Fluctuations of Physicochemical Parameters in the Waters of the Chattogram Coastal Area, Bangladesh

Abstract

Fluctuations in seasonal features of physicochemical factors in the coastal zone are expressively related to the development of aquaculture. The research examined some common physicochemical characteristics of water such as temperature, salinity, light penetration, pH, biological oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total dissolved solids (TDS), total suspended solids (TSS), and nutrients like nitrite and phosphate for the Chattogram coast of the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, for a period about one year (December 2020 to November 2021) during the pre-monsoon, monsoon, and post-monsoon seasons. The analyzed physic-chemical parameters’ spatio-temporal variability was discovered to be as follows: average temperature 28.20±2.28°C, light penetration 9.95±1.75 cm, pH 7.38±0.17, salinity 20.11±1.44 ppt, DO 7.41±0.91 mg/l, BOD5 8.28±1.15 mg/l, TSS 2.61±0.43 g/l, and TDS 21.99±2.06 g/l. The concentration of nutrients indicates significant variations, and their levels in the water increased during the monsoon period. Total nitrate-nitrogen ranged between 0.867 µg/l and 1.472 µg/l and total phosphate-phosphorus ranged between 0.221 µg/l and 0.844 µg/l. Shipbreaking activities near the study area possess adverse impacts on native geomorphology, freshwater inputs, rainfall, and the aquatic ecosystem as well. This research proposes the value of regular supervision to assess the status of water quality and the next prospect of aquaculture in the Chattogram coastal area. Seasonally, without DO, all values showed a significant difference, whereas p<0.05.