An overview of heavy metal pollution in Chaohu Lake, China: enrichment, distribution, speciation, and associated risk under natural and anthropogenic changes

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 26; no. 29; pp. 29585 - 29596
• Main Authors: Fang, Ting, Yang, Kun, Lu, Wenxuan, Cui, Kai, Li, Jing, Liang, Yangyang, Hou, Guanjun, Zhao, Xiuxia, Li, Hui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.10.2019; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural expansion; Algae; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric pollution deposition; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biogeochemical cycles; Cadmium; Chemical speciation; China; Chromium; Climate change; Coal-fired power plants; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecological effects; Ecotoxicology; Electric power generation; Enrichment; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental Monitoring; Environmental science; Fluxes; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Heavy metals; Hydrology; Industry; Intensive farming; Lakes; Lakes - analysis; Lakes - chemistry; Land use; Lead; Low concentrations; Low level; Mercury; Mercury (metal); Metal concentrations; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Organic chemistry; Organic matter; Pollution; Population growth; Power plants; Review Article; Risk; Soil; Soil erosion; Spatial distribution; Spatio-Temporal Analysis; Speciation; Toxicity; Urbanization; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water pollution; Water Pollution Control; China; Chaohu Lake; Chaohu Lake; Risk; Natural and anthropogenic changes; Heavy metals; Speciation; Distribution
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-019-06210-x

An exhaustive overview of heavy metal pollution in Chaohu Lake illustrating enrichment intensity, temporal and spatial distribution, chemical speciation, and ecological risk under natural and anthropogenic changes was conducted. Low concentrations of heavy metals excluding Hg were found in water whereas high Hg might be ascribed to surrounding coal-fired power plants. Copper, Pb, Zn, Cd, and Hg were enriched in sediment whereas Cr and Ni were comparable to background values. Besides, As demonstrated an equal accumulation from natural and anthropogenic fluxes. Heavy metals were at a low level prior to the 1950s; it increased gradually during the 1950s–1960s owing to population growth and agricultural expansion; then it displayed abrupt increase since the late 1970s due to rapid modern urbanization and industrialization and agricultural intensification. Spatial distribution of heavy metals was a good indicator of natural and anthropogenic changes, where higher enrichment was found in the western lake. Apart from fluvial input, anthropogenic disturbances such as land use changes, atmospheric deposition, and algae-derived organic matter, along with natural stressors including climate change, hydrological alteration, and soil erosion, made significant contribution to the biogeochemical cycle of heavy metals in the lake. Heavy metals mainly from anthropogenic sources were dominantly partitioned in non-residual fractions, whereas those mainly from natural sources were predominantly distributed in residual form. Mercury and Cd were below the threshold effect concentration (TEC) indicating that adverse effects were excluded. However, result of chemical speciation demonstrated Cd would pose a considerable potential ecological risk. Besides, most of the heavy metals were in the range of TEC-PEC suggesting possible toxicity.