Abstract
The distribution and accumulation of heavy metals in the sediments, especially those nearest of wastewater discharges of south of Spain, were investigated. Sediment samples from 14 locations were collected and characterised for metal content (e.g. Ni, Cu, Zn, Cr, Pb, Mn, Cd and Hg), organic carbon, total nitrogen, total phosphorous, n-hexane-extractable material, carbonates and grain size. Concentration data were processed using correlation analysis and factor analysis. The correlation analysis of concentrations data showed important positive correlations among organic carbon, total phosphorus, Cu, Zn, Cd and Hg, otherwise weak correlations among Mn, Cr, Ni and CO3 2 − , indicating that these metals have complicated geochemical behaviours. The use of statistical factor analysis also confirmed these results. Sediments pollution assessment was carried out using geoaccumulation and metal pollution indexes (MPI8). The results revealed that sediments of Cádiz bay and Sancti Petri channel were uncontaminated with the studied metals.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Alloway, B. J. (1990). Heavy metals in soils. Glasgow, London: Wiley.
Aloupi, M., & Angelidis, M. O. (2001). Geochemistry of natural and anthropogenic metals in the coastal sediments of the island of Lesvos, Aegean Sea. Environmental Pollution, 113, 211–219. doi:10.1016/S0269-7491(00)00173-1.
Anderson, A. (1979). Mercury in soils. In J. O. Nriagu (Ed.), Biogeochemistry of mercury in the environment (Chapter 4). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
APHA, AWWA, WPCF (1992). Métodos normalizados para el análisis de aguas potables y residuales. Madrid: Editorial Díaz de Santos, S.A.
Bartlett, P. D., & Craig, P. J. (1981). Total mercury and methyl mercury levels in British estuarine sediments—II. Water Research, 15, 37–47. doi:10.1016/0043-1354(81)90180-9.
Bartolomeo, A. D., Poletti, L., Sanchini, G., Sebastiani, B., & Morozzi, G. (2004). Relationship among parameters of lake polluted sediments evaluated by multivariate statistical analysis. Chemosphere, 55, 1323–1329. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2003.12.005.
Bellucci, L. G., Frignani, M., Paolucci, D., & Ravanelli, M. (2002). Distribution of heavy metals in sediments of the Venice Lagoon: The role of the industrial area. The Science of the Total Environment, 295, 35–49. doi:10.1016/S0048-9697(02)00040-2.
Bergueiro, J. R., & Domínguez, F. (1992). Ingeniería Química, 2, 165–172.
Bettinetti, R., Giarei, C., & Provini, A. (2003). A chemical analysis and sediment toxicity bioassays to assess the contamination of the River Lambro (Northern Italy). Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology, 45, 72–80. doi:10.1007/s00244-002-0126-6.
Blasco, J., Sáenz, V., & Gómez-Parra, A. (2000). Heavy metal fluxes at the sediment-water interface of three coastal ecosystems from the south-west of the Iberian Peninsula. The Science of the Total Environment, 247, 189–199. doi:10.1016/S0048-9697(99)00490-8.
Carrasco, M., López-Ramírez, J. A., Benavente, J., López-Aguayo, F., & Sales, D. (2003). Assessment of urban and industrial contamination levels in the bay of Cádiz, SW Spain. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 46, 335–345. doi:10.1016/S0025-326X(02)00420-4.
Chakrapani, G. L., & Subramanian, V. (1993). Heavy metals distribution and fractionation in sediments of the Mahannadi River basin, India. Environmental Geology, 22, 80–87. doi:10.1007/BF00775288.
Chen, C.-W., Kao, C.-M., Chen, C.-F., & Dong, C.-D. (2007). Distribution and accumulation of heavy metals in the sediments of Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan. Chemosphere, 66, 1431–1440. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.09.030.
Crecelius, E. A., Bothner, M. H., & Carpenter, R. (1975). Geochemistry of arsenic antimony, mercury, and related elements in sediment or Puget Sound. Current Research, 9, 325–333.
