Interpretation of Anthropogenic Input of Metals in the South China Sea Bottom Sediments Off Terengganu (Malaysia) Coastline Using Al As a Reference Element N
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Interpretation of anthropogenic input of metals in the South China Sea bottom sediments off Terengganu (Malaysia) coastline using Al as a reference element N. A. M. Shazili,1∗ B. Y. Kamaruzzaman,1 N. A. Antonina,1 S. Zauyah,2 J. Bidai,1 A. A. Shamsudin,1 and A. R. Kamil1 1Department of Marine Science, Faculty of Maritime Studies and Marine Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), Mengabang Telipot, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia 2Department of Soil Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia ∗Corresponding Author: E-mail:[email protected] The metal concentrations in surface sediment of the South China Sea off the Terengganu coastline were determined. Cu, Cr and Zn concentrations were comparable to values for offshore regions of the South China Sea and of concentrations of coastal sediments from the more developed west coast of Malaysia. Direct comparisons with earth crust values for Cd and Pb ratios to Al indicate anthropogenic pollution by these metals. As the sediments of the area studied are composed of significant proportions of quartz and carbonate, from shells and coral, direct ratioing to Al would result in anomalous values. Thus enrichment factor (EF) values using Al as a reference element were determined and showed that sampling sites off the major rivers of Terengganu were anthropogenically influenced by Pb and Cd. Sources of pollution are probably sewage, agricultural wastes and atmospheric deposition of Pb from the use of leaded petrol. Keywords: normalization, enrichment factor, Pb, Cd Introduction rivers that enter the South China Sea, notably from the northern region of the study area, may be a source of The coast of Terengganu State consists of a shallow sewage, agricultural chemicals from oil palm and rub- South China Sea environment and a number of islands ber plantations and of waste water from shrimp aqua- that are surrounded by coral reefs. The sediments are culture ponds. composed of sandy muds with a high content of coral Studies on metal concentrations in coastal sediments debris. Along the coast are found numerous lagoon sys- of the Terengganu coast are limited to investigations of tems inhabited by mangrove forest, the largest of which nearshore sediments and of the estuaries of Terengganu is found at the Setiu lagoon. Urban areas that may con- River and the Setiu River and other smaller rivers. Al- tribute to anthropogenic input of metals are at Kuala though it has been shown that concentrations of an- Besut town to the north of the study area (Figure 1) and thropogenic metals are relatively low and within earth Kuala Terengganu town to the south of the study area. crust values, there is a need to quantify baseline values Some small-scale industries are found only at Kuala in the coastal sediments as the coastal environment of Terengganu. Most of the other parts of the coastline Terengganu State is under intense development. Aqua- are underdeveloped, consisting of coastal villages. The culture actvities, in earth ponds and in floating cages 47 Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management, 10(1):47–56, 2007. Copyright C 2007 AEHMS. ISSN: 1463-4988 print / 1539-4077 online DOI: 10.1080/14634980701201681 Downloaded from http://read.dukeupress.edu/aehm/article-pdf/10/1/47/886058/47shazili.pdf by guest on 27 September 2021 48 Shazili et al. / Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 10 (2007) 47–56 Figure 1. Map showing sampling sites off the Terengganu coast. in coastal lagoons and estuaries of rivers are increas- the Terengganu coast were examined and normalized ing and mangrove forests being cut down in order against Al and data further interpreted using enrich- to accommodate these activities. Tourism is a major ment factors, EF (Szefer et al., 1998; Selvaraj et al., source of income for the Terengganu State and the 2004). Redang and Kapas group of islands are undergoing The objective of the study was to map out the con- rapid development of hotels and chalets. Methods for centrations of metals in the Terengganu coast as a base- the interpretation of metal data to differentiate between line reference for future studies and to determine if Al anthropogenic and natural