Spatial and temporal variability of metals in inter-tidal beach sediment of Mumbai, India

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2014-02, Vol.186 (2), p.1101-1111
• Main Authors: Jayasiri, H. B, Vennila, A, Purushothaman, C. S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acids; Analysis; anthropogenic activities; Anthropogenic factors; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bathing Beaches; Beaches; Cadmium; Charged particles; chromium; Coasts; cobalt; Contaminants; Contaminated sediments; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Heavy metals; India; iron; Lead; manganese; Metal concentrations; Metals; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Monsoons; nickel; Pollution; Pollution index; Pollution load; Seawater - chemistry; Sediments; Statistical analysis; Studies; temporal variation; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Weather patterns; Wind; zinc
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-013-3441-7

Nine metals were monitored in the beach sediment in Mumbai from May 2011 to March 2012 to evaluate the spatial and temporal distributions. The average heavy metal concentrations exhibited the following order: Fe > Mn > Cr > Co > Ni > Pb > Zn > Cu > Cd for the four sampling sites. The mean concentrations (± SD) of Fe, Mn, Cr, Co, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd were estimated to be 31.15 ± 10.02 g kg⁻¹, 535.04 ± 76.42, 151.98 ± 97.90, 92.76 ± 14.18, 67.52 ± 11.32, 59.57 ± 15.19, 54.65 ± 15.01, 32.24 ± 8.07 and 18.75 ± 1.76 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. The results indicated that the sediments were polluted with Cd, Cr, Co and Pb due to high anthropogenic influences. Spatial variation of metals revealed that most of the metals were high in Dadar beach and low in Aksa beach. Cd was the highest contaminant metal studied with a mean contamination factor of 93.75. The pollution load indices of the studied beaches ranged from 1.63 (Aksa) to 1.91 (Dadar) and indicated that the beach sediments were polluted with heavy metals. The heavy metal contents increased in relation to monsoon, and most of the heavy metals showed significantly high concentrations in November during the post-monsoon. The statistical analysis revealed significant effect of study site on all the metals studied. Further, there was a significant difference on metal accumulation on bimonthly basis in relation to weather pattern in Mumbai beaches.