Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2013, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (2): 118-127.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2013.02.014cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2013.02.014

• Marine Environment Protection • Previous Articles    

Distribution characteristics of cadmium and assessment of its potential ecological risk in the surface sediments of five typical bays in the east coast areas of Guangdong Province

ZHANG Xiao-hua1,2, ZHONG Li-feng1, MIAO Li1, HUANG Wei-xia1,2, YAN Wen1   

  1. 1. CAS Key Laboratory of Marginal Sea Geology, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; 2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2011-12-20 Revised:2013-06-10 Online:2013-06-10 Published:2013-06-10

Abstract:

Contents of cadmium (Cd) were determined using 64 surface sediments collected from five typical bays in the east coast areas of Guangdong Province. The distribution characteristics of Cd in the surface sediments and their main factors were discussed. Meanwhile, their potential ecological risk indexes were calculated with respect to the background value of the continental shelf of the South China Sea. The results showed that content ranges of Cd in Zhelin Bay, Shantou Bay, Shanwei Bay, Daya Bay, and Dapeng Bay were 0.04-0.58, 0.06-6.63, 0.06-0.11, 0.04-0.20, and 0.08-0.15 mg·kg-1, with the distributions showing that the contents of Cd in culture farming areas and the seas near Sanbaimen Dam, sandbreak dam and Haowangjiao were higher than in other areas and that the content increased from inshore to offshore, from west to east in Shantou Bay and were high in the outer bay in Daya Bay and Dapeng Bay. Heavy metals’ inputs and hydrodynamic conditions were the decisive factors in controlling the Cd distribution. Ecological risk assessment revealed that potential ecological risks in culture farming areas and the seas near Sanbaimen Dam, sandbreak dam and Haowangjiao were above the average level, which suggested that pollutions were serious. The Cd from industrial pollutants’ input carried by the rivers, coastal sewages, aquaculture settlements, anthropogenic emissions by industrial transfers, and metal deposits discharges had already caused environmental pollutions. We should pay more attentions to the situation.

Key words: cadmium, potential ecological risk, surface sediment, typical bay, east coast areas of Guangdong Province

CLC Number: 

  • P76