title: Preliminary assessment of metal distribution in the surface sediments along the coastline of the southern Caspian Sea.
abstract: In the present study, the concentrations of metals in sediments along the coastline of the southern Caspian Sea were investigated. For this purpose, sediments were collected from 13 sampling sites in the southern Caspian Sea. The samples were then analyzed by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. Results showed that compound oxides may be responsible for the distribution of metals in the sediments of the southern Caspian Sea. According to mean effects range-median quotient, 61.5% of the studied sites from the southern Caspian Sea had a 21% probability of metal toxicity. On the basis of the enrichment factor, all metals were in the category of deficiency to minimal enrichment. Pollution load index showed that the other sampling sites had no pollution.
authors.affiliation: Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science (INIOAS), No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., 1411813389 Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran. Electronic address: si.jamshidi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Siamak
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jamshidi
authors.affiliation: Iranian National Institute for Oceanography and Atmospheric Science (INIOAS), No. 3, Etemadzadeh St., Fatemi Ave., 1411813389 Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran.
authors.forename: Kazem Darvish
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Bastami
mesh_terms: D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000737:chemistry*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D009792:Oceans and Seas; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Caspian Sea; Coastline; ERM quotient; Metals; Sediment