Distribution of mercury and other trace metals in the sediments of Cochin estuary (a Ramsar site), Kerala, India

Sediment quality data provide essential information for evaluating ambient environmental quality conditions. Sediments are important carriers of trace metals in the environment and reflect the current quality of the system. In the present study, distribution of mercury, lead, cadmium, copper, zinc, chromium and manganese in Cochin estuary were studied. The distribution of oxides of metals and textural quality were also studied in detail. It was found that the concentration of metals in the sediments near the industrial belt was extremely high. Correlation of different metals and metal oxides were analysed. It was found that all the alloys were correlated significantly (α < 0.01) but in case of metals, correlation was only among certain metals.