Open AccessSediment Characteristics of Gbalegbe River, Delta State, Nigeria.
Author(s) -
S.J. Ewutanure,
AUTHOR_ID,
Flora Eyibio Olaifa
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
advances in multidisciplinary and scientific research journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2488-8699
DOI - 10.22624/aims/abmic2021p8
Subject(s) - sediment , hydrology (agriculture) , silt , environmental science , total organic carbon , water quality , geology , environmental chemistry , ecology , chemistry , geomorphology , biology , geotechnical engineering
The clarity of a river ecosystem and its ability to support and sustain aquatic life greatly depends on the quality and types of sediment it carries. The variation in the distribution of different categories of sediment could result in the changes in river channel formation and habitat. However, the paucity of information on the sediment quality of Gbalegbe River necessitated the investigation of its sediments characteristics dynamics. Gbalegbe River (12.5 km) was spatially stratified into eight sampling stations (S1, S2, S3, S4, S5, S6, S7, and S8) with reference to key anthropogenic activities. At each station, three sampling points were randomly chosen. Temporal stratification covered wet (March - October) and dry (November – February) seasons. Sediment samples were collected from each station forth – nightly for 24 months following standard methods. Sediment samples were analysed for Clay – %, Clay + Silt (CS –%), Organic Carbon (OC – mg.kg –1), pH, Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC – Cmol+.kg – 1) and Average Phosphorus (AP – mg.kg –1) following standard procedures. Data were subjected to descriptive statistic and ANOVA at α0.05. The highest (45.0) and least (20.3) Clay, CS (66.2, 35.3) were obtained in S2 and S1; OC ranged from 2.20±1.77 to 7.88±1.66 in S3 and S2; pH (4.30±0.93, 6.79±0.61) in S2 and S1; CEC (39.06±7.16, 108.59±34.43) in S1 and S6; AP (11.24±7.41, 41.83±22.78) in S3 and S8, respectively. Seasonally, Highest (45.8) and least (29.3) Clay; CS (75.0, 46.9) occurred in wet and dry seasons, respectively, while OC ranged 2.55±1.29 to 4.51±1.25; pH (5.61±0.89, 6.01±1.65); AP (14.49±1.79, 21.18±8.86) in wet and dry seasons, but highest (96.56±3.79) and least (91.04±3.67) concentrations of CEC were recorded in wet and dry seasons, respectively. The dynamics of sediments characteristics of Gbalegbe River are relatively unstable with Clay, CS, OC and pH. Therefore, its rich fisheries resources could be threatened. Keywords: Gbalegbe River, Silt, Clay, Sediment Compositions and Colloid.