Trace Metals and Major Elements in Sediments of the Northern Persian Gulf

The concentrations of sixteen elements and organic carbon were determined in 78 marine sediment samples collected from the Iranian coastal waters of the Persian Gulf. Nine transects perpendicular to the coastline were sampled. Sixteen elements, including As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn (trace metals) and Ca, Fe, Mg, Na, P, S, Si (major metals), were determined by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP MS) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP-AES), respectively. In this study, the element concentrations in sediments have not exceeded the sediment quality guidelines and pose no environmental concerns with the exception of Ni, which is over than ERM. The spearman correlation matrix demonstrated that all elements except for arsenic, cadmium, barium and silicon, were significantly (P < 0.01) correlated with iron. The Relative Contaminated Factor (RCF) for elements which had ISQG values and Enrichment Factors (EF) using Fe demonstrated that there was no metal enrichment by natural or anthropogenic sources except for Ni. High EF level for Ni demonstrated that nickel level in sediments of the Persian Gulf could have originated from anthropogenic sources.