Trace elements contamination and Potential ecological risk assessment of sediments from mangroves region, Muthupet, after Fengal Cyclone 2024, Tamil Nadu India

Trace elements contamination and Potential ecological risk assessment of sediments from mangroves region, Muthupet, after Fengal Cyclone 2024, Tamil Nadu 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 Trace elements contamination and Potential ecological risk assessment of sediments from mangroves region, Muthupet, after Fengal Cyclone 2024, Tamil Nadu India M. Suresh Gandhi, P. Parthasarathy, Serena JP This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8771958/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Mangrove wetlands serve dual roles, acting as both sources and reservoirs of various pollutants. This study assessed the current status of trace element contamination and textural characteristics of surface sediments from Muthupet mangrove region. A total of 25 surface sediment samples were collected, and their textural characteristics, potential ecological risk indices, and statistical analyses were applied to evaluate contamination levels. Sediment textural analysis revealed a predominance of mud (silt + clay) followed by sand, indicating a low- to moderate-energy environmental condition. The distribution of organic matter and calcium carbonate was influenced by mangrove vegetation and shell fragments. Trace element concentrations of Fe and Mn in the sediments likely originated from riverine inputs and geogenic processes. The overall order of trace element concentrations was: Fe > Mn > Pb > Zn > Cr > Ni > Co > Cu > Cd. Compared to the Upper Continental Crust (UCC), sediments were enriched in Pb, Zn, Cd, and Co and depleted in Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, and Ni. Sediment quality guidelines, contamination factor, geoaccumulation index, enrichment factors, sediment pollution index, and pollution load index indicated sediment conditions ranging from uncontaminated to moderately contaminate. Potential ecological risk assessment suggested low to moderate risk levels. Statistical analyses indicated that both natural and anthropogenic sources influence heavy metal delivery in the mangrove environment. Co, Ni, and Pb was primarily associated with nearby industrial activities and their effluents, representing the main anthropogenic source. Cd, Co, and Zn were linked to cement columns used in oyster farming, as well as agricultural runoff and pig farming discharges, representing a secondary agricultural source. Multivariate statistical analyses further supported that anthropogenic inputs are the dominant contributors to heavy metal accumulation in this mangrove ecosystem. Mangroves sediment texture Geochemistry Pollution Indices Muthupet Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Tables are available in the Supplementary Files section. Supplementary Files Tables.doc Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted 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-8771958","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":610187754,"identity":"b79d8699-988c-4a1f-ae29-59931681353b","order_by":0,"name":"M. 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This study assessed the current status of trace element contamination and textural characteristics of surface sediments from Muthupet mangrove region. A total of 25 surface sediment samples were collected, and their textural characteristics, potential ecological risk indices, and statistical analyses were applied to evaluate contamination levels. Sediment textural analysis revealed a predominance of mud (silt\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;clay) followed by sand, indicating a low- to moderate-energy environmental condition. The distribution of organic matter and calcium carbonate was influenced by mangrove vegetation and shell fragments. Trace element concentrations of Fe and Mn in the sediments likely originated from riverine inputs and geogenic processes. The overall order of trace element concentrations was: Fe\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Mn\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Pb\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Zn\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Cr\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Ni\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Co\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Cu\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;Cd. Compared to the Upper Continental Crust (UCC), sediments were enriched in Pb, Zn, Cd, and Co and depleted in Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, and Ni. Sediment quality guidelines, contamination factor, geoaccumulation index, enrichment factors, sediment pollution index, and pollution load index indicated sediment conditions ranging from uncontaminated to moderately contaminate. Potential ecological risk assessment suggested low to moderate risk levels. Statistical analyses indicated that both natural and anthropogenic sources influence heavy metal delivery in the mangrove environment. Co, Ni, and Pb was primarily associated with nearby industrial activities and their effluents, representing the main anthropogenic source. Cd, Co, and Zn were linked to cement columns used in oyster farming, as well as agricultural runoff and pig farming discharges, representing a secondary agricultural source. Multivariate statistical analyses further supported that anthropogenic inputs are the dominant contributors to heavy metal accumulation in this mangrove ecosystem.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Trace elements contamination and Potential ecological risk assessment of sediments from mangroves region, Muthupet, after Fengal Cyclone 2024, Tamil Nadu India","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-23 15:05:48","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8771958/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"1080b909-88c4-4d1a-a02f-5251e2eb6dc0","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 23rd, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-13T07:58:02+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-23 15:05:48","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8771958","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8771958","identity":"rs-8771958","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}