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Abstract

The area under investigation is located in the south east coast of Tamil Nadu, Gulf of Mannar, India. The coastal zone is of high interest, since over the past four decades this region has seen the development in industries, urbanization and coastal mining. A detailed geochemical investigation is important for the determination of possible pollution problems. Therefore, the objective of the present paper is to investigate the spatial variation of heavy metals in sediments and to examine the pathway of heavy metals and their source into the Gulf of Mannar. The coastal sediments of Gulf of Mannar are recovered from the mouths of major river and nearshore and are analyzed using ICP-ES for heavy metals after total dissolution. The geoaccumulation index and the enrichment factor are estimated to assess contamination status based on background values. The area is affected by pollution from non point sources such as port development activities, shipping, land runoff from river and mining. Spatial assessment and multiple sediment sampling during the north and south monsoon have been used to measure the concentrations of heavy metals. Similarly, PCA has helped to segregate the source of metals in the Gulf of Mannar. Metals such as Cu, Co, Zn, Pb, As, and Cd are comparatively higher and their enrichment observed close to the major urban areas associated with industrial activities. The higher concentration of Fe and Pb are probably derived from transportation and navigation. Strong coastal currents during the northeast monsoon have influenced the sediment quality in the Gulf of Mannar.

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