Seasonal and spatial distribution of trace elements in the water and sediments of the Tsurumi River in Japan

The Tsurumi, a class-one Japanese river, has a significant metal loading originating from urban environment. Water and sediment samples were collected from 20 sites in winter and summer, 2009 and were analyzed to determine and compare the extent of different trace element enrichment. A widely used five-step sequential extraction procedure was also employed for the fractionation of the trace elements. Concentrations of zinc, copper, lead, chromium, and cadmium were three to four times higher than that of reference values and downstream sediments are much more polluted than the upstream sites. Geochemical partitioning results suggest that the potential trace metal mobility in aquatic environment was in the order of: cadmium > zinc > lead > copper > cobalt > chromium > molybdenum > nickel. About 80.2% zinc, 77.9% molybdenum, 75.3% cobalt, 63.7% lead, 60.9% copper, 55.1% chromium, and 39.8% nickel in the sediment were contributed anthropogenically. According to intensity of pollution, Tsurumi river sediments are moderately to heavily contaminated by zinc, lead, and cobalt. Enrichment factor values demonstrated that zinc, lead, and molybdenum have minor enrichment in both the season. The pollution load index (PLI) has been used to access the pollution load of different sampling sites. The area load index and average PLI values of the river were 7.77 and 4.93 in winter and 7.72 and 4.89 in summer, respectively. If the magnitude of pollution with trace metal in the river system increases continuously, it may have a severe impact on the river’s aquatic ecology.