Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 13
A
N
A
SSESSMENT OF
H
YDROPEDOLOGICAL
F
ACTORS
OF THE
S
ALT
M
ARSH
E
NVIRONMENT OF
C
HITTAGONG
C
OASTAL
A
REA IN
B
ANGLADESH
Md. Shafiqul Islam
1
*
, Hossain Zamal
1
and Muhammad Shah Alam
2
1
Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, University of Chittagong,
Chittagong, Bangladesh
2
Department of Zoology, University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
A
BSTRACT
To fulfill the aim of the present study sampling was done for two (2) years placing
three transects at Mean High Water Spring Tide Mark (MHWS), Mean Tide Mark
(MTM) and Mean Low High Water Neap Tide Mark (MHWN) for collecting different
data. In each month 1 sample from each station, 3 samples from each transect and a total
of 15 samples were collected monthly for the analysis of hydropedological factors of salt
marsh plant,
Porteresiacoarctata
bed. All the data were subjected to calculate average
value with standard deviation (±SD) and were categorized into four distinct seasons
(Monsoon, Postmosoon, Winter and Premonsoon). Further analyses of the respective data
were done as per aims of the research. In the present study, quantitative determinations of
different hydropedological factors in different seasons and their interrelationships were
calculated. Analysis of the intertidal surface water and the sediment of study field
revealed that water and soil temperature, water and soil salinity, water transparency,
dissolved oxygen, total suspended solids, tidal height, inundation period, soil organic
carbon, organic matter, percentage of sand and clay, moisture, field water capacity, bulk
density, particle density, porosity, exchangeable Ca, Mg and K, total nitrogen and
available phosphorous of soil were significantly (p<0.05-p<0.01) varied in different
seasons. No significant change has been observed on water pH, soil pH and percentage of
silt content of soil in the study area. Most of the recorded hydropedological factors were
positively/negatively interrelated to each other at different significant levels (p<0.05-
p<0.01). Hierarchical clustering of different hydropedological factors showed that highly
correlated factors were clustered together with a minimum distance. Soil nutrients like
