Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination on the Surface Sediment of Seagrass Beds at the Khanh Hoa Coast, Vietnam

  • Published:
Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Seagrasses beds are vulnerable ecosystems. Human-induced disturbances, including heavy metal pollution, cause losses in seagrass beds. Assessment of the heavy metal concentration in seagrass meadows is an urgent need in order to protect and sustain these ecosystems. The concentration of eight trace metals in the surface sediment was observed from six seagrass beds at Khanh Hoa’s coast, Vietnam. Three pollution indices and statistical analysis were used to evaluate the levels of contamination with these elements. This report on heavy metals within seagrass beds in Vietnam shows that, based on enrichment factors, only one location revealed moderately severe enrichment of Cu. Geo-accumulation indices fall in the uncontaminated class at all locations whereas for the ecological risk factor, values of Cu at My Giang and of Pb at Thuy Trieu were in a moderate risk class. Hence, two of eight locations may be exposed to high Cu and Pb.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

(Source The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USA, public domain data). The map was processed by MapInfor Pro™, version 12.5.5 (Pitney Bowes Software Inc., NY, USA)

Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ampo-Rappe R, Lajus DL, Schreider MJ (2011) Heavy metal impact on growth and leaf asymmetry of seagrass, Halophila ovalis. J Environ Chem Ecotoxicol 3:149–149

    Google Scholar 

  • Aprile FM, Bouvy M (2008) Distribution and enrichment of heavy metals in sediments at the Tapacurá river basin, Northeastern Brazil. Braz J Aquat Sci Technol 12:1–8. doi: 10.14210/bjast.v12n1.p1-8

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brackup I, Capone DG (1985) The effect of several metal and organic pollutants on nitrogen fixation (acetylene reduction) by the roots and rhizomes of Zostera marina L. Environ Expr Bot 25:145–151. doi: 10.1016/0098-8472(85)90020-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell MJ, Azemard S, Oh J (2008) Report on the world-wide intercomparison exercise on the determination of trace elements in IAEA-158 marine sediment. IAEA/AL/187, IAEA/MEL/82. IAEA, Austria

  • Chen M, Ma LQ (2001) Comparison of three aqua regia digestion methods for twenty Florida soils. Soil Sci Soc Am J 65:491–499. doi:10.2136/sssaj2001.652491x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cossa D, Buscail R, Puig P, Chiffoleau JF, Radakovitch O, Jeanty G, Heussner S (2014) Origin and accumulation of trace elements in sediments of the Northwestern Mediterranean margin. Chem Geol 380:61–73. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2014.04.015

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dalman Ö, Demirak A, Balcı A (2006) Determination of heavy metals (Cd, Pb) and trace elements (Cu, Zn) in sediments and fish of the Southeastern Aegean Sea (Turkey) by atomic absorption spectrometry. Food Chem 95:157–162. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2005.02.009

  • Dung TTT, Cappuyns V, Swennen R, Vassilieva E, Phung NK (2014) Leachability of arsenic and heavy metals from blasted copper slag and contamination of marine sediment and soil in Ninh Hoa district, South central of Vietnam. Appl Geochem 44:80–92. doi:10.1016/j.apgeochem.2013.07.021

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • González-Ortiz V, Egea LG, Jiménez-Ramos R, Moreno-Marín F, Pérez-Lloréns JL, Bouma TJ, Brun FG (2014) Interactions between seagrass complexity, hydrodynamic flow and biomixing alter food availability for associated filter-feeding organisms. PLoS ONE 9(8):e104949. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0104949

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Granina L, Müller B, Wehrli B (2004) Origin and dynamics of Fe and Mn sedimentary layers in Lake Baikal. Chem Geol 205:55–72. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2003.12.018

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hosokawa S, Konuma S, Nakamua Y (2016) Accumulation of trace metal elements (Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in surface sediment via decomposed seagrass leaves: A mesocosm experiment using Zostera marina L. PLoS ONE 11(6):e0157983. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0157983

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kljaković-Gašpić Z, Bogner D, Ujević I (2009) Trace metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn and Ni) in sediment of the submarine Pit Dragon Ear (Soline Bay, Rogoznica, Croatia). Environ Geol 58:751–760. doi:10.1007/s00254-008-1549-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Llagostera I, Pérez M, Romero J (2011) Trace metal content in the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa: differential accumulation in plant organs. Aquat Bot 95:124–128. doi:10.1016/j.aquabot.2011.04.005

  • Llagostera I, Cervantes D, Sanmarti N, Romero J, Perez M (2016) Effects of copper exposure on photosynthesis and growth of the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa: an experimental assessment. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 97:374–379. doi:10.1007/s00128-016-1863-y

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Naeher S, Gilli A, North RP, Hamann Y, Schubert CJ (2013) Tracing bottom water oxygenation with sedimentary Mn/Fe ratios in Lake Zurich, Switzerland. Chem Geol 352:125–133. doi:10.1016/j.chemgeo.2013.06.006

