In order to investigate the mechanism of metal accumulation in the bottom sediment of Lake Biwa, two 22 cm long sediment cores from the center (about 90 meters in water depth) of the northern part of the lake were sliced into 2 cm sections and analyzed for Mn, Fe, As, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, Co and Ni.
Partitioning of these heavy metals into mineral and organic fractions was determined with selective chemical leaching techniques for core samples.
The total contents of heavy metals in the sediment core samples were classified into two groups on the basis of vertical distribution : (1) Manganese, As, and to a lesser degree Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn were concentrated in the upper 2 cm of the core. (2) Iron, Co and Ni showed no vertical gradient.
Manganese and Cd were enriched in both the exchangeable and hydrous Fe/Mn oxide fractions in the upper 2 cm layer of the core samples. Arsenic, Pb, Cu and Zn were concentrated in the hydrous Fe/Mn oxide fraction in the surface sediment layer. The heavy metal contents of sulfide, organic and silicate fractions were relatively constant regardless of depth.
The remarkable enrichment of Mn and As in the oxidized upper layer of the sediment is assumed to be mainly due to upward migration of dissolved Mn and As from the deeper, reduced sediment layers and to reprecipitation in the thin oxidized surface layer. High concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in the upper 2 cm are presumably due mainly to upward migration in addition to human activities.
These results suggest that hydrous Fe/Mn oxides play an important role in the sedimentation and surface enrichment of heavy metals in the sediment of Lake Biwa.
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