Source and Fate of Heavy Metals in Marine Sediments from a Semi-Enclosed Deep Embayment Subjected to Severe Anthropogenic Activities

Urban and industrial activities are major sources of pollution to marine environments. Sediments can act as sink and reservoir for a wide range of contaminants, including heavy metals. Environmental quality assessment in this compartment can provide useful information to control pollution in coastal areas. Lately, implementation of Environmental Legislative Frameworks within the European Community is increasing awareness about the importance of marine sediment quality in order to achieve a ??Good Environmental Status.?? In this work, the study of superficial marine sediments allowed assessment of source and fate of heavy metals in a semi-enclosed deep embayment that is subjected to severe anthropogenic activities. Results indicated that accumulation of heavy metals takes place mainly in proximity to anthropogenic sources (industrial area and harbors), but pollution can also spread to greater depths affecting the whole ecosystem. Multivariate statistics helped identify source and fate of several elements, showing evidence of pollutants transfer from urban wastewaters, industrial effluents, and atmospheric emissions to marine sediments. Results provided useful information for the implementation and development of Environmental Management Strategies under European Legislative Frameworks.     

Cadmium in the Water and Sediments of the Chao Phraya River and Associated Waterways, Bangkok, Thailand

As part of a research programme designed to examine the effect of cadmium on various biochemical responses in fish, a preliminary survey was carried out of cadmium concentrations in water and sediments sampled at 26 sites within the Chao Phraya River system in the Bangkok area of Thailand. Compared with values in the literature, the results of total cadmium analysis of both river water and sediments gave no indication of extreme pollution with cadmium, although two sites were identified with substantially higher than average sediment cadmium concentrations. More detailed sampling at these sites, over several months, compared with nearby `pristine' sites, confirmed their elevated cadmium status. The forms of cadmium present in the sediments at these sites, as determined by sequential fractionation, also provided evidence for the presence of contamination. However, considerable temporal variations in water and sediment cadmium concentrations were observed at individual sites, most probably related to seasonal high water levels and sediment flushing.     

Monitoring suspended sediments and associated chemical constituents in urban environments: lessons from the city of Atlanta, Georgia, USA Water Quality Monitoring Program

Background, aim, and scope  The City of Atlanta, Georgia (COA) is part of the ninth largest metropolitan area in the USA and one of the fastest growing (e.g., >24% between 2000 and 2007). Since 2003, the US Geological Survey has been operating an extensive long-term water-quantity and water-quality monitoring network for the COA. The experience gained in operating this network has provided insights into the challenges as well as some solutions associated with determining urban effects on water quality, especially in terms of estimating the annual fluxes of suspended sediment, trace/major elements, and nutrients. Discussion and findings  The majority (>90%) of the annual fluxes of suspended sediment and discharge (>60%) from the COA occur in conjunction with stormflow. Typically, stormflow averages ≤20% of the year. Normally, annual flux calculations employ a daily time-step; however, due to the “flashy” nature of the COA’s streams, this approach can produce substantial underestimates (from 25% to 64%). Greater accuracy requires time-steps as short as every 2 to 3 h. The annual fluxes of ≥75% of trace elements (e.g., Cu, Pb, Zn), major elements (e.g., Fe, Al), and total P occur in association with suspended sediment; in turn, ≥90% of the transport of these constituents occurs in conjunction with stormflow. With the possible exception of nitrogen, baseflow sediment-associated and both baseflow and stormflow dissolved contributions represent relatively insignificant portions of the total annual load; hence, nonpoint (diffuse) sources are the dominant contributors to the fluxes of almost all of these constituents.     

Heavy Metals in Freshly Deposited Stream Sediments of Rivers Associated with Urbanisation of the Ganga Plain,India

