title: Sources identification and pollution evaluation of heavy metals in the surface sediments of Bortala River, Northwest China.
abstract: The current study focused on the Bortala River - a typical inland river located in an oasis of arid area in northwestern China. The sediment and soil samples were collected from the river and drainage basin. Results showed that: (1) the particle size of the sand fraction of the sediments was 78-697 µm, accounting for 78.82% of the total samples; the average concentrations of eight heavy metals fell within the concentration ranges recommended by the Secondary National Standard of China, while the maximum concentrations of Pb, Cd, and Hg exceeded these standards; (2) results from multivariate statistical analysis indicated that Cu, Ni, As, and Zn originated primarily from natural geological background, while Cd, Pb, Hg and Cr in the sediments originated from human activities; (3) results of the enrichment factor analysis and the geo-accumulation index evaluation showed that Cd, Hg, and Pb were present in the surface sediments of the river at low or partial serious pollution levels, while Zn, Cr, As, Ni, and Cu existed at zero or low pollution levels; (4) calculation of the potential ecological hazards index showed that among the eight tested heavy metals, Cd, Pb, Hg, and Cr were the main potential ecological risk factors, with relative contributions of 25.43%, 22.23%, 21.16%, and 14.87%, respectively; (5) the spatial distribution of the enrichment factors (EF(S)), the Geo-accumulation index (I(geo)), and the potential ecological risk coefficient (E(r)(i)) for eight heavy metals showed that there was a greater accumulation of heavy metals Pb, Cd, and Hg in the sediments of the central and eastern parts of the river. Results of this research can be a reference for the heavy metals pollution prevention, the harmony development of the ecology protection and the economy development of the oases of inland river basin of arid regions of China, Central Asia and also other parts of the world.
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. Electronic address: baiyangdian313@163.com.
authors.forename: Zhaoyong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Chemistry Environmental Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China. Electronic address: jyli@szu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Juying
authors.affiliation: Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Oasis Ecology, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China; Ecological Postdoctoral Research Station, Xinjiang University, Urumqi 830046, China.
authors.forename: Zulpiya
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mamat
authors.affiliation: College of Agriculture and Biotechnology of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310020, China.
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: QingFu
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004463:Ecology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000032:analysis*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Bortala River; Heavy metals; Northwest China; Pollution assessment; Potential risk assessment; Source identification; Surface sediments