4.7 Article

Distribution and assessment of heavy metal in sediments of Malacca Strait

Journal

MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
Volume 178, Issue -, Pages -

Publisher

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113575

Keywords

Surface sediment; Heavy metal; Sediment provenance; Contamination assessment; Malacca Strait

Funding

  1. National Programme on Global Change and Air-Sea Interaction [GASI-02-SCS-CJB01, GASI-04-HYDZ-02]
  2. Taishan Scholar Program of Shandong [tspd20181216]
  3. China-Malaysia Cooperation project Effect on variability of seasonal monsoon on sedimentary process in Peninsular Malaysia waters

Ask authors/readers for more resources

This study investigated the distribution, controlling factors, environmental quality, and primary sources of heavy metal elements in surface sediments from the Malacca Strait. Results showed that heavy metal elements were abundantly distributed near the coast of Malaysia, gradually decreasing toward the sea, and increasing in waters close to the Perak estuary. Natural weathering was the main source of heavy metals, while some were affected by human activities. The assessment of environmental quality revealed pollution-free levels for certain heavy metal elements, moderate pollution for others, and high ecological risk for Hg and high-risk index for As elements.
In this study, we explored the heavy metal elements in 42 surface sediments from the Malacca Strait in terms of distribution, controlling factors, environmental quality, and primary sources. An analysis of grain size revealed finer sediments near the coast of Malaysia, which gradually thickened toward offshore. In addition, heavy metal elements were abundantly distributed near the coastal area of Malaysia, with a gradual decrease toward the sea; their content increased within waters close to the Perak estuary. Source analysis of heavy metals showed that Cr, Hg, Zn, Cd, and Cu were mostly derived from natural weathering, and their distribution was significantly influenced by sediment grain size. As and Pb were affected by human activities. The environmental quality assessment results showed that Cu, Cr, Cd, and Zn in our study regions were pollution-free. Pb elements showed low-to-moderate pollution, and Hg showed a certain degree of ecological risk due to its high toxicity coefficient. The content of As elements in surface sediments increased significantly when compared to the background value, with several evaluation methods indicating a high-risk index. According to these findings, the area near the mouth of the Perak River is the most polluted, followed by the surrounding coastal areas.

Authors

I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.

Reviews

Primary Rating

4.7
Not enough ratings

Secondary Ratings

Novelty
-
Significance
-
Scientific rigor
-
Rate this paper

Recommended

No Data Available
No Data Available