Geo-Spatial Insights into Heavy Metal Contamination and Ecological Implications in River Sediments: Identifying Agrochemical Impacts Through Pollution Indices in Morocco’s Sidi Allal Tazi Region, Sebou Basin

Geo-Spatial Insights into Heavy Metal Contamination and Ecological Implications in River Sediments: Identifying Agrochemical Impacts Through Pollution Indices in Morocco’s Sidi Allal Tazi Region, Sebou Basin | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Geo-Spatial Insights into Heavy Metal Contamination and Ecological Implications in River Sediments: Identifying Agrochemical Impacts Through Pollution Indices in Morocco’s Sidi Allal Tazi Region, Sebou Basin Hatim Sanad, Rachid Moussadek, Latifa Mouhir, Majda Oueld Lhaj, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6253453/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 May, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted 3 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Sediments in agricultural ecosystems serve as critical indicators of environmental pollution, particularly in regions subjected to intensive agricultural practices. This research evaluates the environmental hazards and implications of heavy metal (HM) contamination in river sediments from the Sidi Allal Tazi area within Morocco’s Sebou basin. Twenty sediment samples were extracted from strategically designated locations, and the contamination levels were analyzed using a multi-index integration approach, multi-statistical analyses (MSA), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The results revealed considerable spatial variability in HM concentrations, with Cd and As displaying the highest contamination levels. Statistical analysis, incorporating Principal Component Analysis (PCA), identified anthropogenic activities as the primary contributors to contamination. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) categorized metals based on common pollution pathways, while GIS mapping revealed the spatial distribution of contamination across vulnerable areas. Pollution indicators like the Geo-accumulation Index (I geo ) as well as the Pollution Load Index (PLI). revealed that 75% of sites were categorized under “very high pollution”, emphasizing the severity of contamination. Contamination Factor (CF) classified 90% of Cd samples and 100% of As samples as “very high contamination”. Risk indices indicated significant ecological threats, with Cd contributing to an RI exceeding 600 in many areas, signifying “very high risk”. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted mitigation strategies and sustainable agricultural practices. The integration of multi-index and GIS methodologies provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and managing sediment contamination, offering critical insights for policymakers and environmental managers. Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences Heavy metal contamination Agricultural ecosystems Sediment pollution GIS mapping multi-index assessment ecological risk analysis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 14 May, 2025 Read the published version in Scientific Reports → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Accepted 05 May, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 30 Apr, 2025 First submitted to journal 17 Apr, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6253453","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":444497582,"identity":"9e237362-6f7d-47b2-ace9-5cfcb7c083ab","order_by":0,"name":"Hatim 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This research evaluates the environmental hazards and implications of heavy metal (HM) contamination in river sediments from the Sidi Allal Tazi area within Morocco\u0026rsquo;s Sebou basin. Twenty sediment samples were extracted from strategically designated locations, and the contamination levels were analyzed using a multi-index integration approach, multi-statistical analyses (MSA), and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The results revealed considerable spatial variability in HM concentrations, with Cd and As displaying the highest contamination levels. Statistical analysis, incorporating Principal Component Analysis (PCA), identified anthropogenic activities as the primary contributors to contamination. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) categorized metals based on common pollution pathways, while GIS mapping revealed the spatial distribution of contamination across vulnerable areas. Pollution indicators like the Geo-accumulation Index (I\u003csub\u003egeo\u003c/sub\u003e) as well as the Pollution Load Index (PLI). revealed that 75% of sites were categorized under \u0026ldquo;very high pollution\u0026rdquo;, emphasizing the severity of contamination. Contamination Factor (CF) classified 90% of Cd samples and 100% of As samples as \u0026ldquo;very high contamination\u0026rdquo;. Risk indices indicated significant ecological threats, with Cd contributing to an RI exceeding 600 in many areas, signifying \u0026ldquo;very high risk\u0026rdquo;. These findings highlight the urgent need for targeted mitigation strategies and sustainable agricultural practices. The integration of multi-index and GIS methodologies provides a comprehensive framework for assessing and managing sediment contamination, offering critical insights for policymakers and environmental managers.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Geo-Spatial Insights into Heavy Metal Contamination and Ecological Implications in River Sediments: Identifying Agrochemical Impacts Through Pollution Indices in Morocco’s Sidi Allal Tazi Region, Sebou Basin","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-04-18 05:05:42","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6253453/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Accepted","date":"2025-05-05T06:35:34+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2025-04-30T09:07:38+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2025-04-17T15:48:31+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"5f4a39ba-46c0-4b53-a9e4-ff71271fddb7","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 18th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"published-in-journal","subjectAreas":[{"id":47324770,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology"},{"id":47324771,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Environmental sciences"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-05-19T16:07:28+00:00","versionOfRecord":{"articleIdentity":"rs-6253453","link":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01199-5","journal":{"identity":"scientific-reports","isVorOnly":false,"title":"Scientific Reports"},"publishedOn":"2025-05-14 15:58:02","publishedOnDateReadable":"May 14th, 2025"},"versionCreatedAt":"2025-04-18 05:05:42","video":"","vorDoi":"10.1038/s41598-025-01199-5","vorDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-01199-5","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6253453","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6253453","identity":"rs-6253453","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}