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Temporal and spatial variability of trace metals in suspended matter of the Mandovi estuary, central west coast of India

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Abstract

Studies on the suspended particulate matter (SPM) in the Mandovi estuary, western India indicate that during the monsoon and pre-monsoon, the SPM increases, and the major and trace metals decrease from stations in the upstream to downstream of the estuary. SPM is consistently low at all stations during the post-monsoon. Trace metals (Cu, Ni, Zn, Cr, and Pb) show strong inter-relationships. They correlate well with Fe and Mn only during the monsoon. The concentrations of Cr, Cu, and Pb are high during the post-monsoon. Enrichment factors and I geo values of metals indicate that Mn shows significant to strong pollution in all seasons, while Cr, Ni, and Zn during monsoon, and Cr during the post-monsoon show moderate pollution. SPM is controlled by the turbidity maximum, while major and trace metals are governed seasonally by a combination of river discharge, resuspension, spillage of Fe–Mn particulates, and anthropogenic contamination. Incursion of saline waters deep into the river channel during the dry season facilitates aggregation and settling of particulate-borne pollutants close to the discharge area, thereby keeping the estuarine waters free from major contamination.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the Director, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) for the encouragement and facilities. Mr. R. Shynu was supported by the grants for the Project ‘Exclusive Econonomic Zone’, Ministry of Earth Sciences, New Delhi and Project awarded to V. P. Rao by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. Funds for the Project Assistant are from ‘SIP 1308’. We thank two anonymous reviewers and Prof. Gunter Doerhoefer, Editor EES for their constructive comments on our earlier manuscript. This is NIO contribution 4974.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Oceanography (CSIR), Dona Paula, 403 004, Goa, India

    R. Shynu, V. Purnachandra Rao & Pratima M. Kessarkar

  2. National Geophysical Research Institute (CSIR), Uppal Road, Hyderabad, India

    T. G. Rao

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  1. R. Shynu
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  2. V. Purnachandra Rao
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  3. Pratima M. Kessarkar
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Correspondence to V. Purnachandra Rao.

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Shynu, R., Purnachandra Rao, V., Kessarkar, P.M. et al. Temporal and spatial variability of trace metals in suspended matter of the Mandovi estuary, central west coast of India. Environ Earth Sci 65, 725–739 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-1119-4

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