Trace element concentration in groundwater of Pesarlanka Island, Krishna Delta, India
- 7 March 2009
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Environmental Monitoring and Assessment
- Vol. 163 (1-4), 215-227
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-0828-6
Abstract
There is a growing concern over the potential accumulation of trace element concentration in groundwater of coastal aquifer owing seawater encroachment in the last several decades. A total of 29 groundwater samples collected from Pesarlanka Island, Krishna delta, Andhra Pradesh, India were analyzed for 13 trace elements (B, V, Mn, Fe, Ni, Co, Cu, Zn, As, Sr, Cd, Ba, and Pb) using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The results reveal that B, Fe, Ni, As, Sr, and Pb vary from 11.22 to 710.2, 1.25 to 684.6, 0.02 to 37.33, 27.8 to 282.3, 164.1 to 7,009, and 1.97 to 164.4 μg/l, respectively. Ba, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, V, and Zn are almost within permissible limits for drinking water, but As, Fe, Mn, Pb, B, and Sr are above the permissible limit. The toxic element Pb is 1.64 times more than the maximum permissible limits of drinking water. The minimum value of As is also 2.78 times more, whereas the maximum is 28.2 times the permissible limit. The spatial distributions of alkaline earths (Sr, Ba), transition metals (V, Co, Ni, Fe), metallic elements (Cu, Pb), and (As) were found in considerable variation in the entire Island. Good cross-correlations were found between As, B, Co, and Sr with total dissolved solids and among other trace elements such as B, As, Co, and Sr. The variability observed within the groundwater samples is closely connected to the sea spray input; hence, it is primarily a consequence of geographical and meteorological factors, such as distance from the ocean and time of year. The trace element levels, in particular those of heavy metals, are very low, suggesting an origin from natural sources rather than from anthropogenic contamination. A few trace elements (Sr and B) are found as sensitive parameters responding to changes in fresh to saline groundwater environment. The highly elevated trace elements in this area which may be attributed to marine sediments or death and decay of plants are presented in this paper.Keywords
This publication has 16 references indexed in Scilit:
- Improvement of groundwater quality due to fresh water ingress in Potharlanka Island, Krishna delta, IndiaEnvironmental Geology, 2007
- An assessment of soil contamination due to heavy metals around a coal-fired thermal power plant in IndiaEnvironmental Geology, 2006
- Heavy metal and trace element distributions in groundwater in natural slopes and highly urbanized spaces in Mid-Levels area, Hong KongWater Research, 2006
- Distribution of major, minor and trace elements in lake environments of AntarcticaAntarctic Science, 2004
- Geochemistry of Trace Elements in the Ground Water of Cuttack City, IndiaWater, Air, & Soil Pollution, 2003
- Trace element distribution in US groundwaters: a probabilistic assessment using public domain dataApplied Geochemistry, 2002
- Arsenic speciation and distribution in the Carnon estuary following the acute discharge of contaminated water from a disused mineMarine Pollution Bulletin, 1994
- Heavy metal distribution in the Godavari River basinEnvironmental Geology, 1991
- The Kinetics of Fe(II) Oxidation and Well Screen EncrustationGroundwater, 1989
- Chronology of lead pollution contained in banded coral skeletonsMarine Biology, 1984