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Faculty Publication: Associate Professor of Biology Thomas Mozdzer

January 6, 2020

The concentration distribution and pollution assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments of the Bohai Bay, China

Authors: Xigui Ding, Siyuan Ye, Edward A. Laws, Thomas J.Mozdzer, Hongming Yuan, Guangming Zhao, Shixiong Yang, Lei He, Jin Wang

Publication Type: Article

Source: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, Volume: 149, Article Number: UNSP 110497, DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110497

Abstract: Three hundred five surface sediment samples from the Bohai Bay in northeastern China were examined for grain size, organic carbon (Corg) concentration, and concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, Zn, Cu, As, Cr, Cd, and fig). Average metal concentrations were 33 mg/kg (Cu), 27 mg/kg (Pb), 95 mg/kg (Zn), 75 mg/kg (Cr), 0.3 mg/kg (Cd), 13 mg/kg (As), and 72 mu g/kg (Hg). In most cases, these concentrations were lower than the China Marine Sediment Quality criteria. Enrichment factors, however, suggested moderate to strong Cd and Hg contamination of the Bohai Bay. The fact that 68.6% of Pollution Load Index (PLI) values exceeded 2 demonstrated strong pollution of the Bohai Bay, Hg contributed the most to the PLI.

Department of Biology