A study on seasonal accumulation of metals in Tirumalairajan river estuary and adjacent coastal track, Tamil Nadu, east coast of India

Abstract

Seasonal accumulation of metal concentrations (Fe, Mn, Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, Co and Ni) in surface sediments from the Tirumalairajan estuary and its adjacent coastal track of east coast of India were studied. Fe, Mn, Cr, Co and Ni are relatively high enrichment factor in both estuary and beach environments. Calculated enrichment factor (EF) with respect to the upper continental crust values show that the analyzed sediments are depleted in Fe, Mn, Co, Cr, Ni and enriched in Zn, Pb, Cu. Moreover, metal concentrations have positive correlations with to the particle size and organic matter content of the sediments, which strongly suggests that the influence of irrigation and industrial wastewaters discharged from the neighboring irrigation land and industries. Factor analysis clearly reveals that fine particles and organic matter control the distribution of metals in the sediments.