Heavy metals in Pétrola Lake protected area (Central Spain)
- Author(s)
- Nicolas Valiente, Juan Jose Gomez-Alday, Franz Jirsa
- Abstract
Heavy metal pollution may lead to serious ecological consequences in aquatic ecosystems, including the disruptionof microbe-mediated biogeochemical cycles. Sediments are the main reservoir of heavy metals in aquatic environmentsand can therefore be employed as indicators for heavy metal pollution levels and its sources. Several indexeshaven been developed to assess the environmental risk of heavy metals in sediments, including the geoaccumulationindex (Igeo), the potential ecological risk index (PERI), and the exchangeable fraction based risk assessmentcode (RAC).Among aquatic ecosystems, saline lakes are highly vulnerable to heavy metal pollution. These ecosystems usuallyfunction as sinks for agricultural, industrial, and urban wastes. Moreover, they are mainly located in closed hydrologicalsystems in arid and semi-arid regions. This type of environment, combined with low precipitation and highevaporation rates typical of arid climates, accumulates pollutants. This study assesses heavy metal pollution in thePétrola Lake protected area (central Spain). The lake was classified as a heavily modified waterbody because ofthe inputs of pollutants from agricultural sources and urban wastewater. A total of 102 sediment samples from 14different control points (including wastewater and agricultural areas) were used to analyze Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, Zn, andorganic matter content. Moreover, a sequential extraction procedure was performed to fractionate Cu, Pb, and Znin sediments.For most metals under investigation, background levels were reported. Nevertheless, Pb concentrations in sedimentsamples from Pétrola Lake, as well as in wastewaters area from Pétrola village, were considerably higher than backgroundvalues. According to risk assessment indices, those sediments must be considered ‘moderately polluted’.Lead was mainly bound to organic matter in those sediments (34.6% and 28.1%, respectively). Therefore, Pb accumulationin the lake may have an anthropogenic source, being directly derived from wastewater spills. Despite lowcontents of the rest of studied metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, and Zn), they showed higher concentrations in agricultural soilsthan in lake sediments. These findings provide first comprehensive assessment of heavy metal contents in PétrolaLake protected area.
- Organisation(s)
- Department of Inorganic Chemistry
- External organisation(s)
- University of Johannesburg (UJ), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha
- Volume
- 21
- Pages
- 484
- Publication date
- 04-2019
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 104023 Environmental chemistry, 104003 Inorganic chemistry
- Sustainable Development Goals
- SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities and Communities
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/928685c3-cf16-4dab-a03f-53a1a4496d0e