Estuary Sediments Research Articles

A Study on the Mechanical Behaviour of Pearl River Estuary Sediments

A Study on the Mechanical Behaviour of Pearl River Estuary Sediments

Simulating Compaction and Cementation of Clay Grain Coated Sands in a Modern Marginal Marine Sedimentary System

Reservoir quality prediction in deeply buried reservoirs represents a complex challenge to geoscientists. In sandstones, reservoir quality is determined by the extent of compaction and cementation during burial. During compaction, porosity is lost through the rearrangement and fracture of rigid grains and the deformation of ductile grains. During cementation, porosity is predominantly lost through the growth of quartz cement, although carbonate and clay mineral growth can be locally important. The degree of quartz cementation is influenced by the surface area of quartz available for overgrowth nucleation and thermal history. Clay grain coats can significantly reduce the surface area of quartz available for overgrowth nucleation, preventing extensive cementation. Using a coupled-effect compaction and cementation model, we have forward-modelled porosity evolution of surface sediments from the modern Ravenglass Estuary under different maximum burial conditions, between 2000 and 5000 m depth, to aid the understanding of reservoir quality distribution in a marginal marine setting. Seven sand-dominated sub-depositional environments were subject to five burial models to assess porosity-preservation in sedimentary facies. Under relatively shallow burial conditions (<3000 m), modelled porosity is highest (34 to 36%) in medium to coarse-grained outer-estuary sediments due to moderate sorting and minimal fine-grained matrix material. Fine-grained tidal flat sediments (mixed flats) experience a higher degree of porosity loss due to elevated matrix volumes (20 to 31%). Sediments subjected to deep burial (>4000 m) experience a significant reduction in porosity due to extensive quartz cementation. Porosity is reduced to 1% in outer estuary sediments that lack grain-coating clays. However, in tidal flat sediments with continuous clay grain coats, porosity values of up to 30% are maintained due to quartz cement inhibition. The modelling approach powerfully emphasises the value of collecting quantitative data from modern analogue sedimentary environments to reveal how optimum reservoir quality is not always in the coarsest or cleanest clastic sediments.

Distribution and contamination of trace elements in surface sediments of the Yellow River Estuary and Laizhou Bay, China

Abstract This study analyzed trace elements (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg) in 42 surface sediment samples collected from the Yellow River Estuary and Laizhou Bay to characterize their spatial distributions and pollution statuses. Determination of trace elements was carried out by ICP-MS for Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, and Cd, and by AFS for As and Hg. The results showed that the average concentrations for Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Cd, As, and Hg were 13.21 mg kg−1, 10 .61 mg kg−1, 21 .03 mg kg−1, 24 .41 mg kg−1, 0.14 mg kg−1, 6.47 mg kg−1, and 14.15 μg kg−1, respectively. All the trace elements were classified in the first-class sediment according to the Chinese national standard ‘Marine Sediment Quality’. The higher concentrations and pollution levels were found in the eastern Yellow River estuary which due to inputs from the Yellow River, and northeastern Laizhou Bay which could be attributed to the impacts of human activities at Longkou Port. This study has important scientific value for further understanding the source-sink effects of pollutants and regional environmental effects of heavy metals.

Blue carbon dynamics across a salt marsh-seagrass ecotone in a cool-temperate estuary

Abstract Background Seagrass and salt marsh ecosystems are recognised for their role in climate change mitigation and adaptation given their carbon storage potential. However, factors driving variability in blue carbon ecosystems are understudied, yet are important to account for. Aims Examine the variability of sediment organic carbon (SOC) and its drivers (seagrass morphometrics and sediment nutrients) at different spatial scales; > 1 km, ~ 150 m and ~ 10 m across the salt marsh-seagrass ecotone. Methods We collected the top 5 cm of sediment in the Olifants River Estuary, a cool-temperate system in South Africa. Using a line transect approach, we sampled across the salt marsh-seagrass ecotone (~ 10 m) in triplicate transects (~ 50 m apart) at three sampling sites (1–3 km) and analysed for SOC and elemental nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) content. Seagrass morphometrics (shoot density, leaf length and number per shoot) were measured. Results There was significant (P < 0.05) spatial heterogeneity in SOC stocks between sites (1–3 km) and between salt marshes and seagrass, but low variability at ~150 m. We detected a significant decrease in SOC from salt marsh towards the seagrass edge, with seagrass SOC remaining uniform. Nitrogen content was positively correlated with SOC in seagrass and salt marshes (P < 0.05), but seagrass morphometrics were not significant drivers of SOC. Conclusions The dynamics of blue carbon differ between salt marshes and seagrass, with spatial heterogeneity of SOC at scales > 1 km, suggesting that future BC assessments need to account for spatial heterogeneity to improve the accuracy of carbon removal estimates.