Del Valls, T. A., Forja, J. M., & Gómez-Parra, A. (1998). The use of multivariate analysis to link sediment contamination and toxicity data to establish sediment quality guidelines: An example in the Gulf of Cadiz (Spain). Ciencias Marinas, 24(2), 127–154.
Eimers, M. C., Evans, R. D., & Welbourn, P. M. (2002). Partitioning and bioaccumulation of cadmium in artificial sediment systems: Applications of a stable isotope tracer technique. Chemosphere, 46, 543–551. doi:10.1016/S0045-6535(01)00156-4.
Forstner, U. (1990). Contaminated sediments. Lecture notes in earth science (Vol. 21). Berlin: Springer.
Fostner, U., & Wittmann, G. T. W. (1983). Metal pollution in the aquatic environment. Berlin: Springer.
Gaudette, H. E., Flight, W. R., Toner, L., & Folger, D. W. (1974). An inexpensive titration method for the determination of organic carbon in recent sediments. Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, 44(1), 249–253.
Ghrefat, H., & Yusuf, N. (2006). Assessing Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn and Cd pollution in bottom sediments of Wadi Al-Arab Dam, Jordan. Chemosphere, 65, 2114–2121. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2006.06.043.
Gibbs, R. J. (1972). Water chemistry of the Amazon River. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 36, 1061–1066. doi:10.1016/0016-7037(72)90021-X.
Glasby, G. P., Szefer, P., Geldon, J., & Warzocha, J. (2004). Heavy-metal pollution of sediments from Szczecin Lagoon and the Gdansk Basin, Poland. The Science of the Total Environment, 330, 249–269. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2004.04.004.
Haque, M. A., & Subramanian, V. (1982). Cu, Pb and Zn Pollution of soil environment. CRC Critical Reviews in Environmental Control, 12, 13–90.
Hollert, H., Keiter, S., Konig, N., Rudolf, M., Ulrich, M., & Braunbeck, T. (2003). A new sediment contact assay to assess particulate-bound pollutants using Zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryos. Journal of Soils and Sediments, 3, 197–207. doi:10.1065/jss2003.09.085.
Hung, J. J., & Hsu, C. L. (2004). Present state and historical changes of trace metal pollution in Kaoping coastal sediments, southwestern Taiwan. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 49, 986–998. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2004.06.028.
Khaled, A., El Nemer, A., & El Sikaly, A. (2006). An assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of the Suez Gulf using geoaccumulation indexes and statistical analysis. Chemistry and Ecology, 22(3), 236–252. doi:10.1080/02757540600658765.
Langston, W. J. (1986). Metals in sediments and benthic organisms in Mersey estuary. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 23, 239–261. doi:10.1016/0272-7714(86)90057-0.
Lester, J. N., Sterritt, R. M., & Kirk, P. W. W. (1983). Significance and behaviour of heavy metals in waste water treatment processes II. Sludge treatment and disposal. The Science of the Total Environment, 30, 45–83. doi:10.1016/0048-9697(83)90003-7.
Liaghati, T., Preda, M., & Cox, M. (2003). Heavy metal distribution and controlling factors within coastal plain sediments, Bells Creek catchment, southeast Queensland, Australia. Environment International, 29, 935–948. doi:10.1016/S0160-4120(03)00060-6.
Loring, D. H., & Rantala, R. T. T. (1992). Manual for the geochemical analyses of marine sediments and suspended particulate matter. Marine, Earth-Science Reviews, 32, 235. doi:10.1016/0012-8252(92)90001-A.
Loska, K., & Wiechula, D. (2003). Application of principal component analysis for the estimation of source heavy metal contamination in surface sediments from Rybnik Reservoir. Chemosphere, 51, 723–733. doi:10.1016/S0045-6535(03)00187-5.
Luoma, S. N., & Bryan, G. W. (1981). A statistical assessment of the form of trace metals in oxidized estuarine sediments employing chemical extractants. The Science of the Total Environment, 17, 165–196. doi:10.1016/0048-9697(81)90182-0.
MacFarlane, G. R., & Burchett, M. D. (2000). Cellular distribution of Cu, Pb and Zn in the Grey Mangrove Avicennia marina (Forsk.). Vierh Aquatic Botany, 68, 45–59. doi:10.1016/S0304-3770(00)00105-4.
