Abstract
Surface sediment samples were collected from 10 typical locations throughout the Dongting Lake, China, in January 2009. Samples were assayed by atom absorption spectrophotometer and cold atomic fluorescent spectrophotometer for Pb, Cd, As, Hg. In order to investigate the spatial distribution characteristics, sources, and potential ecological risks of heavy metals, the geostatistics method, potential ecological risk index, and multivariate statistical analysis were applied. The results showed that except for the content of Hg, the contents of Pb, Cd, and As had similar spatial distribution characteristics. The average contents of Cd and As exceeded the second class contents of the National Standard for Soil Environment Quality (GB15618-1995), especially that for Cd. The potential ecological risk posed by these heavy metals decreased in the order of the outlet of the Dongting Lake > the East Dongting Lake > the South Dongting Lake > the West Dongting Lake spatially. From the results of multivariate statistical analysis, Pb and Cd, as the first group, were considered to be rooted in mining smelting processes for developed mining and heavy industry. And Hg, as the second group, was mainly derived from parent material weathering, while As was probably considered to originate from both sources above.