Abstract:
This study was conducted to determine the heavy metal contents in the Merang
Coastal sediments. Seventeen samples of surface sediments were collected during
June 2011. The sediment characteristics and concentrations of Fe, Mn, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb
and Cd were determined. Concentrations of heavy metals were generally lower than
average shales. The average concentration of heavy metals were 3.15% for Fe,
75.47μg/g for Mn, 7.48μg/g for Cu, 34.38μg/g for Cr, 15.71μg/g for Zn, 6.78μg/g for
Pb and 0.07μg/g for Cd. The correlation between heavy metals and sediment mean
size and the correlation between heavy metals and organic carbon were almost
negligible relationship. Enrichment factor (EF) indicated that heavy metals
concentration were of background levels.
