Occurrence, contamination level and ecological risk assessment of dissolved and particulate trace elements in rivers entering the southwestern Mediterranean Sea

Sediment pollution: An assessment of anthropogenic and geogenic trace element contributions along the central Algerian coast

“…After cooling, the residues of the digestion were diluted with 2 % ultrapure HNO3 to 50 ml PE tubes and stored at 4 °C. The digested steps used in the present study was described by Inal et al (2018) and Benhalima et al (2022), and recommended by the European Centre for Research and Teaching in Environmental Geosciences (CEREGE). Total concentrations of trace metals (Mn, V, Co, Ni, Cr, Cu, Zn, Pb, As, Ag, and Cd) and major elements (Fe, Al and Na) were measured in CEREGE (France) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS, PerkinElmer NexION 300X, USA) and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES, PerkinElmer Optima 4300 DV, USA), respectively.…”

“…A very common approach to estimating the anthropogenic impacts on coastal sediment is to calculate a normalized enrichment factor (EF) for metal concentrations above unpolluted sediment levels (Ip et al, 2007;Kouidri et al, 2016). Chester and Stoner (1973) developed the enrichment factor formula, which has been used by many authors (Ahmed et al, 2018;Benhalima et al, 2022;Bing et al, 2016;X. Gao et al, 2015;Guendouzi et al, 2021;Lin et al, 2016;Zhu et al, 2017).…”

“…The contents increased rapidly from the bottom of the core to about 9 cm of depth and presented a wide variability ranging from 9.1 % to 13.3 %. The primary source of OM inputs in Algiers Bay is believed to derive from the allochthonous C fluxes, like domestic and urban effluent in El Harrach river, and represent a severe effect that impacts the ecosystems and sedimentdwelling organism's health (Bakalem et al, 2009;Benhalima et al, 2022;Boudjema et al, 2014). In contrast, significant increases in the top of the cores B and Z (up to 11.7 % and 10.8 %, respectively)…”

“…Due to their stability, bioaccumulative nature, persistence, and their various forms of toxicity in the environment (Inal et al, 2018;, metals can affect the quality of the coastal ecosystems and present a considerable risk to the aquatic organisms and human health (Abderrahmani et al, 2021;Guendouzi et al, 2020). Following their release in the catchment areas from various sources, metals are usually transported through the river system to the coastal zone in dissolved form or bound to suspended particles (Benhalima et al, 2022). Historically, trace metals in the coastal areas are predominantly from the continental weathering of rocks and soil materials (Viers et al, 2009).…”

Assessing the Ecological Risks Based on the Three-Dimensional Ecological Footprint Model in Gansu Province

“…For instance, the landscape's ecological risk index was developed by Liu et al [33][34][35] to direct the sustainable use of land resources. The ecotoxicity of heavy metals in sediment columns was evaluated using the following metrics by Nimmi et al [36,37]: pollution degree, organic pollution index, contributing factors, site accumulation index, potential ecological indicator, toxicity unit, and toxicity risk index. Liu [38] employed the VAR method of financial risk analysis market portfolio to perform a risk analysis of the value of ecosystem services, and he designated the EVR (ecological value at risk) model.…”