Geochemical assessment and fractionation of trace metals in estuarine sedimentary sub-environments, in Mumbai, India
Introduction
Metals are indestructible with most of them having toxic effects on organisms. Unpolluted soils/sediments exhibit low concentrations of metals mostly derived from rock and soil weathering (Reza and Singh, 2010, Varol and Sen, 2012), while in urban-rural areas, anthropogenic inputs, such as industry and agricultural emissions, may become predominant metal sources (Li and Davis, 2008, Tang et al., 2014). The pollution of the aquatic environment with metals has become a worldwide problem during recent years (Guo et al., 2012, Ndimele and Kumolu-Johnson, 2012). Sediments can act as a sink for various pollutants such as pesticides and trace metals and also as a source by playing a significant role in the remobilization of contaminants (Yao and Gao, 2007). The contamination of aquatic systems by heavy metals, especially in sediments, has become one of the most challenging pollution issues owing to the toxicity, abundance, persistence and subsequent bio-accumulation of these materials (Gielar et al., 2012, Varol and Sen, 2012). Numerous studies, have demonstrated that marine sediments from industrialised coastal areas are greatly contaminated by heavy metals (Li et al., 2013, Singh et al., 2013, Fernandes et al., 2011). Elevated levels of heavy metals in aquatic sediments, may pose a risk to human health due to their transfer in aquatic media and uptake by living organisms, thereby entering the food chain (Satarug et al., 2010, Hussein et al., 2012, Tang et al., 2014). The knowledge of the total concentration of an element in specific environmental compartment is often inadequate to explain its roles and properties. Mobility and toxicity of metals associated with sediments are generally affected by metal speciation and sediment composition. Sequential extraction analysis is a technique developed for the overall assessment of the speciation and potential mobility of metals in sediments (Calmano et al., 1996, Hass and Fine, 2010). There are many such schemes (Forstner, 1982, Tessier et al., 1979) amongst which the most widely used is the one proposed by Tessier et al. (1979).
Continuous industrial growth and rapid economic development of Mumbai, in India, has resulted in dramatic increase in percentage of population. Consequently, the environmental quality of the soil is becoming more and more important with regards to human health. Rathod et al. (2002) reported decline in fin fish and shell fish fauna along Mumbai due to industrial and domestic activities. In Ulhas estuary, pollution adversely affected the distribution and abundance of fish species such as Bhing and Pala (BMRDA, 1983). Relative high concentration of Cr reported in the tissue of fish from the Ulhas estuary reflected anthropogenically added Cr in the estuary (Srinivasan and Mahajan, 1987). Singh et al. (2007) reported presence of heavy metals (Cd, Fe, Pb, Zn and Cu) in water, sediment and body tissues of Red worms (Tubifex spp.) collected from natural habitats around Mumbai. Therefore, there is a need to determine the chemical form of metals in the soil to know its toxicity, mobilization capacity and behaviour in the environment. There is not much information available in the published literatures about the geochemical assessment and fractionation of heavy metals in the Mumbai area especially the estuarine region. Knowledge of the chemical forms of heavy metals as well as their complexes will help to better evaluate the environmental impact of contaminated sediments. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the metal sources, distributions, concentrations and contamination status of selected elements (Fe, Mn, Cu, Pb, Co, Zn and Cr) in the sediments and compare it with standards for sediment quality as well as determination of mobility of the metals in the sediments.
Section snippets
Study area
The study area is located in Mumbai (Table 1), on the west coast of India, as shown in Fig. 1. The Ulhas River estuary is one of the inward waters distinctive in its environmental conditions due to the shallow depth, tidal currents, mangrove vegetation, salinity gradient, diurnal temperature variation, etc. It is lined with vast mudflats and extensive mangrove areas. An outlet of the river touches the head of Thane creek south of Mumbra. Dredging activities carried out in the Mumbra region
Characterization and distribution of metals
The range and average plots of the sediment components and the different metals analyzed in both the cores are shown in Fig. 2 and Table 2. The percent recoveries of Fe, Mn, Cu, Co, Cr, Pb, Al and Zn were 86.9, 91.4, 102.1, 76.5, 87.3, 79.1, 95.2 and 89.7%, respectively. The abundance of average metal concentration in the sediments decreased in the sequence − Al > Fe > Mn > Cr > Zn > Cu > Pb > Co for both the cores. The results indicate that sediments of mudflat and mangrove cores are mainly composed of silt
Conclusions
Mudflat sediment core sampled from an estuarine region, in Mumbai, showed higher metal concentration as compared to neighbouring mangrove core. In these two cores, factor analysis revealed the source of metal pollutants in the region. Based on enrichment, anthropogenic and contamination factors, the mudflat core was highly contaminated with Mn, Cu, Pb and Co while the mangrove core displayed moderate contamination. Comparison of sediment quality guidelines with the metal concentrations showed
Acknowledgement
The first author expresses her sincere thanks to the Department of Science and Technology-SERB, New Delhi for the award of fast track Research Fellowship (SR/FTP/ES-26/2013).
References (73)
Distribution and seasonal variation of trace metals in surface sediments of the Mandovi estuary, west coast of India
Estuar. Coast Shelf Sci.
(2006)- et al.
Speciation, oxidation state and reactivity of particulate manganese in marine sediments
Chem. Geol.
(2005) - et al.
Lead (Pb) isotopic fingerprinting and its applications in lead pollution studies in China: a review
Environ. Pollut.
(2010) - et al.
Seasonal variations of coastal sedimentary trace metals cycling: insight on the effect of manganese and iron (oxy)hydroxides, sulphide and organic matter
Mar. Pollut. Bull.
(2015) - et al.
The use of various methods for the study of metal pollution in marine sediments- the case of Euvoikos Gulf, Greece
Geochemistry
(2003) - et al.
