Content of nutrients, trace elements, and ecotoxicity of sediment cores from Rożnów reservoir (Southern Poland)

Abstract

The aims of the study were to investigate the concentration of trace elements, nutrients, and ecotoxicity in bottom sediment cores collected from the silted part of the Rożnów reservoir (Southern Poland). Significant differences in the content of nutrients, trace elements, and ecotoxicity between five sediment cores were found. However, in the vertical distribution, there was no high variability of the above parameters, which means that the intensely suspended matter transported by the Dunajec river is and, at various times, has been homogeneous. Significant correlations between nutrients and trace elements (r = 0.33–0.91, at p ≤ 0.05) point to the same sources of the above-mentioned substances and similar levels of contamination in the sediment cores. However, the PCA results showed that cadmium and phosphorus in the sediment cores had different behaviors than other elements and can be associated mainly with anthropogenic sources. According to the degree of contamination factor, sediment cores fall under the category of considerable contamination of metals. Geochemical factors indicated that nickel, chromium, and cadmium (only sediment core C1) were found to be the cause of significant pollution in the sediment cores. Toxicity assessment found that most of the bottom sediment samples were classified as non-toxic or slightly toxic, only 10% of the sediment samples were toxic for Vibrio fischeri, and 6% of the samples were toxic for Sinapis alba. The two test organisms showed a different sensitivity, and higher toxic responses were recorded for V. fischeri than for S. alba. Cadmium and phosphorus were associated with toxicity for S. alba (r = 0.29–0.58, at p ≤ 0.05), whereas TOC, N, and S, and Ca for stimulation of growth this plants. Trace elements (r = 0.32–0.51, at p ≤ 0.05) and nutrients (S, K, Mg, Na, r = 0.44–0.58, at p ≤ 0.05) were positively correlated with inhibition of luminescence of V. fischeri. The studies of concentration and relation between trace elements, nutrients, and ecotoxicity are important in the ecological risk assessment and describing the quality of sediments with multiple sources contamination.

Concentration of dioxin and screening level ecotoxicity of pore water from bottom sediments in relation to organic carbon contents

“…3 ). The Rożnów Reservoir has been functioning for almost 80 years and it encloses a mountainous catchment basin of an agricultural character, which is intensely subjected to the process of intense siltation (Baran et al 2019b ). Pollution may come from also the reservoir’s own catchment area: tourist centers, local pollution of tourist sites as well as motor-boating and sailing harbors, as well as waste combustion.…”

“…All of the above relationships may suggest their poor sorption by DOC and higher mobility of dioxin and thus ecotoxicity to test organisms in pore water form Rożnów Reservoir. Therefore, an indirect but key factor affecting the concentrations of dioxin in sediments can be an intense silting process of the Rożnów reservoir (Baran et al 2019b ). Ambiguous results indicate complex relationships between the parameters in pore water.…”

“…1 ). The Rożnów Reservoir has been functioning for almost 80 years and it encloses a mountainous catchment basin of an agricultural character, which is intensely subjected to the process of intense siltation (Baran et al 2019b ). The second subject—the Rybnik Reservoir—is a reservoir subjected to a strong human impact, as it constitutes the production process of a coal power plant.…”

“…The source of PCDDs/Fs in the bottom sediments from the Rybnik reservoir were from combustion processes, transport, wastewater discharge, high-temperature processes and thermal electricity generation (Baran et al 2020 ). Inflow of inorganic and organic pollution into the Roznów reservoir is high due to soil erosion, insufficient municipal wastewater treatment and village wastewaters (lack of sewage system in villages around the reservoir) and are emitted from fossil fuel (coal) combustion Morover, the silting process contributes to the inflow of fine fractions of both natural and anthropogenic origin is important source of pollutions in the bottom sediment (Baran et al 2019b ).

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“…The content of DOC was assessed using TOC analyser 1200 (Thermo Elektron). In bottom sediments the total organic carbon (TOC) content was analysed using a CNS analyser (Vario EL Cube, Elementar Analysensysteme 2013) (Baran et al 2019a , b , c ).…”