• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.296-305
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• 2021

This work investigated heavy metal pollution in surface sediments of rivers in Busan, Korea. Surface sediments were analyzed in order to conduct contamination assessment of organic matter, nutrients, and heavy metal concentrations. Contamination assessment of heavy metals was conducted using geoaccumulation index (I_geo), pollution load index (PLI), and potential ecological risk index (RI). Accumulation of organic matter and nutrients were affected by water discharged from sewage treatment plant. The concentrations of organic matter and nutrients were found to be greater in points which were close to the sewage treatment plant more than points furthest. The concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cu, Cd, Hg, As, Cr, and Ni were found to be greater in surface sediment more than in the background. The mean concentrations of heavy metals were in the order of Zn (323.5 mg/kg) > Cu (70.5 mg/kg) > Pb (39.8 mg/kg) > Cr (33.4 mg/kg) > Ni (13.5 mg/kg) > As (9.4 mg/kg) > Cd (0.84 mg/kg) > Hg (0.092 mg/kg). The result of geoaccumulation indices indicated that Hg > Cr > Cu > Ni > Zn > As > Pb > Cd were found in order of severe contamination by heavy metals. From PLI and RI analysis, it was evident that the Suyeonggang 2 was the most contaminated river.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.477-488
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• 2018

In this study, heavy metal levels at the sediment monitoring network site upstream of the Gangjeong-Goryeong weir in the Nakdong River were surveyed from 2012 to 2016. We assessed the sediment pollution level using various pollution indexes based on ICP-MS analysis. The stream sediment pollution assessment standard, established through Regulation No. 687 of the National Institute of Environmental Research (2015), pollution load index (PLI), potential ecological risk index (RI), and mean PEL Quotient (mPELQ) were used to evaluate the sediment pollution level. We verified the representativeness of the monitoring point through the distribution of sedimentation and scour behavior by river bed surveying using anacousticDopplercurrentprofiler.