title: Assessment of metal toxicity and development of sediment quality guidelines using the equilibrium partitioning model for the Three Gorges Reservoir, China.
abstract: The impoundment of the Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) in China influences the quality of the water supply. Surface sediment samples from the TGR mainstream and three tributaries were collected. Acid volatile sulfide (AVS), simultaneously extractable metals (SEMs), and the fraction of organic carbon (f(oc)) were used to assess the toxicity of heavy metals. Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs) were established using the equilibrium partitioning approach. The results showed that the surface sediments were found to be oxic or suboxic. AVS concentrations in sediments were relatively low, below SEM concentrations. The [SEM] - [AVS] model indicated that all sediments possibly have adverse effects on aquatic life. However, ([SEM] - [AVS])/f(oc) predicted no adverse biological effects in some areas of the Meixi and Caotang Rivers, while adverse effects to aquatic life were uncertain for the other sediments. The partitioning coefficients, water quality criteria, and residual metals in the sediments were the main factors influencing the SQGs for the TGR, while the metals bound to AVS had a negligible effect. The normalized TGR SQGs were all much higher than the existing standards except for cadmium and copper. The differences might be attributed to the approaches used for derivation of SQGs and the physical and chemical characteristics of the sediments.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.|State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China. gaosky34@hotmail.com.|Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China. gaosky34@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Water Environment Simulation, School of Environment, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.|Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.
authors.forename: Huaidong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.|Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.
authors.forename: Dongyu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Simulation and Regulation of Water Cycle in River Basin, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.|Department of Water Environment, China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Beijing, 100038, China.
authors.forename: Yuchun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D059001:Aquatic Organisms / Q000187:drug effects; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis / Q000633:toxicity*; D060753:Water Quality; D014881:Water Supply / Q000592:standards
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Acid volatile sulfide; Equilibrium partitioning; Heavy metal; Sediment; Sediment quality guideline; Simultaneously extractable metals; Three Gorges Reservoir