Spatiotemporal patterns, source apportionment, and ecological risk of major and trace elements in sediment cores from Anzali International Wetland.

ABSTRACT: Wetlands, critical yet vulnerable ecosystems worldwide, are increasingly threatened by contamination from anthropogenic activities. This study investigates the spatial and vertical distribution of 17 major and trace elements in sediment cores from the Anzali International Wetland, a Ramsar site in Iran under pressure from urbanization, agriculture, and industry. Cores were sliced at 2-cm intervals and analyzed via ICP-MS to reconstruct historical trends and evaluate spatiotemporal distributions, sources, and ecological risks using geoaccumulation index (I_geo), enrichment factor (EF), and pollution load index (PLI). Multivariate analyses (PCA, HCA) identified lithogenic (Al, Fe), carbonate-associated (Ca, Sr), and anthropogenic (Cd, Pb, Zn) elemental groupings. Severe Cd contamin

SUBMITTER: Pourang N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12647861 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature