This
study aimed to determine the vertical distribution of heavy metals in a 72
cm-long core sample from Lake Tortum in order to shed light on the implications
of potential ecological risks. Analysis was based on the use of environmental
indices such as the Integrated Pollution Load Index (PLI) and Potential
Ecological Risk Index (PER). Results reveal that, except for Pb, Mn and Hg, the
lowest concentrations of heavy metals occur at a core depth of between 2 cm and
20 cm for Cu, Zn, Ni, Fe, As, Cd, Cr and Al. The highest concentration was
found at sampling intervals of 36 cm and 50 cm, with the exception of Pb, Mn,
Hg and Ni. The PLI values from bottom to top are less than 1 while the level
with the nearest value to the background value lies at a depth between 24 cm
and 26 cm. The PER index results suggest a low ecological risk level for Cu,
Pb, Zn, Ni, Mn, Fe, As, Cr, and Al; however, Cd and Hg constitute an ecological
threat to the lake ecosystem.
Sediment Heavy Metals Integrated Contamination Load Index Potential Ecological Risk Index Lake Tortum
Primary Language | English |
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Subjects | Engineering |
Journal Section | Research Articles |
Authors | |
Publication Date | November 1, 2017 |
Published in Issue | Year 2017 Volume: 4 Issue: 3 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.