Spatial distribution and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in Zhelin Bay sediments and its vicinity, China

The 18 surface sediment samples were collected from Zhelin Bay and its vicinity in April 2011 anddeterminedthe concentration of selected heavy metals tostudy theirpotentialecological risks. The resultsreveal that the concentrations of lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) all meet the quality standard of classⅠ of China National Standard Criteria for Marine Sediment Quality, whichare 7.71~31.20 mgkg-1 (Pb), 12.71~63.56 mgkg-1 (Cr), 2.36~20.38 mgkg-1 (Cu) and 12.50~85.58 mgkg-1 (Zn), respectively. The potential ecological risk index and factors indicate that the potential ecological risks of these heavy metals areof low level. The sequence of the degree of their potential ecological factorsis Cr＞Pb＞Cu＞Zn.