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Spatiotemporal variations, source-sink dynamics, and water–sediment interfacial transformations of potentially toxic elements in an agricultural-industrial river system, Huaihe river basin
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DOI：10.1007/s10653-026-03403-5.png)
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Abstract
En 中文
The Xinbian River and Tuo River Basin in Suzhou City are typical representatives of regions in the North China Plain experiencing rapid urbanization and intensive agricultural activities. However, a systematic understanding of the integrated “source–sink” processes, speciation transformations, and associated ecological risks of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) from the aqueous to the sediment in typical tributaries of the northern Huaihe River Basin is still lacking. Therefore, the study took the Xinbian River and Tuo River Basin as examples. The results revealed that the mean concentrations of most elements in the surface water were highest during the wet season and lowest during the dry season. In the sediments, Ni, Zn, As, Se, and Cd exceeded their background values, with Se exhibiting the most severe exceedance, with the highest exceedance factor reaching 18.8. PMF analysis indicated that elements were derived from combined anthropogenic inputs, including industrial emissions, domestic and agricultural discharges, coal combustion, and natural geological sources. Partitioning results showed that Al and Fe had strong sediment affinity (lgKd > 2.9), whereas Sb and B had greater mobility and tended to remain in the aqueous phase. BCR speciation indicated that most elements mainly occurred in the residual fraction. In contrast, Cd and Sb were enriched in the exchangeable and carbonate bound fraction, with mean RAC values of 36.69 and 35.23%, respectively, indicating high bioavailability and release risk. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo) and the enrichment factor (EF) identified Se as the element with the most severe sediment enrichment, and the potential ecological risk (PER) assessment identified Cd as the dominant toxic-response risk contributor in sediments. These discrepancies implied that differentiated management and control strategies should be developed for PTEs.
Keywords:
Potentially toxic elements
PMF analysis
BCR speciation
Geo-accumulation index
Enrichment factor
Potential ecological risk
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