Abstract
The quantitative contamination assessment of toxic elements in sediments is a challenge due to the lack of their geochemical background or baseline levels and sediment heterogeneity. Eighty-eight sediment samples were collected in the Liao River Watershed (LRW) and analyzed for Co, Mn, V, Sc, Fe, Al, and sediment properties. The average background levels, geochemical baseline levels (GBL), and geochemical baseline functions of Co, Mn, and V in the sediments were obtained using statistical and geochemical methodologies. The concentrations of Co, Mn, and V were 0.86 to 23.40, 105.9 to 1771.6, and 6.47 to 153.30 mg/kg, respectively. The average background levels and GBLs were 7.2 and 14.4 mg/kg for Co, 422 and 762 mg/kg for Mn, and 35.4 and 59.0 mg/kg for V. The linear correlation of Co, Mn, and V with particle-size proxy elements (normalizers) Sc, Fe, and Al was statistically significant with probability (p-value) <0.001 level, showing that Fe, Al, and Sc can be used as particle-size proxy elements to develop the GBFs of Co, Mn, and V. The spatial distribution of the sampling sites with the concentrations of Co, Mn, and V either outlied or greater than GBLs may be related to industry and mine distribution, showing the impact of human activities on the contents of Co, Mn, and V in the LRW sediments. The procedure in the study can be used to estimate GBLs and construct GBFs of toxic elements in other watershed sediments on the world in order to manage sediment quality.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ben-Dor, E. and Banin, A., 1989, Determination of organic matter content in arid-zone soils using a simple “loss-on-ignition” method. Communication in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 201, 1675–1695.
Bowen, H.J.M., 1979, Environmental Chemistry of the Elements. Academic Press, London, p. 42–43.
Covelli, S. and Fontolan, G., 1997, Application of a normalization procedure in determining regional geochemical baselines. Environmental Geology, 30, 34–44.
Daskalakis, K.D. and O’Connor, T.P., 1995, Normalization and elemental sediment contamination in the coastal United States. Environmental Science and Technology, 29, 470–477.
Grant, A. and Middleton, R., 1998, Contaminants in sediments: Using robust regression for grain-size normalization. Estuaries, 21, 197–203.
Grosbois, C.A., Horowitz, A.J., Smith, J.J., and Elrick, K.A., 2001, The effect of mining and related activities on the sediment — trace element geochemistry of Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA. Part III. Downstream effects: the Spokane River Basin. Hydrological Process, 15, 855–875.
Jeong, K.S., Cho, J.H., Lee, J.H., and Kim, K.H., 2006, Accumulation history of anthropogenic heavy metals (Cu, Zn, and Pb) in Masan Bay sediments, southeastern Korea: A role of chemical front in the water column. Geosciences Journal, 10, 445–455.
Kersten, M. and Smedes, F., 2002, Normalization procedures for sediment contaminants in spatial and temporal trend monitoring. Journal of Environment Monitoring, 4, 109–115.
Kim, K.T., Ra, K., Kim, E.S., Yim, U.H., and Kim, J.K., 2011, Distribution of heavy metals in the surface sediments of the Han River and its Estuary, Korea. Journal of Coastal Research, SI64, 903–907.
Kim, P.G., Park, M.E., and Sung, K.Y., 2009, Distribution of heavy metals in marine sediments at the ocean waste disposal site in the Yellow Sea, South Korea. Geosciences Journal, 13, 15–24.
Kim, Y., Kim, B.K., and Kim, K., 2010, Distribution and speciation of heavy metals and their sources in Kumho River sediment, Korea. Environmental Earth Science, 60, 943–952.
Lee, S., Moon, J.W., and Moon, H.S., 2003, Heavy metals in the bed and suspended sediments of Anyang River, Korea: Implications for water quality. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 25, 433–452.
Léopold, E.N., Jung, M.C., Auguste, O., Ngatcha, N., Georges, E., and Lape, M., 2008, Metals pollution in freshly deposited sediments from river Mingoa, main tributary to the Municipal lake of Yaounde, Cameroon. Geosciences Journal, 12, 337–347.
Lin, C., He, M.C., Li, Y.X., and Liu, S.Q., 2012, Content, enrichment, and regional geochemical baseline of antimony in the estuarine sediment of the Daliao river system in China. Chemie der Erde, 72, 23–28.
Lin, C., He, M.C., Zhou, Y.X., Guo, W., and Yang, Z.F., 2008, Distribution and contamination assessment of heavy metals in sediment of the Second Songhua River, China. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 137, 329–342.
Loring, D.H., 1990, Lithium — a new approach for the granulometric normalization of trace metal data. Marine Chemistry, 29, 155–168.
Loring, D.H., 1991, Normalization of heavy-metal data from estuarine and coastal sediments. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 48, 101–115.
Matschullat, J., Ottenstein, R., and Reimann, C., 2000, Geochemical background — can we calculate it? Environmental Geology, 39, 990–1000.
Na, K.C. and Park, H.J., 2012, Distribution of heavy metals in tidal flat sediments and their bioaccumulation in the crab Macrophthalmus japonicas in the coastal areas of Korea. Geosciences Journal, 16, 153–164.
Newman, B.K. and Watling, R.J., 2007, Definition of baseline metal concentrations for assessing metal enrichment of sediment from the south-eastern Cape coastline of South Africa. Water SA, 33, 675–691.
Ohta, A., Imai, N., Terashima, S., and Tachibana, Y., 2005, Influence of surface geology and mineral deposits on the spatial distribution of elemental concentrations in the stream sediments of Hokkaido, Japan. Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 86, 86–103.
Schiff, K.C. and Weisberg, S.B., 1999, Iron as a reference element for determining trace metal enrichment in Southern California coastal shelf sediments. Marine Environmental Research, 48, 161–176.
Schropp, S.J., Lewis, F.G., Windom, H.L., Ryan, J.D., Calder, F.D., and Burney, L.C., 1990, Interpretation of Metal Concentrations in Estuarine Sediments of Florida Using Aluminum as a Reference Element. Estuaries, 13, 227–235.
Wedepohl, K.H., 1995, The composition of the continental crust. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 59, 1217–1239.
Wu, Y.Y., 1994, Elemental Background Contents in the Soils of Liaoning Province. China Environmental Science Press, Beijing (in Chinese), p. 245.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lin, C., Wang, J., Liu, S. et al. Geochemical baseline and distribution of cobalt, manganese, and vanadium in the Liao River Watershed sediments of China. Geosci J 17, 455–464 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-013-0036-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12303-013-0036-9