Vocational School of Health Services, Bahçeşehir University, Beşiktaş, 34353, Istanbul, Türkiye; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, 34134, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Istanbul University, Vezneciler, 34134, Istanbul, Türkiye.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Dec 15;315:120359. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.120359. Epub 2022 Oct 7.
Trace elements and radionuclides are substantial pollutants in marine environment since they are non-biodegradable and can be harmful even in minute concentrations. The Golden Horn estuary, where is an inlet of Bosphorus and two creeks, has been seriously polluted by untreated municipal and industrial dischargers for several decades. Since 1998, a large restoration and rehabilitation efforts have been undertaken in the estuary to mitigate the pollution. In the present study, four sediment cores were taken from the Golden Horn estuary to assess the historical accumulation of trace elements and radionuclides. Radiometric dating was implemented by Pb and Cs radionuclides and CRS model. Sedimentation rates were calculated in the range of 0.92-0.97 cm yr in the estuary. The distribution of radionuclides (K, Ra, and Ra) indicated some slight variations which ascribes to the geological characteristics of sediment along the cores. The concentrations of the anthropogenic elements were relatively higher in the intensive industrialization period. Their concentrations reduced in the latest 15-20 years thanks to the large-scale rehabilitation project in the estuary. The pollution indices, namely EF, Igeo, CF, and PLI showed that the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Sb, and Sn were above the world averages. Our results provide an insight on the long-term accumulation trends of trace element in the Golden Horn, which revealed that the estuary remains moderately polluted. We suggest that preventive countermeasures are much more important than post pollution remediation in the case of metallic pollution in the estuaries.
微量元素和放射性核素是海洋环境中的重要污染物，因为它们不可生物降解，即使浓度很低，也可能有害。金角湾是博斯普鲁斯海峡的一个入口，有两条小溪，几十年来，未经处理的城市和工业污水一直严重污染着这个港湾。自 1998 年以来，为了减轻污染，该港湾进行了大规模的恢复和修复工作。本研究从金角湾采集了四个沉积物岩芯，以评估痕量元素和放射性核素的历史积累情况。放射性年代测定采用 Pb 和 Cs 放射性核素和 CRS 模型进行。在港湾内计算出的沉积速率范围为 0.92-0.97 cm yr。放射性核素（K、Ra 和 Ra）的分布表明存在一些细微的变化，这归因于岩芯沿线沉积物的地质特征。人为元素的浓度在工业化高度集中的时期相对较高。由于港湾内的大规模修复项目，在最近的 15-20 年中，它们的浓度有所降低。污染指数，即 EF、Igeo、CF 和 PLI 表明，Cd、Cr、Cu、Pb、Sb 和 Sn 的浓度高于世界平均值。我们的研究结果提供了关于金角湾痕量元素长期积累趋势的深入了解，表明该港湾仍处于中度污染状态。我们建议，在河口的金属污染情况下，预防措施比污染后的补救措施更为重要。
