Sediment characteristics of the Pichavaram mangrove environment, south east coast of India

Abstract

The heavy metal and phosphorous fractionation geochemistry and textural aspects of sediments in a tropical mangrove ecosystem have been studied and discussed. The sediments are characterised by the abundance of sand and silt with small amount of clay. The organic matter concentration ranges from 1.5 to 13.4% and are controlled by the particle size of the sediments. Enhanced concentration of heavy metals in the surficial sediments were due to the abundance of greater surface area fine particles, high organic matter content and flocculation process. This mangrove sediments may act as a sink for the metals derived from marine and fluvial processes. Different forms of available phosphorous in the mangrove sediments shows spatial variation within the mangrove environment.