Evaluation of the sensitivity of sediment stations in pollution monitoring

doi:10.1016/0025-326X(89)90356-1

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Volume 20, Issue 11, November 1989, Pages 556-560

https://doi.org/10.1016/0025-326X(89)90356-1 Get rights and content

Abstract

The value of a sediment monitoring programme may be measured by its capability to reveal changes in the flux of the contaminant in question. The sensitivity of a sediment monitoring station in this respect is a function of the interactions between the change in the net deposition rate of the contaminant, the accumulation rate of the sediment, the thickness and intensity of the mixing zone in the bottom sediment and technical factors such as time between samplings, thickness of analysed samples, and reproduceability of the applied chemical methods. A model for these interactions is presented. It computes the response of the surface sample to changes in contaminant flux over a period of time. It is based on sediment parameters which can be estimated by ²¹⁰Pb dating of the sediment on the site. The model offers a quantitative evaluation of a sediment monitoring station and may be applied in the planning and interpretation of sediment monitoring programmes. Examples based on the observed range of sediment and chemical parameters are presented.

References (9)

R.A. Berner
Early Diagenesis: A Theoretical Approach
(1980)
E.R. Christensen et al.
Modeling Radiotracers in Sediments: Comparison with Observations in Lakes Huron and Michigan
J. Geophys. R.
(1986)
E.R. Christensen et al.
Historical Fluxes of Particle-bound Pollutants from Deconvolved Sedimentary Records
Environ. Sci. Technol.
(1987)
U. Förstner et al.
Metal Pollution in the Aquatic Environment
(1983)

There are more references available in the full text version of this article.

Cited by (67)

