Research Article Open Access

SPATIAL AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE SURFACE WATER AND DEEP SEDIMENTS OF FRESH WATER AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM

Kantha Deivi Arunachalam1, Sathesh Kumar Annamalai1, Kamesh Viswanathan Baskaran1, S. Rajaram2, S. K. Jha2 and Sreedevi2
  • 1 SRM University, India
  • 2 , India

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of various trace metals present in water and sediment of fresh water aquatic ecosystem during the post monsoon season. The study was extended to identify the trace metal contamination in the water and sediment samples collected along the shores of Lambapur and Peddagattu the tribal villages in India using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICPMS). The trace metal contents in water samples were copper- 24.2 to 47.5, chromium- 4.4 to 8.2, cadmium- 0.1 to 0.3, lead- 2.1 to 3.8, Nickel- 5.9 to 9.7, Zinc- 4.6 to 9.7, Manganese- 10.8 to 13.2, Iron- 52.9 to 157.2 (µg L-1) cobalt and arsenic were in BDL and the values were within the limits of Indian drinking water standards (BIS 10500: 1991). The trace metals concentration in the sediment samples ranged from (mg kg-1): Copper- 61.5 to 113.7, chromium- 138.4 to 177.5, cobalt- 33.2 to 42.7, cadmium- 1.0 to 2.1, lead- 57.9 to 103.4, Nickel- 36.1 to 56.6, Zinc- 51.2 to 102.1, Manganese- 610.8 to 1301.7 and Iron- 2.5 to 2.9%. In our study, four reliable indices such as Enrichment factor, Contamination factor, Geoaccumulation Index and Pollution Load Index were applied to estimate metal pollution and the results comparison are discussed below. The data generated were used to determine the quality of the sediments based on the enrichment factor, contamination factor and degree of contamination, geochemical index and Pollution Load Index (PLI).

American Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 10 No. 2, 2014, 102-122

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2014.102.122

Submitted On: 20 February 2014 Published On: 26 March 2014

How to Cite: Arunachalam, K. D., Annamalai, S. K., Baskaran, K. V., Rajaram, S., Jha, S. K. & Sreedevi, (2014). SPATIAL AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS OF TRACE ELEMENTS IN THE SURFACE WATER AND DEEP SEDIMENTS OF FRESH WATER AQUATIC ECOSYSTEM. American Journal of Environmental Sciences, 10(2), 102-122. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2014.102.122

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Keywords

  • Enrichment Factor
  • Pollution Load Index
  • Nagarjuna Sagar Dam
  • Contaminant Factor