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Abstract
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Background: Land and water pollution by heavy metals is a universal issue. Although the pollution affects
all countries, but its range and severity vary hugely. The pollution of the marine environment by heavy
metals is a worldwide problem. Marine sediments can be sensitive indicators for monitoring contaminants
in aquatic environments.
Methods: The concentration of 10 elements (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Al, Fe, Ni, Pb, Sb, and Zn) was determined
in the sediments of four shoreline stations including Imam Hassan port, Ameri port, Bushehr port, and
Nayband Bay at the west Persian Gulf from March to December 2017. The elements were measured by
inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.
Results: The contamination of the sediments was assessed based on the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) and
enrichment factor (EF). Spearman correlation matrix was calculated between all the trace metals and major
elements as well as corresponding sampling regions. Statistically significant inter-elemental correlations
(e.g., Cr-Fe, Cr-Al, Cr-Ni, Cr-Zn, and Cr-Cu) were found between some metals. High EF levels for Fe,
Al, and Pb suggest that metals in the sediments of the northern Persian Gulf could have originated from
anthropogenic sources.
Conclusion: The contamination pattern of sediments is affected by factors such as sedimentation patterns,
physical and chemical properties of the sediments. For example, sediments with fine-grained and high
surface area-to-volume ratio can act as good absorbents for many pollutants.
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