effects have yet to be fully is suitable for use in interpreting if pollution of the understood for the South China Sea coastal sediments. sediment has occurred. As anomalies in their distri- High quartz and carbonate (from corals) contents and bution were indicated in previous studies in inverte- their patchy distribution, and grain size variability due brates living along the coastline (Shazili et al., 1995) to the high energy environment typical for the open the geochemistry of metals, especially of the pollutant coastline of Terengganu, makes interpretation of metal metals Cd and Pb were studied using Al as a reference data somewhat complicated. element. Geochemical normalization has been used with some success by utilizing conservative elements such as Al (Calvert et al., 1993; Din, 1992; Wood, 2004), Methodology Fe (Macias-Zamora et al., 1999) and Li (Aloupi and Angelidis, 2001; Loring, 1991). However the choice of The methodology for sample collection, preparation the normalizer depends on the local sedimentary char- and metal analyses used in the present study was similar acteristics and a particular normalizing element may to that used during the previous work in the South China not be suitable for all sediment environments. In this Sea (Shazili et al., 1999a, b) and that of Wood et al. study, heavy metal concentrations in sediments from (1997). Downloaded from http://read.dukeupress.edu/aehm/article-pdf/10/1/47/886058/47shazili.pdf by guest on 27 September 2021 Shazili et al. / Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management 10 (2007) 47–56 49 Table 1. Metal concentrations (all on a μgg−1 dry wt. basis) and total organic carbon (TOC) content in surface sediments (<63 m) from the Terengganu coast. Mean size TOC Al Stations (phi) (%) (%) Cd Cu Cr Pb Zn TR1 6.50 0.64 4.102 0.501 4.112 27.281 12.836 41.308 TR2 2.98 0.19 2.071 0.608 0.538 3.838 16.087 11.137 TR3 4.91 0.43 4.188 0.101 2.777 23.726 15.157 27.918 TR4 7.19 0.45 4.568 0.214 5.021 32.847 21.301 32.890 TR6 6.77 0.30 3.331 0.236 2.218 16.828 13.152 25.161 TR7 3.80 0.40 4.334 0.566 2.726 24.321 16.587 28.288 TR8 6.33 0.61 3.557 0.219 4.267 24.917 9.704 26.063 TR9 7.21 0.52 4.768 0.102 2.809 18.539 11.200 23.436 TR11 6.38 0.54 4.665 0.751 11.161 14.176 29.480 24.239 TR12 1.94 0.28 4.081 0.377 2.362 14.836 27.136 24.102 TR13 1.65 0.33 2.180 0.022 0.423 5.112 5.739 0.290 TR14 7.20 0.61 7.922 0.069 7.038 3.193 15.400 29.581 TR16 1.11 0.09 0.656 0.028 0.668 2.867 8.956 0.308 TR17 1.18 0.18 1.101 0.088 0.553 1.726 5.568 1.788 TR18 6.87 1.01 8.060 0.163 9.091 34.730 14.003 3.002 TR19 7.06 0.78 8.590 0.098 9.465 35.240 15.836 50.217 TR21 4.45 0.89 5.831 0.293 5.908 15.802 17.066 27.306 TR22 6.54 0.57 4.632 0.412 4.091 14.857 27.659 18.585 TR23 6.58 0.91 6.921 0.347 8.803 37.201 10.468 34.066 TR24 6.85 0.72 8.509 0.118 8.501 31.076 19.257 33.769 TR26 2.39 0.07 0.608 0.661 0.817 8.726 4.331 0.368 TR27 3.68 0.06 2.217 0.127 1.008 3.375 15.390 1.416 TR28 3.33 0.87 3.026 0.178 0.817 10.509 10.537 5.917 TR29 6.60 0.57 7.500 0.318 7.482 32.901 10.846 25.683 Mean ± 4.98 ± 0.48 ± 4.476 ± 0.275 ± 4.277 ± 18.443 ± 14.737 ± 20.701 ± S.D. 2.18 0.28 2.439 0.212 3.375 11.978 6.649 14.347 Sediment sample collection For quality assurance, a standard reference material (1646a Estuarine Sediment) from the National Institute Sediment samples were collected using a Smith of Standards and Technology was digested as above and McIntyre grab. The top 3 cm of sediment were care- analysed for metals. fully collected with a clean plastic spatula and kept in Sediment particle size was determined by wet and acid-cleaned polyethylene bottles. The samples were ◦ dry sieving and laser diffraction according to Brunskill then kept at −20 C for six months before they were et al. (2001). The results are reported in Table 1 as mean prepared and analyzed as described below. size (phi). Sample preparation Metal analysis The sediment samples were dried at 60◦C, lightly ground to break up the particles, and then sieved Metals were analysed using a Varian Vista simulta- through a 63 μm nylon mesh. About 0.3 g aliquots neous ICPOES. Analyses of NBS 1646a Estuarine Sed- of this silt and clay fraction were digested in a mix- iment (National Bureau of Standards) demonstrated ture of nitric, perchloric, hydrofluoric and hydrochloric good accuracy, precision and recovery for all metals acids in closed Teflon pressure vessels in a microwave (Table 2).