title: Spatial distribution, risk assessment and source identification of heavy metals in sediments of the Yangtze River Estuary, China.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the spatial distribution, potential risks and sources of seven heavy metals in sediments of the Yangtze River Estuary. Analyses of 55 sediment samples revealed that the distributions of metals within the YRE were determined by the combined effects of their sources, hydrodynamic conditions, pH and Eh. According to the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and sediment quality guidelines, Pb, Cd and Cr were present at low levels of pollution, with Cd posing the largest ecological risk. Positive Factor Matrix (PMF) results indicated that Hg, Zn, As, Pb and Cr mainly originated from natural geological background sources, while Cu originated from anthropogenic activities and atmospheric deposition was the source of Cd. These three sources contributed to 53.0%, 32.8% and 14.2%, respectively of total heavy metal concentrations. These results suggest that reducing the emission of Cd would promote a reduction of potential risks in sediments of the YRE.
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Deming
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Han
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China. Electronic address: jpcheng@sjtu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jinping
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.affiliation: Water (Ocean) Administrative Service Center, Shanghai Municipal Oceanic Bureau, Shanghai 200050, China.
authors.forename: Xianfeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Water (Ocean) Administrative Service Center, Shanghai Municipal Oceanic Bureau, Shanghai 200050, China.
authors.forename: Zhenyi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Water (Ocean) Administrative Service Center, Shanghai Municipal Oceanic Bureau, Shanghai 200050, China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Yuning
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Xiaojia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
authors.forename: Heling
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D063366:Estuaries; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Heavy metal; Positive factor matrix (PMF); Sediment; Source identification; Yangtze River Estuary (YRE)