Evolution of metal pollution in the golden horn (Turkey) sediments between 1912 and 1987

The Golden Horn is a heavily polluted water body in a large metropolitan area with a population of approximately 10 million. A 3-m long undisturbed core sample was collected in the Golden Horn, from research vessel RV Knorr, during the third leg of the joint Turkish--American Black Sea expedition in 1989. The core was sliced and dated using the 210Pb isotope technique. The bottom of the core corresponds to the year 1912. Each slice was analysed for major, minor and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry (ICP). The masses of the measured elements can account for approximately half of the sediment mass. The lithophilic elements Li, K, Rb, Mg, Ca, Ba, Al, La, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co and Ni account for more than 90% of the elemental mass and do not show any change in their concentrations between 1912 and 1987. Although anthropogenic elements Mo, Zn, Cr, Cu, Ag, and Cd account for a minute fraction of the elemental mass, their concentrations increase along the core, signifying human influence on chemical composition of the Golden Horn Sediments. Lead was enriched at the bottom of the core suggesting pollution of Golden Horn sediments by this element even at the beginning of the century, but observed concentrations of the remaining anthropogenic elements, at the bottom of the core, can be explained by sedimentary material. Concentrations of pollution-derived elements do not change significantly between 1912 and 1950, but their concentrations increase sharply in the second half of the century. A factor analysis applied to the data set has shown that the inorganic fraction of the Golden Horn sediments includes crustal, marine and two anthropogenic components. One of the anthropogenic components is attributed to the discharges from an iron and steel plant. The second anthropogenic component, which accounted for a larger fraction of system variance, is due to discharges from industries, particularly metalwork plants.