Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Nov 26;18(23):12476. doi: 10.3390/ijerph182312476.
Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) have attracted substantial attention because of their widespread sources, long residue time and easy accumulation. PTEs in the surface sediments of inshore waters are strongly affected by human activities because these waters are a zone of interaction between the ocean and land. In the present study, to explore the environmental geochemical behaviour and source of PTEs in the surface sediments of coastal waters, the contents and spatial distributions of copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As) in different regions of Xiamen Bay were investigated. The data were processed by multivariate statistical methods, and the distribution characteristics of PTEs in the surface sediments of Xiamen Bay were analysed. In addition, the pollution load index (PLI), geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and potential ecological index(RI) were used to evaluate the pollution degree and potential risk in the surface sediments of Xiamen Bay, and the positive matrix factorisation (PMF) model was used to analyse the source. The results show that Zn had the highest mean concentration, followed by Pb, Cr, Cu, As, Cd and Hg, among the seven PTEs. The mean contents of Pb, Zn, Cd, Cu and Hg, and especially Hg and Cd, were higher than the corresponding environmental background values. The average PLI value indicated that the Xiamen Bay sediment was moderately contaminated by PTEs. The Igeo results showed that Xiamen Bay was moderately to strongly polluted by Cd and Hg. The proportions of samples with low, medium and strong risk levels were 11.63%, 74.42%, and 13.95% in surface sediments, respectively. PMF models showed that the input of chemical fertilizer and medication, anthropogenic atmospheric components and terrestrial detritus were the main sources of PTEs in the surface sediment of Xiamen Bay.
潜在有毒元素 (PTEs) 因其广泛的来源、较长的残留时间和易于积累而受到极大关注。近岸水域表层沉积物中的 PTEs 受到人类活动的强烈影响，因为这些水域是海洋和陆地相互作用的区域。在本研究中，为了探讨近岸海域表层沉积物中 PTEs 的环境地球化学行为和来源，对厦门湾不同区域表层沉积物中铜 (Cu)、铅 (Pb)、锌 (Zn)、镉 (Cd)、铬 (Cr)、汞 (Hg) 和砷 (As) 的含量和空间分布进行了研究。采用多元统计方法处理数据，分析了厦门湾表层沉积物中 PTEs 的分布特征。此外，还采用污染负荷指数 (PLI)、地质累积指数 (Igeo) 和潜在生态指数 (RI) 评价了厦门湾表层沉积物的污染程度和潜在风险，并采用正定矩阵因子化 (PMF) 模型对其来源进行了分析。结果表明，在所研究的 7 种 PTEs 中，Zn 的平均浓度最高，其次是 Pb、Cr、Cu、As、Cd 和 Hg。Pb、Zn、Cd、Cu 和 Hg 的平均含量，尤其是 Hg 和 Cd 的含量，均高于相应的环境背景值。平均 PLI 值表明厦门湾沉积物受到 PTEs 的中度污染。Igeo 结果表明，厦门湾沉积物受到 Cd 和 Hg 的中度到强污染。表层沉积物中低、中、强风险水平的样品比例分别为 11.63%、74.42%和 13.95%。PMF 模型表明，化肥和药物的输入、人为大气成分和陆源碎屑是厦门湾表层沉积物中 PTEs 的主要来源。