Marcovecchio, J. E., Lara, R. J., & Gomez, E. (1986). Total mercury in marine sediments near a sewage outfall. Relation with organic matter. Environmental Technology Letters, 7, 501–507. doi:10.1080/09593338609384438.
Morillo, J., Usero, J., & Gracia, I. (2002). Partitioning of metals in sediments from the Odiel River (Spain). Environment International, 28, 263–271. doi:10.1016/S0160-4120(02)00033-8.
Muller, G. (1969). Index of geoaccumulation in sediments of the Rhine River. Geological Journal, 2, 109–118.
Murray, K. S., Cauvent, D., Lybeer, M., & Thomas, J. C. (1999). Particle size and chemical control of heavy metals in bed sediment from the Rouge River, southeast Michigan. Environmental Science & Technology, 33, 397–404. doi:10.1021/es9807946.
Nuremberg, H. W. (1984). The voltammetric approach in trace metal chemistry of natural waters and atmospheric precipitation. Analytica Chimica Acta, 164, 1–21. doi:10.1016/S0003-2670(00)85613-5.
Ramamoorthy, S., & Rust, B. R. (1976). Mercury sorption and desorption characteristics of some Ottawa River sediments. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 13, 530–536. doi:10.1139/e76-056.
Reddy, M. S., Basha, S., Sravan Kumar, V. G., Joshi, H. V., & Ramachandraiah, G. (2004). Distribution, enrichment and accumulation of heavy metals in coastal sediments of Alang-Sosiya ship scrapping yard, India. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 48, 1055–1059. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2003.12.011.
Rodríguez-Barroso, M. R., Benhamou, Y., El Hatimi, I., El Moumni, B., & García-Morales, J. L. (2006). Thermal analysis in the evaluation of sediment pollution. Environmental Technology, 27, 1001–1009. doi:10.1080/09593332708618708.
Rodríguez-Barroso, M. R., Ramírez-del Solar, M., Blanco, E., Quiroga, J. M., & García-Morales, J. L. (2008). Qualitative estimation of heavy metals in marine sediment using thermal analysis. Soil and Sediment Contamination: An International Journal, 17, 107–120. doi:10.1080/15320380701870260.
Rodríguez-Barroso, M. R., Ramírez-del Solar, M., Blanco, E., Quiroga, J. M., & García-Morales, J. L. (2009a). Thermal analysis (TGA) assessed as an alternative method for characterization of sediment contamination. Environmental Engineering Science, 26, 279–287. doi:10.1089/ees.2007.0221.
Rodríguez-Barroso, M. R., Benhamou, Y., El Hatimi, I., El Moumni, B., & García-Morales, J. L. (2009b). Evaluation of metal contamination in sediments from north of Morocco: Geochemical and statistical approaches. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. doi:10.1007/s10661-008-0620-z.
Selvaraj, K., Ram Mohan, V. & Szefer, P (2004). Evaluation of metal contamination in coastal sediments of the Bay of Bengal, India: Geochemical and statistical approaches. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 49, 174–185. doi:10.1016/j.marpolbul.2004.02.006.
Turekian, K. K. & Wedepohl, K. H (1961). Distribution of the elements in some major units of the earth’s crust. Geological Society of America Bulletin, 72, 175–192. doi:10.1130/0016-7606(1961)72[175:DOTEIS]2.0.CO;2.
USEPA (1997). An SAB report: Review of the agency’s draft ecological risk assessment guidelines. Washington, DC: Science Advisory Board United States Environmental Protection Agency. EPA-SAB-EPEC- 97-002.
Usero, J., García, A., & Fraidías, J. (2000). Calidad de las aguas y sedimentos del Litoral Andaluz. Editorial. Junta de Andalucía (164 p.). Sevilla: Consejería del Medio Ambiente.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rodríguez-Barroso, M.R., García-Morales, J.L., Coello Oviedo, M.D. et al. An assessment of heavy metal contamination in surface sediment using statistical analysis. Environ Monit Assess 163, 489–501 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-0852-6
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-0852-6