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Balachandar K, Viswanathan C, Robin RS, Abhilash KR, Sankar R, Deepak Samuel V, Purvaja R, Ramesh R. Benthic foraminifera as an environmental proxy for pollutants along the coast of Chennai, India. Chemosphere 2023; 310:136824. [PMID: 36241111 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.136824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Revised: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Benthic foraminifera are increasingly used as an indicator of environmental disturbance. Their sensitivities to pollutants can be reflected by changes in assemblage, which can provide useful information about ecosystem health. This study aimed to investigate the impact of organic and inorganic pollutants on the benthic ecology of the Chennai coast, with a focus on the 2017 oil spill caused by the collision of two ships. Sediment samples collected from five distinct zones along the coast were analysed for pollutants such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), heavy metals (Cr, Cd, Pb) and total organic carbon (TOC). The maximum concentrations of Cr (137 μg/g), Cd (6.93 μg/g) and Pb (34.2 μg/g), as well as TPH (84.3 μg/g) and PAHs (227 ng/g), were observed. A total of 47 species of foraminifera were identified in this study, of which 12 were morphologically abnormal. In the low-impact zone, the species diversity index (H') was higher. TPH and PAH concentrations were positively associated with abnormal species. Pollution-resistant foraminifera species include Ammonia tepida, Elphidium discoidale, and Quinqueloculina lamarckiana, while opportunistic foraminifera include Pararotalia curryi, Nonionella stella, Rosalina globularis, and Spirillina vivipara. PAHs and heavy metals were adversely correlated with foraminiferal abundance, while TPH was positively correlated. To assess the response of the benthic ecosystem to hydrocarbon pollution, indices such as the Foraminiferal Index of Environmental Impact (FIEI), Exponential (H'bc) index and the Foraminiferal Abnormality Index (FAI) were used as environmental health proxies. FIEI, exp(H'bc) and FAI values show the impact of hydrocarbon pollution to an extent along the northern Chennai coast.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Balachandar
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - C Viswanathan
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - R S Robin
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - K R Abhilash
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - R Sankar
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - V Deepak Samuel
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India.
| | - R Purvaja
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - R Ramesh
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Chennai, 600 025, Tamil Nadu, India
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