Chemical Oceanography of Harbour and Coastal Environment of Visakhapatnam (Bay of Bengal): Part II- Nature and Composition of Sediments

Abstract

Harbour and coastal sediments of Visakhapatnam are predominantly silty-sand and sand-silt-clay respectively. High concentration levels of organic matter (OM), total phosphorus (TP), Fe, Zn, Mn, Pb, Cu, Co, Ni and Cd are observed in the inner harbour sediments due to the influx of industrial effluents and domestic sewage. On the other hand, there is no enrichment of Ca and Mg in the harbour when compared with the coastal sediments. Significant positive correlation is observed between finer fraction of the sediment, OM, TP and metals indicating their common association. However, Mn showed negative correlation with all these constituents.