Abstract
Total metals and their speciation were investigated in sediments from lower Chapora Estuary, middle Zuari Estuary, and Moira River in Goa, India. The study aims to understand metal bioavailability in sediments and bioaccumulation in two edible bivalves (Cassosstrea spp. and Polymesoda spp.) in three water bodies of different lengths, catchment areas, hydrodynamics, and anthropogenic stress. Considerable differences in total metal level (Mn and/or Zn) from November to December were attributed to their additional input and variation in physicochemical processes. Contamination factor revealed moderate contamination by Zn at Chapora (November), while Zuari was moderately contaminated by Zn, Cu, and Co. The presence of metals in considerable or significant amounts in bioavailable fractions indicated their bioavailability. Variation in metal accumulation in gills, adductor muscle, and digestive gland at three stations and between months was the result of varying hydrodynamics, trophic levels, feeding habits, and enrichment gradients of metals. The abundance of metals in water, sediments, and bivalves when compared revealed variations in accumulation of metals. This might be attributed to the differential response of species to varying physical and biological factors at study sites. Bivalves showed a selective preference for Zn at three stations highlighting its importance in biological activities. Moreover, metals in bivalves at one or more stations exceeded the standard permissible limit and, thus, indicated their toxicity to bivalves.
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-023-11488-w/MediaObjects/12517_2023_11488_Fig1_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-023-11488-w/MediaObjects/12517_2023_11488_Fig2_HTML.png)
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Raw data will be made available on request.
Code availability
Not applicable.
References
Armstrong-Altrin JS, Madhavaraju J, Vega-Bautista F, Ramos-Vázquez MA, Perez-Alvarado BY, Kasper-Zubillaga JJ, Ekoa Bessa AZ (2021) Mineralogy and geochemistry of Tecolutla and Coatzacoalcos beach sediments, SW Gulf of Mexico. Appl Geochem 134:105103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2021.105103
Armstrong-Altrin JS, Ramos-Vazquez MA, Madhavaraju J, Marca-Castillo ME, Machain-Castillo ML, Márquez-Garcia AZ (2022) Geochemistry of marine sediments adjacent to the Los Tuxtlas Volcanic Complex, Gulf of Mexico: Constraints on weathering and provenance. Appl Geochem 141:105321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apgeochem.2022.105321
Arunkumar KS (2020) Heavy metal accumulation in sediments of a tropical estuary: a case from the southwest coast of India. Int J lakes rivers 13(1):57–71
Attri K, Kerkar SS (2011) Seasonal assessment of heavy metal pollution in tropical mangrove sediments (Goa, India). J Ecobiotechnol 3(8):9–15
Bhutia T (2016) Bioavailability in sediments and Bioaccumulation of trace metals in different parts of soft tissues of Bivalves, West Coast of India. M.Sc. Dissertation,. Goa University
Boening DW (1999) An evaluation of bivalves as biomonitors of heavy metals pollution in marine waters. Environ Monit Assess 55(3):459–470
Brooks RR, Presley BJ, Kaplan IR (1967) APDC-MIBK extraction system for determination of trace elements in saline waters by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Atlanta 14:809–816
Buchman MF (1999) NOAA screening quick reference tables. NOAA HAZMAT Report 99-1. Coastal Protection and Restoration Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, p 12
Cai L, Liu Y, Li W, Sun X, Ji W (2014) Speciation, distribution, and potential ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in Xiamen Bay surface sediment. Acta Oceanol Sin 33:13–21
Chakraborty P, Sarkar A, Krushna V, Naik R, Nagender B (2015) Organic matter-a key factor in controlling mercury distribution in estuarine sediment. Mar Chem 173:302–309
Charbonneau CS, Nash T (1993) Contaminants program, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge (Region 3), contaminants survey results. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 608 East Cherry Street, Room 200, Columbia, Missouri, p 65201
Chiu ST, Lam FS, Tze WL, Chau CW, Ye DY (2000) Trace metals in mussel from mariculture zones, Hong Kong. Chemosphere 41:101–108
Cruz TC, Nayak GN, Tiwari AK, Nasnodkar MR (2020) Assessment of metal pollution and bioaccumulation of metals by edible bivalve Polymesoda erosa in the Zuari Estuary, west coast of India. Mar Pollut Bull 158:111415
Dallinger R, Prosi F, Segner H, Back H (1987) Contaminated food and uptake of heavy metals by fish: a review and a proposal for further research. Oecologia 73:91–98
Dessai VGD, Nayak GN (2009) Distribution and speciation of selected metals in surface sediments, from the tropical Zuari estuary, central west coast of India. Environ Monit Assess 158:117–137
Dhaneesh KV, Gopi M, Ganeshamurthy R, Kumar TTA, Balasubramanian T (2012) Bioaccumulation of metals on reef associated organisms of Lakshadweep Archipelago. Food Chem 131:985–991
Dias HQ, Nayak GN (2016) Geochemistry and bioavailability of mudflats and mangrove sediments and their effect on bioaccumulation in selected organisms within a tropical (Zuari) estuary, Goa, India. Mar Pollut Bull 105:227–236
FAO/WHO (2004) Summary of evaluations performed by the joint FAO/WHO.
