Spatio-temporal distribution of major and trace metals in estuarine sediments of Dhamra, Bay of Bengal, India--its environmental significance.

The research depicts the spatial and temporal variation of major and trace metals in marine sediments at various monitoring stations of Dhamra estuary, Bay of Bengal, Odisha. The concentration and distribution of selected metals in surface sediments of the estuary were studied in order to assess the spatial extent of anthropogenic inputs viz., mining activities and to estimate the effects of seasonal variations on geochemical processes in this particular tropical estuarine system. Surface sediments reflect the presence of trace and major metals in parts per million, and the concentrations vary in the range of Cu (0.083 to 127.2), Ni (17.35 to 122.8), Co (1.2 to 31.58), Pb (0.8 to 95.86), Zn (12.1 to 415), Cd (0 to 11) and Cr (35.21 to 5,890), Fe (7,490 and 169,100), Mn (20 to 69,188), Ca (10 to 10,520), Mg (990 to 28,750), Na (300 to 51,700), and K (1,100 to 30,010). The comparison of spatial distribution of metal contents using GIS in marine sediments indicates that there is a substantial anthropogenic input in the Dhamra estuary. The enrichment of Cr is ascribed to the sedimentation of Brahmani River, passing through the mining region and discharging Cr pollutant to the sea. Similarly, the sources of Cd are attributable to corrosion-resistant paints used by a large number of trawlers. Contamination factor has been calculated for various metals to assess the degree of pollution. As per Hakanson's classification, Cr indicates very high contamination with considerable contamination of Cd, whereas moderate contamination of Pb, Zn, and Mn are observed in marine sediments. Pollution load index also indicate that there is deterioration of site quality in premonsoon season, which almost attains the baseline level in post monsoon and perfection in monsoon season (Tomlinson et al. (Helgolander Wissenschaftliche Meeresuntersuchungen, 33, 566-572, 1980)). The geoaccumulation index shows that the metal concentrations in sediments can be considered as background levels except Cr and Cd. The geoaccumulation index shows that Cr is moderately contaminated and it is higher in offshore region in post monsoon and monsoon than premonsoon season. All the calculated indices show that Cr and Cd levels are more than the desired limits in the marine sediments. Multivariate statistical analysis evaluates the plausible sources of contaminants, attributing to mining, industrial, and urban wastes by way of Brahmani River discharging to the estuarine region.

Dispersion pattern of petroleum hydrocarbon in coastal water of Bay of Bengal along Odisha and West Bengal, India using geospatial approach.

Petroleum hydrocarbon (PHC) concentration was monitored in water of estuaries, ports, and coastal transects up to 10-km distance in East Coast of India once in every year during 2002-2009. The highest concentration was observed at Haldia port (1.60-20.11 µg/l) due to the impact of hydrocarbon discharges from nearby oil refinery, petrochemical industries, handling of crude oils, etc. The concentration of PHC exhibited relatively higher values during low tide than the high tide in all the four estuaries indicating riverine inputs and land-based discharges, which contribute substantial amounts of PHC to the coastal water. Hoogly estuary recorded higher values of PHC (1.17-18.50 µg/l) due to the influence of industrial wastes, land runoff, and port activities. The spatial distribution of PHC estimated by the kriging method showed a variation in concentration of PHC over the whole region. To discriminate the dispersion pattern of PHC, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using a correlation matrix.

Monitoring of environmental parameters for CO2 sequestration: a case study of Nagpur City, India.

Carbon dioxide concentration is an index of total amount of combustion and natural ventilation in an urban environment and therefore required more careful attention for assessment of CO(2) level in air environment. An attempt was made to monitor CO(2) levels in ambient air of Nagpur city at industrial, commercial and residential sites. In addition to this a remote sensing studies and biotic survey for floral biodiversity were carried out to study the green cover at respective sampling locations. The observations showed that the largest amount of CO(2) occurred at night due to absence of photosynthesis and lowest concentration of CO(2) was observed in the afternoon due to photosynthesis at its maximum level. The most pollution tolerant species found in Nagpur city are having higher Air Pollution Tolerance Index (APTI) value, which acts as a natural sink for CO(2) sequestration. In case of commercial site the CO(2) level is highest (366 ppm) because of lowest vegetation and vehicular pollution. The generation of database of CO(2) concentration and floral biodiversity along with percentage of green cover helps to formulate the strategy for prevention of global worming phenomenon.

The application of satellite data for the quantification of mangrove loss and coastal management in the Godavari estuary, East Coast of India.

The mangrove formations of Godavari estuary are due to silting over many centuries. The estuary covers an area of 62,000 ha of which dense Coringa mangrove forest spread in 6,600 ha. Satellite sensor data was used to detect change in the mangrove cover for a period of 12 years (1992-2004). It was found that an area of about 1,250 ha of mangroves was destroyed by anthropogenic interference like aquaculture, and tree felling etc. It was found that mangrove's spectral response/digital number (DN) value is much lower than non-mangrove vegetation such as plantation and paddy fields in SWIR band. By taking this as an advantage, spectral data was utilized for clear demarcation of mangroves from nearby paddy fields and other vegetation. Simpson's diversity index, which is a measure of biodiversity, was found to be 0.09, showing mangroves dominance. Ecological parameters like mud-flats/swamps, mangrove cover alterations, and biodiversity status are studied in detail for a period of 12 years. The increase in mangrove front towards coast was delineated using remote sensing data. The major advantages of remote sensing data is monitoring of change periodically. The combination of moderate and high-resolution data provided detailed coastal land use maps for implementing coastal regulation measures. The classification accuracy has been achieved is 90%. Overall, simple and viable measures are suggested based on multi-spectral data to sustain this sensitive coastal ecology.