Bioaccumulation of vanadium (V), niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) in diverse mangroves of the Indian Sundarbans

Bioaccumulation of vanadium (V), niobium (Nb) and tantalum (Ta) in diverse mangroves of the Indian Sundarbans
R. Ray & B. Dutta & S. K. Mandal & A. G. González & O. S. Pokrovsky & T. K. Jana
Received: 17 December 2019 /Accepted: 2 February 2020
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
Abstract
Background and aims 
Vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta), recognized as Technology-Critical Element (TCE), are highly growing in demand for industrial development. Despite their economic relevance, little is known about their environmental concentrations, especially in marine ecosystems like mangroves. This paper describes concentrations and distribution patterns of GroupVa elements (V, Nb and Ta) in plant organs and sediments from diverse mangroves of the Indian
Sundarbans.
Method 
Sediment cores and plant organs of eight dominant mangrove species were sampled and analyzed for V, Nb and Ta by ICP-MS. Stable carbon isotope (δ13C) in mangrove leaves were analyzed by EA-IRMS.
Result
Mean concentrations (mg kg−1) of V, Nb and Ta decreased in the order V (84.7 ± 12.5) > Nb (37.5 ± 4) >Ta (3 ± 0.8) in the sediment and V (0.6 ± 0.6) > Nb (0.02) > Ta (0.002) in the mangrove plants. Speciesspecific variability in bioaccumulation factor (V: 0.012–0.035; Nb: 0.001–0.003; Ta: 0.001–0.005), translocation factor (V: 0.5–5.1; Nb: 0.26–7.06; Ta: 0.22– 2.56) and enrichment factor (V: 0.008–0.027; Nb: 0.0002–0.001; Ta: 1.0 × 10−5-3.0 × 10−6) indicated different partitioning of GroupVa elements within the plant organs and varying degree of mangrove uptake efficiency.
Conclusion
Results showed a general decrease in V, Nb and Ta concentrations with their increasing atomic weight. Their total concentrations in plants were related to the degree of enrichment of substrate sediments. The phytoextraction capacity varied amongst mangrove species depending on their CO2 uptake efficiency. Given increased demand for TCEs, results may have important implications for bioremediation processes.
Keywords Vanadium . Niobium. Tantalum .Bioaccumulation . Mangrove . Sundarbans

Plant Soil : https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04450-2

Monsoonal Influence on Evapotranspiration of the Tropical Mangrove Forest in Northeast India
Dipnarayan Ganguly, Raghab Ray, Natasha Majumder, Chumki Chowdhury,
Tapan Kumar Jana
American Journal of Climate Change, 2014, 3, 232-244

Abstract

Evapotranspiration (ET) is an important part of the water cycle. This study reports on the monsoonal influence on the temporal variation in evapotranspiration of an extremely water conservative and salinity stressed tropical mangrove forest at the land-ocean boundary of northeast coast of India. The magnitude and dynamics of evapotranspiration (ET) exhibited seasonality dominated by monsoon and evaporation rate was greater (0.055 ± 0.015 g∙m−2∙s−1) during the monsoon than in pre-monsoon (0.049 ± 0.018 g∙m−2∙s−1) and post-monsoon (0.044 ± 0.012 g∙m−2∙s−1). Seasonal difference in evapotranpiration was mostly due to fluctuation of canopy resistance, which was the minimum during monsoon when relative humidity was greater than in the dry season (pre- and post-monsoon) and deficiency of water supply (ET ≈ ETeq) was minimum. Evapotranspiration in the Sundarban mangrove ecosystem is the predominant biophysical processes that recycles 67.7% of total precipitation annually to the atmosphere, and has significant monsoonal influence.

