Toxic Metal Pollution and Ecological Risk Estimation in the Sediment around Hopa Harbor, Turkey (SE)

Abstract

AbstractThe objective of this article is to determine the spatial changes occurring because of natural and anthropogenic toxic metal pollution in accordance with different indexes using the geographic information system (GIS) method. In this context, the distribution of toxic metals, i.e., chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), and arsenic (As), is investigated using sediment samples from the Hopa Harbor situated in the Southeastern Black Sea region. Sediment samples are collected from nine different stations in June 2017. Metal concentrations (in dry weight) vary from 23.2 to 94.7 for Cr, 62.1 to 301.7 for Cu, 89.3 to 287.9 for Zn, 67.6 to 137.1 for Pb, 20.1 to 99.1 for Ni, and 14.2 to 57.4 µg g−1 for As. The samples with highest concentrations are situated in the inner part of the harbor, where the water circulation system to remove the impurities is very poor. It is evident that Hopa Port activities negatively affect sediment quality, with metal concentration values increasing at stations close to the port. The data of this study reveal that Cu, Pb, and As are the main contributors to the ecological toxicity in and around Hopa Harbor. However, if the results are evaluated according to the longer time series, more precise data on the toxic effects of metals can be obtained.