Correlation assessment and monitoring of the potential pollutants in the surface sediments of Pyeongchang River, Korea

• Published in: International journal of sediment research Vol. 26; no. 2; pp. 152 - 162
• Main Authors: KABIR, Md. Imran, LEE, Hosik, KIM, Geonha, JUN, Taesung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01.06.2011; Research Assistant, Environmental Water Quality Lab, Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungju National University, Daehak-ro 72, Chungju, 380 702, South Korea%Department of Environmental Engineering, Chungju National University, Daehak-ro 72, Chungju, 380702, South Korea%Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Hannam University, Ojungdong, Daedukku,Daejeon 306 791, South Korea(Present address:Lecturer,Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering,Shahjalal University of Scienceand Technology,Sylhet-3114,Bangladesh)
• Subjects: Assessments; Contamination; Ecological risk index; Ecology; Heavy metals; Magnesium; Pollution abatement; Pollution load index; Priority index; Risk; Rivers; Sediments; Simplified geoaccumulation risk index; 无机污染; 污染物监测; 生态风险; 表层沉积物; 评估基准; 重金属污染; 韩国; 风险指数; Korea, Rep; Priority index; Ecological risk index; Sediments; Heavy metals; Simplified geoaccumulation risk index; Pollution load index; Sediments Pollution load index
• ISSN: 1001-6279
• DOI: 10.1016/S1001-6279(11)60083-8

The study provides a baseline for the assessment of the organic and inorganic pollution specially, heavy metal contamination in the surface sediments of Pyeongchang River, South Korea. The assessment of the study areas was done with respect to metal pollution load, ecological risk and geoaccumulated risk. Based upon the used indices, a priority index （Pi,,aex） was used to rank the utmost contaminated sites. Though the concentrations of mercury in all sediments were below the guideline, the significant enriched contamination was observed by all applied indices. As expected, the values of pollution load index （PL1）, ecological risk index （R/） and geoaccumulation risk index （Igeo） demonstrated lower heavy metal contamination in upstream areas compared to the downstream. Admittedly, sediments were unpolluted to slightly-polluted according to PLI while high to extremely high ecological risks were observed in several sediment samples. Furthermore, all the samples were uncontaminated as per Igeo. After simplification of Igeo, the Pinaex showed the utmost contaminated sediments with a value of 2.537. Notably, protective measures should be taken to the highly contaminated areas which are prioritized by Pindex. Admittedly, the maximum concentrations of total organic carbon, total nitrogen, inorganic nitrogen, total phosphorous, inorganic phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium were significantly observed as 7.8×10^4, 3,185, 36, 1,032, 3.7, 1,5163, 2,881,669 and 4,076mg/kg accordingly.