Freshly deposited stream sediments from six urban centres of the Ganga Plain were collected and analysed for heavy metals to obtain a general scenery of sediment quality. The concentrations of heavy metals varied within a wide range for Cr (115–817), Mn (440–1 750), Fe (28 700–61 100), Co (11.7–29.0), Ni (35–538), Cu (33–1 204), Zn (90–1 974), Pb (14–856) and Cd (0.14–114.8) in mg kg^-1. Metal enrichment factors for the stream sediments were <1.5 for Mn, Fe and Co; 1.5–4.1 for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb; and 34 for Cd. The anthropogenic source in metals concentrations contributes to 59% Cr, 49% Cu, 52% Zn, 51% Pb and 77% Cd. High positive correlation between concentrations of Cr/Ni, Cr/Cu, Cr/Zn, Ni/Zn, Ni/Cu, Cu/Zn, Cu/Cd, Cu/Pb, Fe/Co, Mn/Co, Zn/Cd, Zn/Pb and Cd/Pb indicate either their common urban origin or their common sink in the stream sediments. The binding capacity of selected metals to sediment carbon and sulphur decreases in order of Zn > Cu > Cr > Ni and Cu > Zn > Cr > Ni, respectively. Stream sediments from Lucknow, Kanpur, Delhi and Agra urban centres have been classified by the proposed Sediment Pollution Index as highly polluted to dangerous sediments. Heavy metal analysis in the <20-μm-fraction of stream sediments appears to be an adequate method for the environmental assessment of urbanisation activities on alluvial rivers. The present study reveals that urban centres act as sources of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd and cause metallic sediment pollution in rivers of the Ganga Plain.     

Simultaneous Use of Trace Metals, 210Pb and 137Cs in Floodplain Sediments of a Lowland River as Indicators of Anthropogenic Impacts

This study focuses on the distribution of selected trace metals, ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb, in floodplain deposits of the lowland Warta River (southern Poland) downstream of Cz?stochowa, a large city with an iron smelter. The depth profiles of trace metal (Zn, Pb, Cu, Ni, Cd and Mn), ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs contents in floodplain sediments were used to derive deposition rates on the floodplain for the twentieth century. The applicability of particular chronometric tools is considered within the context of their mutual relationships and confirmed by the consistency of the results. Deposition rate estimates for the past 50 years based on the vertical patterns of trace metal concentrations, which were correlated with particular events in the development of the smelter, range from 0.4 cm·year^?1 in profiles situated in backswamps far from the channel to over 1.1 cm·year^?1 in profiles of the natural levee adjacent to the river. Deposition rates based on ²¹⁰Pb inventories in the profiles range from 0.08 to 0.66 g·cm^?2·year^?1, which corresponds to linear sedimentation rates of 0.10 to 0.91 cm·year^?1, respectively. Dating of characteristic levels associated with peak fallout of ¹³⁷Cs gives sediment accretion rates resembling those obtained from trace metals and ²¹⁰Pb. The period of the highest sediment accumulation rate could be related to the highest loads of effluent from the iron smelter and city of Cz?stochowa, which were substantially reduced after the construction of effluent treatment plant.     

Anthropogenic Input of Selected Heavy Metals (Cu, Cr, Pb, Zn and Cd) in the Aquatic Sediments of Hochiminh City, Vietnam

The aquatic system of Hochiminh City comprises two main rivers: the Sai Gon and Nha Be rivers. Five canals discharge into these two rivers: NhieuLoc-ThiNghe, TauHu-BenNghe, TanHoa-LoGom, ThamLuong-BenCat and Doi-Te. The rivers and these canals collect effluent water from domestic and industrial sources. Most of these flows are not treated or at most are only primarily treated. A total of 33 sediment cores were taken from these rivers and canals. Chemical composition of these aquatic sediments has very high concentrations of several “urban” metals such as Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn. Most of the samples have exceeded the US EPA’s toxicity reference values for Cu, Zn and Cr (82, 82 and 70%, respectively). The highest concentrations of these metals appear to be associated with the uncontrolled and untreated industrial runoff to the discharge canals. These concentrations in fluvial sediment are relatively low, which indicates the dilution process of the contaminants. This finding indicates that the anthropogenic inputs play an important role in the elevation of heavy metals in the aquatic system and organic matter seems to exert a strong geochemical control on the amount of heavy metals. The Pearson correlation coefficients calculated for Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn, are 0.89; 0.72; 0.93 and 0.87, respectively.     

Saturated hydraulic conductivity of soils in the Southern Piedmont of Georgia,USA: Field evaluation and relation to horizon and landscape properties

Saturated hydraulic conductivity (K_s) is one of the soil properties used most often to predict soil behavior and suitability for a variety of uses. Because of the difficulty in K_s measurement and its variability with depth and across the landscape, K_s is commonly predicted from other more easily evaluated properties including texture, clay mineralogy, bulk density, pedogenic structure and cementation. Of these, texture and pedogenic structure are most commonly used to estimate K_s, but the reliability of these estimates has not been evaluated for common soils in the Southern Piedmont of Georgia. Thus, the objectives of this study were to evaluate K_s for major horizons in soils and landscapes in the Georgia Piedmont and to relate K_s to morphological properties of these horizons. Ten sites across the region were selected, and 21 pedons arranged in three transects were described from auger holes and pits. For each pedon, K_s was measured in upper Bt horizons, at 140 cm below the surface (Bt, BC, or C horizon), and at a depth intermediate between the shallow and deep measurements (Bt, BC, or C horizon) with a constant head permeameter. The K_s of individual horizons ranged from 1 × 10^− 8 to 2 × 10^− 5 m s^− 1. At six of 10 sites evaluated, clayey upper Bt horizons had higher K_s than deeper horizons with less clay. This difference was attributed to weaker structure in the deeper BC horizons. Structural differences did not explain all variation in K_s with depth, however. Other soil and landscape properties including parent material composition, colluvium on lower slope positions, C horizon cementation, and depth of soil development also affected K_s of horizons in these soils and should be used to better estimate K_s.     

Lipid Organic Aerosol and Snow Composition at a High Alpine Site in the Fall and the Spring Season and Scavenging Ratios for Single Compounds

Aerosol and snow samples were collected over a three weeks period in September 1996 and over two weeks in April and May 1997 at Mount Sonnblick Observatory (SBO) at 3106 m elevation. The samples were analyzed for lipid organic compounds. The main group found in the samples were phthalates, which seem to origin from a local emission. Furthermore, n- and branched alkanes, phenols, aliphatic alcohols, esters and aldehydes were identified. Total carbon measurements were performed for the aerosols in 1996 and the extraction yields are given. TOC analysis in 1997 was done for the snow phase. Scavenging ratios are calculated for the corresponding organic substances for both years. These are 10 to 100 times smaller than the ratio found for sulfate at the same site. The spring values are generally higher than the fall scavenging ratios.     

霍林河下游洪泛区湿地土壤中铵态氮水平运移模拟研究

选择二百方子洪泛区湿地作为典型研究区,以NH4Cl为示踪剂,模拟研究了铵态氮在洪泛区湿地不同土层中的水平运移过程。结果表明,沼泽湿地土壤中铵态氮的运移通量随运移距离的增加呈一阶衰减指数变化;0-10cm土层中铵态氮的运移通量最小,20~60cm土层次之,10~20cm土层具有最高的铵态氮通量。各层土壤运移通量在0~6cm内最大,而后迅速下降,到18cm时3层土壤中铵态氮的运移通量相近并趋近于零。各层土壤中铵态氮的运移通量与土壤水扩散率及土壤含水量都呈一阶指数增长变化;在土壤水扩散率或土壤含水量达到一定数值前,铵态氮运移通量增长缓慢,之后则开始骤然增加。     

Extractability and Bioavailability of Mercury from a Mercury Sulfide Contaminated Soil in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

Historically as part of its national security mission, the U.S. Department of Energy’s Y-12 National Security Facility in Oak Ridge, TN acquired a significant fraction of the world’s supply of elemental mercury. During the 1950s and 1960s, a large amount of elemental mercury escaped confinement and is still present in the watershed surrounding the Y-12 facility. A series of remediation efforts have been deployed in the watersheds around the Oak Ridge site. However, most recently, concentration of total mercury in fish and water of the lower East Fork Poplar Creek (EFPC) of Oak Ridge has increased although majority of the mercury contamination in the local soils is present in the form of mercury sulfide. We have studied the extractability, solubility, and bioavailability of mercury sulfide in Oak Ridge soils. Dynamics of the dissolution of mercury sulfide by various extractants, including acids and a chelating agent, have been investigated. After three seasons of planting, soil mercury sulfide is more easily dissolved by both 4 M and 12 M nitric acid than is pure mercury sulfide reagent as indicated by their dissolution kinetics. Mercury release by EDTA from HgS-contaminated soil increased with time of reaction and soil mercury level. This chelating chemical increases the solubility of mercury in HgS-contaminated Oak Ridge soil. The results also show that mercury sulfide in contaminated Oak Ridge soils was still to some extent bioavailable to plants. The increase of bioavailability of soil mercury sulfide after three seasons of planting may contribute to the recent increase of mercury levels in water of the Lower East Fork Popular Creek (LEFPC) of Oak Ridge.     

