Historical sources and ecological risk trends of typical toxic pollutants in sediments from Taihu Lake, Yangtze Delta, China

Ning Li; Zhonghua Zhao; Lu Zhang; Huanchao Zhang; Genmei Wang; Xuefeng Xie; Ke Liu; Zhenyi Jia; Xinyu Cheng; Jiale Wen; Yan Li

Ecological Indicators (Feb 2024)

Historical sources and ecological risk trends of typical toxic pollutants in sediments from Taihu Lake, Yangtze Delta, China

Ning Li,
Zhonghua Zhao,
Lu Zhang,
Huanchao Zhang,
Genmei Wang,
Xuefeng Xie,
Ke Liu,
Zhenyi Jia,
Xinyu Cheng,
Jiale Wen,
Yan Li

Affiliations

Ning Li: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Zhonghua Zhao: State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; Corresponding authors at: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.
Lu Zhang: State Key Laboratory of Lake Science and Environment, Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China
Huanchao Zhang: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Genmei Wang: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China
Xuefeng Xie: Key Laboratory of Watershed Earth Surface Processes and Ecological Security, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
Ke Liu: College of Resources and Environment, Henan University of Economics and Law, Zhengzhou, Henan, China
Zhenyi Jia: Key Laboratory of Watershed Earth Surface Processes and Ecological Security, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, Zhejiang, China
Xinyu Cheng: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Jiale Wen: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
Yan Li: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China; Key Laboratory of Geographic Information Science of the Ministry of Education, School of Geographic Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China; Corresponding authors at: Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 159
p. 111679

Abstract

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The long-term changes of heavy metals (HMs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments can reflect the ecological risks (ER) caused by their pollution sources in different historical periods. This is of great significance to the improvement of environmental protection policies in the future. The study area is located in Taihu Lake, China. 137Cs and 210Pb were used for dating. Indicators related to local socio-economic development were introduced to optimize source identification in the absolute principal component score multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) model. On this basis, the mean effect range median quotient (M-ERM-Q) method was used to evaluate the ER of source-oriented HMs and PAHs at different ages. The HMs content was relatively stable from 1949 to 2015, and then increased significantly. The PAH contents were on the rise during the whole historical period. The average contribution rate of traffic emission and fertilization to HMs was 50.59 % and 49.41 %. Ecological risk caused by Traffic emitted pollutants was relatively stable before 2015, then increased sharply, and finally reached a medium–high level. However, fertilization ER has always maintained an increasing trend and accelerated after 1980, ultimately reaching medium–low ER. The contribution rates of coal combustion, mixed sources (biomass and coal) and gasoline combustion to PAHs were 13.20 %, 52.45 % and 34.36 %, respectively. The ER of mixed sources and gasoline combustion showed a gradually increasing trend before 2007, and then began to decrease. However, coal combustion ER has been increasing, and the increase accelerated in 2000. Nevertheless, the ER of these three sources was still low. Overall, a certain degree of HMs pollution has been caused by traffic emissions and fertilization in recent years. Local governments should prioritize the control of these two sources to protect the Taihu Lake ecosystem.

Published in Ecological Indicators

ISSN: 1470-160X (Print); 1872-7034 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General): Ecology
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/ecological-indicators

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