Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Applied Sciences (Applied Geology), Curtin University, 98009 Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia; Curtin Malaysia Research Institute, Curtin University, Malaysia. Electronic address: nagarajan@curtin.edu.my
  • 2 Department of Applied Sciences (Applied Geology), Curtin University, 98009 Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Geology, Periyar University, Salem, India
Mar Pollut Bull, 2023 Jul;192:115090.
PMID: 37263028 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115090

Abstract

Miri River is a tropical river in Borneo that drains on flat terrain and urbanised area and debauches into the South China Sea. This paper documents the environmental status of this river, and provides an insight into the provenance using bulk chemistry of the sediments, and brings out the geochemical mobility, bioavailability, and potential toxicity of some critical elements based on BCR sequential extraction. The sediments are intense to moderately weathered and recycled products of Neogene sedimentary rocks. The hydrodynamic characteristics of the river favoured an upstream section dominated by fine sand, while the downstream sediments are medium silt. Based on the bulk geochemistry, the Miri River sediments are moderate to considerably contaminated by Cu, Mo, and As in the upstream and by Sb, As and Cu in the downstream. The potential ecological risk values are low except Cu and a significant biological impact is expected in downstream due to Cu, As, Zn and Cr. The mobility, bioavailability and Risk Assessment Code values for Zn and Mn are higher and thus may pose moderate to very high risk to aquatic organisms. Though a high bulk concentration of Cu is observed, the association of Cu with the bioavailable fraction is low.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.