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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water Quality and Contamination".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2020) | Viewed by 40911

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Dr. Stanislav Frančišković-Bilinski

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Institute for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, P.O. Box 180, 10002 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: environment science; water quality; geochemistry; water sediments; heavy metal
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Dr. Sanja Sakan

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Guest Editor

Centre of Excellence in Environmental Chemistry and Engineering—ICTM, University of Belgrade, Njegoševa 12, 11158 Belgrade, Serbia
Interests: environmental chemistry; heavy metals; waters; sediments; soils; pollution risk assessment
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Today, water pollution is a growing problem worldwide. Increased concentrations of toxic substances, especially heavy metals, affect biodiversity and are hazardous for human health. Sediment may act as a sink for a huge number of toxic substances and should therefore be investigated in addition to water. Geochemical investigations of aquatic sediments in freshwater and marine environments are of fundamental interest for the assessment of the state of pollution of investigated water bodies and their ecosystems. The chemical composition of sediment is informative, both in investigations of mineral resources of a particular region for mining purposes, as well as in tracing contamination from different sources (sewage, industry, agriculture, abandoned and active mines, landfills, harbors, oil drilling, etc.).

Drinking water quality is one of the major health problems worldwide, as pollution affects all sources of drinking water—groundwater, spring-, river-, and lakewater. Interaction of water and sediment is of special importance, as sediment can also release heavy metals and act as a source of pollution.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to publish original high-quality research papers, as well as review articles addressing recent advances on water and aquatic sediment research, and new methods and developments in monitoring and legislative development.

Dr. Stanislav Frančišković-Bilinski
Dr. Sanja Sakan
Guest Editors

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Keywords

water and sediment quality
geochemical composition
heavy metals
pollution
drinkng water
analytical methods
monitoring
legislative development

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Published Papers (11 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

5 pages, 176 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

Geochemistry of Water and Sediment

by Stanislav Frančišković-Bilinski and Sanja Sakan

Water 2021, 13(5), 693; https://doi.org/10.3390/w13050693 - 4 Mar 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2128

Abstract

Access to drinking water is one of the largest problems of modern times, and water pollution is a growing problem worldwide [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

Research

Jump to: Editorial

21 pages, 9458 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Composition of Sedimentary Organic Matter across the Laptev Sea Shelf: Evidences from Rock-Eval Parameters and Molecular Indicators

by Elena Gershelis, Andrey Grinko, Irina Oberemok, Elizaveta Klevantseva, Natalina Poltavskaya, Alexey Ruban, Denis Chernykh, Andrey Leonov, Natalia Guseva and Igor Semiletov

Water 2020, 12(12), 3511; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12123511 - 14 Dec 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3195

Abstract

Global warming in high latitudes causes destabilization of vulnerable permafrost deposits followed by massive thaw-release of organic carbon. Permafrost-derived carbon may be buried in the nearshore sediments, transported towards the deeper basins or degraded into the greenhouse gases, potentially initiating a positive feedback to climate change. In the present study, we aim to identify the sources, distribution and degradation state of organic matter (OM) stored in the surface sediments of the Laptev Sea (LS), which receives a large input of terrestrial carbon from both Lena River discharge and intense coastal erosion. We applied a suite of geochemical indicators including the Rock Eval parameters, traditionally used for the matured OM characterization, and terrestrial lipid biomarkers. In addition, we analyzed a comprehensive grain size data in order to assess hydrodynamic sedimentation regime across the LS shelf. Rock-Eval (RE) data characterize LS sedimentary OM with generally low hydrogen index (100–200 mg HC/g TOC) and oxygen index (200 and 300 CO₂/g TOC) both increasing off to the continental slope. According to T_peak values, there is a clear regional distinction between two groups (369–401 °C for the inner and mid shelf; 451–464 °C for the outer shelf). We suggest that permafrost-derived OM is traced across the shallow and mid depths with high T_peak and slightly elevated HI values if compared to other Arctic continental margins. Molecular-based degradation indicators show a trend to more degraded terrestrial OC with increasing distance from the coast corroborating with RE results. However, we observed much less variation of the degradation markers down to the deeper sampling horizons, which supports the notion that the most active OM degradation in LS land-shelf system takes part during the cross-shelf transport, not while getting buried deeper. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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22 pages, 3219 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Distribution Profile of Chemical Elements during the Last 13 Thousand Years from the Sediments of Maloye Yarovoe Lake (Western Siberia, Russia)

by Marina Kolpakova, Olga Gaskova, Svetlana Borzenko, Sergey Krivonogov, Olga Naymushina and Natalia Rudaya

Water 2020, 12(11), 3001; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12113001 - 26 Oct 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2245

