Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface sediments from the Gorgan Bay, Caspian Sea

This study was conducted to investigate the amounts of heavy metals in the Gorgan Bay. For this purpose, 12 sediment samples were taken from the Gorgan Bay, and then, the amounts of metals were determined using the ICP-OES spectrometer. Accordingly, the average value of the metals aluminum (Al), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), vanadium (V), and zinc (Zn) was 1.3 ± 0.2%, 8.1 ± 3.8 ppm, 17.9 ± 4.3 ppm, 16.8 ± 4.2 ppm, 16.6 ± 4 ppm, 7.4 ± 1.3 ppm, 17.6 ± 3.7 ppm, and 29.5 ± 6.9 ppm, respectively. According to the Pearson test, a significant correlation was observed among all metals (except arsenic) in this study (P < 0.01), which indicates that the source of the metals (human or natural) is the same in this gulf. There was also a positive correlation between organic matter and all metals (except lead and vanadium) (P > 0.05). This positive correlation probably indicates that these metals enter the aquatic environment along with organic matter or that they are of the same origin (organic matter and metals). On the basis of the PER index, all the measured metals had a low ecological risk at all stations.