Records of trace metals since the Holocene in sediments of Laizhou Bay, Bohai Sea, China

Abstract

Trace metal (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, Hg, Ni, Li, and Co) concentration profiles along a sediment core were investigated to obtain background values, assess depositional trends and contamination levels in the Laizhou Bay, China. The enrichment factors of the metals indicated no anthropogenic enrichment, except for Pb, Cd, and Hg, which have been influenced by human activities since 7 ka. The mean concentrations of trace metals in the 10–7 ka phase can be considered as the background values in the study area. Principal component analysis indicated that the metals were mainly naturally sourced throughout the observed depositional period. Their geoaccumulation indices indicated that the sediments were not contaminated by Cu, Zn, Cr, Ni, and Co, but were contaminated by Pb, Cd, and Hg during the 7–0 ka period.