Ferreira GA, Machado ALS, Zalmin IR (2004) Temporal and spatial variation on heavy metal concentrations in the bivalve Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) on the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Braz Arch Biol Technol 47:319–327
Filipovic-Marijic V, Raspor B (2014) Relevance of biotic parameters in assessment of the spatial distribution of gastrointestinal metal and protein levels during spawning period of European chub (Squaliuscephalus L.). Environ Sci Pollut Res 21:7596–7606. https://doi.org/10.1007/s356-014-2666-5
Folk RL (1974) Petrology of sedimentary rocks. Hemphill, Austin, Texas
Gadkar NS, Nayak GN, Nasnodkar MR (2019) Assessment of metal enrichment and bioavailability in mangrove and mudflat sediments of the tropical (Zuari) estuary, west coast of India. Environ Sci Pollut Res 26(24):24998–25011
Gaonkar CV, Nasnodkar MR, Matta VM (2021) Assessment of metal enrichment and contamination in surface sediment of Mandovi estuary, Goa, West coast of India. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28:57872–57887
Gaudette HE, Flight WR, Toner L (1974) An inexpensive titration method for the determination of organic carbon in recent sediment. J Sediment Petrol 44(1):249–253
Huang LL, Pu XM, Pan JF, Wang B (2012) Heavy metal pollution status in surface sediments of Swan Lake lagoon and Rongcheng Bay in the northern Yellow Sea. Chemosphere 93:1957–1964
Jayaprakash M, SenthilKumar R, Giridharan L, Sujitha SB, Sarkar SK, Jonathan MP (2015) Bioaccumulation of metals in fish species from water and sediments in macrotidal Ennore creek, Chennai, SE coast of India: A metropolitan city effect. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 120:243–255
Karthikeyan P, Marigoudar SR, Mohan D, Nagarjuna A, Sharma KV (2020) Ecological risk from heavy metals in Ennore estuary, South East coast of India. Environmental Chemistry and Ecotoxicology 2:182–193
Krishnakumar PK, Bhat GS (1998) Heavy metal distribution in the biotic and abiotic matrices along Kamataka coast, west coast of India. Indian J Geo-Mar Sci 27:201–205
Kumar SA, Weerasooriyagedara MS (2018) A Review on heavy metals accumulation in coastal bivalves used in seafood industry: Guide to safely consumption of seafood. Int J Sci Res Publ 8(1):278–281
Martince D, Nurnberg HW, Stoeppler M, Branica M (1984) Bioaccumulation of heavy metals by bivalves from Lim Fjord (North Adriatic Sea). Mar Biol 81(2):177–188
Merciai R, Guasch H, Kumar A, Sabater S (2014) Trace metal concentration and fish size: variation among fish species in a Mediterranean river. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 107:154–163
Mustafa C, Guluzar A (2003) The relationships between heavy metal (Cd Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Zn) levels and the size of six Mediterranean fish species. Environ Pollut 121:29–36
Nasnodkar MR, Nayak GN (2015) Processes and factors regulating the distribution of metals in mudflat sedimentary environment within tropical estuaries, India. Arab J Geosci 8:9389–9405
Nasnodkar MR, Nayak GN (2018) Assessment of sediment quality using total and bioavailable concentration of metals in intertidal mudflats of a tropical (Vashishti) estuary, west coast of India. Arab J Geosci 11:505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-018-3826-6
Nasnodkar MR, Nayak GN (2019) Geochemical speciation of selected metals to understand source, bioavailability and toxicity in mudflat core sediments of a tropical (Vaghotan) estuary. India Reg Stud Mar Sci 31:100803
Nasnodkar MR, Nayak GN, Bhangle PP, Tiwari AK (2021) Spring-neap tides influence on bioavailability of metals and bioaccumulation in edible biota of the Zuari (tropical) Estuary. Environ Monit Assess 193:167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-021-08970-x
