Impact of intensive land use on heavy metal concentrations and ecological risks in an urbanized river network of Shanghai

Heavy metal pollution characteristics in the urbanized river network are closely related to urban land use. The existing studies mainly focused on the pollution characteristics of heavy metals in single rivers, but fewer studies reported the impact of land use on the concentrations and ecological risks of heavy metals in surface water and sediments of the urban river network. This study combined land use types with heavy metal pollution in rivers, and explored the specific impact of intensive land use on the characteristics of heavy metal pollution in rivers, which provided scientific basis for the study of heavy metal pollution in plain river networks. The concentrations, spatial variations and potential ecological risk levels of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in surface water and sediments from five different intensive land use areas of Shanghai river network (industrial areas, agricultural areas, central city, suburban towns and Chongming Island) were analyzed. Results showed the concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb and Zn in surface water of the Shanghai river network were relatively low, but Hg pollution existed in some rivers. Influenced by intensive land use, heavy metal concentrations in the central city were generally higher than those in other areas. Heavy metals in sediments had considerable ecological risk, in which Hg and Cd were the main contributors, and showed the highest potential ecological risk in central city. Acid volatile sulfides (AVS) and total organic carbon (TOC) in river sediments affected the migration and transformation of Cd, Hg and Zn. Industrial activities, traffic emissions and coal-burning emissions were the main sources of heavy metals. Intensive land use caused by anthropogenic activities led to the weakening of hydrodynamic conditions and the discharge of a large number of pollutants into the river network. In the central city with intensive anthropogenic activities, heavy metals in the river network showed higher levels than those in other areas. This study found that intensive land use and high-intensity anthropogenic activities led to the high pollution level of heavy metals in the plain urbanized river networks. Quantitative analyses of the effects of intensive land use on heavy metal pollution in urbanized river networks were suggested to conduct further to protect the urban river water quality.