Integrative Study of Coastal Land-Based Pollution and Effects: Focus on Soil Properties

Abstract

The discharge and dumping of untreated domestic and industrial wastes into estuaries, rivers, and nearshore waters are the principal sources of coastal pollution in the current study area. Ten soil samples were collected near the industry pollutant exit point near the seashore and towards Mangalore city and were undergo chemical and physical analysis. Also, both distilled water and seawater were used to determine the strength characteristics of the samples. SEM, XRD and EDS were used to determine the surface morphology, chemical compositions of samples. From the results, it was found that most of the samples collected were more or less not met the sufficient range for the agricultural activities. When soil samples undergo Compaction and UCS tests in the presence of seawater and distilled water, MDD and UCS values were decreased in the presence of seawater. From the SEM study, the majority of samples have crystalline texture. Carbon, Oxygen, Aluminium, Silicon, Iron and Mercury were major elements abundantly found in the collected soil samples when it undergoes EDS Analysis. From the XRD analysis, it was known that Quartz, illite, kaolinite, orthoclase, mica, halloysite are the major mineral compounds found in the collected soil samples.