Distribution, enrichment and source of heavy metals in surface sediments of the eastern Beibu Bay, South China Sea
Mar. Pollut. Bull.
(2013) - et al.
A review of factors affecting the release and bioavailability of contaminants during sediment disturbance events
Environ. Int.
(2004) - et al.
A preliminary study of heavy metal contamination in Yangtze River intertidal zone due to urbanization
Mar. Pollut. Bull.
(2004) - et al.
Accumulation of sediment, organic matter and trace metals with space and time in a creek along Mumbai coast, India
Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci.
(2011) - et al.
Evaluation of distribution, mobility and binding behaviour of heavy metals in surficial sediments of Louro River (Galicia, Spain) using chemometric analysis: a case study
Sci. Total Environ.
(2004)
Multivariate analysis of sediment data from the upper and middle Odra River (Poland)
Appl. Geochem.
Spatial distribution and pollution assessment of heavy metals in urban soils from southwest China
J. Environ. Sci.
Ecological risk index for aquatic pollution control. A sedimentological approach
Water Res.
Rare earth element geochemistry of standard sediments: a study using inductively coupled plasma spectrometry
Chem. Geol.
Speciation of metals in sediment and water in a river underlain by limestone: role of carbonate species for purification capacity of rivers
Adv. Environ. Res.
Heavy metals distribution and contamination in surface sediments of the coastal Shandong Peninsula (Yellow Sea)
Mar. Pollut. Bull.
Chemical speciation and contamination assessment of Zn and Cd by sequential extraction in surface sediment of Klang River, Malaysia
Microchem. J.
Geochemical speciation and risk assessment of heavy metals in the river estuarine sediments—a case study: Mahanadi basin, India
J. Hazard Mater.
Distribution and association of trace metals in soft tissue and byssus of Mytella strigata and other benthal organisms from Mazatlan Harbour, Mangrove Lagoon of the northwest coast of Mexico
Environ. Inter.
Three-stage sequential extraction procedure for the determination of metals in river sediments
Anal. Chim. Acta
Assessment of nutrient and heavy metal contamination in surface water and sediments of the upper Tigris River, Turkey
Catena
Speciation of heavy metals in marine sediments from the East China Sea by ICP-MS with sequential extraction
Environ. Int.
Heavy metal pollution in sediments of a typical mariculture zone in South China
Mar. Pollut. Bull.
Study of Flora, Intertidal Macrobenthic Fauna and Fishery of Ulhas River Estuary and Thane Creek to Assess the Pollution Status and Decide Mitigative Strategy
Report of the Study Group on Fisheries in Bombay Metropolitan Region
Studies on the River Ulhas with Reference to Pollution in the Vicinity of Shahad-Ambivli Industrial Area and Its Effect on Puntius Sphore, M.Sc Thesis
Pollution Control Acts, Rules and Notification Issued Under Volume, 311–312
Sediment quality assessment: chemical and biological approaches
Influence of reducing conditions on solubility of trace metals in contaminated soil
J. Water Air Soil Pollut.
Reliability of salt marshes as geochemical recorders of pollution input: a case study from contrasting estuaries in southern England
Environ. Sci. Tech.
Heavy-metal fractionation in surface sediments of the Cauvery River Estuarine Region, Southeastern coast of India
Arch. Environ. Contam. Toxicol.
Fate of heavy metal contaminants in road dusts and gully sediments in Guangzhou: SE China: a chemical and mineralogical assessment
Hum. Ecol. Risk Assess.
Assessment of mobility and bioavailability of heavy metals in sewage sludge from Swaziland through speciation analysis
Amer. J. Environ. Protect.
Accumulative phases for heavy metals in limnic sediments
Hydrobiologia
Cited by (5)
Environment and health hazards due to military metal pollution: A review
2023, Environmental Nanotechnology, Monitoring and ManagementIs the benthic index AMBI impervious to seasonality and data transformations while evaluating the ecological status of an anthropized monsoonal estuary?
2020, Ocean and Coastal ManagementCitation Excerpt :It is heavily stressed by a wide range of anthropic activities and receives untreated domestic sewage (511 MLD; NIO, 2018), industrial effluents (46.5 MLD; NIO, 2016), terrestrial and agricultural runoff (NIO, 2017), particularly in its middle and upper zones. Dredging activities at some locations also impact the estuary (Fernandes and Nayak, 2016). The sampling survey was conducted at 12 subtidal stations (Fig. 1) during the year 2013 for three consecutive seasons i.e. premonsoon; Pr (May), monsoon; M (September) and postmonsoon; Po (November).
Geochemical fractionation and risk assessment of trace elements in sediments from tide-dominated Hooghly (Ganges) River Estuary, India
2020, Chemical GeologyCitation Excerpt :Lead species are strongly sorbed to FeMn oxides, which were reported to be more important than association with clays and organic materials (Fergusson, 1990; Soliman et al., 2018) and (ii) both Fe and Mn oxides exist as nodule concretions and are excellent scavengers for Pb but are thermodynamically unstable under anoxic conditions. However, it is worth to refer that any change in the anoxic conditions of sediment will influence the release or retention of this element in the reducible phase (Charlatchka and Cambier, 2000; Fernandes and Nayak, 2016). Lead is mainly derived from industry and municipal discharges, massive use of lead-based paint in domestic and commercial purpose, use of acid-lead batteries by local people, use of pesticides containing Pb and automobile exhaust.
Inferring pollution records in sediment cores from transitional environments of Marquelia coast, Guerrero, Mexico
2022, Environmental Science and Pollution ResearchEnvironmental assessment concerning trace metals and ecological risks at Guanabara Bay, RJ, Brazil
2018, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment