title: Spatial distribution and toxicity assessment of heavy metals in sediments of Liaohe River, northeast China.
abstract: Twenty-four surface sediment samples were collected from Liaohe River in June 2014 for the analysis of total concentrations of Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Ni, Fe, and Mn. The spatial distribution of heavy metals in Liaohe River was site specific, with Hun River as the most polluted river mainly affected by industrial and human activities. The contents of acid-volatile sulfide (AVS) and simultaneously extracted metals (SEMs) in Liaohe River varied significantly, ranging from 0.03 to 19.4 μmol/g and 0.14 to 10.8 μmol/g, respectively. Sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) community size, organic matter and sulfate availability, and sediment redox status may be the main factors affecting the AVS distribution. Among all the acid-extracted metals, Zn was dominant in all samples, whereas much more toxic Cd contributed less than 1.0 % to the total SEMs. Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) and AVS-SEM models were used to predict the sediment toxicity. Results revealed that only a small portion of sites exhibited potential metal toxicity to aquatic biota, while adverse effects should rarely occur in majority of sites. Comparison of the two assessment methods showed inconsistent results, indicating that each method had its own limitations. The combination of different methods will be more convincing as to the sediment quality assessment.
authors.affiliation: College of Water Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100012, China.|State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China. mengwei@craes.org.cn.|Laboratory of Riverine Ecological Conservation and Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China. mengwei@craes.org.cn.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.|Laboratory of Riverine Ecological Conservation and Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.|Laboratory of Riverine Ecological Conservation and Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.|Laboratory of Riverine Ecological Conservation and Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
authors.forename: Sisi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Environmental Criteria and Risk Assessment, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.|Laboratory of Riverine Ecological Conservation and Technology, Chinese Research Academy of Environmental Sciences, Beijing, 100012, China.
authors.forename: Changsheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D054750:Ecotoxicology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity*; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D062206:Spatial Analysis; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: AVS; Heavy metals; Liaohe River; SEM; Toxicity assessment