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A quantitative assessment of the sources and general dynamics of trace metals in a soft‐water lake
Author(s) -
HamiltoTaylor J.,
Willis M.
Publication year - 1990
Publication title -
limnology and oceanography
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.7
H-Index - 197
eISSN - 1939-5590
pISSN - 0024-3590
DOI - 10.4319/lo.1990.35.4.0840
Subject(s) - particulates , deposition (geology) , environmental chemistry , effluent , sewage , environmental science , sedimentation , pollution , surface water , hydrology (agriculture) , chemistry , sediment , environmental engineering , geology , ecology , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , biology
Dissolved (<0.45 µ m) and particulate concentrations of Fe, Mn, Al, Cu, Pb, and Zn were measured at intervals of 2–6 weeks in rivers, sewage effluents, atmospheric deposition, and surface lake waters within the Windermere (U.K.) catchment over a 2‐yr period. Factor analysis revealed a number of geochemical associations: a large proportion of the particulate Fe, Al, Pb, and Cu appears to be associated with detrital mineral and organic material in the rivers, sewage effluents, and atmospheric deposition; redox processes, probably occurring higher in the catchment, have an appreciable influence on the riverine concentrations of dissolved Fe and Mn, particulate Mn, and to a lesser extent particulate Fe and Zn; pollution terms account for most of the variance of dissolved Fe, Cu, Pb, and Zn, and particulate Cu, Pb, and Zn in the sewage effluent and atmospheric deposition data sets, respectively; and an association in the rivers of dissolved Al and Zn concentrations with discharge is probably related to catchment soil processes. Mass balances were determined for the metals, including a detailed assessment of the errors involved. An inbalance was apparent between the inputs and outputs (flushing and sedimentation), probably due to underestimation of particulate loads in the rivers. Fe, Mn, and Al were predominantly (>90%) supplied by rivers, while Cu, Pb, and Zn received significant inputs from direct atmospheric deposition and sewage discharges. The residence times of the dissolved metals in Windermere were in the order: Cu > Zn > Pb ≈ Fe, a sequence consistent with observations in various alpine lakes. More than 50% of the dissolved inputs of each metal was retained in the lake, except for Cu, which appeared to show a small net loss from the lake.