Heavy metal contamination and evaluation in huizhou bay's tidal flat sediments

In Huizhou Bay, the heavy metal inventory and ecological danger of tidal flat sediments were studied. The average concentrations of heavy metals in surface sediments surpassed the environment background values of Jiangsu Province coastal soil, indicating that heavy metals were the primary pollutant in the surface sediments (Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn). Furthermore, the patterns of heavy metals fluxes may reflect Lianyungang City's socioeconomic growth, and heavy metals inputs have been linked to human activities. In surface sediments, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Zn were mostly found in the non-bioavailable residual form, while Cd and Mn were mostly found in the highly mobile acid soluble and reducible fractions. Cd and Pb were the major sources of ecological danger in the contaminated sediments. However, the harmful biological consequences induced by heavy metals were sometimes seen in tidal flats, according to the Sediment quality guidelines (SQGs).