Distribution, risk assessment, and quantitative source apportionment of heavy metals in surface sediments from the shelf of the northern South China Sea

Pengjie Cai; Guanqiang Cai; Jingsui Yang; Xuejie Li; Jie Lin; Shun Li; Li Zhao

doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114589

Distribution, risk assessment, and quantitative source apportionment of heavy metals in surface sediments from the shelf of the northern South China Sea

Mar Pollut Bull. 2023 Feb:187:114589. doi: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114589. Epub 2023 Jan 14.

Authors

Pengjie Cai¹, Guanqiang Cai², Jingsui Yang³, Xuejie Li⁴, Jie Lin⁵, Shun Li⁵, Li Zhao⁵

Affiliations

¹ Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, 510760 Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, 210023 Nanjing, China. Electronic address: caipengjie@cug.edu.cn.
² Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, 510760 Guangzhou, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guang Zhou), 511458 Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: caiguanqiang@sina.com.
³ Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, 510760 Guangzhou, China; State Key Laboratory for Mineral Deposits Research, School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, Nanjing University, 210023 Nanjing, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guang Zhou), 511458 Guangzhou, China.
⁴ Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, 510760 Guangzhou, China; Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guang Zhou), 511458 Guangzhou, China.
⁵ Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey, China Geological Survey, 510760 Guangzhou, China.

PMID: 36646001
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.114589

Abstract

The concentration of heavy metals (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Co, and Ni) from 421 sediment samples from the shelf of the northern margin of the South China Sea (SNSCS) was analyzed. The heavy metal content and calculated potential ecological indicators (E_rⁱ < 40 and RI < 160) indicate that there is low potential ecological risk of heavy metal pollution in the SNSCS. The mean effects range-median quotient (M-ERM-Q) and hazard quotient (HQ) values of sediment toxicological characteristics indicate that heavy metals are a potential toxicological risk. The high-risk area is mainly distributed in the southwest of the nearshore SNSCS. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) analysis results showed that major contributors to heavy metal pollution were natural sources and anthropogenic activities in the SNSCS. The government should pay particular attention to the monitoring of heavy metals in the nearshore southwest of the SNSCS.

Keywords: Distribution characteristics; Heavy metals; Marine sediment; Northern South China Sea; Positive matrix factorization.

MeSH terms

China
Environmental Monitoring
Geologic Sediments / analysis
Metals, Heavy* / analysis
Risk Assessment
Water Pollutants, Chemical* / analysis

Substances

Water Pollutants, Chemical
Metals, Heavy