Determination of Heavy Metals and Other Water Quality Parameters from the South China Sea

Abstract

This study investigated the distribution and concentrations of chromium, copper, arsenic, zinc, cadmium, and lead in seawater and suspended particles in the South China Sea by collection of samples from different depths at sixteen stations. The salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved organic carbon, dissolved oxygen, and silicon concentration were also measured in seawater. The results showed that the concentration levels in seawater from 0 m to 4000 m followed this pattern: zinc > arsenic > copper > lead > chromium > cadmium. Significant correlations were observed between lead and chromium and between arsenic, cadmium, and lead at r > 0.728. Very weak correlations were observed between copper and arsenic and between copper and cadmium. The concentrations of dissolved metals and particulate metals had negative correlations except for zinc. The metal concentrations in seawater and suspended particles showed different correlation behavior with salinity, temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, dissolved organic carbon, and silicon.

Keywords:

• Heavy metal distribution
• Inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)
• South China Sea

Notes

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