Distributions of Metallic Elements in the Sediment Cores from Several Shellfish-Farming Bays in Korea

Distributions of Metallic Elements in the Sediment Cores from Several Shellfish-Farming Bays in Korea

We report the distribution of $^{210}$ Pb and various metallic elements (Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, Ti, Mn, Sr, Ba, Zn, V, Cr, Zr, Ni, Cu, and Y) in the sediment cores from six shellfish-farming bays in the South Sea of Korea. The $^{210Pb}$ inventories in Deukryang, Gwangyang, and Goseong Bay cores were comparable to those expected from the known fallout input. However, the $^{210}$ Pb inventories were two times higher in Jinju, Gangjin, and Hansan-Koeje Bay cores, suggesting an important role of other sources such as fluvial inputs. Based on the enrichment factor analyses, non-detrital fractions of all the measured elements were found to be insignificant. The Mn was highly enriched only in the surface sediments of the Jinju and Goseong Bay, which implies that the surface-sediment environment of these bays is efficiently oxidizing Mn remobilized from either pore waters or bottom seawaters. These data set provides the sources of heavy metal in sediment around shellfish farms and the current level of metallic elements for the future monitoring.