Nayak GN (1993) Studies on sediment flux of rivers, estuaries and adjoining coastal waters of Goa, West Coast of India. Technical report submitted to Department of Environment, New Delhi, p 69
Nayak GN, Noronha-D’Mello CA (2018) Estuarine mudfat and mangrove sedimentary environments along central west coast of India. J Environ Earth Sci 1(1):7
Nayak GN, Noronha-D’Mello CA, Pande A, Volvoikar SP (2016) Understanding sedimentary depositional environments through geochemical signatures of a Tropical (Vaghotan) estuary, West Coast of India. Environ Earth Sci 75(2):111
Nayak GN, Volvoikar SP, Hoskatta T (2018) Changing depositional environment and factors controlling the growth of mudfat in a tropical estuary, west coast of India. Environ Earth Sci 77(21):741
Nigam R, Panchang R, Banerjee P (2005) Foraminifera in surface sediments of Mandovi River estuary: indicators for mining pollution and high sea stand in Goa, India. J Coast Res 21(4):853–859
Noronha-D'Mello CA, Nayak GN (2016) Assessment of metal enrichment and their bioavailability in sediment and bioaccumulation by mangrove plant pneumatophores in a tropical (Zuari) estuary, west coast of India. Mar Pollut Bull 110:221–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.06.059
Pekey H, Karakas D, Ayberk S, Tolun L, Bakoglu M (2004) Ecological risk assessment using trace elements from surface sediments of İzmit Bay (northeastern Marmara Sea) Turkey. Mar Pollut Bull 48:946–953
Ponnusamy K, Sivaperumal P, Suresh M, Arularasan S, Munilkumar S, Pal AK (2014) Heavy metal concentration from biologically important edible species of bivalves (Perna viridis and Modiolus metcalfei) from Vellar Estuary, south east coast of India. J Aquac Res Development 5:258
Pringle BH, Hissong DE, Katy EL, Mulawka ST (1968) Trace metal accumulation by estuarine mollusks. J Sanit Eng Div 94:455–475
Ramos-Vazquez MA, Armstrong-Altrin JS, Madhavaraju J, Gracia A, Salas-de-Leon DA (2022) Mineralogy and geochemistry of marine sediments in the Northeastern Gulf of Mexico. In: Armstrong-Altrin JA, Pandarinath K, Verma S (eds) Geochemical Treasures and Petrogenetic Processes, pp 153–183. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-4782-7_7
Rao VP, Shynu R, Kessarkar PM, Sundar D, Michael GS, Narvekar T, Blossom V, Mehra P (2011) Suspended sediment dynamics on a seasonal scale in the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries, central west coast of India. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci 91:78–86
Renjan S, Rao VP, Kessarkar PM (2017) Major and trace metals in suspended and bottom sediments of the Mandovi and Zuari estuaries, western India: distribution, source, and pollution. Environ Sci Pollut Res 24:27409–27429
Rodrigues RJ, Nasnodkar MR, Nayak GN, Tiwari AK (2021) Bioaccumulation of metals by edible bivalve Saccostrea cucullata and its application as a bioindicator of metal pollution, tropical (Zuari) estuary, Goa, India. Arab J Geosci 14:1192. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-021-07545-x
Rzymski P, Niedzielski P, Klimaszyk P, Poniedziałek B (2014) Bioaccumulation of selected metals in bivalves (Unionidae) and Phragmites australis inhabiting a municipal water reservoir. Environ Monit Assess 186:3199–3212
Sarkar SK (2018) Bioaccumulation of Trace Metals in Macrozoobenthos of Sundarban Wetland. In: Sarkar SK (ed) Trace Metals in a Tropical Mangrove Wetland. Springer, Singapore, pp 125–141
Satheesh-Kumar P, Kumar DS (2011) Identification of heavy metals contamination by multivariate statistical analysis methods in Pondicherry mangroves, India. J Environ Earth Sci 1:30–48