Contamination and ecological risk assessment of trace elements in sediments of the rivers of Sundarban mangrove forest, Bangladesh
2017, Marine Pollution Bulletin
Citation Excerpt :
The main reason for element contamination is the increasing complex mixtures of chemicals discharged to the coastal zone from non-point sources. Sediments usually provide useful information on environmental and geochemical pollution status (Larsen and Jensen, 1989; Uluturhan et al., 2011; Tamim et al., 2016) because they are the main sink for various pollutants, including elements discharged into the environment (Dassenakis et al., 1997; N.F. Tam and Wong, 2000; N.F.Y. Tam and Wong, 2000). Recognizing the pollution characteristics of trace elements in river sediments and targeting their potential sources is of key importance for proposing effective strategies to protect watershed ecosystems.
In this study, total concentrations of 16 trace elements (Al, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Hg, Pb, Th and U) in sediments of the rivers of the Sundarban mangrove forest, after the catastrophic oil spill accident in the Sela river of Sundarban, were determined. The overall mean concentrations of V, Cr, Fe and Cd in surface sediments of the Sundarban are remarkably higher than available literature data of those elements. Trace element contamination assessment, using different environmental contamination indices, reveals that As, Sb, Th and U are low to moderately contaminated while Cd is moderately to severely contaminated in the sediments of this area. The multivariate statistical analyses were applied to reveal the origin and behavior of the elements during their transport in the mangrove ecosystem. High Cr, Ni, Cu and As concentrations suggest the risk of potentially adverse biological effects in the ecosystem.
Potential human health risk from consumption of metallic elements-contaminated benthic mollusks from Don Hoi Lot sandbar, Thailand
2017, Science of the Total Environment
Citation Excerpt :
Nonetheless, such Mn concentrations were lower than those from the study by Censi et al. (2006), where the Mn concentrations in sediment ranged from 330 to 1127 μg/g. Sediment quality evaluated by using Igeo is an important indicator for water pollution (Larsen and Jensen, 1989). Sediments in this study were practically unpolluted (Igeo < 0; Table 1) with most investigated metallic elements except Cd and Pb.
Environmental pollutants have raised more concerns for human health risk, especially via consumption of contaminated food. Terrestrial as well as aquatic animals are capable of bioaccumulation a variety of toxic substances including metallic elements. With increasing anthropogenic activities along the coastal areas, living organisms have more chances to be exposed to released contaminants. In this study, seven metallic elements (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) were determined in sediments and water from Don Hoi Lot sandbar, Samutsongkharm province, Thailand. Potential human health risks via the consumption of two benthic bivalves Solen corneus (Larmarck, 1818) and Meretrix meretrix (Linnaeus, 1758) were also estimated using the target hazard quotients (THQs). The variations of metallic element concentrations were apparent between wet and dry season. Fe was the predominate metallic element in the sediment and the remaining were Mn > Pb > Zn > Ni > Cu > Cd. Whereas metallic element concentrations in water were Pb > Ni > Fe > Zn > Cu > Mn > Cd. PCA analysis confirmed that the contaminations of these metallic elements were from Mae Klong river surface water. Most Pb THQ values in both S. corneus and M. meretrix were > 1 indicating that human health risk is of concern. However, the sum of THQs of an individual metallic element should also be considered since multiple metallic elements exposure is so common.
Persistent organic pesticide residues in sediments of Vasai Creek near Mumbai: Assessment of sources and potential ecological risk
2015, Marine Pollution Bulletin
Thirteen persistent organic pesticides were investigated in the sediments of Vasai Creek near Mumbai to evaluate their pollution levels and potential risks. It was observed that ΣOCPs level was in the range of 597–1538 ng/g dw, with an average value of 1115.25 ng/g dw. The level of ΣOPPs was in the range of 492–1034 ng/g dw, with an average value of 798.15 ng/g dw. The values o,p′-DDT/p,p′-DDT ratio gives an indication of use of technical DDT as the prime source of DDT, while the α/γ-BHC ratio indicate that BHCs in study area might have been received from fresh lindane. The results of an ecological risk assessment showed that sediment bound organic pesticides are of more ecotoxicological concern as they might create adverse ecological risk to the marine breeding habitats. These pesticides residues may get remobilize and released to overlying waters creating adverse effects on terrestrial and aquatic organisms.
Impact of industrial pollution on recent dinoflagellate cysts in Izmir Bay (Eastern Aegean)
2015, Marine Pollution Bulletin
Citation Excerpt :
Metals are among the most important pollutants causing environmental deterioration in marine environments and therefore, a world-wide problem. Marine sediments can be a sensitive indicator for both spatial and temporal monitoring of metal contaminants (Larsen and Jensen, 1989). When dissolved metals from natural or anthropogenic sources come in contact with saline water, the metals are quickly adsorbed onto particulates and eventually removed to the bottom sediments (Schropp and Windom, 1988).
The spatial distribution of dinoflagellate cysts was studied to understand the impact of industrial pollution on the surface sediment of Izmir Bay, Turkey. Forty two dinoflagellate cyst morphotypes belonging to 12 genera were identified and qualified at 12 sampling points. The cyst of Gymnodinium nolleri dominated the bay and had the highest abundance in most of the stations, following Spiniferites bulloideus and Lingulodinium machaerophorum. The highest cyst concentration was recorded in the inner part of the bay. Cyst concentration ranged between 384 and 9944 cyst g⁻¹ dry weight of sediment in the sampling area. Sediment metal concentrations were determined. Heavy metal levels in Izmir Inner Bay were higher than the Middle and Outer Bay. L. machaerophorum, Dubridinium caperatum and Polykrikos kofoidii showed significant positive correlation with some metals (Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn) and organic carbon content. However, there was no significant correlation between dinoflagellate cyst abundance and sediment type.
Geochemistry of the northern Cyprus (NE Mediterranean) shelf sediments: Implications for anthropogenic and lithogenic impact
2012, Marine Pollution Bulletin
The concentrations of heavy metals and organic carbon in sediment were determined to evaluate spatial distributions from the three different regions of Cilician basin (Eastern Mediterranean) in 2011. The ranges of Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Mn, Cr, As, Fe and organic carbon contents of sediments from the study area were 1.6–74, 1.6–9.2, 5.0–78, 6.6–114, 1.6–17, 141–1241, 9.0–46, 3.3–55.4, 1800–84400 mg kg⁻¹ and 0.99–1.66%, respectively. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Co, Cr, Al were lower than those average crustal values, which indicated that there were no major sources of pollution for these elements. The results showed that the sediments of northern, eastern and western shelf were polluted with As, Ni and Mn, As and Cu, Fe, respectively. The contamination factor of Cu in the western and As were found to be of moderate contamination in the eastern and northern parts of the study area. Metal levels were evaluated in sediments in accordance with the numerical SQG of the USEPA.
Assessment of heavy metal contamination in Hindon River sediments: A chemometric and geochemical approach
2012, Chemosphere
Citation Excerpt :
Heavy metal contamination of the environmental media has attracted a great deal of world-wide attention due to their non biodegradable nature, long-biological half-lives for elimination from the body, their accumulation in the food chain will have a significant effect on human health in the long term (Kabata-Pendias and Pendias, 1992; Radha et al., 1997; Li et al., 2004). Sediment quality has been recognized as an important environmental indicator of water pollution (Larsen and Jensen, 1989; Casas et al., 2003) because sediments are the main sink for various pollutants, including metals discharged into the environment (Dassenakis et al., 1997; Tam and Wong, 2000; Bettinetti et al., 2003; Singh et al., 2005b). Direct determination of heavy metals in sediments is an inappropriate way to assess the pollution as heavy metals originated from both crustal and anthropogenic sources accumulate in sediments in the same manner (Idris, 2008).
The aim of this study was to assess the level of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the surface sediments of the Hindon River, India that receives both treated and untreated municipal and industrial discharges generated in and around Ghaziabad, India. Mean metals concentrations (mg kg⁻¹) were in the range of; Cu: 21.70–280.33, Cd: 0.29–6.29, Fe: 4151.75–17318.75, Zn: 22.22.50–288.29, Ni: 13.90–57.66, Mn: 49.55–516.97, Cr: 17.48–33.70 and Pb: 27.56–313.57 respectively. Chemometric analysis was applied to identify contribution sources by heavy metals while geochemical approaches (enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index) were exploited for the assessment of the enrichment and contamination level of heavy metals in the river sediments. Chemometric analysis suggested anthropic origin of Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn, and Ni while Fe showed lithogenic origin. Mn and Cr was associated and controlled by mixed origin. Geochemical approach confirms the anthropogenic influence of heavy metal pollution in the river sediments. The study suggests that a complementary approach that integrates chemometric analysis, sediment quality criteria, and geochemical investigation should be considered in order to provide a more accurate appraisal of the heavy metal pollution in river sediments. Consequently, it may serve to undertake and design effective strategies and remedial measures to prevent further deterioration of the river ecosystem in future.

View all citing articles on Scopus

View full text

ReportEvaluation of the sensitivity of sediment stations in pollution monitoring

Abstract

Early Diagenesis: A Theoretical Approach

Modeling Radiotracers in Sediments: Comparison with Observations in Lakes Huron and Michigan

J. Geophys. R.

Historical Fluxes of Particle-bound Pollutants from Deconvolved Sedimentary Records

Environ. Sci. Technol.

Metal Pollution in the Aquatic Environment

Report
Evaluation of the sensitivity of sediment stations in pollution monitoring