Abstract

The article presents the studies on understanding the chemical evolution of Maloye Yarovoe lake that is located in the semi-arid landscape of and represent the most widespread chemical type of saline lake (Cl-Na) on the territory of Kulunda steppe (south of Western Siberia). The lake has gone through several changes in its state which are well represented in its sediments: section 1 (4.52–4.97 m) represents the subbase; section 2 (3.0–4.57 m) corresponds to a “shallow lake” stage and contains two sublayers; section 3 (0–2.25 m) illustrates an increase in erosion of the shoreline and corresponds to a “deep lake” stage. The extrapolation of radiocarbon dates suggests that the most significant changes in the state of the lake occurred at about 6.5–7.1 ka BP (transition from a small lake to a large one with intensified coastal erosion) and at about 5.69 and 3.5 ka BP (increase in the organic component). The results of sequential extraction of elements correspond to chemical changes occurred in a certain time of the lake state by changing in their distribution level and fraction type along the core. The results of lake water evaporation and organic matter degradation modelling performed in Phreeqc for oxic and anoxic condition showed the following stages of chemical divides could be expected in case of further lakes desiccation: Halite—Epsomite—Bischofite/Carnalite with possibility of Nahcolite precipitation in carbonate enriched periods (summer and autumn periods of organic matter degradation). Water–rock interaction processes in combination with biogeochemical reactions affect drastically not only the migration features of elements in water and sediments, but also the type of mineral crystallization in lake sediments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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15 pages, 2966 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Metal Distribution and Sediment Quality Variation across Sediment Depths of a Subtropical Ramsar Declared Wetland

by Tatenda Dalu, Rolindela Tshivhase, Ross N. Cuthbert, Florence M. Murungweni and Ryan J. Wasserman

Water 2020, 12(10), 2779; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12102779 - 6 Oct 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3160

Abstract

The study of wetlands is particularly important as these systems act as natural water purifiers and thus can act as sinks for contaminated particles. Wetland sediments are important as they provide an indication of potential contamination across temporal and spatial scales. The current study aimed to investigate the distributions of selected metals and nutrients in different sites in relation to sediment depth, and identify relationships among sediment metals. Significant differences in nutrient (i.e., N, P) and metal (i.e., K, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, B) concentrations were found across study sites, whereas nutrients (i.e., N, P) and metals (i.e., Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn) were significantly different with sediment depths. When compared against Canadian sediment standards, most of the assessed metals were within the “no effect” level across the different sites and depths. The K, Ca, and Mg concentration showed extreme contamination across all sites and depths. The enrichment factor values for K, Ca, and Mg showed extremely high enrichment levels for all sites and sediment depths. The Na, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, and B concentration showed mostly background enrichment levels. All sediments across the different sites and sediment depths indicated deterioration of sediment quality. Pearson correlations suggest that most metals might have originated in a similar source as that of Mn and B, owing to a lack of significant differences. These results provide baseline information for the general management of the Nylsvley Wetland in relation to sediment metal pollution. The specific sources of metal contaminants also require further elucidation to further inform management efforts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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16 pages, 2471 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Geochemical Fractionation and Risk Assessment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Sediments from Kupa River, Croatia

by Sanja Sakan, Stanislav Frančišković-Bilinski, Dragana Đorđević, Aleksandar Popović, Sandra Škrivanj and Halka Bilinski

Water 2020, 12(7), 2024; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12072024 - 16 Jul 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 2824

Abstract

This study investigated the quality of Kupa River sediment using sequential extraction, ecological risk, and contamination indexes (Risk assessment code, Index of geoaccumulation, Enrichment factor, Ecological risk factor, Ecological risk index), determination of magnetic susceptibility of sediments, and statistical methods. The BCR sequential extraction technique was used for evaluating various element-binding forms. Most of the elements were considered to be immobile due to the high availability in the residual fraction. Lead was present mainly in the reducible fraction, while more easily mobile and bioavailable forms were predominant for cadmium and barium. Sediment samples from the river catchment exhibited low ecological risk. The most toxic element, Cd, is the main contributor to the total potentially ecological risk. Increased values of contamination factors have been observed for Zn, Cr, and Ba in some localities. Results of the comparison of element contents in sediments in a 15-year period (2018 vs. 2003) indicated that the situation with toxic element content in sediments along Kupa River improved formost of its course. Unfortunately, on the lower course of the river, the situation has worsened. Using the example of Kupa River sediments, it was shown that the magnetic susceptibility method is excellent indetecting increased values of Cr. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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21 pages, 5930 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Dual Source of Phosphorus to Lake Sediments Indicated by Distribution, Content, and Speciation: Inle Lake (Southern Shan State, Myanmar)

by Myat Mon Thin, Elisa Sacchi, Massimo Setti and Viviana Re

Water 2020, 12(7), 1993; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12071993 - 14 Jul 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3418