Keywords

Canopy Resistance, Evapotranspiration, Hydrological Cycle, India, Mangrove Forest, Monsoonal Cycle

Accumulation, transport and toxicity of arsenic in the Sundarbans mangrove, India

Geoderma 354 (2019) 113891

Accumulation, transport and toxicity of arsenic in the Sundarbans
mangrove, India

Sanjay Kumar Mandala, b, Raghab Ray c,  Aridane G. Gonzálezd, Oleg S. Pokrovskye, f,g,
Vasileios Mavromatise,e, Tapan Kumar Jana, a
a Department of Marine Science, The University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India
b Dept. of Chemistry, The University of Calcutta, Sundarban Hazi Desarat College, Pathankhali, South 24 Parganas, India
c Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan
d Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
e GET (Géosciences Environnement Toulouse) UMR 5563 CNRS, Toulouse, France
f BIO-GEO-CLIM Laboratory, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia
g N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research, Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk, Russia

A R T I C L E I N F O

Handling Editor: Daniel Said-Pullicino
Keywords: Trace metal, Sequestration, Biomass, Mangrove, Bay of Bengal

A B S T R A C T

Arsenic (As), a toxic element is a concern for the habitants in and around the coastal areas of West Bengal (India) where world's largest Sundarbans mangrove is situated. Little is known about the potential of these mangroves in storing As within their biomass and transporting to the Bay of Bengal. A comprehensive yearly data of above ground and below ground biomass (AGB, BGB), and exchange fluxes like litter fall, plant uptake, sedimentary diffusion/advection, and suspended particle deposition were used in a box model for constructing As budget for the Sundarbans mangroves. About 80% of total As was stored in AGB while As stock in sediment was several hundred times higher than in the AGB and BGB indicating poor bioaccumulation and sequestration capacity of the mangroves, which was further supported by higher As loss though litterfall (16.8 μg As m−2 month−1) compared to gain through plant uptake (0.05 μg As m−2 month−1). About 65% of the river-discharged As exported to the Bay of Bengal, the rest amounting to 67.2×103 kg yr−1 remained in the mangrove estuaries. Although ecotoxicological indexes confirmed low As pollution impact in the Sundarbans, mass budget revealed net As addition in the estuarine ecosystem (67.2 Mg As yr−1), mainly derived from natural and anthropogenic sources such as, contamination via atmospheric dust deposition. Overall reservoir-based mass budget showed weak As sequestration capacity by these mangroves. The approach developed for As in this study could be applied to other major metals to estimate metal sequestration and conservation potential by the Sundarbans mangroves.

State of rare earth elements in the sediment and their bioaccumulation by mangroves: a case study in pristine islands of Indian Sundarban

State of rare earth elements in the sediment and their bioaccumulation by mangroves: a case study in pristine islands of Indian Sundarban

Sanjay K. Mandal1,2 & Raghab Ray3,4 & Aridane G. González3,5 & Vasileios Mavromatis6 & Oleg S. Pokrovsky6,7,8 & Tapan K. Jana1
Received: 9 August 2018 /Accepted: 10 January 2019
# Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2019

Abstract

The mangrove ecosystems are known to efficiently sequester trace metals both in sediments and plant biomass. However, less is known about the chemistry of rare earth elements (REE) in the coastal environments, especially in the world’s largest mangrove province, the Sundarban. Here, the concentration of REE in the sediment and plant organs of eight dominant mangrove species (mainly Avicennia sp.) in the Indian Sundarban was measured to assess REE sources, distribution, and bioaccumulation state. Results revealed that light REE (LREE) were more concentrated than
the heavy REE (HREE) (128–144 mg kg−1 and 12–15 mg kg−1, respectively) in the mangrove sediments, with a relatively weak positive europium anomaly (Eu/Eu* = 1.03–1.14) with respect to North American shale composite. The primary source of REE was most likely linked to aluminosilicate weathering of crustal materials, and the resultant increase in LREE in the detritus. Vertical distribution of REE in one of the long cores from Lothian Island was altered by mangrove root activity and dependent on various physicochemical properties in the sediment (e.g., Eh, pH, organic carbon, and phosphate). REE uptake by plants was higher in the below-ground parts than in the above-ground plant tissues (root = 3.3 mg kg−1, leaf + wood = 1.7 mg kg−1); however, their total concentration was much lower than in the sediment (149.5 mg kg−1). Species-specific variability in bioaccumulation factor and translocation factor was observed indicating different REE partitioning and varying degree of mangrove uptake efficiency. Total REE stock in plant (above + live below ground) was estimated to be 168 g ha−1 with LREE contributing ~ 90% of the stock. This study highlighted the efficiency of using REE as a biological proxy in determining the degree of bioaccumulation within the mangrove environment.

