Trace element concentration in surface sediments of Palk Strait, southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India.
The present work was carried to decipher the trace element accumulation in surface sediments of Palk Strait, southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India. The elemental concentration and correlation results suggest that fine fractions with CaCO3 content followed by organic matter (OM) of the surface sediments control the trace element accumulation in the study area. In addition, Fe and Mn concentration is chiefly contributed from riverine process and controlled by the mangrove ecosystem. The other elements are derived into marine environment through confluence of untreated industrial pollutants into the river system. The EF result shows that the studied marine sediments are enriched by Ni, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd, Cr, followed by Zn. The order of the pollution intensity with respect to geo-accumulation index suggests the following ascending order: Ni>Mn>Fe>Cu>Pb>Cd>Cr>Zn. Pollution Load Index (PLI) values reveal that all the samples are falling under moderately to unpolluted category.
Department of Geology, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai-600 025, India. Electronic address: Kasilingamkannan@gmail.com.
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Kasilingam
Department of Geology, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai-600 025, India. Electronic address: msureshgandhi@gmail.com.
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Suresh Gandhi
Department of Geology, University of Madras, Guindy Campus, Chennai-600 025, India. Electronic address: coralkrishna@yahoo.co.in.
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Krishnakumar
Department of Geology, Anna University, Guindy Campus, Chennai-600 025, India. Electronic address: mageshissivan@gmail.com.
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Magesh
D002119:Calcium Carbonate / Q000032:analysis; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D019015:Geologic Sediments / Q000032:analysis*; D007194:India; D008670:Metals / Q000032:analysis; D045483:Rivers; D014131:Trace Elements / Q000032:analysis*; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000032:analysis*; D053833:Wetlands
D008670:Metals; D014131:Trace Elements; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical; D002119:Calcium Carbonate
Coral reef ecosystem; Mangrove ecosystem; Palk Strait; Riverine input; Surface sediments; Trace element