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Heavy metals in sediments of the Yarlung Tsangbo and its connection with the arsenic problem in the Ganges–Brahmaputra Basin

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Abstract

The Yarlung Tsangbo (YT) is a large river running across southern Tibet and has significant effects on its lower reaches, the Ganges–Brahmaputra Basin. In order to investigate the geochemical features of the YT, 18 surface sediment samples were collected; ten trace element concentrations were measured for bulk sediments and two fine grain size fractions. Meanwhile, basic physicochemical parameters and element concentrations of river water were also analyzed. Results indicated that the river water was alkaline (pH 8.42) and that dissolved oxygen was mainly controlled by river water temperature. Some elements (e.g., Zn and Ni) showed close negative relationship to mean grain size of the sediments. Concentrations of most heavy metals, except As of the YT bulk sediments, were similar to those of Upper Crustal Concentration and its lower reaches, indicating almost no anthropogenic impact. Arsenic of the YT sediments was derived fundamentally from the parent rocks of the YT Basin and was far higher than that of its lower reaches. This indicates that relatively small amounts of As from the study area were transported down to the Brahmaputra River under present, relatively dry climatic conditions. However, more YT sediments might have been transported to its low reaches during the Holocene due to the wet climate, giving high As concentration in Holocene sediments of the Ganges–Brahmaputra Basin. Thus, As transported by the YT may produce important influence on the Ganges–Brahmaputra Basin and contribute to its high As concentration in groundwater.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (40830743, 40771187), the National Basic Research Program of China (2005CB422004), State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science (SKLCS-ZZ-2008-01), and the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The authors acknowledge the staff at NAMOR for great help in the field and thank Feng Chen, Zhiguo Li, and Keming Tian for assistance with sampling and Dr. Xiaoping Wang for providing soil data. Finally, we want to express our thanks to two anonymous reviewers for valuable suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, CAS, 100085, Beijing, China

    Chaoliu Li, Shichang Kang, Qianggong Zhang & Shaopeng Gao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Sciences, CAS, 730000, Lanzhou, China

    Shichang Kang

  3. Aquatic Ecology Centre, Kathmandu University, P.O. Box 6250, Dhulikhel, Kathmandu, Nepal

    Chhatra Mani Sharma

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  1. Chaoliu Li
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  2. Shichang Kang
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Correspondence to Shichang Kang.

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Li, C., Kang, S., Zhang, Q. et al. Heavy metals in sediments of the Yarlung Tsangbo and its connection with the arsenic problem in the Ganges–Brahmaputra Basin. Environ Geochem Health 33, 23–32 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-010-9311-0

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