Attached
The present paper is the first documentation of distribution and contamination status of environmentally important elements of superficial sediments in the Batticaloa lagoon
that is connected to the largest bay of the world. Surface sediment samples were collected from 34 sites covering all over
the lagoon. Concentrations of elements such as As, Cr, Cu, Fe,
Nb, Ni, Pb, Sc, Sr, Th, V, Y, Zn, and Zr were measured by Xray florescence analysis. Geochemically, the lagoon has three
different zones that were influenced mainly by fresh water
sources, marine fronts, and intermediate mixing zones. The
marine sediment quality standards indicate that Zr and Th
values are exceeded throughout the lagoon. According to the
freshwater sediment quality standards, Cr levels of all sampling sites exceed the threshold effect level (TEL) and 17 % of
them are even above the probable effect level (PEL). Most
sampling sites of the channel discharging areas show minor
enrichment of Cu, Ni, and Zn with respect to the TEL.
Contamination indices show that the lagoon mouth area is
enriched with As. Statistical analysis implies that discharges
from agricultural channel and marine fluxes of the lagoon
effects on the spatial distribution of measured elements.
