Heavy metal distribution in sediment of a river-connected lake

摘要

The Inner Lake, located in the north of Zhenjiang, China is a typical waterfront lake in the middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The distribution characteristics of Cd and Hg in the sediment of the lake were studied for their potential ecological risk under the strong hydrodynamic condition influenced by the Yangtze River. The method of Risk Index was applied to calculate the ecological risk of the two kinds of heavy metals, and the potential reasons of the distribution characteristics were analyzed. The results showed that: the content of Cd was over the background value of the basin with higher ecological risk than Hg below the background value. Due to the geographical location, the lake bottom topography, and the hydrodynamic conditions of the lake, the contents of Cd and Hg were the highest in the south.