Abstract
Heavy metals are extremely harmful materials to marine ecosystems and human health. To determine the anthropogenic contributions and ecological risks in Weitou Bay, China, the spatiotemporal variations in the concentrations of heavy metals in surface sediment were investigated during spring 2008 and 2017. The results indicated that high concentrations of pollutants were generally located near the river mouths and along the coast of industrial areas. Principal component analysis indicated that heavy metal contents were mainly affected by industrial waste drainage, urban development, natural weathering and erosion, and interactions between organic matter and sulfides. The potential ecological risk assessment demonstrated that, in 2008, 82% of the sampling sites were at low risk, while 18% were at moderate risk. The situation had deteriorated slightly by 2017, with 73%, 18%, and 9% of stations in Waytou Bay at low, moderate, and very high risk, respectively. Cd was the most harmful metal, followed by Hg. These two elements accounted for more than 80% of the potential ecological risk index (RI) value. The present work analyzed the source of heavy metals, identified the major pollution elements and high risk areas, and provides guidance for pollution control and ecological restoration in Weitou Bay.
Highlights
In order to explore the combined effects of environment protection and increased anthropogenic pressure on the marine environment, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations in heavy metals in the surface sediments of Weitou Bay under complex driving forces over 10 years
The heavy metal concentrations in the Weitou Bay surface sediment are presented in Table 1 and Figure 2
−1 accounted for of the total variance, which may play an important role in explaining creased by 136% in the inner bay but increase the potential pollution −1 source and other factors affecting the distribution of heavy metals
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. In order to explore the combined effects of environment protection and increased anthropogenic pressure on the marine environment, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations in heavy metals in the surface sediments of Weitou Bay under complex driving forces over 10 years (in 2008 and 2017). The main goals of this study included: (1) determining the temporal variations in heavy metals in the surface sediment; (2) determining the spatial distributions of heavy metals; (3) exploring the main sources of heavy metals and analyzing the factors that cause spatiotemporal changes in pollution; (4) assessing the potential ecological risk levels, identifying the main ecological risk factors, and making recommendations for pollution control and ecological restoration in the bay
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