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Trace metal fractionation in the Pichavaram mangrove–estuarine sediments in southeast India after the tsunami of 2004

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Abstract

The geochemistry of coastal sediments of southern India was altered after the tsunami in 2004. A five-step sequential extraction procedure was applied to assess the effects of tsunami on mobility and redistribution of selected elements (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn). Ten surface sediments and three cores were analyzed for different metal fractions (exchangeable, carbonate, reduced, oxidized, and residual). Total metal concentrations increased in mangrove sediments after the tsunami, but their spatial distribution did not show significant variation (except Mn). The sediments were mixed by the tsunami, and there was lack of variation in metal concentrations in different fractions with depth (except Pb and Mn). High concentrations of Pb and Zn occurred in the oxide fractions, whereas Cu, Cr, Cd, and Ni were high in the organic and sulfide-rich fractions. Metals in the residual fraction (lattice bound) had the highest concentration suggesting their non-availability and limited biological uptake in the system. Most of the metals (except Mn) do not constitute a risk based on the different geochemical indices.

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Acknowledgments

We acknowledge the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Government of Tamil Nadu and Divisional Forest Officer, Villupuram for permission to sample the Pichavaram mangroves. We thank Sanjeev Bakshi (CUB, Patna) with the statistical analysis. Thoughtful reviews by both reviewers significantly helped in improving the manuscript. RKR acknowledges Sat Paul Mittal Trust. Funding was provided by FORMAS.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Environmental Sciences, Central University of Bihar, Patna, 800014, India

    Rajesh Kumar Ranjan

  2. School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, 110067, India

    Rajesh Kumar Ranjan, Gurmeet Singh & Al Ramanathan

  3. Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Linköping University, Linköping, 58183, Sweden

    Joyanto Routh

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  1. Rajesh Kumar Ranjan
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  2. Gurmeet Singh
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Correspondence to Rajesh Kumar Ranjan.

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Ranjan, R.K., Singh, G., Routh, J. et al. Trace metal fractionation in the Pichavaram mangrove–estuarine sediments in southeast India after the tsunami of 2004. Environ Monit Assess 185, 8197–8213 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-013-3167-6

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