Elemental geochemistry in acid sulphate soils – A case study from reclaimed islands of Indian Sundarban

Ghosh, Somdeep; Bakshi, Madhurima; Mitra, Shubhro; Mahanty, Shouvik; Ram, Shidharth Sankar; Banerjee, Shamayita; Chakraborty, Anindita; Sudarshan, M.; Bhattacharyya, Subarna; Chaudhuri, Punarbasu

Elemental geochemistry in acid sulphate soils – A case study from reclaimed islands of Indian Sundarban

2019

Sundarban along with its networks of rivers, creeks and magnificent mangroves form a unique ecosystem. Acid sulphate soils have developed in this ecosystem under anoxic reducing conditions. In the present study, we have investigated the distribution of acid sulphate soils along with its elemental characterization and possible sources in four reclaimed islands of Indian Sundarban like Maushuni (I1), Canning (I2), Bally (I3) and Kumirmari (I4). Elements show moderate to strong correlation with each other (P < 0.01; P < 0.05). Except Si, Ca and Pb, a higher enrichment factor was observed for K, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu and Zn. Geo-accumulation index values of all sampling locations reveal that Cr, Fe, Cu and Zn are in Igₑₒ class 1. The pollution load index value of the reclaimed islands of Indian Sundarban varies between 1.31 and 1.48. The observation of this study could help to strategize policies to mitigate and manage acid sulphate soils in Indian Sundarban.

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