Spatiotemporal assessment of some heavy metals in the Anzali International Wetland during 2007-2014

Background: Todays, water resources are affected by various factors such as organic materials, pathogens (bacterial and microbial agents), and minerals (including heavy metals). For this reason, continuously examining the spatiotemporal changes in environmental pollutants is one of the most critical components of water quality studies.      Methods: The sampling of some heavy metals (Ni, Cd, Zn, Pb) took place from 8 different stations in four seasons of 2014. After the preparation of the samples, they were used to measure the elements based on the technique proposed in Standard Methods.   Results: Among the studied stations, the highest concentrations of metals were measured at the Pirbazar Station. The concentration of these metals was higher in the spring and summer than in the rest of the seasons. The results showed that the concentration of metals in water at different stations in the four seasons was Ni 0.05), but the results of the paired-sample t-test showed a significant increase in heavy metals(Ni, Cd, Zn, Pb) in comparison with the results obtained in 2007 (p<0.05).   Conclusion: Adoption of appropriate management approaches for comprehensive environmental assessment and control of anthropogenic pollutants reducing the organic load from industrial, urban and agriculture waste, continuous quality surveillence around the year and finally environmentaly upgrading the wetland is suggested.