Zinc contamination in sediments of southern Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan

Major objectives of this study are to evaluation the enrichment, accumulation, and potential ecological risk of zinc (Zn) in the surface sediments of southern Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan. Twelve sampling locations were installed of southern Kaohsiung Harbor to collect sediment samples for analyzing Zn. Results showed that the Zn concentrations varied from 73-1946 mg/kg with an average of 323 +/- 525 mg/kg. The spatial distribution of Zn reveals that the Zn concentration is relatively high in the river mouth region, and gradually diminishes toward the harbor entrance region. This indicates that upstream industrial and municipal wastewater discharges along the river bank are major sources of Zn pollution. Results from the enrichment factor and geo-accumulation index analyses imply that the sediments collected from the Salt River mouth can be characterized very severe degree enrichment and strong to very strong accumulation of Zn, respectively. Results of potential ecological risk index indicate that the sediment has low ecological potential risk.