Seasonal variation of physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentration in water and bottom sediment at harboring areas of Digha coast, West Bengal, India

Abstract

This investigation attempts to reveal the seasonal variations in physicochemical parameters and heavy metal concentrations in winter and summer at harboring zones in the Digha coastal region of west Bengal. The area showed higher pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), sodium, potassium, organic carbon (OC) in summer and higher dissolved oxygen (DO), total alkalinity (TA), total hardness (TH) in winter. The concentration of heavy metals viz., cadmium, zinc, manganese, and chromium exceeded the permissible limit in summer, while copper, lead, nickel, and arsenic exceeded the limit in winter. Principal component analysis (PCA) results revealed that the metals responded positively and negatively among various harboring sampling sites The present study establishes the grave concern about heavy metal concentrations in the Digha coastal ecosystem and human health which are closely associated and dependent on it.