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Historical records of multiple heavy metals from dated sediment cores in Lake Chenghai, China

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Abstract

In this study, the temporal evolution of heavy metal contamination in the sediments taken from Lake Chenghai, China, in the recent 60 years, has been examined using the methods of 137Cs dating, PIRLA procedure, geochemical normalization and calculation of enrichment factor. Fe and Al, the primary lithogenic components, were used as reference metals as usual. Most of all, natural post-deposition of Cr and Ca could mainly reflect the alternation of natural sources. The heavy metal concentration profiles suggests that the historical metal deposition in the sediment cores reflects the known history of atmospheric deposition of Cr, Ni, and Zn in South China, with an onset of increasing anthropogenic metal accumulation of Pb, Ni, Cu and Zn from non-point and point pollutions in the late 1970s and early 1990s. Statistical results by correlation analysis, principal component analysis and cluster analysis suggest that the influences of sedimentary organic matters on changes in metals concentrations maybe largely controlled by the trophic status in the system and that atmospheric deposition from coal and mine industry could affect the variation in sedimentary metals concentrations.

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Acknowledgments

The Mega-projects of Science Research for Water Environment Improvement (Program Nos. 2009ZX07106-001; 2012ZX07101-002) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 40901248) supported this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, No. 8 Anwai Dayangfang Street, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100875, China

    Yali Zhang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China

    Yali Zhang, Shouliang Huo, Beidou Xi, Jingtian Zhang & Fengchang Wu

  3. College of Environmental Science and Engineering, Anhui Normal University, Wuhu, 241000, Anhui, China

    Fengyu Zan

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  1. Yali Zhang
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  2. Shouliang Huo
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  3. Fengyu Zan
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  4. Beidou Xi
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  5. Jingtian Zhang
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  6. Fengchang Wu
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Correspondence to Shouliang Huo.

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Zhang, Y., Huo, S., Zan, F. et al. Historical records of multiple heavy metals from dated sediment cores in Lake Chenghai, China. Environ Earth Sci 74, 3897–3906 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3858-5

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