Keywords Rare earth elements (REE) . Bioaccumulation . Mangrove . Sundarban
Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues
* Raghab Ray raghab.ray@gmail.com; raghab.ray@aori.u-tokyo.ac.jp
1 Department of Marine Science, Calcutta University, Kolkata 70019, India
2 Department of Chemistry, Sundarban HaziDesarat College, South 24 Parganas, Pathankhali 743611, India
3 LEMAR (Laboratoire des Sciences de l’Environnement Marin), UMR 6539, (CNRS-UBO-IRD- IFREMER), 29280 Plouzané, France
4 Department of Chemical Oceanography, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa 277-8564, Japan
5 Instituto de Oceanografía y Cambio Global, IOCAG, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, ULPGC, 35017 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
6 GET (Géosciences Environnement Toulouse) UMR 5563 CNRS, 31400 Toulouse, France
7 BIO-GEO-CLIM Laboratory, Tomsk State University, Tomsk, Russia 634050
8 N. Laverov Federal Center for Integrated Arctic Research, IEPS, Russian Academy of Sciences, Arkhangelsk, Russia 163000
Environmental Science and Pollution Researchhttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-019-04222-1

Biogenic hydrogen sulphide emissions and non-sea sulfate aerosols over the Indian Sundarban mangrove forest, D. Ganguly1,2 & R. Ray1,3 & N. Majumdar1 & C. Chowdhury1 & T. K. Jana1, Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-018-9382-3 Received: 16 November 2017 /Accepted: 2 November 2018/ # Springer Nature B.V. 2018 Abstract : Temporal variations in atmospheric hydrogen sulphide concentrations and its biosphere-atmosphere exchanges were studied in the World’s largest mangrove ecosystem, Sundarbans, India. The results were used to understand the possible contribution of H2S fluxes in the formation of atmospheric aerosol of different size classes (e.g. accumulation, nucleation and coarse mode). The mixing ratio of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) over the Sundarban mangrove atmosphere was found maximum during the post-monsoon season (October to January) with a mean value of 0.59 ± 0.02 ppb and the minimum during pre-monsoon (February to May) with a mean value of 0.26 ± 0.01 ppb. This forest acted as a perennial source of H2S and the sediment-air emission flux ranged between 1213 ± 276 μg S m−2 d−1(December) and 457 ± 114 μg S m−2 d−1 (August) with an annual mean of 768 ± 240 μg S m−2d−1. The total annual emissions of H2S from the Indian Sundarban were estimated to be 1.2 ± 0.6 Tg S. The accumulation mode of aerosols was found to be more enriched with non-sea salt sulfate with an average loading of 5.74 μg m−3 followed by the coarse mode (5.18 μg m−3) and nucleation mode (1.18 μg m−3). However, the relative contribution of Non-sea salt sulfate aerosol to total sulfate aerosol was highest in the nucleation mode (83%) followed by the accumulation (73%) and coarse mode (58%). Significant positive relations between H2S flux and different modes of NSS indicated the likely link between H2S, a dominant precursor for the non-sea salt sulfate, and non-sea sulfate aerosol particles. An increase in H2S emissions from the mangrove could result in an increase in enhanced NSS in aerosol and associated cloud albedo, and a decrease in the amount of incoming solar radiation reaching the Sundarban mangrove forest. Keywords Non-sea sulfate . H2S emission flux . Aerosol . Mangrove . Sundarban Journal of Atmospheric Chemistry https://doi.org/10.1007/s10874-018-9382-3 * D. Ganguly dipnarayan.ganguly@gmail.com 1 Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35, B.C. Road, Kolkata -700019, India 2 Present address: National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, MoEF&CC, New Delhi, India 3 Present address: Department of Chemical Oceanography, Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, Japan