Trace metal distribution in seagrass-vegetated sediments of an urbanized estuary in Queensland, Australia

Seagrasses increase sediment complexity by trapping particulates and influencing biogeochemical cycles via root oxygen loss and organic matter exudation. However, their impact on trace metal sequestration is poorly studied. We found significantly higher trace metal concentrations in seagrass sediments compared to adjacent bare sediments, correlating with total organic carbon, iron, and fine sediments. Sequential extractions showed that most trace metals were dominated by recalcitrant fractions (oxidizable and residual fractions), representing phases such as organic matter, iron sulfides, and crystalline iron oxides. Depth-dependent trends in trace metal partitioning were evident. For example, arsenic in the oxidizable fraction only weakly correlated with Fe in surface sediments (rsp = 0.55) but correlated strongly in deeper sediments (rsp = 0.87), consistent with iron sulfides being a dominant host-phase. Overall, these results suggest that the unique geochemical conditions facilitated by seagrasses play an important role in sequestering trace metals in urban estuarine sediments.

Contamination, fraction, and source apportionment of heavy metals in sediment of an industrialized urban river in China

In this study, we conducted an analysis of the heavy metal concentrations, health risk assessment, fraction and source interpretation in surface and core sediments from main stream of the Pearl River and Pearl River Estuary (RRE) area. Results showed that the higher deposited heavy metal concentrations in sediments occur at the Pearl River. The concentrations of heavy metals in surface sediments from the studied locations are in a descending order: Zn > Cr > Cu > Ni > Pb > Cd. Regarding chemical fractions, Cd showed the highest proportion of acid soluble fraction (F1) among all studied heavy metals. The high mobility of Cd poses a significant threat to water bodies and the surrounding environment. The potential ecological risk index (RI) showed the Pearl River sediments exhibited significantly higher values than the estuary sediments. Cd was found to be the primary contributor to potential ecological risk, accounting for 74% of RI. The health risk assessment showed the total hazard index (HI) for child was exceeded 1 mainly driven by Zn, indicating that the child population was at risk of non-carcinogenic effects. Besides, unacceptable carcinogenic risk in both Pearl River and estuary area were observed for children. The positive matrix factorization (PMF) model was used to ascertain sources of six heavy metals and apportion their contributions in sediments. The results showed that the source contributions of natural, industrial, and mixed sources from coal combustion and traffic emissions accounted for 39.81%, 34.10%, 26.10%.

The key monooxygenase involved in phenanthrene degradation of Ruegeria sp. PrR005

As a typical polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), phenanthrene is often present in diverse environments, leading to severe environmental contamination. However, bacterial degradation plays a crucial role in remediating phenanthrene contamination and has been widely adopted. The widely distributed marine Roseobacter-clade bacteria are frequently found in phenanthrene-contaminated environments, but their catalyzing ability and related molecular mechanism have been rarely elucidated. Our previous work showed Ruegeria sp. PrR005 isolated from the Pearl River Estuary sediment could degrade phenanthrene and other PAHs. Integrated approaches including multi-omics and biochemical analysis were applied here to explore its catabolism mechanism. The genomic and transcriptomic analysis indicated that six new P450 monooxygenase proteins could be closely associated with phenanthrene degradation. Heterologous expression of P450 monooxygenase candidates revealed that PrR005_00615, PrR005_04282, PrR005_04577 have considerable activity in phenanthrene removal, with PrR005_00615 being the primary contributor. Further, the biochemical and metabolic analysis revealed that PrR005_00615 could catalyze phenanthrene to phenanthrene-9,10-epoxide by introducing an oxygen atom at 9,10-carbon positions, which functioned as a monooxygenase. The present study provides compelling evidences of a novel enzyme responsible for catalyzing the initial step of phenanthrene transformation in PrR005. These findings hold significant importance in unraveling the mechanism behind phenanthrene degradation by Roseobacter-clade bacteria.

