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Heavy metal pollution in sediments of the largest reservoir (Three Gorges Reservoir) in China: a review

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Abstract

The Three Gorges Dam in China is the world’s largest dam. Upon its completion in 2003, the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) became the largest reservoir in China and plays an important role in economic development and national drinking water safety. However, as a sink and source of heavy metals, there is a lack of continuous and comparative data on heavy metal pollution in sediments. This study reviewed all available literatures published on heavy metals in TGR sediments and further provided a comprehensive assessment of the pollution tendency of these heavy metals. The results showed that heavy metal concentrations in TGR sediments varied spatially and temporally. Temporal variations indicated that Hg in tributaries, as well as As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the mainstream, exhibited a higher probability to exceed background values after the impoundment of TGR. Pollution assessments by contamination factor, geoaccumulation index, and potential ecological risk were similar. High Cd and Hg concentrations in both the mainstream and tributaries are a cause for much concern. However, sediment quality guidelines produced different results, as most previous studies adopted different sampling and measurement strategies. The data inconsistencies and lack of continuity regarding the reservoir confirm the need for a continuous monitoring network and the development of quality criteria relevant to the sediments of the TGR in the future.

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Acknowledgements

This work was jointly supported by Special Fund Projects of the State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (SKL2017CG02), IWHR Research & Development Support Program sponsored by the Chinese Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research (WE0145B662017), and the Public Interest Scientific Research Fund of the Ministry of Water Resources (201501042).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China

    Xingjuan Zhao & Bo Gao

  2. State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Xingjuan Zhao & Li Gao

  3. Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China

    Bo Gao, Dongyu Xu & Shuhua Yin

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  1. Xingjuan Zhao
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  2. Bo Gao
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  3. Dongyu Xu
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  4. Li Gao
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  5. Shuhua Yin
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Correspondence to Bo Gao.

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Zhao, X., Gao, B., Xu, D. et al. Heavy metal pollution in sediments of the largest reservoir (Three Gorges Reservoir) in China: a review. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24, 20844–20858 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-017-9874-8

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