<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>The ecological risk resulting from the accumulation of some heavy metals in the sediments of Iskenderun Bay was assessed using the following measures: enrichment and contamination factor, pollution load index (<italic>PLI</italic>), and potential ecological risk index (<italic>RI</italic>). The concentrations of the studied heavy metals were in the following order: Fe > Ni > Mn > Cr > Zn > Cu > As > Pb > Cd > Hg. Ni and As had the highest <italic>EF</italic> values. This situation is most likely due to the presence of iron, pesticide, and fertilizer plants in the region. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Ni, As, Mn, and Cr may have harmful effects on faunal communities in sediments. According to the <italic>RI</italic>, Site 4 was more contaminated and toxic than the other seven study sites, with “moderate” ecological risk. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was determined by multivariate methods – cluster and principal component analysis. As can be inferred from the <italic>RI</italic> values, the potential toxic effect of As and Ni in the sediments is moderate.</p>
</abstract>

The ecological risk resulting from the accumulation of some heavy metals in the sediments of Iskenderun Bay was assessed using the following measures: enrichment and contamination factor, pollution load index (PLI), and potential ecological risk index (RI). The concentrations of the studied heavy metals were in the following order: Fe > Ni > Mn > Cr > Zn > Cu > As > Pb > Cd > Hg. Ni and As had the highest EF values. This situation is most likely due to the presence of iron, pesticide, and fertilizer plants in the region. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Ni, As, Mn, and Cr may have harmful effects on faunal communities in sediments. According to the RI, Site 4 was more contaminated and toxic than the other seven study sites, with “moderate” ecological risk. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was determined by multivariate methods – cluster and principal component analysis. As can be inferred from the RI values, the potential toxic effect of As and Ni in the sediments is moderate.

Analysis of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of Iskenderun Bay, Turkey

Basic Science Department, Fisheries Faculty

Faculty of Marine Sciences and Technology

Oceanological and Hydrobiological Studies

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The ecological risk resulting from the accumulation of some heavy metals in the sediments of Iskenderun Bay was assessed using the following measures:...

Analysis of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of Iskenderun Bay, Turkey

Article Category: Original research paper

Published Online: Dec 03, 2021

Page range: 411 - 420

Received: Mar 31, 2021

Accepted: Jun 23, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oandhs-2021-0035

Keywords
environmental pollution, environmental risk assessment, heavy metals, accumulation, Iskenderun Bay, Mediterranean Sea

© 2021 Banu Kutlu et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Analysis of heavy metal contamination in surface sediments of Iskenderun Bay, Turkey

Article Category: Original research paper

Published Online: Dec 03, 2021

Page range: 411 - 420

Received: Mar 31, 2021

Accepted: Jun 23, 2021

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/oandhs-2021-0035

Keywordsenvironmental pollution, environmental risk assessment, heavy metals, accumulation, Iskenderun Bay, Mediterranean Sea

© 2021 Banu Kutlu et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
environmental pollution, environmental risk assessment, heavy metals, accumulation, Iskenderun Bay, Mediterranean Sea