Distribution, enrichment, and accumulation of copper in sediments of Canon River estuary, Taiwan

摘要

This study was conducted using the data collected at the Canon River estuary,Taiwan to investigate and analyze Copper (Cu) contained in the sediments,and to evaluate the enrichment and accumulation of Cu.Results of laboratory analyses show that concentrations of Cu in the sediments are between 33 and 385 mg/kg with an average of 232 ± 117 mg/kg.The spatial distribution of Cu reveals is relatively high in the boundary of the river estuary region.This indicates that upstream industrial and municipal wastewater discharges along the river bank are major sources of pollution.Results from the enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index analyses imply that the sediments collected from the river estuary can be characterized between minor to severe degree enrichment and between none to moderately strong accumulation of Cu,respectively.Base on the comparison with sediment quality guidelines,the sediments Cu concentrations may cause acute biological damage.The results can provide regulatory valuable information to be referenced for developing future strategies to renovate and manage river estuary and harbor.