Impact of penguin activities on nutrients and heavy metals in ornithogenic sediments in Victoria Land, Antarctica: A multi-statistical assessment

  • JCR分区:

    影响因子:

  • Penguins play a crucial role in transporting elements from the ocean to the ice-free coastal regions of Antarctica, serving as one of the significant sources of nutrients and heavy metals in the region. This study aims to assess the impact of penguin activities on nutrients and heavy metals in Victoria Land, Antarctica. We analyzed the elemental and mineralogical composition, delta C-13, and delta N-15 of two ornithogenic sediment cores from Cape Hallett and Ad & eacute;lie Cove. We developed a multi-statistical framework integrating four complementary approaches: (1) enrichment factor, (2) correlation analysis, (3) cluster analysis, and (4) principal component analysis, to comprehensively evaluate these impacts. Ornithogenic sediments are characterized by low TOC/TN ratios (< 8), depleted delta C-13 values (< -26 parts per thousand), and enriched delta N-15 values (> 20 parts per thousand). Penguin activities have increased the levels of nutrient elements (TOC, TN, and P), heavy metals (Hg, Cu, Zn, and Cd), metalloids (Se and As), and other elements (Ca and Mg) in the sediments. The comparison indicates that the common bio-element assemblages in guano-affected sediments of Victoria Land are nutrients, Hg, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Se. Our research provides a foundational multi-statistical framework that, through cross-validation of complementary statistical approaches, can more accurately identify the assemblages of bio-elements in ornithogenic sediments from penguin activity in cold desert environments of continental Antarctica.