Contamination characteristics of heavy metals in wetland soils along a tidal ditch of the Yellow River Estuary, China

• Published in: Stochastic environmental research and risk assessment 2011-07, Vol.25 (5), p.671-676
• Main Authors: Bai, Junhong, Huang, Laibin, Yan, Denghua, Wang, Qinggai, Gao, Haifeng, Xiao, Rong, Huang, Chen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Cadmium; Chemical analysis; Chemistry and Earth Sciences; Chromium; Computational Intelligence; Computer Science; Contamination; Copper; Ditches; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecosystem conservation; Environment; Environmental assessment; Environmental risk; Estuaries; Heavy metal content; Heavy metals; Lead; Math. Appl. in Environmental Science; Metal concentrations; Nickel; Oil and gas fields; Oil pollution; Organic matter; Original Paper; Physics; Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes; Risk assessment; Rivers; Rocks; Sea water; Seawater; Soil contamination; Soil organic matter; Soil pH; Soil surfaces; Soils; Statistics for Engineering; Waste Water Technology; Water analysis; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Wetlands
• ISSN: 1436-3240; 1436-3259
• DOI: 10.1007/s00477-011-0475-7

Surface soils (0–20 cm) were collected from along a tidal ditch of the Yellow River Estuary in August of 2007. Samples were subjected to a total digestion technique before they were analyzed for total concentrations of As, Cr, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, P and S in order to investigate heavy metal contamination levels in wetland soils nearby the tidal ditches and their main sources. Results showed that the mean concentrations of these heavy metals except for As and Cd were lower than the Class I criteria. Nearly all sampling sites showed lower contamination levels for As and Cd, while no contamination levels for other heavy metals. Cr, Cu, and Ni mainly originated from parent rocks, and Pb and As might originate from tidal seawater and oil field pollution, respectively; while Cd and Zn mainly originated from parent rocks and tidal seawater. Most of heavy metals showed significant correlations with total concentrations of P and S, however, no significant correlations were observed between them and soil pH, slat and soil organic matter.