Shirneshan G, Bakhtiari AR (2012) Accumulation and distribution of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn in the soft tissue and shell of oysters collected from the northern coast of Qeshm Island, Persian Gulf, Iran. Chem Speciat Bioavailab 24(3):129–138
Silva Filho EV, Jonathan MP, Chatterjee M, Sarkar SK, Sella SM, Bhattacharya A, Satpathy KK (2009) Ecological consideration of trace element contamination in sediment cores from Sundarban wetland, India. Environ Earth Sci 63:1213–1225
Singh JK, Kumar P, Kumar R (2020) Ecological risk assessment of heavy metal contamination in mangrove forest sediment of Gulf of Khambhat region, West Coast of India. SN Appl Sci 2:2027. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-020-03890-w
Siraswar R, Nayak GN (2011) Mudflats in lower middle estuary as a favorable location for concentration of metals, west coast of India. Indian J Geo-Mar Sci 40(3):372–385
Stankovic S, Kalaba P, Stankovic RA (2014) Biota as toxic metal indicators. Environ Chem Lett 12:63–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-013-0430-6
Sundaray SK, Nayak BB, Saulwood L, Bhatta D (2011) Geochemical speciation and risk assessment of heavy metals in the river estuarine sediments-a case study: Mahanadi basin, India. J Hazard Mater 1861:837–846
Szefer P, Ali A, Ba-Haroon A, Rajeh A, Geldon J, Nabrzyski M (1999) Distribution and relationships of selected trace metals in molluscs and associated sediments from the Gulf of Aden, Yemen. Environ Pollut 106:299–314
Tessier A, Campbell PGC, Bisson M (1979) Sequential extraction procedure for the speciation of particulate trace metals. Anal Chem 51(7):844–851
Tsukaijan K, Young DR (1978) Determination of microgram amounts of some transition metals in seawater by methyl isobutyl ketone-HNO3 successive extraction and flameless atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Anal Chem 50:1250–1253
Turekian KK, Wedepohl KH (1961) Distribution of the elements in some major units of the earth’s crust. Geol Soc Am Bull 72:175–192
Usero J, Regalado EG, Gracia I (1997) Trace metals in bivalve molluscs Ruditapes decussatus and Ruditapes philippinarum from the Atlantic coast of southern Spain. Environ Int 23:291–298
Uysal K, Kose E, Bulbul M, Donmez M, Erdogan Y, Koyun M (2009) The comparison of heavy metal accumulation ratios of some fish species in Enne Damme Lake (Kutahya/Turkey). Environ Monit Assess 157:355–362
Vangronveld J, Cunnihgham SD (1998) Metal contaminated soils: in-situ inactivation and Phytoremediation. Springer Verlag, Berlin
Wang Z, Liu C (2003) Distribution and partition behavior of heavy metals between dissolved and acid-soluble fractions along a salinity gradient in the Changjiang estuary, eastern China. Chem Geol 202:383–396
Wang WX, Yan QL, Fan W, Xu Y (2002) Bioavailability of sedimentary metals from a contaminated bay. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 240:23–38
WHO (1989) Environmental health criteria 108: Nickel. World Health Organization, International programme on chemical safety http:\\www.inchem.org/documents/ehc
Yu GH, Luo YH, Wu MJ, Tang Z, Liu DY, Yang XM, Shen QR (2010) PARAFAC modeling of fluorescence excitation–emission spectra for rapid assessment of compost maturity. Bioresour Technol 101:8244–8251
Yuzerero TA, Gok G, Cogun HY, Firat O, Aslanyasusu S, Maruldali O, Kargin F (2010) Heavy metals in Patella caerulea (mollusca, gastropoda) in polluted and non-polluted areas from the Iskenderun Gulf (Mediterranen Turkey). Environ Monit Assess 167:257–264
Zhang YY, Zhang EP, Zhang J (2008) Modeling on adsorption-desorption of trace metals to suspended particle matter in the Changjiang estuary. Environ Earth Sci 53(8):1751–1766
Zhang C, Yu Z, Zeng G, Jiang M, Yang Z, Cui F, Zhu M, Shen L, Hu L (2014) Effects of sediment geochemical properties on heavy metal bioavailability. Environ Int 73:270–281
