Distribution of Trace Metals in Ice and Water of Liaodong Bay, China

Weijun Guo (), Sihong Liu, Xiangpeng Kong, Lixin Sun and Jibing Zou
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Weijun Guo: College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Sihong Liu: College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Xiangpeng Kong: College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Lixin Sun: College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China
Jibing Zou: College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian 116026, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-11

Abstract: Trace metal pollution in coastal seas has been of great concern because of its persistence, toxicity, and biological accumulation through the food chain. The role of sea ice in trace metal transport and distribution in Liaodong Bay is still unknown. Sea ice and water samples were collected in Liaodong Bay in February 2021 to assess the distributions of Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn, Cr and Hg during the frozen season. Total dissolved (<0.45 μm) and particulate (>0.45 μm) heavy metal concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and Cr) and atomic fluorescence spectrophotometer (Hg). The ice held significantly higher levels of total Cr when compared to water. There were no significant differences in total concentrations of Cu, Pb, Cd, Zn and Hg between water and ice samples. An analysis of dissolved-to-total metal ratios shows that all studied metals in the dissolved phase, except Hg, are found exclusively in Liaodong Bay nearshore ice as a result of desalination. Concentrations of particulate metals are higher in sea ice than in seawater due to suspended/bed sediment entrainment and atmospheric deposition. The partitioning coefficients of six trace metals are not increased with the increase in the concentration of particulate matter in sea ice due to sediment accumulation. The redistribution of trace metals between seawater and ice was a result of comprehensive effects of physico-chemical processes and environmental factors, such as chemical oxygen demand, salinity, and suspended particulate material.

Keywords: trace metal; sea ice; partitioning coefficient; Liaodong Bay (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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