Please answer:
How might the heavy metals such as (zinc & lead) be held in the
sediments? Can you describe how they might become mobile and enter
the runoff when it rains?
Answer:
There can be many reasons of how heavy metals like Zinc, lead, mercury, chromium etc held in the sediments like many heavy metals like Cd gets accumulated in the sediments because of industrial activities. Some of the metals like As gets accumulated in the sediments from lithogenic sources. The rapid growth of urbanization and industrial development has resulted in increasing heavy metal sedimentation.
However with change in pH, temperature or when sediments undergo other physical or biological disturbances, heavy metals get released from the sediments. So, when it rains, there undergoes a disturbance in the sediments and due to which it becomes mobile and enters the runoff.
Get Answers For Free
Most questions answered within 1 hours.