Historical records of trace metals in core sediments from Jiangsu coastal area, China

Abstract

Abstract The major and trace metal (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, Hg, Ni, Li, and Co) concentration profiles along a 60.2-m-long sediment core are investigated to assess their depositional trends and contamination levels in the Jiangsu coastal area, China. All of the metals, except Cd, had similar profiles that exhibited increasing concentrations during the Holocene. Their enrichment factors indicate that the metals were naturally sourced throughout the observed depositional period, with the exception of As, Hg, and Li, which may have also had anthropogenic sources. Their geoaccumulation indices indicate that the sediments were not contaminated by any metals prior to the Holocene, whereas they were contaminated by As, Hg, and Li throughout the Holocene (11–0 ka), and by Pb, Cr, and Zn since 2 ka.