Abstract

In this study, grab and core sediments from Inle lake were collected and analysed for their water and organic matter (O.M.) contents. Total phosphorus (TP_SMT) and P fractions, namely inorganic-P (IP), organic-P (OP), P bound to Al, Fe and Mn oxy-hydroxides (Fe-P), and calcium-bound P (Ca-P) were determined by a sequential extraction procedure. TP_SMT varied considerably (152–1980 mg/kg), with minimum concentrations detected at sites away from the main inflow rivers and maximum concentrations in the floating gardens area. In core sediments, TP_SMT concentrations tended to decrease with depth, reaching values of <100 mg/kg. Concerning P forms, the overall abundance sequence in grab sediments was IP >> OP and Ca-P ≥ OP > Fe-P, whereas in core sediments it showed marked differences with depth and between sites. The relative abundance of the inorganic species (Ca-P, Fe-P) was controlled by the mineralogy of the sediments. While the TP_SMT distribution pointed to an increased anthropogenic input, the relative abundance of P species provided information on the P origin, incorporation processes, and evolution over time. This information, combined with chemical and mineralogical data, permitted to identify two different P sources: the agricultural input in the floating gardens area and the detrital input related to soil erosion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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16 pages, 12960 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Analyzing Particle-Associated Pollutant Transport to Identify In-Stream Sediment Processes during a High Flow Event

by Clarissa Glaser, Christiane Zarfl, Hermann Rügner, Amelia Lewis and Marc Schwientek

Water 2020, 12(6), 1794; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12061794 - 23 Jun 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3171

Abstract

Urban areas are a leading source of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that result from combustion processes and are emitted into rivers, especially during rain events and with particle wash-off from urban surfaces. In-stream transport of suspended particles and attached PAHs is linked strongly to sediment turnover processes. This study aimed to identify particle exchange processes that contribute to the transport of suspended particles during flood events. An urban high-flow signal was tracked in high temporal resolution at two sampling sites in the Ammer River (South-western Germany). Samples were analyzed for turbidity, total suspended solids concentrations (TSS), particle-size distribution, organic carbon, and PAH. Maximum discharge and the highest TSS occurred nearly simultaneously at the upstream sampling site, whereas a temporally shifted course was observed for downstream. The total load of particles was similar, yet a decrease of PAH mass (~28%) and an increase of the particulate organic carbon (POC) content (~3.5%-points) occurred. Coarser particles (≥26 µm) dominated at the beginning of the event at both sampling sites. The signal of remobilized riverbed sediment increases downstream and leads to well-established, robust linear correlations between TSS and PAHs. This study highlights that riverbed sediment acts as intermediate storage for contaminated particles from upstream sources that shape, together with the fresh urban input, the “particle signature” of suspensions moving through catchments during high discharge conditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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17 pages, 3240 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

The Hydrochemistry and Recent Sediment Geochemistry of Small Lakes of Murmansk, Arctic Zone of Russia

by Zakhar Slukovskii, Vladimir Dauvalter, Alina Guzeva, Dmitry Denisov, Alexander Cherepanov and Evgeny Siroezhko

Water 2020, 12(4), 1130; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12041130 - 15 Apr 2020

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 6451

Abstract

This paper presents the first study of five small lakes located in the city of Murmansk. Field work was carried out during 2018–2019. Water samples were collected using a bathometer, while the sediments were sampled using an Ekman grab and Limnos gravity corer. It was found that the water of the studied lakes in Murmansk belong to the sodium group of the chloride class and to the calcium group of the hydrocarbonate class. Compared to the background level, elevated pH, concentrations of the main cations of alkali and alkaline-earth metals, N compounds, total dissolved solids, and heavy metals were found in the lakes, which indicate exposure to anthropogenic impacts. The sediments of the lakes, composed of organomineral and mineral silts, also have an elevated content of heavy metals compared to the background. The most significant excessive concentrations were found for V, Ni, Sb, Pb, Co, Cr, and W. Based on the calculated pollution load index and geoaccumulation index of the sediments, the studied water bodies in Murmansk can be classified as lakes with heavy and extremely heavy pollution levels. The primary pollution sources are emissions from the Murmansk thermal power plant, coal port, road and, rail transport. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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17 pages, 3186 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Source and Mobilization Mechanism of Iron, Manganese and Arsenic in Groundwater of Shuangliao City, Northeast China

by Zhihao Zhang, Changlai Xiao, Oluwafemi Adeyeye, Weifei Yang and Xiujuan Liang

Water 2020, 12(2), 534; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020534 - 14 Feb 2020