Occurrence and risk assessment of p-phenylenediamines and their quinones in aquatic environment: From city wastewater to deep sea

p-Phenylenediamines (PPDs) and PPD-derived quinones (PPD-Qs) have been considered emerging pollutants recently. Their available data on sediment and sewage sludge are limited, especially the ecological risks. Here, typical PPDs and PPD-Qs were measured in the sludge of wastewater treatment plants and surface sediment of a developed river basin (including reservoirs, estuaries, and rivers) and deep-sea troughs. The total concentrations of PPDs (∑PPD) were highest in sludge (range: 9.06–248 ng g−1), followed by surface sediment of the Dongjiang River basin, China (3.33–85.3 ng g−1), and lowest in sediment of the Okinawa Trough (0.01–7.46 ng g−1). The median value of ∑PPD in surface sediment of rivers (9.54 ng g−1) was higher than those in reservoirs (4.28 ng g−1) and estuaries (5.26 ng g−1). N-(1,3-Dimethylbutyl)-N′-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD) was the major congener in all samples, accounting for over 60 % of ∑PPD. For quinones, 6PPD-Q and IPPD-Q were frequently detected in sludge, only trace 6PPD-Q was detected in the sediment of estuaries (nd-0.62 ng g−1) and rivers (nd-5.24 ng g−1), and both of them were absent from the sediment of the Okinawa Trough. The occurrence of PPDs in the trough may be the in-situ release of microplastics, and due to the low-light and weak alkaline conditions of deep-sea water, quinones may hardly photodegrade from PPDs. The PPD concentrations in sludge were positively correlated with local GDP, and the annual PPD emission from sludge will exceed 1370 kg in China. The results of ecological risk assessments indicated low risks for PPDs in sludge-amended soil, median risks for several PPDs in river sediment, but median to high risks for 6PPD-Q contamination sludge-amended soil. For the first time, we explored the potential environmental risk of PPDs and related quinones in sludge used as a soil conditioner.

Factors influencing foraminiferal assemblages in coastal sediments of the Cross River Estuary, Southeast Nigeria, Gulf of Guinea

Estuaries are crucial coastal ecosystems facing increased pressures from human activities. The Cross River Estuary in Nigeria is a vital tropical mesotidal estuary influenced by diverse anthropogenic and natural processes. This study investigated the distribution of foraminiferal assemblages in the estuary's sediments, alongside environmental parameters such as heavy metals, pH, depth, temperature, salinity, mean grain size, and dissolved oxygen. Field sampling involved collecting 55 bottom water and sediment samples, with laboratory analyses focusing on grain-size distribution, foraminiferal identification, and heavy metal concentrations. Results indicated that heavy metal concentrations, except for iron, were within permissible limits. A total of 287 benthic foraminiferal tests representing four species were identified. These were primarily agglutinated species, with Arenoparrella mexicana and Miliammina fusca being the most abundant. Foraminiferal distribution was influenced by sediment type, salinity, and pH, rather than heavy metal concentration. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) revealed weak relationships between foraminiferal species and environmental variables, indicating limited influence of mean grain size and heavy metals on foraminiferal distribution. The study highlights the adaptability of certain foraminiferal species to a wide range of environmental conditions and underscores the need for continuous monitoring of the estuarine ecosystem to assess the impacts of ongoing anthropogenic activities. The findings provide a baseline for future environmental assessments and the use of foraminifera as bioindicators in tropical estuarine environments.

Chemometric heavy metal contamination in tropical Indian estuaries: Implications for source identification

