Organic Constituents of Harbour and Coastal Sediments of Visakhapatnam, East Coast of India

Abstract

Concentrations of organic carbon (C), total nitrogen, total phosphorus, carbohydrates and labile and total amino acids of sediments of Visakhapatnam Harbour, collected during March 1986-February 1987, were estimated. Up to a sedimentary C is approx equal to 5U+0025, carbohydrates and to some extent amino acids disappeared fast, whereas the C/N ratio increased. A reversal of the trend beyond C is approx equal to 5U+0025 was explained by consideration of an earlier reported observation in the same area to be due to a corresponding fall of benthic activity. The extraction procedure of carbohydrates preceding their estimation by spectrophotometry may have introduced a uniform 'unpalatable' or 'polymeric' carbohydrate content of 0.8 mg.g-1 sediment into the extracts.