Zodape GV, Dhawan VL, Wagh RR, Sawant AS (2011) Contamination of heavy metals in seafood marketed from Vile Parle and Dadar markets of suburban areas of Mumbai (west coast of) India. Int J Environ Sci Technol 1(6):1177–1185
Amor RB, Yahyaoui A, Abidi M, Chouba L, Gueddari M (2019) Bioavailability and assessment of metal contamination in surface sediments of Rades-Hamam Lif Coast, around Meliane River (Gulf of Tunis, Tunisia, Mediterranean Sea). J Chemother 2019. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/4284987
Bhatkhande AD, Nasnodkar MR (2022) Metal enrichment in sediments and bioaccumulation in edible bivalve Saccostrea cucullata from mudflats of a tropical estuary, India: a study to investigate toxicity and consumption suitability. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19999-x
Burger J (2006) Bioindicators: types, development and use in ecological assessment and research. Environ Bioindic:1–18
DPR-Mapusa-Moide River (2019) Consultancy services for preparation of second stage DPR of cluster -7 of national waterways. http://iwai.nic.in/sites/default/files/95683115NW-71%20Final%20DPR_Mapusa.pdf. Accessed 31 July 2022.
Kanetkar A, Nasnodkar MR, Nayak GN (2022) Metal enrichment and toxicity assessment through total and speciation of metals in lower and middle regions of tropical (Mandovi) Estuary, western coast of India. Environ Sci Pollut Res. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-20761-6
Li H, Shi A, Li M, Zhang X (2013) Effect of pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and flow rate of overlying water on heavy metals release from storm sewer sediments. J Chemother. https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/434012
Li H, Wang M, Zhang W, Zhang Z, Zhang X (2016) Fractional characteristics of heavy metals Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cd in sewer sediment from areas in central Beijing, China. J Chemother 2016. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/9724128
Nasnodkar MR, Nayak GN (2017) Chemical speciation and bioavailability of selected trace metals in the mudflat core sediments of the tropical estuaries, India. Environ. Earth Sci 76(727). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-7081-z
River Rejuvenation Action Plan (2019) Preparation of action plan for rejuvenation of polluted stretches of rivers in Goa. http://goaspcb.gov.in/Media/Default/River-action-plan/Mandovi%20%20River%20Action%20Plan_R1_090419.pdf. Accessed on 21 July 2022.
Acknowledgements
The authors wish to thank Prof. Ramola Antao for correcting the English grammar and usage of the draft of the manuscript. One of the authors (Prof. G. N. Nayak) thanks CSIR, New Delhi, for awarding the CSIR Emeritus Scientist position.
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Trishala Bhutia: investigation, Maheshwar R. Nasnodkar: writing—original draft, Ganapati N. Nayak: conceptualization, writing—review and editing, supervision.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethics approval
Not applicable.
Consent for publication
All the authors agree with the present submission of this paper.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Amjad Kallel
Supplementary information
ESM 1:
Figures S1–S3 (DOCX 128 kb)
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Bhutia, T., Nasnodkar, M.R. & Nayak, G.N. Speciation of metals in sediments and their bioaccumulation by edible bivalves (Cassosstrea spp. and Polymesoda spp.) in the aquatic bodies of Goa, west coast of India. Arab J Geosci 16, 386 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11488-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11488-w