Spatial distribution and Assessment of heavy metal contamination in the surface soil ofKovalam Catchment Chennai, South India

Spatial distribution and Assessment of heavy metal contamination in the surface soil ofKovalam Catchment Chennai, South India | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Spatial distribution and Assessment of heavy metal contamination in the surface soil ofKovalam Catchment Chennai, South India M. Muthukumar, M. Suresh Gandhi, P. Parthasarathy This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8652506/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 27 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This research study aims to investigate the spatial distribution of heavy metals (HMs) and the potential risks of soil contamination within the urban catchment of Chennai Metropolitan City, located in Tamil Nadu, India. A total of sixty-four samples were systematically gathered from various locations throughout the study area during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. The sampling followed a grid-based pattern, and the precise locations were recorded using a Global Positioning System (GPS). Raster-based maps illustrating the spatial spread of heavy metals were produced using the Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW) interpolation methods. Utilizing a graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS), the levels of the heavy metals – specifically Fe, Mn, Pb, Cu, Co, Cr, Zn, Ni, and Cd – were quantified in the gathered soil samples. To evaluate the human-induced impact of potentially hazardous elements within the catchment area, several indices were computed, including the Enrichment Factor (EF), Contamination Factor (CF), Geo-accumulation Index (Igeo), and Pollution Load Index (PLI), along with statistical analysis using Pearson’s correlation. The findings indicate that, on average, most heavy metal concentrations were below the Upper Continental Crust (UCC) reference levels, except for copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), and cadmium (Cd), which exceeded those benchmarks. EF values ranged from moderate to significant enrichment, while CF results indicated high to very high levels of contamination. The Igeo values suggested conditions from uncontaminated to heavily pollute. PLI results revealed pollution levels ranging from low to high. Based on these outcomes, remediation and awareness strategies are advised to mitigate ecological degradation and safeguard public health. Soil Heavy metal Igeo index Spatial distribution Kovalam catchment Chennai Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 31 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 31 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 29 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 26 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 26 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 23 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 22 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 21 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 07 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 02 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 02 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 11 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 11 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 20 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8652506","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":599492680,"identity":"1a4c8f80-916a-4537-8839-3797b82d3ee3","order_by":0,"name":"M. 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