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Trace Metals in Sediments from a Coastal Lagoon (Northern Adriatic, Italy)

Surface sediments (0–5 cm) were analysed to provide information on levels, spatial trends and sources of the 16 USEPA polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), 15 polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and trace metals (copper, chromium, mercury, nickel and zinc) in channel and wetland habitats of Pialassa Baiona lagoon (Italy). The highest levels of PAHs, PCBs and Hg (3,032–87,150, n.d.–3,908 and 1.3–191 mg kg⁻¹) were mainly found at channel habitats close to industrial sources. Pyrogenic PAH inputs were significant, with a predominance of four-ring PAHs and combustion-related PAHs in both channel and wetland habitats. Among PCB congeners, chlorination class profiles show that penta- and hexachlorinated PCBs are the most prevalent homologues accounting for approximately 33% and 47% of the total PCB concentrations in channel sediments. Total toxicity equivalent factors (TEQs) of potentially carcinogenic PAHs varied from 348 to 7,879 μg kg⁻¹ and from 4.3 to 235 μg kg⁻¹ in channel and wetland sediments; calculated TEQs for dioxin-like PCB congeners at channel habitats ranged from n.d. to 86.7 μg kg⁻¹. Comparison of PAHs, PCBs and metal levels with Sediment Quality Guidelines suggests that more concern should be given to the southern area of the lagoon for potential risks of carcinogenic PAHs, dioxin-like PCBs and mercury.     

Polycyclic Musks in Water, Sediment, and Fishes from the Upper Hudson River, New York, USA

Synthetic musks are used in many consumer products for their pleasant odor and their binding affinity for fabrics. In the early 1990s, polycyclic musks were reported to occur in air, water, sediment, wildlife, and humans from many European countries. Concentrations of polycyclic musks, particularly 1,3,4,6,7,8-hexahydro-4,6,6,7,8,8-hexamethyl-cyclopenta-[??]-2-benzopyran (HHCB) and 7-acetyl-1,1,3,4,4,6-hexamethyl-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronapthalene (AHTN), have been reported to increase over time in the environment. In this study, concentrations of musks in water, sediment, fish, and mussel were determined from three locations along the upper Hudson River. HHCB and AHTN were detected in water (n?=?5; 3.95?C25.8 and 5.09?C22.8 ng/L, respectively), sediment (n?=?3; 72.8?C388 and 113?C544 ng/g, dry weight), fish (n?=?30; <1?C125 and <1?C32.8 ng/g, lipid weight), and zebra mussel (n?=?4; 10.3?C19.3 and 42.2?C65.9 ng/g, lipid weight) samples. Bioaccumulation factors of HHCB calculated for white perch, catfish, smallmouth bass, and largemouth bass were in the range of 18 to 371, when the concentrations in fish were expressed on a wet weight basis; the factors were in the range of 261 to 12,900, when the concentrations in fish were expressed on a lipid weight basis.     

Cesium-137 Concentrations in Sediments and Aquatic Plants from the Pinios River, Thessalia (Central Greece)

The levels of radioactive contamination by artificial radiocesium (¹³⁷Cs) were evaluated in sediments and the commonest species of water plants. Specimens were collected from a range of biotopes along the Pinios River and its tributaries, during the years 1998 and 2010. The ¹³⁷Cs concentrations within the above period clearly indicate that this radionuclide still decrease in the River Pinios. A marked decrease is also observed in comparison to our previous results in 1993. ¹³⁷Cs concentration activities in the sediment are higher than in the plant material. In general, roots showed greater ¹³⁷Cs concentration than leaves, while stems showed the lowest concentration. Significant differences in ¹³⁷Cs concentrations were found among different species growing under similar environmental conditions. ¹³⁷Cs content in collected aquatic plants was in the descending order: Ceratophyllum demersum L. > Myriophyllum spicatum L. > Paspalum pasalodes Scribner > Cladophora glomerata L. > Cyperus longus L. > Potamogeton nodosus Poiret. A comparison of the studied stations indicated that the southwest side of Thessalia plain, where the first two initial sampling stations of the Pinios River and the tributaries Enipeas and Kalentzis are situated, was highly contaminated. Low ¹³⁷Cs concentrations were observed in the Titarisios tributary, originated from the northeast part of Thessalia plain, behind Mt. Olympus and the last sampling stations of the Pinios River.     

