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Elemental composition of sediments in Lake Jinzai, Japan: Assessment of sources and pollution

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Abstract

Bottom sediments from Lake Jinzai in southwest Japan were analyzed to determine their chemical compositions and to assess the potential for ecological harm by comparison with sediment quality guidelines. The pollution status of lake sediments was evaluated by employing contamination factor (CF), pollution load index (PLI), and geoaccumulation index (I geo), focusing on a suite of elements in lakebed and core sediments. Elevated concentrations of As, Pb, Zn, Cu, TOC, N, and P were present in several layers of the upper core and other surface sediments. The elevated metal concentrations are likely related to the fine-grained nature of the sediments, reducing bottom conditions produced by abundant organic matter, and possibly minor non-point anthropogenic sources. Moreover, correlations between the concentrations of trace metals and organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and iron, suggest that these elements play a role in controlling abundances. Calculated CF, PLI, and I geo indicate that the sediments are strongly polluted with respect to As, moderately to strongly polluted with Zn, and moderately polluted with Pb and Cu. Metal concentrations exceed the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) lowest effect level and the Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment (CCME) interim sediment quality guidelines that indicate moderate impact on aquatic organisms in the study area.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Professor Yoshihiro Sawada of Shimane University for access to the XRF facilities, and to Emi Yokoi of Shimane University for her cooperation in sampling. The Jinzai Lake Authority gave permission to collect samples. This study was partly supported by a Research Grant-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion Science (JSPS), Japan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennoudai, Tsukuba, 305-8572, Japan

    Faruque Ahmed & Takehiko Fukushima

  2. Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M1C 1A4

    Faruque Ahmed & Carl P. J. Mitchell

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, Saitama University, Saitama, 338-8570, Japan

    M. Hawa Bibi & Takashi Asaeda

  4. Department of Geoscience, Shimane University, Matsue, 690-8504, Japan

    Hiroaki Ishiga

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  1. Faruque Ahmed
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  2. M. Hawa Bibi
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  3. Takashi Asaeda
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  4. Carl P. J. Mitchell
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  5. Hiroaki Ishiga
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  6. Takehiko Fukushima
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Correspondence to Faruque Ahmed.

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Ahmed, F., Bibi, M.H., Asaeda, T. et al. Elemental composition of sediments in Lake Jinzai, Japan: Assessment of sources and pollution. Environ Monit Assess 184, 4383–4396 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-011-2271-8

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