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ngo DN, Lunestad BT, Trang ST, Nguyen TS, Maage A (2009) Heavy metals in the farming environment and in some selected aquaculture species in the Van Phong bay and Nha Trang bay of the Khanh Hoa province in Vietnam. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 82:75–79. doi:10.1007/s00128-008-9561-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nguyen XV, Le-Ho KH, Papenbrock J (2017) Phytochelatin 2 accumulates in roots of the seagrass Enhalus acoroides collected from sediment highly contaminated with lead. BioMetals 30:249–260. doi:10.1007/s10534-017-9998-9

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Short FT, Wyllie-Echeverria S (1995) Natural and human-induced disturbance of seagrasses. Environ Conserv 23(1):17–27. doi:10.1017/S0376892900038212

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson SL, Spadaro DA, O’Brien D (2013) Incorporating bioavailability into management limits for copper in sediments contaminated by antifouling paint used in aquaculture. Chemosphere 93:2499–2506. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2013.08.100

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Singh R, Gautam N, Mishra A, Gupta R (2011) Heavy metals and living systems: an overview. Indian J Pharmacol 43:246–253. doi:10.4103/0253-7613.81505

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stankovic S, Jovic M, Tanaskovski B, Mihajlovic ML, Joksimovic D, Pezo L (2015) Can the origin of some metals in the seagrass Posidonia oceanica be determined by the indexes of metals pollutions? Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 22:8253–8263. doi:10.1007/s11356-014-3953-x

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tchounwou PB, Yedjou CG, Patlolla AK, Sutton DJ (2012) Heavy metal toxicity and the environment. In: Lunch A (ed) Molecular, clinical and environmental toxicology. Springer, Basel, pp 133–164

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Thangaradjou T, Subhashini P, Raja S, Dilipan E, Nobi EP (2014) Evidences for heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of seagrass ecosystem of Lakshadweep archipelago, India. Environ Earth Sci 71(3):1135–1146. doi:10.1007/s12665-013-2517-6

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tran TMH (2014) Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in Nha Trang bay, Khanh Hoa, Viet Nam. Doctoral dissertation. Earth Sciences. Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, France

  • Turekian KK, Wedepohl KH (1961) Distribution of the elements in some major units of the Earth’s crust. Geol Soc Am Bull 72:175–192. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[175:doteis]2.0.co;2

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • UNEP (1985) GESAMP: Cadmium, lead and tin in marine environment. No 56. Ocean and Coastal Areas Programme Activity Centre, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Waycott M, Longstaff BJ, Mellors J (2005) Seagrass population dynamics and water quality in the great barrier reef region: a review and future research directions. Mar Pollut Bull 51:343–350. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2005.01.017

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Waycott M, Duarte CM, Carruthers TJB, Orth RJ, Dennison WC, Olyarnik S, Calladine A, Fourqurean JW, Heck KL, Hughes AR, Kendrick GA, Kenworthy WJ, Short FT, Williams SL (2009) Accelerating loss of seagrasses across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 106:12377–12381. doi:10.1073/pnas.0905620106

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhuang W, Gao X (2014) Integrated assessment of heavy metal pollution in the surface sediments of the Laizhou bay and the coastal waters of the Zhangzi island, China: comparison among typical marine sediment quality indices. PLoS ONE 9(4):e94145. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0094145

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the head of the Institute of Oceanography (IO) for providing the necessary facilities to carry out this work. We also thank Mr. Tran Van Binh, Department of Marine Geography, IO, for preparing the map. This work was supported by the National Foundation for Science & Technology Development, Viet Nam, grant coded 106-NN.02-2014.04 and under the umbrella of JSPS Core-to-Core Program, B. Asia-Africa Science Platforms.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Marine Botany, Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 01 Cau Da, Nha Trang City, Vietnam

    Xuan-Vy Nguyen

  2. Graduate University of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Cau Giay, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Xuan-Vy Nguyen

  3. Department of Marine Phytoplankton, Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 01 Cau Da, Nha Trang City, Vietnam

    Minh-Hue Tran

  4. Department of Hydro-Geochemistry, Institute of Oceanography, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 01 Cau Da, Nha Trang City, Vietnam

    Trong-Dung Le

  5. Institute of Botany, Leibniz University-Hannover, Herrenhäuser Str. 2, 30419, Hanover, Germany

    Jutta Papenbrock

Authors
  1. Xuan-Vy Nguyen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Minh-Hue Tran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Trong-Dung Le
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jutta Papenbrock
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xuan-Vy Nguyen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Nguyen, XV., Tran, MH., Le, TD. et al. An Assessment of Heavy Metal Contamination on the Surface Sediment of Seagrass Beds at the Khanh Hoa Coast, Vietnam. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol 99, 728–734 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2191-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-017-2191-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation