Concentration distribution and assessment of heavy metals in sediments of mud area from inner continental shelf of the East China Sea

Abstract

Heavy metals (Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Hg, and As), grain-size, pH, Eh, and total organic material (TOM and TN) of 59 surficial sediments of mud area from the inner continental shelf of the East China Sea have been analyzed. The relations of the heavy metals to sediment composition, pH, reduction/oxidation conditions and total organic materials were evaluated with multivariate statistics analysis, and the hydrodynamic conditions such as coastal current and Taiwan warm current are the other important controlling factors to the distribution of heavy metals. Sediment enrichment factors and potential ecological hazard index ( $$ E_{\text{RI}} $$ ) were used to assess the heavy metals accumulation; the results indicate that moderate contamination of most heavy metals is prevalent, and the contamination level in the estuary is rather high, which is mainly from anthropogenic source. Compared with other areas in China, the contaminant level of the study area is moderate.