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Heavy metals in Changjiang estuarine and offshore sediments: responding to human activities

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Abstract

The Changjiang (Yangtze) estuarine and offshore sediments were analyzed for total heavy metals concentrations and chemical fractions. Distributions of heavy metals show typical banded diffusion pattern, with high concentrations near the river mouth and following a decreasing trend in the offshore direction. According to chemical fractions, Fe/Mn oxide fraction is the major non-residual fraction in the Changjiang estuarine and offshore sediments. Higher percentage of non-residual fraction of Pb implies that, the industrial contaminations transported via the atmosphere and river input, may affect the non-residual fraction of heavy metals. Over past fifteen years, the concentration of Pb normalizing to Al presents significant increasing trend, corresponding to the effect of human activities. By comparison of heavy metals fractions in 2003 to 2006, it has been realized that increasing water and sediment may cause a higher percentage non-residual fraction of Cu in the southern part of offshore muddy sediments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Marine Geoscience, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Aiguo Dong, Shikui Zhai, Zenghui Yu, Huaijing Zhang & Feifei Liu

  2. Key Laboratory of Submarine Geosciences and Prospecting Techniques, Ministry of Education, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Aiguo Dong, Shikui Zhai, Zenghui Yu & Huaijing Zhang

  3. Fachbereich Geowissenschaften, Universität Bremen, Postfach 330440, D-28334, Bremen, Germany

    Matthias Zabel

Authors
  1. Aiguo Dong
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  2. Shikui Zhai
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  3. Matthias Zabel
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  4. Zenghui Yu
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  5. Huaijing Zhang
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  6. Feifei Liu
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Correspondence to Shikui Zhai.

Additional information

Foundation item: The National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41076022; the National Basic Research Program of China under contract No. 2002CB412400.

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Dong, A., Zhai, S., Zabel, M. et al. Heavy metals in Changjiang estuarine and offshore sediments: responding to human activities. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 31, 88–101 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-012-0195-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-012-0195-y

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