Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)

The contamination of aquatic sediments by metals is a worldwide phenomenon and its assessment is a fairly complex issue, as numerous factors affect the distribution of particular contaminants in the environment, as well as their bioavailability. Wigry Lake, as the object of this study, is almost a p...

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Main Authors: Anna Kostka, Andrzej Leśniak
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-02-01
Series:Minerals
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/2/158
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spelling doaj-2952e1f30f3c493d88e16d85f78112572021-02-04T00:04:33ZengMDPI AGMinerals2075-163X2021-02-011115815810.3390/min11020158Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)Anna Kostka0Andrzej Leśniak1Department of Environmental Protection, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, PolandDepartment of Geoinformatics and Applied Computer Science, Faculty of Geology, Geophysics and Environmental Protection, AGH University of Science and Technology, Al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, PolandThe contamination of aquatic sediments by metals is a worldwide phenomenon and its assessment is a fairly complex issue, as numerous factors affect the distribution of particular contaminants in the environment, as well as their bioavailability. Wigry Lake, as the object of this study, is almost a perfect water body for such considerations. It has been well investigated and densely sampled (up to 459 sediment samples). The quantities of seven metals were determined using the atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-MS methods, following previous extraction in a microwave oven. The levels of concentration of the examined elements were as follows (min–max (mg·kg<sup>−1</sup>)): Cd—0.003–3.060; Cr—0.20–22.61; Cu—0.02–59.70; Fe—80–32,857; Mn—18–1698; Pb—7.0–107.5; Zn—3.1–632.1. Significant differences were also registered in terms of particular metal concentrations in different sediment types found at the lake bottom. Five different geochemical backgrounds and sediment quality guidelines implemented in the study enabled a very scrupulous contamination assessment of the lake sediments’ condition, as well as the evaluation of the natural and anthropogenic contribution to the enrichment of examined sediments in metals. Although Wigry Lake is situated in a pristine region, it is still subject to anthropopressure, which seems to be the lowest in respect to Cr and Mn, while the highest in the case of Pb. The chemoecological state of the lake was ultimately assessed as good. The study highlighted the necessity of an integrated approach to the assessment of contamination or pollution in the course of an environmental research.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/2/158lacustrine sedimentsmetalsgeochemical mappingspatial distributioncontamination assessmentenvironmental risk assessments
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Anna Kostka
Andrzej Leśniak
spellingShingle Anna Kostka
Andrzej Leśniak
Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)
Minerals
lacustrine sediments
metals
geochemical mapping
spatial distribution
contamination assessment
environmental risk assessments
author_facet Anna Kostka
Andrzej Leśniak
author_sort Anna Kostka
title Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)
title_short Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)
title_full Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)
title_fullStr Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)
title_full_unstemmed Natural and Anthropogenic Origin of Metals in Lacustrine Sediments; Assessment and Consequences—A Case Study of Wigry Lake (Poland)
title_sort natural and anthropogenic origin of metals in lacustrine sediments; assessment and consequences—a case study of wigry lake (poland)
publisher MDPI AG
series Minerals
issn 2075-163X
publishDate 2021-02-01
description The contamination of aquatic sediments by metals is a worldwide phenomenon and its assessment is a fairly complex issue, as numerous factors affect the distribution of particular contaminants in the environment, as well as their bioavailability. Wigry Lake, as the object of this study, is almost a perfect water body for such considerations. It has been well investigated and densely sampled (up to 459 sediment samples). The quantities of seven metals were determined using the atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) or inductively coupled plasma (ICP)-MS methods, following previous extraction in a microwave oven. The levels of concentration of the examined elements were as follows (min–max (mg·kg<sup>−1</sup>)): Cd—0.003–3.060; Cr—0.20–22.61; Cu—0.02–59.70; Fe—80–32,857; Mn—18–1698; Pb—7.0–107.5; Zn—3.1–632.1. Significant differences were also registered in terms of particular metal concentrations in different sediment types found at the lake bottom. Five different geochemical backgrounds and sediment quality guidelines implemented in the study enabled a very scrupulous contamination assessment of the lake sediments’ condition, as well as the evaluation of the natural and anthropogenic contribution to the enrichment of examined sediments in metals. Although Wigry Lake is situated in a pristine region, it is still subject to anthropopressure, which seems to be the lowest in respect to Cr and Mn, while the highest in the case of Pb. The chemoecological state of the lake was ultimately assessed as good. The study highlighted the necessity of an integrated approach to the assessment of contamination or pollution in the course of an environmental research.
topic lacustrine sediments
metals
geochemical mapping
spatial distribution
contamination assessment
environmental risk assessments
url https://www.mdpi.com/2075-163X/11/2/158
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