Research Journal of Cell Sciences
Sediment Influx and Bioaccumulation: A Growing Threat to the Sundarbans Ecosystem
Abstract
Shyamalina Haldar, Soumyadeep Paul and Kanchan Karmakar
One of the major ecological hotspots of the entire world is the Sundarban which spans two nations and is the biggest mangrove ecosystem. In recent decades, sediment influx from riverine sources, tidal actions, erosion, and anthropogenic activities has surged, raising concerns over heavy metal contamination, including lead, mercury, copper, and zinc. These contaminants contribute to bioaccumulation across trophic levels, adversely affecting aquatic biodiversity and human health. The major effects involve the over enrichment culminating to proliferation of organisms like diatoms and on the other hand leading to accumulation of the elements across the trophic levels which not only impacts the ecosystem, but also detrimentally affects the consumers of these organisms, especially the human beings. Sustainable management practices are the need of the hour to mitigate these impacts and preserve the biodiversity of this unique mangrove habitat, else with the increasing levels of sedimentations, the Sundarbans will face tremendous challenges that will leave no stone unturned to affect the human as well as the animal population across West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh. Moreover, this trend is replicated across the other parts of the world, making it a global concern, needing immediate attention of the international bodies by strictly implementing control measures.