Abstract
<div>Marine sediments found in the Mid-Ocean Ridges serve as repositories for both naturally occurring (geogenic)</div><div>and human-generated (anthropogenic) metals. Understanding the geochemistry and processes of these sediments is crucial</div><div>for assessing their source, compositional end-members, and environmental impact. This study applied geochemical ratios</div><div>and proxies to representative samples from the Carlsberg Ridge, Indian Ocean, to determine the influence of hydrothermal</div><div>circulations on the near-vent hydrothermal sediments (NVS) and ridge flank sediments (RFS) and the potential effect of</div><div>toxic trace metals on the benthic ecosystems. The bulk chemical compositions of seven representative hydrothermal</div><div>indicator metals (Ca, Al, Ti, Fe, Mn, Cu, and Zn) and seven representative toxic trace metals (Pb, Ni, Co, Cr, As, Cd, and</div><div>Co) were analyzed at the A laboratory services in Guangzhou, China, by Agilent 7700 Inductively Couple Plasma Mass</div><div>Spectrometer (ICPMS). The geochemical signatures Fe/(Al + Fe + Mn) &gt; 0.5; Al/(Al + Fe + Mn) &lt; 0.3; (Fe + Mn)/Al &gt;</div><div>2.5; and (Fe + Mn)/Ti &gt; 25 affirm the proximity of the NVS and the distal position of RFS to the Wocan vent site in the</div><div>Carlsberg Ridge, Indian Ocean. The pollution indices, ecological risk index, and sediment quality guidelines showed low</div><div>to moderate contamination, low to moderate severity, and low to moderate ecological risk of As, Cd, Sb, Pb, Ni, Co, and</div><div>Cr to the benthic ecosystems at RFS. This is an indication of low to moderate anthropogenic influence from hydrothermal</div><div>venting to the ridge flank sediment (RFS). This study has shown that an understanding of background and threshold</div><div>concentrations can guide the development of strategies to reduce the impact of human activities on marine ecosystems.</div>
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