How atmospheric deposition contribute to watershed heavy metals contamination in coastal watersheds in China: A case study of Laizhou Bay

Abstract

Atmospheric deposition is a significant source of heavy metal (HM) pollution. In order to understand the migration and transformation process of atmospheric HMs within the watershed and quantify the amount transported offshore by rivers, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was developed to trace the migration of HMs from atmospheric deposition. The model simulates HMs in three forms: dissolved, adsorbed, and granular. It quantifies the movements of Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn from atmospheric deposition into the sea via rivers in five coastal watersheds in East China and analyzes the effects of meteorological factors, vegetation cover, and slope on non-point pollution of these metals by Spearman correlation analysis. The results showed that the annual flux of HMs from atmospheric deposition to the sea through rivers accounted for 5 %–69 % of the total rivers flux. Among meteorological factors, precipitation demonstrated the strongest correlation with the monthly loads of HMs entering rivers from atmospheric deposition. Additionally, HMs loads entering rivers from atmospheric deposition were more closely related to vegetation cover than topographic slope. This model provides a new approach to distinguishing the flux of atmospheric HMs entering offshore waters through rivers. The findings will deepen our understanding of the migration and transformation of HMs from atmospheric deposition, enhance the ability to control offshore HMs pollution, and reduce the ecological risks associated by HMs.