TITLE:
Pollution in the Bay of Bengal: Impact on Marine Ecosystem
AUTHORS:
Towhida Rashid, Sirajul Hoque, Sharmin Akter
KEYWORDS:
Bay of Bengal, Heavy Metal, Effects Range-Low (ERL), Effects Range-Medium (ERM), Marine Organisms
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Marine Science,
Vol.5 No.1,
January
13,
2015
ABSTRACT: The study focused on heavy
metal concentration in sea water, sea sediment and their toxic effect on sea
shells, and on oyster along the east coast of the Bay of Bengal. The hierarchy
of heavy metals in sea sediment of the bay showed as: Fe > Zn > Ni >
Cr > Pb > Cd. The average concentration of nickel exceeded ERL (20.9 μg·g-1)
value and the incidence of adverse effects on biological components exceeded
16.7%. The present study showed that the concentration of Cd, Fe, Pb and Cu in
sea water were relatively higher than the standard concentration. The study
showed a considerable amount of heavy metals (0.035%) such as Zn, Pb, Cu, Fe,
and Mg in sea shells, and oyster which may make them toxic. The toxic effect of
Pb and Zn may reduce their growth which is a great threat to marine ecosystem.