Distribution, ecological risk assessment and source identification of pollutants in soils of different land-use types in degraded wetlands

Abstract

Background Urbanization and global warming are generating ecological degradation and land pattern alteration problems in natural wetlands. These changes are greatly affecting the ecological services of wetlands. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore the relationship between pollutants and land-use type for wetland restoration purposes. Zaozhadian Lake is a freshwater wetland in the North China Plain, which is facing degradation and land-use types changes. An experiment for analyzing soil pollutants was conducted in three land-use types of farmland, lake, and ditch in the Zaozhadian Lake. The aims of this study were to identify the distribution, pollution degree, and sources of pollutants in different land-use types, and to explore the influence of land-use type changes on contamination. Methods In this study, surface sediments (0–10 cm) of three land types (farmland, lake, and ditch) in Zaozhadian Lake were collected, and heavy metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cr, Hg), As, total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP) and organic matter (OM) were determined. Kriging interpolation was used to visualize the pollutants distribution. The pollution degree of TN and TP was evaluated by the Nemerow pollution index. The pollution of heavy metals and As was evaluated by the geological accumulation index (Igeo) and the potential ecological risk index (RI). Then, dual hierarchical clustering analysis and the principal component analysis were performed to further analyze the impact of land type changes on pollutants. Results The heavy metal contents in the farmland were higher than other areas, while the TN (3.71 ± 1.03 g kg-1) and OM (57.17 ± 15.16 g kg−1) in lake sediments were higher than that in other regions. Farmland, lake, and ditches had low ecological risks, with RI values of 84.21, 71.34, and 50.78, respectively. The primary heavy metal pollutants are Pb, Cu, and Ni. Furthermore, Cu, As, Ni, Pb, and Zn were primarily derived from agriculture pollution, the source of Cd was the industrial pollution, and Cr mainly originated from natural sources. Nutrients primarily came from the decomposition of aquatic animals, plants, and human-related activities. When the lake area was converted into farmland, the heavy metal concentrations in the soils increased and the TN and OM decreased. Based on the results, this study put forward key strategies including the adjustment of the land-use type and restriction of the entry of pollutants into the wetland ecosystems in the Zaozhadian Lake. More attention should be paid to the impact of land-use type change on pollutants in wetlands.