Data set on trace metals in surface sediment and water from a sub-tropical estuarine system, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

M Belal Hossain; Solaiman Bin Habib; Md Solaiman Hossain; Y N Jolly; Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal; Mohd Hanafi Idris; Md Refat Jahan Rakib

doi:10.1016/j.dib.2020.105911

Data set on trace metals in surface sediment and water from a sub-tropical estuarine system, Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh

Data Brief. 2020 Jun 23:31:105911. doi: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105911. eCollection 2020 Aug.

Authors

M Belal Hossain¹, Solaiman Bin Habib¹, Md Solaiman Hossain², Y N Jolly³, Abu Hena Mustafa Kamal⁴, Mohd Hanafi Idris⁴, Md Refat Jahan Rakib¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Fisheries and Marine Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Noakhali-3814, Bangladesh.
² Department of Oceanography, School of Physical Sciences, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet 3114, Bangladesh.
³ Atmospheric and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Atomic Energy Centre Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh.
⁴ Faculty of Fisheries and Food Science, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia.

Abstract

Meghna River Estuary, the largest estuarine system (GBM, Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna) in Bangladesh, is a major spawning ground of national fish, Hilsha shad. In this study, we collected 24 surface sediment and 24 water samples from the entire lower estuary (4 sites, 3 sampling points from each site, 2 replicas from each sampling point) to detect trace/heavy metals. Sediment samples were collected from the top surface soil (0-5 cm) using Ekman grab sampler and water samples from 5 cm below the surface layer using plastic water bottles. After collection, sediment and water samples were preserved as necessary using HNO₃ (for water). Immediately after reaching the laboratory, sediment samples were dried in an oven at 70°C until the constant weight gained. The metals were then analyzed using energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence method (EDXRF) and calculated the metal concentrations. In total, 12 metals were detected and the average value (mg/Kg) of all metals for sediment samples followed the descending order of Fe > Ca > K >Ti >Sr >Zr >Rb> Cu > Zn >Pb >As > Ni, and for water the order (µg/mL) of Fe >Ti > Ca > Co >Mn > Ni > Zn >Sr > Cu > As > Se . Besides, several physicochemical parameters i.e. water pH, soil pH, temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, hardness, and alkalinity of the 12 sampling points were also measured in-situ using handheld instruments.

Keywords: Bangladesh; Environmental contamination; Meghna estuary; Spawning ground; Trace metal.