Toxic Metal Distribution in the Core Sediment of Cochin Estuarine System (CES)

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Authors

Department of Chemical Oceanography, School of Marine Sciences, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi-16, Kerala, India

Abstract

This article present the result from a study of two sediment cores collected from the
environmentally distinct zones of CES. Accumulation status of five toxic metals: Cadmium (Cd), Chromium
(Cr), Cobalt (Co), Copper (Cu) and Lead (Pb) were analyzed. Besides texture and CHNS were determined to
understand the composition of the sediment. Enrichment Factor (EF) and Anthropogenic Factor (AF) were
used to differentiate the typical metal sources. Metal enrichment in the cores revealed heavy load at the
northern (NS1 ) region compared with the southern zone (SS1). Elevation of metal content in core NS1 showed the industrial input. Statistical analyses were employed to understand the origin of metals in the sediment samples. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) distinguishes the two zones with different metal accumulation capacity: highest at NS1 and lowest at SS1. Correlation analysis revealed positive significant relation only in core NS1, adhering to the exposition of the intensified industrial pollution.

Keywords

International Journal of Environmental Research
Volume 8, Issue 1 - Serial Number 1
January 2014
Pages 133-138

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