TY - JOUR
T1 - Historical records and contamination assessment of potential toxic elements (PTEs) over the past 100 years in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard
AU - Yang, Zhongkang
AU - Yuan, Linxi
AU - Xie, Zhouqing
AU - Wang, Jun
AU - Li, Zhaolei
AU - Tu, Luyao
AU - Sun, Liguang
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/11
Y1 - 2020/11
N2 - Ny-Ålesund has been significantly impacted by anthropogenic activities (e.g. coal mining, scientific research, tourist shipping) over the past 100 years. However, the studies of potential toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in Ny-Ålesund currently mainly focus on surface soil or surface fjord sediments, and little is known about the history and status of PTEs contamination over the past 100 years. In this study, we collected a palaeo-notch sediment profile YN, analyzed the contents of six typical PTEs (Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Se) in the sediments, and assessed the historical pollution status in Ny-Ålesund using the pollution load index, geo-accumulation index and enrichment factor. The results showed that the contents of PTEs over the past 100 years increased rapidly compared with those during the interval of 9400-100 BP. In addition, Pb, Cd and Hg showed a clear signal of enrichment and were the main polluters among the PTEs analyzed. The contamination was likely linked to gas-oil powered generators, coal mining, research station, tourist shipping and long-range transport of pollutants.
AB - Ny-Ålesund has been significantly impacted by anthropogenic activities (e.g. coal mining, scientific research, tourist shipping) over the past 100 years. However, the studies of potential toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in Ny-Ålesund currently mainly focus on surface soil or surface fjord sediments, and little is known about the history and status of PTEs contamination over the past 100 years. In this study, we collected a palaeo-notch sediment profile YN, analyzed the contents of six typical PTEs (Cu, Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Se) in the sediments, and assessed the historical pollution status in Ny-Ålesund using the pollution load index, geo-accumulation index and enrichment factor. The results showed that the contents of PTEs over the past 100 years increased rapidly compared with those during the interval of 9400-100 BP. In addition, Pb, Cd and Hg showed a clear signal of enrichment and were the main polluters among the PTEs analyzed. The contamination was likely linked to gas-oil powered generators, coal mining, research station, tourist shipping and long-range transport of pollutants.
KW - Anthropogenic activities
KW - Assessment
KW - Contamination
KW - Ny-Ålesund
KW - Potential toxic elements
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85088130739&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115205
DO - 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115205
M3 - Article
C2 - 32707354
AN - SCOPUS:85088130739
SN - 0269-7491
VL - 266
JO - Environmental Pollution
JF - Environmental Pollution
M1 - 115205
ER -