Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Waters from a Glacier Basin on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Wen, Xinyu; Zhang, Rui; Hong, Qianli; Li, Hui; Yao, Yan; Mo, Meixian; Ren, Binbin; Zhang, Huawei

doi:10.3390/toxics14080672

Open AccessArticle

Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Waters from a Glacier Basin on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

by

Xinyu Wen

¹,

Rui Zhang

²,

Qianli Hong

²,

Hui Li

³,

Yan Yao

¹,

Meixian Mo

¹,

Binbin Ren

⁴ and

Huawei Zhang

^2,5,*

¹

College of Geography and Land Engineering, Yuxi Normal University, Yuxi 653100, China

²

Faculty of Geography, Yunnan Normal University, Kunming 650500, China

³

School of Earth Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650504, China

⁴

College of Tourism, Geography, History and Culture, Hulunbuir University, Hailaer 021008, China

⁵

Meili Snow Mountains Cryosphere Changes Observation and Research Station of Yunnan Province, Deqin 674500, China

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Toxics 2026, 14(8), 672; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14080672

Submission received: 23 June 2026 / Revised: 22 July 2026 / Accepted: 25 July 2026 / Published: 29 July 2026

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Highlights

What are the main findings?

Spatial differentiation: Heavy metal concentrations decreased significantly from the glacier basin to downstream rivers, with marked differences among the six river basins.
Source apportionment: PCA identified three groups of heavy metal associations (Mn–Co–Ni–Cd, Cu–Zn, V–Cr), indicating mixed natural and anthropogenic sources; long range atmospheric transport is an important external input pathway.
Risk characteristics: Ecological risk is low; non carcinogenic risk is within safe limits, but children are more sensitive than adults, with arsenic (As) as the main contributor. Carcinogenic risk is acceptable, but the ingestion risks of arsenic and nickel are relatively higher for adults in the Yubeng River basin.

What is the implication of the main findings?

These findings provide a crucial baseline for pollution prevention, water resource management, and public health protection on the Tibetan Plateau, underscoring the need for source specific mitigation measures and strengthened monitoring.

Abstract

Heavy metals in surface waters pose significant risks to aquatic ecosystems and human health. In this study, a comprehensive analysis of multiple heavy metals (V, Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Cd) was performed using extensive surface water samples from the Meili Snow Mountains glacier basin, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Results showed that heavy metal concentrations were higher in glacier meltwater than in downstream rivers, with significant variability observed in both the glacier basin (0.00300–33.4 μg/L) and downstream rivers (0.00500–2.85 μg/L), attributable to local geological processes and regional atmospheric deposition of transported particulate pollutants. Elevated total heavy metal concentrations at Sinong River and Qunatong River were primarily driven by uneven distribution of specific metals, likely from both anthropogenic and natural sources. Principal component analysis extracted three components that grouped heavy metals into Mn–Co–Ni–Cd, Cu–Zn, and V–Cr associations, indicating mixed geogenic and anthropogenic sources, with long-range atmospheric transport from surrounding polluted regions being a notable contributor. Risk assessments indicated low ecological risks (ERI < 150) and safe non–carcinogenic risks (HI < 1), with children exhibiting higher susceptibility than adults and As being the primary contributor. Although the carcinogenic risks (TCR: 10⁻⁶–10⁻⁴) were acceptable, ingestion of As and Ni posed higher risks, especially in the Yubeng River basin for adults. These findings provide valuable insights for water resource management and health protection in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.

Keywords: heavy metals; surface waters; potential risks; source identification; Meili Snow Mountains glacier basin

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wen, X.; Zhang, R.; Hong, Q.; Li, H.; Yao, Y.; Mo, M.; Ren, B.; Zhang, H. Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Waters from a Glacier Basin on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Toxics 2026, 14, 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14080672

AMA Style

Wen X, Zhang R, Hong Q, Li H, Yao Y, Mo M, Ren B, Zhang H. Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Waters from a Glacier Basin on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Toxics. 2026; 14(8):672. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14080672

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wen, Xinyu, Rui Zhang, Qianli Hong, Hui Li, Yan Yao, Meixian Mo, Binbin Ren, and Huawei Zhang. 2026. "Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Waters from a Glacier Basin on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau" Toxics 14, no. 8: 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14080672

APA Style

Wen, X., Zhang, R., Hong, Q., Li, H., Yao, Y., Mo, M., Ren, B., & Zhang, H. (2026). Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Waters from a Glacier Basin on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Toxics, 14(8), 672. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics14080672

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Distribution, Source Apportionment, and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in Surface Waters from a Glacier Basin on the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

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