Derivation of copper water quality criteria in the Bohai Sea of China considering the effects of multiple environmental factors on copper toxicity. (1st September 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Li, Yang; Mu, Di; Wu, Hong-Qing; Tan, Dan-Dan; Liu, Xian-Hua; Sun, Jun; Ji, Zhi-Yong
• Is Part Of: Environmental pollution. Volume 308(2022)
• Publication Date: 2022-09-01
• Subjects: Copper -- Environmental factors -- Water quality criteria -- Species sensitivity distribution -- Bohai sea; Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Environmental Pollution -- Periodicals; Pollution -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Aspect de l'environnement -- Périodiques; Pollution -- Effets physiologiques -- Périodiques; Pollution; Pollution -- Environmental aspects; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 363.73
• DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119666
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0269-7491

Abstract

Abstract: Copper has become one of the most important heavy metal pollutants in the environment because of its wide application and high toxicity, but research on water quality criteria (WQCs) on copper is limited, especially the derivation of seawater WQC. In addition, the toxicity of copper in the seawater system is affected by various environmental factors. Therefore, establishing a WQC that meets the characteristics of the regional environment is a top priority. The correlations between four factors of temperature, salinity, pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and the toxic effect values of copper were analyzed in this study, and the temperature was determined as the most influential factor among the four factors in the Bohai Sea. A specific correlation between temperature and the toxic effects of copper was identified, and WQCs were derived based on the identified correlation and the variations of the Bohai Sea's temperature in different seasons by species sensitivity distribution (SSD) method. Under the condition of the winter, spring, autumn, and summer with an average water temperature of 0.09, 15.96, 17.83, and 24.87 °C, the obtained short-term water quality criteria (SWQCs) were 44.29, 4.70, 4.31, and 3.33 μg/L; the long-term water quality criteria (LWQCs) were 18.14, 1.93, 1.77 and 1.36 μg/L. The findings indicated the importance of introducing specific environmental conditions during the derivation process. This work could provide valuable information for pollution prevention and aquatic life protection in the Bohai Sea and provide a valuable reference for the derivation of criteria in other regions alike. Graphical abstract: The marine water quality criteria (WQCs) of the Bohai Sea at different temperatures in four seasons were successfully derived. This study indicated the importance of introducing the environmental impacts in the derivation of WQC in the seawater environment. Image 1 Highlights: Temperature has the most comprehensive influence on Cu toxicity in the Bohai Sea. The copper WQCs of the Bohai Sea in different seasons were derived. The WQC values decrease significantly with the increase of seasonal temperature. The WQC value in winter is much higher than in other seasons.