The impact of urban and industrial effluents in the tropical Indian estuaries (Ariankuppam backwater and Chunnambar River), east coast of India have been investigated in the present study by determining the degree of heavy metals contamination of the estuarine sediments. A total of 30 surface sediment samples were collected from both estuaries and were analyzed for trace metals, grain size and organic matter. The granulometric analysis reveals that both the estuaries are predominated by silty sand to sandy silt. The significant amount of organic matter (OM) in the Ariankuppam estuary sediment is due to natural (mangroves) and anthropogenic (pollution) organic input. Pearson correlation analysis reveals that there was a strong negative correlation of sand fraction with other sediment variables (silt, clay, and organic matter) and heavy metals, whereas a positive correlation was observed between silt+clay, organic matter, and heavy metals. The significant positive correlation of Fe with Ni, Cu, Pb and Zn presents Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides are the main controlling factor of heavy metals in both estuarine sediments. Cluster analysis and PCA helped to discriminate the station groups along both estuaries according to their sediment components and heavy metals. This study also revealed that sediment grain size is a key factor influencing organic matter and heavy metal accumulation in surface sediments. The calculated pollution indices such as Contamination factor (CF), Geoaccumulation Index (Igeo) and Pollution Load Index (PLI) values indicate that both estuaries are moderate to highly contaminated by Co and low to moderately contaminated by Pb and Zn. Based on the factor analysis, it is presumed that river runoff and industrial and untreated domestic wastes from lands are responsible for increased heavy metal concentration in both estuaries. Increased levels of metal contamination along the Union Territory of Puducherry coastline may increase the risk of human exposure to metals through the consumption of seafood, making the need for tougher regulations on the discharge of metals into the environment even more important.

Development of a Spectrum-Based Scheme for Simulating Fine-Grained Sediment Transport in Estuaries

Fine-grained cohesive sediments in estuaries play a critical role in sediment transport and biogeochemical cycles in estuaries. Due to the convergence of marine saltwater and freshwater runoff, combined with periodic tidal cycles, fine-grained sediments exhibit intricate flocculation processes that are challenging to simulate. A size-resolved flocculation module using a bin-based scheme aids in modeling these processes but is hindered by high computational costs. In this study, we develop a new spectrum-based scheme based on the spectral shape of floc size distribution from the original bin-based scheme to expedite modeling execution. This new scheme is implemented in the Stony Brook Parallel Ocean Model (sbPOM) and applied to simulate fine-grained sediment transport in the Hudson River estuary. The effectiveness of this spectrum-based scheme is assessed by comparing its simulations with observations and results from the original bin-based scheme. The findings indicate that the new scheme can simulate the evolution of suspended sediment concentration well at a specific point by comparisons with in-situ observations. Specifically, the results of the 50 paired experiments show an average percentage difference of 1.86% and an average speedup ratio of 4.51 times compared to the original bin-based scheme. In summary, the new spectrum-based scheme offers significant acceleration benefits for the size-resolved flocculation module and has the potential for widespread application in simulating fine-grained sediments in estuaries.

Description of Amphorotia robusta sp. nov. (Bacillariophyceae) from the Pearl River System, China

A new species of diatom, Amphorotia robusta sp. nov., is described from subaquatic sediments in the Lingding estuary and Pearl River delta, China. It is distinctive in having strongly curved valves, and regularly even-spaced stria arrangement on both ventral and dorsal sides of the valve. This study builds upon previous diatom research conducted in the Pearl River delta and contributes to our understanding of the taxonomy of the genus Amphorotia in southeastern China. Consequently, it highlights this region as one of the most ecologically diverse habitats for the genus Amphorotia in the Southeast Asian region.

Climate Change Can Intensify the Effects of Local Interventions: A Morphological Modeling Study of a Highly Engineered Estuary

AbstractEstuaries worldwide are susceptible and adapting to climate change (CC) impacts from both the river and coastal boundaries. Furthermore, engineering efforts are undertaken to improve flood safety, to claim land for human use or for port operations, which change estuary morphology. This paper aims to gain an understanding of the combined effects of CC and human interventions on the estuarine‐wide morphological response by analyzing the sediment infilling of highly engineered estuaries. A schematized process‐based morphodynamic model is used (Delft3D‐FM, in 2DH), resembling a highly engineered estuary in the Rhine‐Meuse Delta, The Netherlands. Three types of changes were implemented, both in isolation and in combination: (a) local interventions (changing channel depth or wetland area), (b) upstream human interventions (changing fluvial sediment supply) and (c) extreme CC scenarios (with projections for the future forcings and bathymetry). Results show that a CC scenario can elicit both positive and negative changes in the estuary's sediment budget. The direction and magnitude of the change depend on the local intervention and can align with the effect of the local intervention, intensifying its impact. The combined effects can even reverse the sign of the sediment budget. This stresses the need of analyzing CC impacts in combination with human interventions. Additionally, a relationship was identified which quantifies how a change in peak flow velocity due to both local interventions and sea‐level rise affects the annual sediment budget. These findings can help determine how local interventions affect morphodynamics of engineered estuaries in present and future climates.