Cited by 89 | Viewed by 6075

Abstract

Excessive levels of Fe, Mn and As are the main factors affecting groundwater quality in Songliao plain, northeast China. However, there are few studies on the source and mobilization mechanisms of Fe, Mn and As in the groundwater of Northeastern China. This study takes Shuangliao city in the middle of Songliao plain as an example, where the source and mobilization mechanisms of iron, manganese and arsenic in groundwater in the study area were analyzed by statistical methods and spatial analysis. The results show that the source of Fe and Mn in the groundwater of the platform is the iron and manganese nodules in the clay layer, while, in the river valley plain, it originates from the soil and the whole aquifer. The TDS, fluctuation in groundwater levels and the residence time are the important factors affecting the content of Fe and Mn in groundwater. The dissolution of iron and manganese minerals causes arsenic adsorbed on them to be released into groundwater. This study provides a basis for the rational utilization of groundwater and protection of people’s health in areas with high iron, manganese and arsenic contents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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16 pages, 1479 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Variations in Seston C:N:P Stoichiometry in a Large Eutrophic Floodplain Lake (Lake Taihu): Do the Sources of Seston Explain Stoichiometric Flexibility?

by Jian Cai, Chengrong Bai, Xiangming Tang, Jiangyu Dai, Xingyu Jiang, Yang Hu, Keqiang Shao and Guang Gao

Water 2020, 12(1), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/w12010036 - 20 Dec 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3161

Abstract

Although sources of seston are much more complicated in lakes compared to oceans, the influences of different sources on the spatiotemporal variations in seston stoichiometry are still underexplored, especially in large eutrophic floodplain lakes. Here, we investigated seston stoichiometric ratios across a typical large eutrophic floodplain lake (Lake Taihu, East China) over one year. In addition, we used the n-alkane proxies to examine the influence of the seston source on seston stoichiometry variation. Throughout the study, the average value of the C:N:P ratio of 143:19:1 across Lake Taihu was close to the canonical lake’s ratios (166:20:1). Similar to other eutrophic lakes, seston C:N ratios varied the least across all environments, but C:P and N:P ratios varied widely and showed a strong decreasing trend in ratios of N:P and C:P from growing season to senescence season. This seasonal change was mainly associated with the decreasing contribution from algal-derived materials in seston pools because the non-algal dominated seston exhibited significantly lower ratios than algal-dominated seston. Furthermore, the spatial heterogeneity of stoichiometric ratios was also related to the seston source. During the senescence season, the terrestrial-dominated seston from agricultural watershed exhibited the lowest ratios in estuary sites compared with other areas. Statistically, the predictive power of environmental variables on stoichiometric ratios was strongly improved by adding n-alkanes proxies. Apart from source indicators, particulate phosphorus (PP) contents also partly explained the spatiotemporal variations in stoichiometric ratios. This study, thus, highlights the utility of multiple-combined n-alkane proxies in addition to simple C:N ratios to get more robust source information, which is essential for interpreting the spatiotemporal variations in seston stoichiometric ratios among eutrophic floodplain lakes and other freshwater ecosystems. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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18 pages, 3041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hydrochemistry and Its Controlling Factors of Rivers in the Source Region of the Nujiang River on the Tibetan Plateau

by Fuqiang Wang, Yang Zhao, Xi Chen and Heng Zhao

Water 2019, 11(10), 2166; https://doi.org/10.3390/w11102166 - 17 Oct 2019

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3347

Abstract

The chemical composition of river water collected from the main stream of the Naqu and its tributaries was analyzed to reveal its hydrochemical characteristics and to evaluate the water quality for irrigation purposes. Based on 39 samples, the results revealed mildly alkaline pH values and total dissolved solids (TDS) values ranging from 115 to 676 mg/L, averaging 271 mg/L. Major ion concentrations based on mean values (mg/L) were in the order of

{Ca}^{2 +} > {Na}^{+} > {Mg}^{2 +} > K^{+}

for cations and

{HCO}_{3}^{-} > {SO}_{4}^{2 -} > {Cl}^{-} > {CO}_{3}^{2 -}

for anions. Most hydrochemical types were of the Ca–HCO₃ (~74.36%) type. Cluster analysis (CA) suggested that the hydrochemical characteristics upstream of the main stream of the Naqu were obviously different from those from the middle and downstream of the main stream and its tributaries. The analysis shows that the Sangqu, Basuoqu, Mumuqu, Zongqingqu, Mugequ basin tributary, and the Gongqu basin tributary were mainly affected by carbonate weathering. Carbonate and silicate weathering commonly controlled the hydrochemistry upstream and downstream of the main Naqu, Chengqu, and Mugequ streams. The middle of the main stream of the Naqu was mainly affected by silicate weathering, and anhydrite/gypsum dissolution mainly affected the hydrochemistry of the main Gongqu stream. The quality of water samples was suitable for irrigation purposes, except for one sample from the main stream of the Mugequ. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geochemistry of Water and Sediment)

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