Source identification of aluminum in surface sediments of the Yellow Sea off the Shandong Peninsula

Surface sediment samples in the near shore area of the north Shandong Peninsula are collected for grain size and element analyses. The results indicate that the surface sediments in the study area are primarily composed of the silt-sized components similar to the Huanghe River. The total concentration of aluminum varies from 5.57% to 7.37% (average (6.33 ± 0.40)%), and its spatial distribution is mainly controlled by the grain size. Correlations between the ratio of aluminum to titanium concentration and aluminum concentration, titanium concentration and the mean grain size indicate that aluminum in the near shore surface sediments is affected majorly by the terrigenous source, and partially by the anthropogenic source. The ratios of aluminum to titanium concentrations are larger than the background value of loess matter at some stations due to the existence of excess aluminum associated with human activities. Thus, the sources of aluminum should be identified firstly when aluminum is used as an index of terrigenous matter even in the near shore area dominated by terrigenous deposits.