Ecological Risk Assessment of Trace Metal in Pacific Sector of Arctic Ocean and Bering Strait Surface Sediments

Juan Wang, William A. Gough, Jing Yan and Zhibo Lu
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Juan Wang: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
William A. Gough: Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, Canada
Jing Yan: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Zhibo Lu: Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 8, 1-19

Abstract: The arctic region is a remote area with relatively few anthropogenic inputs, but there is increasing concern over toxic trace metal contamination in the Arctic Ocean. In this study, distribution characteristics of eight trace metals in the surface sediment of the Pacific Sector of the Arctic Ocean and Bering Strait are analyzed. The geochemical baseline value of each metal element is explored using the relative cumulative frequency curve method; the enrichment factor ( EF ), geo-accumulation index ( I geo ) and potential ecological risk index ( RI ) are applied to assess the ecological risk level of the trace metals. According to the results, Cu, As and Hg had a little more content variation, and their contents in some areas were significantly higher than the previous reports. EF values show an obvious enrichment of element As, followed by Cr element with the moderate enrichment; the enrichment of the other six elements are not related to human activity. The I geo value shows a moderately contaminated to heavily contaminated level of As and a moderately contaminated level of Cr. According to the potential ecological risk indexes in each site, most sites are at a low ecological risk level except five sites with RI/baseline values exceeding 150 which are at a moderate ecological risk level.

Keywords: trace metals; surface sediment; ecological risk assessment; enrichment factor; geo-accumulation index; potential ecological risk index (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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