Sedimentation rates and heavy metal pollution of sediments in the Seto Inland Sea |
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| Authors: | Akira Hoshika Takayuki Shiozawa |
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| Institution: | (1) Government Industrial Research Institute, Chugoku, 15000 Hiromachi, 737-01 Kure, Japan |
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| Abstract: | In the Hiuchi-Nada area of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, sedimentation rates were determined with the Pb-210 technique, and heavy metals in sediments were also analyzed. Sediments were collected in twelve short sediment cores and a long sediment core, using 1-m and 6-m gravity corers.The sedimentation rates vary from 0.14 to 0.31 g cm–2yr–1. The highest sedimentation rate was observed in the central part of the area, while lower sedimentation rates were observed in the eastern part.In Hiuchi-Nada, a remarkable increase in copper and zinc contents is noticeable as early as the 1800's. Over the past 240 years a copper smelter at the south-western side of this area has been causing serious pollution of the sediment. Now, anthropogenic copper and zinc loads into the sediment are 123 and 376 ton yr–1 compared to natural copper and zinc loads of 82 and 401 ton yr–1, respectively. The highest level of copper and zinc pollution was observed in the 1960's, when the relative enrichments above background values (copper; 19 and zinc; 93 mg kg–1) were 5.5 and 2.8, respectively. |
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