title: Ecological risk assessment and source identification for heavy metals in surface sediment from the Liaohe River protected area, China.
abstract: Surface sediment samples collected from 19 sites in the Liaohe River protected area were analysed for heavy metals to evaluate their potential ecological risk. The results demonstrated that the degree of pollution from seven heavy metals decreases in the following sequence: cadmium(Cd)>arsenic(As)>copper(Cu)>nickel(Ni)>lead(Pb)>chromium(Cr)>zinc(Zn). The metal speciation analysis indicated that Cd, Pb and Zn were dominated by non-residual fractions and have high mobility and bioavailability, indicating significant anthropogenic sources. Based on the potential ecological risk index (PERI), geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and risk assessment code (RAC), Cd made the most dominant contribution, with a high to very high potential ecological risk being determined in this studied area. Moreover, in reference to the results of multivariate statistical analyses, we deduced that Cd and Zn originated from agriculture sources within the Liaohe River protected area, whereas Cu, Cr and Ni primarily originated from natural sources.
authors.affiliation: College of Energy and Environment, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, China. Electronic address: kex@iae.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ke
authors.affiliation: College of Energy and Environment, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, China.
authors.forename: Shaofeng
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gui
authors.affiliation: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agriculture University, Shenyang 110161, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: College of Energy and Environment, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, China.
authors.forename: Haijun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Energy and Environment, Shenyang Aerospace University, Shenyang 110136, China.
authors.forename: Chunyong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Agronomy, Shenyang Agriculture University, Shenyang 110161, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis*; D001682:Biological Availability; D002681:China; D004463:Ecology; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D045483:Rivers / Q000737:chemistry*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D019216:Metals, Heavy; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: Heavy metal; Potential ecological risk assessments; Sediment; Sources identification; Speciation analysis