The Factors for Transformation between the Fractions of Speciation of Trace Metals in Lake Sediments

Objective Despite the fact that the bioavailability of trace metals indicated by their speciation has been an indispensable parameter in the assessment and treatment of the environmental pollution of trace metals, many studies have suggested that the bioavailability of trace metals may change according to the conditions of the environment, and the speciation of trace metals can also transform between some fractions. These transformations are related with these factors such as the compositions, microorganism, time, and other physical-chemical conditions of the system. Our work aims to systematically investigate and probe the factors to affect the transformation aside from analysis at certain time-place. The results of these understanding and investigations can be used for reasonably determining the allocation of financial and technical resources in natural and engineered processes, with bringing about inspirations from the evolution of the speciation of the trace metals on environmental impacts.

Radiocarbon ages of different fractions of peat on coastal lowland of Bohai Bay: marine influence?

Peat in boreholes is the most important ^(14)C dating material used for constructing age framework. 20 bulk peat samples were collected from five boreholes, the ^(14)C ages of two fractions(organic sediment fraction and peat fraction) of the bulk peat samples were investigated by AMS-dating and which fraction is better to help construct an age framework for the boreholes were compared and discussed. The results indicated that the peat fraction give a good dating results sequence in the boreholes, compared with the corresponding organic sediment fraction. And the dating results of organic sediment fraction show 161-6 702 years older than corresponding peat fraction, which was caused by marine influence. Then, we suggest an experience formula as y =0.99 x-466.5 by the correlation analysis for correcting the marine influenced organic sediment ages within the conventional ages between 4 000 to 9 000 yrs BP, and more study should be carried out for the AMS ^(14)C dating of the bulk organic sediments.

Distribution,fractionation,and contamination assessment of heavy metals in offshore surface sediments from western Xiamen Bay,China

Surface sediment samples were collected at 21 offshore sites in western Xiamen Bay, Southeast China. Total concentrations of Li, V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, St, Mn, Pb, Ba, Fe, and Ti were determined by inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry; Hg was determined by atomic fluorescence spectrometry. A modified BCR sequential extraction procedure was used to extract fractions of the above elements. Concentrations of Pb, Cr, and Hg at most sites met the primary standard criteria of Marine Sediment Quality except site S12 for Pb and S7 for Cr, while concentrations of Zn at 17 sites and Cu at seven sites exceeded the criteria. The mean concentration of Hg was three times higher than the background, with a possible source being the Jiulong River. Fe, Ti, Ba, Co, V, and Li dominated the residual phase, mainly from terrestrial input. Ni, Cr, Pb, and Hg in the non-residual phase varied largely between sites. Sr, Mn, Cu, and Zn were mainly in the non- residual fraction. Most sites showed considerable ecological risk; exceptions were site S7 （very high） and sites S10, S11, and S14 （moderate）. Cu showed moderate-to-high pollution and Pb exhibited no-to-low pollution, while other metals had a non-pollution status according to their ratios of secondary phase to primary phase （RSP）. Results of two assessment methods showed moderate pollution and a very high ecological risk for Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cr at site S7, which might be due to the local sewage treatment plant.

A method for simulating sediment incipient motion varying with time and space in an ocean model(FVCOM):development and validation

We modified the sediment incipient motion in a numerical model and evaluated the impact of this modification using a study case of the coastal area around Weihai, China. The modified and unmodified versions of the model were validated by comparing simulated and observed data of currents, waves, and suspended sediment concentrations(SSC) measured from July 25^(th) to July 26^(th), 2006. A fitted Shields diagram was introduced into the sediment model so that the critical erosional shear stress could vary with time. Thus, the simulated SSC patterns were improved to more closely reflect the observed values, so that the relative error of the variation range decreased by up to 34.5% and the relative error of simulated temporally averaged SSC decreased by up to 36%. In the modified model, the critical shear stress values of the simulated silt with a diameter of 0.035 mm and mud with a diameter of 0.004 mm varied from 0.05 to 0.13 N/m^2, and from 0.05 to 0.14 N/m^2, respectively, instead of remaining constant in the unmodified model. Besides, a method of applying spatially varying fractions of the mixed grain size sediment improved the simulated SSC distribution to fit better to the remote sensing map and reproduced the zonal area with high SSC between Heini Bay and the erosion groove in the modified model. The Relative Mean Absolute Error was reduced by between 6% and 79%, depending on the regional attributes when we used the modified method to simulate incipient sediment motion. But the modification achieved the higher accuracy in this study at a cost of computation speed decreasing by 1.52%.

Assessment of the Tessier and BCR sequential extraction procedures for elemental partitioning of Ca, Fe, Mn, Al,and Ti and their application to surface sediments from Chinese continental shelf

Surface sediments can integrate a wide variety of information of seawater in marginal seas, e.g., the Quaternary sedimentary shelf such as the East China Sea（ECS） and Yellow Sea（YS）. The Tessier and BCR sequential extraction procedures（SEPs） have been widely applied for extraction of various geochemical phases from sediments. To choose a suitable SEP for phase extraction of sediments from the above Quaternary sedimentary shelf, efficiency and selectivity experiments were conducted on typical individual minerals and the applicability of each SEP was assessed for natural sediments（the natural sediment standard GSD-9 and three surface sediment samples）. The geochemical represented elements（Ca, Fe, Mn, Al, and Ti） were measured using both SEPs. Both SEPs have good dissolution efficiency and selectivity for the targeted geochemical phases; the optimized extractant volume for each fraction was determined. The Tessier SEP is particularly recommended for the study of adsorption-desorption process. The application of the Tessier SEP to surface sediments can furnish valuable information, including the productivity conditions（via the reducible fraction Mn） and sedimentary environments（via the carbonate fraction Ca）. These results confirm that the Tessier SEP is suitable for elemental fractionation in sediments from the Chinese continental shelf.

Arsenic fractionation and contamination assessment in sediments of thirteen lakes from the East Plain and Yungui Plateau Ecoregions, China

Arsenic（As） fractions in the sediments of seven lakes from East Plain Ecoregion and six lakes from Yungui Plateau Ecoregion, China, were investigated. Results indicated that the total As concentrations in sediment samples of lakes of the East Plain Lake Ecoregion are higher than those of Yungui Plateau Lake Ecoregion. Residual As is the main fraction in sediment samples of lakes from both ecoregions, followed by reducible As and soluble or oxidizable As. The total As is correlated to oxidizable As and residual As in sediment samples from both lake ecoregions. As distribution in sediment samples of lakes of the East Plain Ecoregion appears to be affected by human activity, while the As origin mainly comes from natural sources in sediment samples of lakes in the Yungui Plateau Ecoregion. The potential ecological risk index and geoaccumulation index values suggest ＂low to moderate＂ risk degree and ＂unpolluted to moderately polluted＂ for As in the studied lake sediments.