Mercury contamination of bottom sediments in water reservoirs of southern Poland

Authors

  • Tomasz Koniarz Department of Water Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow
  • Marek Tarnawski Department of Water Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow
  • Agnieszka Baran Department of Agricultural and Environmental Chemistry, University of Agriculture in Krakow
  • Natalia Florencka Faculty of Mining Surveying an Environmental Engineering, AGH University of Science and Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7494/geol.2015.41.2.169

Keywords:

mercury, bottom sediments, reservoirs, geoaccumulation parameters

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the mercury concentration in bottom sediments, collected from eight reservoirs located in south-eastern Poland. A  DMA-80 Mercury Analyser was used for the analysis of the concentration of mercury in bottom sediments. Concentration of mercury in sediments was between 0.01–0.18 mg∙kg−1. The research results show that 13 samples are above the Polish Hg background level. Only 9 samples are below the background level. Generally, the sediments belonged to class I and II (unpolluted and moderately polluted sediments). The concentration of mercury in bottom sediments follows the order: Rybnik (highest) > Bagna Rzeszowskie > Rzeszów > Ożanna > Brzóza Stadnicka > Brzóza Królewska > Głuchów > Narożniki (lowest). The low mercury content in sediments is related to absent or limited anthropogenic sources of this metal. Elevated concentrations of Hg in bottom sediments of the reservoirs in Rybnik and Bagna Rzeszowskie are related to their proximity to large agglomerations and industrial plants. Organic matter was likely to be the most important factors controlling the concentration and distribution of mercury in the studied sediments.

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Author Biography

Tomasz Koniarz, Department of Water Engineering, University of Agriculture in Krakow

Department of Water Engineering and Geotechnics

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Published

2015-10-10

How to Cite

Koniarz, T., Tarnawski, M., Baran, A., & Florencka, N. (2015). Mercury contamination of bottom sediments in water reservoirs of southern Poland. Geology, Geophysics and Environment, 41(2), 169. https://doi.org/10.7494/geol.2015.41.2.169

Issue

Vol. 41 No. 2 (2015)

Section

Articles

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