Nitrogen Fractions and Release in the Sediments from the Shallow Lakes in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River Area, China

Different nitrogen (N) fractions from 14 sediments from the shallow lakes in the middle and lower reaches of Yangtze River area before and after N release experiments were investigated, and the content of different N fractions, and contribution of different N fractions to the N released from sediments were also studied. Ion-exchangeable form (IEF–N), carbonate form (CF–N), iron-manganese oxide form (IMOF–N) and organic matter-sulfide form (OSF–N) accounted for 2.72～17.67%, 0.47～4.43%, 1.18～3.49% and 31.05 to 71.61% to total N, respectively. The N released was higher than 50% from IEF–N, approximately 35% from OSF–N, 6 and 8% from CF–N and IMOF–N on the average. Approximately 27.32～70.02% of IEF–N, 10.37～32.11% of CF–N, 11.37～33.43% IMOF–N and 2.02～8.19% OSF–N were released. For the sediments that were slightly polluted, IEF–N was the main N fraction that may be released and its contribution to total N released was more than 63.07%, for the sediments that TN was higher than 3,540.27 mg·kg^?1, OSF–N would become the main N fraction that can be released and its contribution to total N released was more than 45%.     

Spatial and Temporal Variability of Total Non-Residual Heavy Metals Content in Stream Sediments from the Suquia River System,Cordoba, Argentina

The Suquía is a semiarid (rainfall, 700-900 mm y-1), medium-size (7700 km2) riversystem located in central Argentina. Its mountainous upper catchment includes pristine areas aswell as a variety of human settlements and a reservoir lake. A large city (Córdoba, ca. 1.3million inhabitants) and a terminal hypersaline lake are included in the middle and lower basin.Total non-residual (TNR) heavy metals (Pb, Cu, Ni, Zn, Mn, and Fe) have been determined inriver bed sediments in two seasons (spring and autumn), seeking to establish the factors whichcontrol the temporal and spatial variability. The major findings were: a) concentrations of TNRmetals were, in general, higher during springtime than during autumn, particularly downstreamfrom the city of Córdoba; b) organic matter played a significant role as a controlling factorwherever it defined reducing conditions, lowering the concentrations of Mn and Fe hydrousoxides; c) a higher organic load (e.g., downstream the city) and more pronounced reducingconditions could be the causes for the increased Fe concentration, probably precipitated assulfides; d) organic matter exhibited a closer correlation with some TNR metals in autumn,probably caused by a larger capacity for complexation in the biologically-processed organicdebris; and, e) the existence of pristine areas in the drainage basin allowed for the calculation ofenrichment factors (EF) which show the significance of several environmental impacts in theSuquía system.     

Sediment and Phosphorous Fluxes Analysis in Aquia Creek,a Sub-watershed of the Chesapeake Bay Basin,VA, USA

Decline in global surface water quality around the world is closely linked to excess sediment and nutrient inputs. This study examined sediment and phosphorus fluxes in Aquia Creek, a fourth-order sub-watershed of the Chesapeake Bay located in Stafford, Virginia. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), sediment delivery ratio (SDR), field sediment traps, bank erosion pins, and LIDAR data, combined with historical aerial images, were used in quantifying rill and inter-rill erosion from the basin, as well as internally generated sediments. Stream water and stream bank soils were analyzed for phosphorus. RUSLE/SDR modeling estimates a basin total sediment flux of 25,247 tons year^?1. The greatest calculated soil losses were in deciduous forests and cropland areas, whereas medium and high-intensity developed areas had the least soil loss. Cut-bank erosion ranged from 0.2 to 27.4 cm year^?1, and annual bank sediment fluxes were estimated at 1444 Mg, with a corresponding annual mass of phosphorous of 13,760 kg year^?1. The highest bank loss estimates were incurred along reaches draining urban areas. Stream water total phosphorous levels ranged from 0.054 μg g^?1 during low flows to 134.94 μg g^?1 during high discharge periods in autumn and spring. These results show that stormwater management practices in urban areas are limiting runoff water and soil contact, reducing surficial soil loss. However, the runoff acceleration due to expansion of impervious surfaces is progressively increasing the significance of intrinsic sediment and phosphorous sources by exacerbating stream bank erosion and resuspension of internally stored sediments.     

Small-Scale Industrial Village in Benin City,Nigeria: Establishment,Failure and Phytotoxicity Assessment of Soils from the Abandoned Site

In 1986, the then Nigerian Military Governmentpromulgated a decree stipulating that all small-scaleindustries be moved out of the city centres to designatedlocations in the more remote areas or villages. In linewith that decree, the then Edo State Government decidedto create the Small-scale Industrial village at Ogbesan,near Benin City, Nigeria. This article summarises thesituation leading to the establishment of a typicalsmall-scale industrial site (Ogbesan), its failure andthe current state of the abandoned site. To test thephytotoxic effect of soils taken from the impacted areain the abandoned site at Ogbesan, seeds of Arachishypogaea were used for experiments. Growth of test plantwas generally depressed by soils from the impacted area.One hundred percent germination inhibition was observedin sub-soil obtained from the centrally located plot (D3)in the study area. Twenty eight days after sowing, plantheight, root elongation and leaf area values wereconsistently lower in plants from almost all theexperimental plots than the control and this effect wasmore in the subsoil samples. In the most affected plots,plant height, root elongation and leaf area were 83, 100 and 87% (B5) and 94, 67 and 71% (C1),respectively, lower than the control. The resultsindicate clearly that the activities and wastes dumped atthe sites adversely affect the ability of soils from thesite to support plant growth.     

