Vertical distribution of heavy metals and enrichment in the South China Sea sediment cores.
Forty seven sediment cores recovered from the South China Sea coasts along the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia were analysed for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn using instrumental neutron activation analysis. The results indicate a homogeneous distribution except for As and Pb in all stations....
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
University of Tehran
2010
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17595/1/Vertical%20distribution%20of%20heavy%20metals%20and%20enrichment%20in%20the%20South%20China%20Sea%20sediment%20cores.pdf |
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| Summary: | Forty seven sediment cores recovered from the South China Sea coasts along the east coast of
Peninsular Malaysia were analysed for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb and Zn using instrumental neutron activation
analysis. The results indicate a homogeneous distribution except for As and Pb in all stations. Assessment of
heavy metal pollution in marine sediments requires knowledge of pre-anthropogenic metal concentrations to
act as a reference against which measured values can be compared. Primitive values for the cored sediments
were determined from shale average metal. Various methods for calculating metal enrichment and contamination
factors are reviewed in detail and a modified and more robust version of the procedure for calculating the degree
of contamination is proposed. The revised procedure allows the incorporation of a flexible range of pollutants,
including various organic species, and the degree of contamination is expressed as an average ratio rather than
an absolute summation number. Comparative data for normalized enrichment factors and the modified degree
of contamination show that the South China Sea sediments are in uncontaminated to moderately contaminated
level of heavy metal contamination. Compared to obtained values the Kelantan and Pahang big rivers mouth
show higher enrichment averaged across other sites. |
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