Seasonal Dynamics of Chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Bottom Sediments in the Sea Estuary of a Small River in the Sevastopol Region (by the Example of the Chernaya River, Crimea)

Seasonal Dynamics of Chemical and Microbiological Characteristics of Bottom Sediments in the Sea Estuary of a Small River in the Sevastopol Region (by the Example of the Chernaya River, Crimea)

Grain-size Characteristics and Net Transport Patterns of Surficial Sediments in the Day River Estuary

The Day estuary area is accreting relatively quickly, expanding the land area for Nam Dinh and Ninh Binh provinces. To understand the sediment accreting mechanism in this region, 42 surficial sediment samples were taken and analyzed for grain size to determine the rules of surficial sediment distribution and analyze the net sediment transport pattern. Research result shows that in the Day estuary area: sand is mainly dominated in the east and south, silty sand is distributed in front of the estuary and south of Con Noi, and sandy silt is distributed in the west and center of the study area. The coarsest-grained sediments are distributed in the North and South, while finer-grained sediments occupy the main area in the East and finest-grained sediments are spread out in the West of the study area. Well-sorted sediments are dominated throughout the region, covering the center and the East of the study area, showing that the hydrodynamic regime is relatively stable. Medium-sorted sediments are distributed in the West, North, and South, reflecting a less stable hydrodynamic regime. Poorly-sorted sediments at the Day estuary mouth represent the most complex hydrodynamic conditions here. Sediment tends to be transported from the southeast and west to the central area, causing a strong accretion process to create Con Noi and shallow mild tidal flats in the Day estuary area.

Exploring the Microbial Mosaic: Insights into Composition, Diversity, and Environmental Drivers in the Pearl River Estuary Sediments.

River estuaries are dynamic and complex ecosystems influenced by various natural processes, including climatic fluctuations and anthropogenic activities. The Pearl River Estuary (PRE), one of the largest in China, receives significant land-based pollutants due to its proximity to densely populated areas and urban development. This study aimed to characterize the composition, diversity, and distribution patterns of sediment microbial communities (bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes) and investigated the connection with environmental parameters within the PRE and adjacent shelf. Physicochemical conditions, such as oxygen levels, nitrogen compounds, and carbon content, were analyzed. The study found that the microbial community structure was mainly influenced by site location and core depth, which explained approximately 67% of the variation in each kingdom. Sites and core depths varied in sediment properties such as organic matter content and redox conditions, leading to distinct microbial groups associated with specific chemical properties of the sediment, notably C/N ratio and NH4+ concentration. Despite these differences, certain dominant taxonomic groups were consistently present across all sites: Gammaproteobacteria in bacteria; Bathyarchaeia, Nitrososphaeria, and Thermoplasmata in archaea; and SAR in Eukaryota. The community diversity index was the highest in the bacteria kingdom, while the lowest values were observed at site P03 across the three kingdoms and were significantly different from all other sites. Overall, this study highlights the effect of depth, core depth, and chemical properties on sediment microbiota composition. The sensitivity and dynamism of the microbiota, along with the possibility of identifying specific markers for changes in environmental conditions, is valuable for managing and preserving the health of estuaries and coastal ecosystems.

Secondary metabolite profiling using HR-LCMS, antioxidant and anticancer activity of Bacillus cereus PSMS6 methanolic extract: In silico and in vitro study

Novel anticancer drugs of natural origin have increased tremendously due to the resistance of multiple chemotherapeutic drugs in breast cancer therapy and their high toxicity with undesirable side effects. The study investigates the bioactivity of secondary metabolites derived from Bacillus cereus PSMS6 isolated from marine soil sediment in the Velar estuary, Parangepattai, Cuddalore district, Tamil Nadu, and India. Strains were isolated and antagonistic activity was screened using the agar well diffusion method. B. cereus PSMS6 exhibited potency, and its crude extract was tested for antioxidant, anticancer, and cytotoxic MTT assay potential. The methanolic extract of B. cereus PSMS6 was analyzed by mass spectrometry HRLC-MS and FT-IR to determine the bioactive compounds. A drug interaction study with the anti-breast cancer protein HER2 was performed by molecular docking analysis. Antioxidant activities were determined using total antioxidant scavenging assay, ABTS and DPPH free radical scavenging assays. The total antioxidant scavenging assay of the crude extract of B. cereus methanol had an IC50 value of 28.33±1.01, in ABTS IC50 value of the extract was 29.00±0.28 and in DPPH the IC50 of the extract was 34.91±0.09. The negative ion compound Palmitoylglycerone phosphate had a LibDock score of 149.487 and the positive ion compound N5-(4-Methoxybenzyl) glutamine had 120.116. These compounds show promising anticancer activity. The current study reported that the bioactive secondary metabolite of B. cereus PSMS6 retains anti-cancer, and antioxidant properties. This is the first report to show the production of the Palmitoylglycerone phosphate metabolite from B. cereus PSMS6.