Phosphorus Budget of the Sundarban Mangrove Ecosystem: Box Model Approach R. Ray1,2 & N. Majumder1 & C. Chowdhury1 & S. Das1 & T. K. Jana1, Estuaries and Coasts (2018) 41:1036–1049 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0332-0, Received: 26 March 2017 /Revised: 3 October 2017 /Accepted: 4 October 2017 # Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 2017 Abstract: Phosphorus (P) cycling in mangroves plays an important role in productivity but the magnitude of atmospheric input in the mangrove P budget is still uncertain. This study applied a box model approach to assess P budget in the Indian Sundarban, the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem for conceptual understanding of P cycling and for better representation of transport and transformation of P within the mangrove ecosystem. The P content in the sediment (0.19–0.67 μg g−1) was found much below its maximum retention capacity (322 μg g−1) and was lower than the mean marine sediment (669 μg g−1). The C:N and C:P ratios were correlated (r2 = 0.66, P < 0.01) and the major fraction of available P was recycled within the organic structure of mangrove ecosystem, thus maintaining productivity through conservation strategies. Atmospheric input accounted for 56.7% of total P input (16.06 Gg year−1) and 50% of total P output (14.7 Gg year−1) was attributed to plant uptake. Budget closing or unaccounted P (1.36 Gg) was only 8.5% of the total input. Two feedback pathways, i.e., input of P from dust fallout and biochemical mineralization of organic matter, significantly affected P availability. The findings of the study suggest that atmospheric deposition is of major importance as a natural and/or anthropogenic forcing function in the Sundarban mangrove system. Keywords P budget . Biomass . Litter fall . Box model . Mangrove . Sundarban

Carbon sequestration by mangrove forest: One approach for managing carbon dioxide emission from coal-based power plant Raghab Ray∗, Tapan Kumar Jana Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35 B. C. Road, Kolkata, 700019, India, Atmospheric Environment 171 (2017) 149–154, A B S T R A C T Mangroves are known as natural carbon sinks, taking CO2 out of the atmosphere and store it in their biomass for many years. This study aimed to investigate the capacity of world's largest mangrove, the Sundarbans (Indian part) to sequester anthropogenic CO2 emitted from the proximate coal-based thermal power plant in Kolaghat (∼100 km away from mangrove site). Study also includes Kolkata, one of the largest metropolises of India (∼150 km away from mangrove site) for comparing micrometeorological parameters, biosphere-atmosphere CO2 exchange fluxes and atmospheric pollutants between three distinct environments: mangrove-power plantmetropolis. Hourly sampling of atmospheric CO2 in all three sites (late December 2011 and early January 2012) revealed that CO2 concentrations and emission fluxes were maximum around the power plant (360–621 ppmv, 5.6–56.7 mg m−2s−1 respectively) followed by the metropolis (383–459 ppmv, 3.8–20.4 mg m−2s−1 respectively) and mangroves (277–408 ppmv, −8.9–11.4 mg m−2s−1, respectively). Monthly coal consumption rates (41–57, in 104 ton month−1) were converted to CO2 suggesting that 2.83 Tg C was added to the atmosphere in 2011 for the generation of 7469732 MW energy from the power plant. Indian Sundarbans (4264 km2) sequestered total of 2.79 Tg C which was 0.64% of the annual fossil fuel emission from India in the same time period. Based on these data from 2010 to 2011, it is calculated that about 4328 km2 mangrove forest coverage is needed to sequester all CO2 emitted from the Kolaghat power plant., Keywords: Carbon dioxide Thermal power plant Mangrove Sundarban