-4

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