Spatial distribution of Selected Heavy Metals in Surface Sediments of the EEZ of the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia
Loading...
Date
2015-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Journal of Oceanography
Abstract
Spatial distribution of selected metals (Al, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, and Co) in surface sediments in the EEZ of the east coast of Peninsular
Malaysia was investigated. The aim of this paper is to determine the distribution pattern and pollution status of heavy metals in
tropical shelf sediments since limited information is available.Heavymetal concentrations ranged between 207.58 and 491.33 šgā
gā1
for Mn, 36.13 and 125.93 šgā
gā1 for Zn, 14.49 and 22.33 šgā
gā1 for Cu, 2.00 and 11.12 šgā
gā1 for Co, 6.20 and 8.95% for Fe, and 0.94
and 6.62% for Al. The mean concentrations of heavy metals are in decreasing order as follows: Fe > Al > Mn > Zn > Cu > Co.
Most metals registered low concentrations at the nearshore areas. Pearson correlation indicates that most of the metals are derived
from the miscellaneous sources. Based on the EFs and Igeo, it is implied that the surface sediment trace metal levels in the study
area might be enriched by anthropogenic sources. However, the PLI suggests that this area is not contaminated from the measured
heavy metals. This work is important to register the current levels of metals so that any change in concentration can be monitored
and managed
Description
Keywords
Siti Nurul Hidayu Mohamad Azmi, Khawar Sultan, Joseph Bidai