Perchlorate Depositional History as Recorded in North American Ice Cores from the Eclipse Icefield, Canada, and the Upper Fremont Glacier, USA

Temporal depositional rates are important in order to understand the production and occurrence of perchlorate (ClO₄⁻) as limited information exists regarding the impact of anthropogenic production or atmospheric pollution on ClO₄⁻ deposition. Perchlorate concentrations in discrete ice core samples from the Eclipse Icefield (Yukon Territory, Canada) and Upper Fremont Glacier (Wyoming, USA) were analyzed using ion chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to evaluate temporal changes in the deposition of ClO₄ ⁻ in North America. The ice core samples cover a time period from 1726 to 1993 and 1970 to 2002 for the Upper Fremont Glacier (UFG) and Eclipse ice cores, respectively. The average ClO₄ ⁻ concentration in the Eclipse ice core for the time period from 1970 to 1973 was 0.6 ± 0.3 ng L⁻¹, with higher values of 2.3 ± 1.7 and 2.2 ± 2.0 ng L⁻¹ for the periods 1982–1986 and 1999–2002, respectively. All pre-1980 ice core samples from the UFG had ClO₄ ⁻ concentrations <0.2 ng L⁻¹, and the post-1980 samples ranged from <0.2 ng L⁻¹ to a maximum of 2.6 ng L⁻¹ for the year 1992. A significant positive correlation (R = 0.75, N = 15, p < 0.001) of ClO₄⁻ with SO₄²⁻ was found for the annual UFG ice core layers and of ClO₄ ⁻ with SO₄²⁻ and NO₃⁻ in sub-annual Eclipse ice samples (R > 0.3, N = 121, p < 0.002). The estimated yearly ClO₄⁻ depositional flux for the Eclipse ice core ranged from 0.6 (1970) to 4.7 μg m⁻² year⁻¹ (1982) and the UFG from <0.1 (pre-1980) to 1.4 μg m⁻² year⁻¹ (1992). There was no consistent seasonal variation in the ClO₄⁻ depositional flux for the Eclipse ice core, in contrast to a previous study on the Arctic region. The presence of ClO₄⁻ in these ice cores might correspond to an intermittent source such as volcanic eruptions and/or any anthropogenic forcing that may directly or indirectly aid in atmospheric ClO₄⁻ formation.     

Laboratory Experiments on Phosphorous Release from the Sediments of 9 Lakes in the Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River Region, China

Phosphorus (P) has been recognized as the most critical nutrient limiting lake productivity. In addition, P release from sediments may have a significant effect on the water quality and may result in continuous eutrophication in eutrophic lakes. In this study, P release kinetics from sediments and their relationship with sediment composition were investigated, eutrophication risk index (ERI) and degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS) were used to evaluate the eutrophication risk of the studied sediments, and their influencing factors were also discussed. The results show that total P (TP), organic matter (OM), Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ and the percentage of sand particles were the most important factors affecting the ability of P sorption. P release process was similar for all studied sediments, consisting of the quick and slow reaction processes. The quick reaction mainly occurred within 0.5 h, and slow reaction after 0.5 h. P release occurred within 20 h and then reached the dynamic equilibrium. P release process was slower than P sorption process. Three models (Power function model, Parabolic diffusion model and Simple Elovich model) can satisfactorily describe the P release kinetics. P release was mainly affected by TP, OM, sorbed total phosphorus (STP), DPS and sand particles, and quick P release was mainly a physical process. For the slightly polluted sediments, Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ mainly restrained P release. But for the heavily polluted sediment both OM and Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ promoted P release. Both DPS and ERI can be used to evaluate the P-induced lake eutrophication risk, and their threshold values were 6.6% and 25%, respectively. Based on the assessment by DPS and ERI, most of the studied sediments were in eutrophication risk for the studied sediments. For the heavily polluted sediments, Al₂O₃+Fe₂O₃ was significantly correlated with DPS. But for the slightly polluted sediments it was significantly negatively correlated with DPS and OM, and the sand particle percentage was negatively related to ERI.