Sains Ma1aysiana 27: 73-82 (1998)                                                                                               Sains Bumi/

                                                                                                                                                                Earth Sciences

Recent Concentrations of Trace Elements in Coastal

Sediment of Terengganu, Malaysia

Che Abd. Rahim Mohamed

Department of Marine Science

Faculty of Natural Resource Science

43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, D.E

Noor Azhar Mohamed Ahazili

Department of Marine Science

Faculty of Science and Technology

UPM, Mengabang Te1ipot, 21030 Kuala Terengganu

ABSTRACT

The concentrations of ten trace elements were measured in surface sediments along the Terengganu coast. The levels measured were generally low and considered baseline. Cadmium, vanadium and silver were below detectable levels while copper, chromium, manganese and zinc were elevated at a small number of the sampling sites. It is assumed that the copper and chromium enrichment at these sites are due to neighboring source. This is because these sites are isolated from expected anthropogenic sources and are not depositional sites. However manganese, zinc, aluminium and iron enrichment at the estuary of Terengganu river is probably derived from the settling of particulate Fe together with scavenged metals.

ABSTRAK

Sepuluh logam berat diukur di dalam sedimen di sepanjang perairan pantai Terengganu. Kebanyakan kepekatan ini adalah rendah iaitu pada paras latar belakang. Kadmium, vanadium dan perak berada di bawah paras kesan, manakala paras kuprum, mangan dan zink meningkat di sebilangan kawasan kajian sahaja. Boleh dianggapkan bahawa ketinggian kepekatan kuprum dan kromium pada kawasan ini dipengaruhi oleh kawasan berhampiran yang telah tercemar. Ini kerana kawasan tersebut adalah tidak mempunyai sumber antropogenik dan bukan kawasan pemendapan sedimen. Walau bagaimanapun pemekatan mangan, zink, aluminium dan besi di muara sungai Terengganu mungkin dimendapkan bersama partikulat Fe yang bergabung dengan logam-logam lain.

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