Spatial distribution and sources of heavy metals in the sediment and soils of the Yancheng coastal ecosystem and associated ecological risks

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 30; no. 7; pp. 18843 - 18860
• Main Authors: Ni, Xin, Zhao, Guangming, Ye, Siyuan, Li, Guangxue, Yuan, Hongming, He, Lei, Su, Dapeng, Ding, Xigui, Xie, Liujuan, Pei, Shaofeng, Laws, Edward A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-02-2023
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Cadmium; China; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Poaceae; Research Article; Risk Assessment; Soil; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; China; Ecological risk; Spatial distribution; Source identification; Yancheng wetland; Heavy metals
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23295-z

Studies of heavy metal pollution are essential for the protection of coastal environments. In this study, positive matrix factorization (PMF) and a GeoDetector model were used to evaluate the sources of heavy metal contamination and associated ecological risks along the Yancheng Coastal Wetland. The distribution of heavy metals was shown to be greatly affected by clay content, except for Cr in shoal. Components from 6.5 to 9
φ
have the strongest ability to absorb heavy metals, where the effects of Cd and Zn sequestration in the wetlands were most apparent. The abilities of various wetland environments to sequester heavy metals were shown to be
Spartina alterniflora
wetland > woodland > 
Phragmites australis
wetland > aquaculture pond > shoal > paddy > meadow > dry land. The sources of the heavy metals included parent soil material (59%), agriculture (15%), and industrial pollutants (26%). According to the single-factor pollution index, there was no evidence of pollution except Cr and Pb. In general, the heavy metal pollution was insignificant. The order of pollution loading index was shoal > paddy field > dry land > 
Spartina Alterniflora wetland
 > aquaculture ponds > woodland > meadow > 
Phragmites australis
wetland. The ecological harm of heavy metal exposure was slight except for Cd and Hg, where vehicle emissions appeared to be the main cause of heavy metal pollution.