Determination of copper pollution and associated ecological risk in coastal sediments of southeastern Black Sea region, Turkey.

In this study, the natural and anthropogenic copper (Cu) pollution in coastal sediments near the city Trabzon which exhibits an increasing population and industrial activity in the Southeastern Black Sea Region, were investigated spatially and temporally. The sediment along the coast of Trabzon is influenced by three rivers called Degirmendere, Yanbolu and Solakli resulting in a spatial separation. The highest Cu sediment concentration was measured in the section influenced by Solakli (88.07 μg g(-1)) and the lowest at the sites affected by Yanbolu (56.86 μg g(-1)). Also a strong temporal trend was observed displaying the highest Cu concentration in autumn (107.06 μg g(-1)) and the lowest in spring (52.06 μg g(-1)). Based upon the results of this study and; according to the Sediment Quality Guideline, Cu is the major contributor to toxicity in the coastal zones of all regions.