Heavy metal pollution status in surface sediments of Swan Lake lagoon and Rongcheng Bay in the northern Yellow Sea

The national ‘Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone Development Plan’ compels the further understanding of the distribution and potential risk of metals pollution in the east coast of China, where the rapid economic and urban development have been taken off and metal pollution has become a noticeable problem. Surface sediments collected from the largest swan habitat in Asia, the Swan Lake lagoon and the surrounding coastal area in Rongcheng Bay in northern Yellow Sea, were analyzed for the total metal concentrations and chemical phase partitioning of five heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, and Cr). Metal contents in the studied region have increased significantly in the past decade. The speciation analyzed by the sequential extraction showed that Zn and Cr were present dominantly in the residual fraction and thus of low bioavailability, while Cd, Pb and Cu were found mostly in the non-residual fraction thus of high potential availability, indicating significant anthropogenic sources. Among the five metals, Cd is the most outstanding pollutant and presents high risk, and half of the surface sediments in the studied region had a 21% probability of toxicity based on the mean Effect Range-Median Quotient. At some stations with comparable total metal contents, remarkably different non-residual fraction portions were determined, pointing out that site-specific risk assessment integrating speciation is crucial for better management practices of coastal sediments.     

新村港海草床生态系统健康评价

通过分析2004—2009年海南岛新村港海草床生态系统的水环境、沉积环境、生物残毒、栖息地、生物等5类18项评价指标的调查数据,并根据《近岸海洋生态健康评价指南》(HYT 087—2005)的评价标准,对新村港海草床生态系统的健康状况进行评价。结果显示,新村港水质、沉积环境、生物残毒和栖息地等4个评价指标的健康状况为健康,健康指数分别为11.4、9.0、7.1、13.0,水环境健康指数临近亚健康临界值;生物评价指标的健康状况为亚健康,健康指数为30.0;综合以上5类指标评价,新村港海草床生态系统的健康状况为亚健康,健康指数为70.5。海水养殖、污水排放、海洋工程、渔业活动等是导致海草床退化、底栖生物减少、水环境质量下降的主要原因。