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Multidecadal heavy metals and microplastic deposition records in an urban lake: the ecological risk assessments and influencing factors
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Researchers collected sediment cores from Xinghu Lake, a Chinese urban lake, and used cesium-137 and lead-210 isotopic chronology to reconstruct multidecadal deposition records of heavy metals and microplastics. The study found average comprehensive ecological risk indexes of 46.59 for heavy metals and 105.78 for microplastics, with projections indicating risks reaching high and very high levels by 2030 and 2050 respectively.
With the development of urbanization and economic growth, the urban lake ecosystem faces many challenges derived from external factors. As pollutants in the aquatic environment, heavy metals and microplastics negatively influence the urban lake ecosystem due to their intrinsic properties. To understand the distribution patterns and multidecadal deposition characteristics of heavy metals and microplastics, six sediment cores were collected in March 2021 from a Chinese urban lake, Xinghu Lake, and the isotopic composition of cesium-137 and lead-210 was analyzed for the chronology of the sediment core. Here, the classifications of comprehensive ecological risk evaluation methods for heavy metals and microplastics were adjusted further. Meanwhile, the correlations among heavy metals, microplastics, sediment grains, and natural and social factors were further analyzed. The results showed that the sediments of Xinghu Lake were mainly fine silt (39%), and the average surface area of sediment was 1.82 ± 0.60 m/g. The average concentrations of cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, lead, vanadium, and zinc were 0.268 ± 0.077, 59.91 ± 16.98, 23.29 ± 6.48, 52.16 ± 13.11, 36.83 ± 11.78, 119.57 ± 26.91, and 88.44 ± 29.68 mg/kg, respectively. The average comprehensive potential ecological risk indexes of heavy metals and microplastics in sediment cores were 46.59 ± 9.98 and 105.78 ± 23.32 in Xinghu Lake, and their risks were projected to reach high and very high levels by 2030 and 2050. The annual average temperature was the key natural factor for the abundances of heavy metals and microplastics, and the small sediment grain had a significant correlation with these. Agricultural activities were major pollution sources of heavy metals and microplastics, while the chemical fibers and plastic products were closely related to the abundance of microplastics.
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