Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Sediments along the Indian Coast

Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Sediments along the Indian Coast | 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 Distribution and Ecological Risk Assessment of Heavy Metals in the Sediments along the Indian Coast Soma Burman, P. Karthikeyan, P Raja, Shambanagouda Marigoudar, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8601712/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Metal contamination in sediments remains a significant environmental challenge, highlighting the need for comprehensive assessments to evaluate pollution levels and develop effective remediation strategies. Therefore, sediment quality and ecological risk indices were derived from the metal concentrations in the coastal sediments of India. Overall, mean values indicate metal concentrations are higher in the sampling sites on the west coast than on the east coastal sites. Similarly, the organic and inorganic carbon levels are higher on the west coast than on the east coast. Metal concentrations are higher in Goa, Maharashtra, and Kerala compared to, Odisha, and West Bengal. Statistical analyses including correlation, DFA, RDA, and PCA reveal strong associations between sediment metals and carbon, indicating co-deposition mechanisms influenced by organic matter and fine-grained particles. Geographic variation accounts for over 70% of the total multivariate variance, with Cadmium, Lead, and Zinc posing ecological risk, while Copper and Chromium reflect anthropogenic influence. Overall PLI results suggest that most coastal sediments remain unpolluted. Mostly the levels of Manganese, Zinc, and Cobalt found within sediment quality thresholds, although Copper and Chromium observed with elevated levels at few sites. In contrast, toxic metals such as Cadmium and Arsenic reaching concentrations indicative of significant ecological concern exhibiting more frequent and substantial enrichments along with Lead, and Nickel. These patterns demonstrate that certain toxic metals can persist and accumulate in coastal sediments despite natural dispersion. Overall, the findings emphasize the need for coordinated, large-scale monitoring to identify contamination hotspots and support targeted pollution-mitigation strategies. Metals Coastal sediments Sediment Carbon Spatial variability Environmental Indices Risk Assessment Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Tables 1 to 3 are available in the Supplementary Files section. Supplementary Files Tables.docx SupplementaryData.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 23 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 23 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 14 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. 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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-8601712","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":579932918,"identity":"2d152319-0e02-4500-8154-66ed69cd5785","order_by":0,"name":"Soma Burman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"National Centre for Coastal Research","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Soma","middleName":"","lastName":"Burman","suffix":""},{"id":579932919,"identity":"b741d014-72cc-478b-8ac5-3670fc1c330c","order_by":1,"name":"P. 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