Dynamics of trace metals in sediments of a seasonally hypoxic coastal zone in the southeastern Arabian Sea

This study examined the effect of water column hypoxia on the distribution and geochemical fractionation of trace metals in the seasonally hypoxic coastal environment in the southeastern Arabian Sea. Water and surface sediments were collected fortnightly from the Alappuzha mud bank between April and August 2016, which covered the pre-upwelling and upwelling seasons. The water column was warm and well-oxygenated during April–May. During June–August, the incidence of cold and hypoxic water indicated strong coastal upwelling prevailed in the entire study domain. The Fe and Mn content in sediments gradually decreased, because of the reductive dissolution and subsequent release of metals under hypoxia. The concentration of metals such as Ni, Zn and V decreased substantially under oxygen deficiency, whereas Cr showed marked enrichment in sediments. Although the geochemical forms of trace metals displayed the dominance of residual fractions (inert), the reactive non-residual metal forms (exchangeable, Fe/Mn-(oxy)hydroxide, and organic matter/sulphide bound) showed considerable variability under hypoxia. The shift from Fe/Mn-(oxy)hydroxide bound to organic matter and sulphide bound was evident during hypoxia. Cr exhibited a strong affinity towards organic matter and sulphide, and Pb and Zn showed relatively high association towards the Fe/Mn-(oxy)hydroxide phase. Even with such a phase shift induced by the hypoxic conditions, the concentrations of these metals remained within the normal background levels, indicating the pristine nature of the mud bank environment.