Distribution of Heavy Metals in Core Sediments from Baihua Lake

In the present research, five core sediments from Baihua Lake, a man-made reservoir located in the karst area on the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in China, were analyzed to study the distribution, origin and contamination of three selected heavy metals (Cu, Zn and Mn). The results showed that the concentrations of these heavy metals in sediments varied from different sampling locations and layers. The average concentrations of these heavy metals at the same sampling location followed the order of Mn>Zn>Cu. The mean concentrations of Zn and Mn in the samples at the depth of 0-5 cm and the depth of 5-10 cm of the core sediments were higher than those in the other layers. All of Cu, Zn and Mn presented similar distribution characteristics at sampling site CFZ, and different distribution characteristics from the other four sampling locations. A statistical analysis indicated that there were some correlations between the concentrations of these three heavy metals and other studied six elements occurring in the core sediment samples. Three components were obtained with principal component analysis (PCA) analysis of heavy metals concentrations in core sediment samples.