Sedimentation of metals in Sundarban mangrove ecosystem: Dominant drivers and environmental risks.

Abstract

Metal contamination from upstream river water is a threat to coastal and estuarine ecosystem. The present study was undertaken to unveil sedimentation processes and patterns of heavy metal deposition along the salinity gradient of a tropical estuary and its mangrove ecosystem. Sediment columns from three representative sites of differential salinity, anthropogenic interference, and sediment deposition pattern were sampled and analyzed for grain size distribution and metal concentrations as a function of depth. Sediments were dominantly of silty-medium sand texture. A suite of fluvial and alluvial processes, and marine depositional forcing control the sediment deposition and associated heavy metal loading in this estuary. The depth profile revealed a gradual increase in heavy metal accumulation in recent top layer sediments and smaller fractions (silt + clay), irrespective of tidal regimes. Alluvial processes and long tidal retention favor accumulation of heavy metals. Enrichment factor (0.52-15), geo-accumulation index (1.4-5.8), and average pollution load index (PLI = 2.0) indicated moderate to higher heavy metal contamination status of this estuary. This study showed that alluvial processes acted as dominant drivers for the accumulation of metals in sediments, which prevailed over the influence of marine processes. Longer tidal retention of the water column favored more accumulation of heavy metals. Metal accumulation in the sediments entails a potential risk of bioaccumulation and biomagnification through the food web, and may increasingly impact estuarine ecology, economy, and ultimately human health.