Promoting the denitrification process by heavy metals in Liaohe Estuary sediment

The impact of heavy metal ions on the biodenitrification process remains unknown, which is the key to understand the nitrogen cycle in estuarine areas. Here, denitrification rate and the abundance of five denitrifying enzyme genes (narG, nirK, napA, norB and nosZ) in Liaohe Estuary sediments were examined, and the community structure of nirK denitrifying bacteria was also analyzed. The results demonstrate a significant positive correlation between heavy metal content (Cu2+, Zn2+, and Cr) and the denitrification rate, and the abundance of napA/norB (periplasmic nitrate reductase and nitric-oxide reductase) in sediments. The dominant narG denitrifiers were Pseudomonas, Hydrogenophaga, and Serratia known to be tolerant to heavy metal pollution. Sediment particle size, NO3−, NO2−, Zn2+, and Cd2+ were the key factors influencing the denitrifying community structure. These findings suggest that heavy metals may enhance the aerobic denitrification process in sediments and mitigate the adverse effects of high dissolved oxygen levels.

Grain size properties of estuary sediment from Aceh Jaya, Aceh

This study aimed to determine the sediment grain size distribution in four estuary locations in Aceh Jaya (Kuta Tuha, Lhok Geulumpang, Krueng No, Keude Unga). These findings will contribute to our understanding of sediment dynamics in estuarine environments and inform management strategies for these critical coastal habitats. The methods used in this study, such as mean, sorting, skewness, and kurtosis, and determination of sediment textural with ternary plot, were used to determine the sediment grain size distribution. In Addition, it will examine the relationship between sediment grain size composition and spatial distance to mouth bar using the Spearman correlation. Composition sediment at all locations dominated by fine sand. Grain size variations (26.735 – 198.709 μm) show that at all locations mainly consists of very fine sand whereas at Kuta Tuha combination of fine sand and medium sand. The variations of sorting (1.193 – 2.59), skewness (-0.625 – 0.876) and kurtosis (0.46 – 6.883) indicate moderately sorted, very coarse skewed, and very platykurtic sediments. Textural sediment classified as sand, silty sand, and very slightly silty sand. We also found positive correlation between spatial distance from mouth bar and sediment composition. These findings will contribute to our understanding of sediment dynamics in estuarine environments and inform management strategies.Keywords:Sediment grain distributionTextural of sedimentAceh Jaya EstuarySortingSkewness

Ecological risk assessment due to heavy metals prevalence in the sediments of Kayamkulam estuary, Kerala, India

ABSTRACT Kayamkulam estuary, popular for inland fishing, in southern coast of India, Kerala lies in close proximity to major industrialisation set ups (mining companies). In the present baseline study, the heavy metal concentration in the sediments of this estuary were analysed to evaluate its pollution status and consequent risks to the environment. The extent of contamination was assessed in the 50 samples collected from 10 transects using Inductively Coupled Plasma – Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP – OES), where the study found the mean concentration of metals to fall in the following order as: Fe [17,817.9 ppm] > Mn [117.35 ppm] > Cr [88.85 ppm] >Zn [53.68 ppm] > Ni [49.25 ppm] > Pb [20.02 ppm] > Co [13.34 ppm] > Cu [4.80 ppm]. Among these metals, Zn was found abundantly in the polluted sites, due to anthropogenic activities, such as mining and metallurgical processes. However, the values of the risk indices computed including [(Igeo), (PLI), (EF) and (PERI)], were low and reveals the present study area to be restrained from ecological risk. The outcome of the study, acting as baseline data will address pollution related problems in future, especially in biota.