Determining the Regional Geochemical Background for Dissolved Trace Metals and Metalloids in Stream Waters: Protocol, Results and Limitations—The Upper Loire River Basin (France)

Heavy metal habitat: A novel framework for mapping heavy metal contamination over large-scale catchment with a species distribution model

Heavy metal(loid)s (HMs) have been consistently entering the food chain, imposing great harm on environment and public health. However, previous studies on the spatial dynamics and transport mechanism of HMs have been profoundly limited by the field sampling issues, such as the uneven observations of individual carriers and their spatial mismatch, especially over large-scale catchments with complex environment. In this study, a novel methodological framework for mapping HMs at catchment scale was proposed and applied, combining a species distribution model (SDM) with physical environment and human variables. Based on the field observations, we ecologicalized HMs in different carriers as different species. This enabled the proposed framework to model the 'enrichment area' of individual HMs in the geographic space (termed as the HM 'habitat') and identify their 'hotspots' (peak value points) within the catchment. Results showed the output maps of HM habitats from secondary carriers (soil, sediment, and wet deposition) well agreed with the influence of industry contaminants, hydraulic sorting, and precipitation washout process respectively, indicating the potential of SDM in modeling the spatial distributions of the HM. The derived maps of HMs from secondary carriers, along with the human and environmental variables were then input as explanatory variables in SDM to predict the spatial patterns of the final HM accumulation in river water, which was observed to have largely improved the prediction quality. These results confirmed the value of our framework to leverage SDMs from ecology perspective to study HM contamination transport at catchment scale, offering new insights not only to map the spatial HM habitats but also help locate the HM transport chains among different carriers.

Potentially Toxic Elements and Pb Isotopes in Mine-Draining Meža River Catchment (NE Slovenia)

In the present study it was observed that Pb, Zn, Cd and As are still present at elevated concentrations in the environment of the upper Meža Valley. In particular, the concentrations of Pb indicate possible new sources have emerged. The main objective of this study was to determine the Pb isotope composition in both the water and the sediments (fractions < 0.150 and <0.063 mm) from the Meža River and its tributaries for the first time and then use them as identifiers of Pb pollution sources. In addition, by calculating the PEC-Q values, the potential hazard of the present concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd and As to the river environment was evaluated. The results showed elevated Pb and Zn concentrations in the water and sediments at the majority of sampling sites. In general, higher concentrations of Pb, Cd and As were determined in the <0.063 mm fraction, while Zn was higher in the <0.150 mm fraction. The isotope composition of Pb in both fractions differed slightly, indicating an additional Pb source.

Elements’ Content in Stream Sediment and Wildfire Ash of Suburban Areas in West Attica (Greece)

The composition of sediments and other materials occurring in streams, geochemical processes within the drainage basin, and various land uses are among the main factors influencing stream water composition. Stream sediment and wildfire ash samples were gathered from the area studied. The applied methodology consists of aqua regia and Diethylene-Triamine-Penta-Acetic acid (DTPA) chemical extraction; Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), pH, and soil organic matter (OM) determination; a Geographic Information System (GIS) database; factor analysis; and determination of the contamination factor (CF) for the assessment of contamination degree. This study aimed to evaluate the elements’ content in stream sediments of Kineta and Nea Peramos areas (West Attica, Greece) and investigate any relationship between elements (aqua regia and DTPA extracted) in stream sediment and ash in wildfire and flood-impacted areas. The stream sediments’ properties, the bioavailable forms of copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn), and the total content of other potentially toxic elements in wildfire ash samples, are discussed. This research estimated moderate contamination for FeDTPA, MnDTPA and ZnDTPA in stream sediments of the study area. Contamination for CuDTPA and moderate contamination for ZnDTPA in the stream sediments of the Nea Peramos area was recorded. Factor analysis results suggested that the contents of FeDTPA, MnDTPA, CuDTPA and ZnDTPA in the study area’s stream sediments may affect the chemistry of stream water.