The Behaviors of Trace Metals (Fe, Mn, Co, Cu, Cd, Zn and Pb) in the Han River Estuary, Korea

In order to investigate the temporal variability of dissolved and particulate trace metals in the Han River, water samples were collected intermittently at two sites for 3 years (August 91 to December 94). Surface seawaters covering the range of salinity were also collected at the estuarine region to evaluate the role of estuary for the riverine fluxes of trace metals within the estuary during October 95 and 96. During the study period, dissolved metal concentrations in riverwaters varied by a factor of 5-10 for Fe, Ni, Co and Cu and 50-100 for Mn, Cd and Pb depending upon the water level; high concentration during the low water and low concentration in high water period except for Fe. The concentration of dissolved Fe increased with increasing water discharge. These concentration-discharge relationships of the studied trace metals are explained by the successive dilution of waters from two different origins, which can be presumably identified as anthropogenic discharges and watershed flushing. Although estuarine waters at early mixing region were not collected due to the difficulty of sampling, mixing behaviors of metals were inferred from the concentration-salinity relationships through the laboratory mixing experiment and field sampling, and distribution coefficients between dissolved and labile particulate phases. It is suggested that the Han River estuary plays a role of accumulating Fe, Mn, Co and Pb from riverine sources due to high turbidity caused by strong tidal current, whereas this system serves as a source of dissolved Cd due to release caused by extended residence time of riverine particles.