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. 2019 Oct 8;9(1):14445.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51027-w.

Anthropogenic enrichment of the chemical composition of bottom sediments of water bodies in the neighborhood of a non-ferrous metal smelter (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland)

Robert Machowski  1 , Martyna A Rzetala  2 , Mariusz Rzetala  2 , Maksymilian Solarski  2
Affiliations

Anthropogenic enrichment of the chemical composition of bottom sediments of water bodies in the neighborhood of a non-ferrous metal smelter (Silesian Upland, Southern Poland)

Robert Machowski et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

An assessment was carried out of the anthropogenic enrichment of the chemical composition of the bottom sediments of water bodies situated in an area with an urban and industrial character (63.7% of the total area). The endorheic catchments of the water bodies studied are lithologically uniform with sandy formations accounting for more than 90% of the surface area. On the basis of geoaccumulation index values, it was found that the bottom sediments of the water bodies studied were contaminated with the following elements: Cd, Zn, S, As, Pb, Sr, Co, Cr, Cu, Ba, Ni, V, Be, in degrees ranging from moderate to extreme, with lower contamination (or absence of contamination) with the same elements being found in the formations present in the vicinity and in the substrate of the basins of water bodies. It was found that one consequence of the fact that these water bodies are located in urban and industrial areas is that there is anthropogenic enrichment of the chemical composition of bottom sediments with certain basic components (organic matter, Mn, Ca and P compounds) and trace elements: Cd, Zn, Pb, Sb, As, Cu and Co, Br, Ni, S, Be, Cs, Sr, V, Cr, Sc, Ba, U, Ce, Eu and Th, with virtually no enrichment of sediments with the other basic and trace components analysed (La, Rb, K2O, Nd, Sm, Na2O, Hf, SiO2, Zr).

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The water bodies are situated around the place where the Rawa River enters the Brynica River with bottom sediment sampling sites marked (samples labelled 1–16) and surface formation sampling sites marked (samples labelled a–f). The samples were collected for geochemical analysis purposes.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Surface formations in the catchments of endorheic water bodies and in their surroundings (Detailed… simplified and supplemented): 1 – fluvial deposits in general (Holocene); 2 – sands and gravels on accumulation terraces (Pleistocene); 3 – sandy and silty boulder clay eluvia (Pleistocene); 4 – glacial and fluvioglacial sands and gravels (Pleistocene); 5 – grey shales with sandstones and coal, sandstones, conglomerates, coal (Carboniferous); 6 – water bodies; 7 – surface watercourses; 8 – catchment boundaries; 9 – non-ferrous metal smelter.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The main forms of land use in the catchments of endorheic water bodies and in their vicinity: 1 – built-up urban areas; 2 – industrial areas (including industrial wasteland); 3 – communications infrastructure; 4 – forests, plantations, cultivated green areas, 5 – meadows (including abandoned agricultural land); 6 – agricultural land; 7 – watercourses and water bodies; 8 – boundaries of endorheic water body catchments; 9 – non-ferrous metal smelter.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Geoaccumulation index values for bottom sediments in water bodies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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