METAL SIGNATURE OF ATMOSPHERIC AEROSOL FROM KOCHI, THE QUEEN OF ARABIAN SEA, KERALA, INDIA

The present research article highlights the metal (Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and Fe) distribution pattern in the RSPM generated in different hot spot sites located at Kochi, the Queen of Arabian Sea. These sampling sites are categorized under three different zones as estuarine, riverine, and coastal. Two sampling phases are selected in order to check the consistency in pollution trend after a two year gap and are described in Phase I and Phase II, respectively. Metals are noticed to be intensely concentrated in the post monsoon months in both phases. Among the metals, Fe is revealed as the prominent metal at the estuarine sites. Estuarine and riverine zone expresses the overall enrichment pattern with slight difference at coastal regime in phase I. In phase II, insignificant metal load with irregular pattern is observed. Source apportionment study reveals that major sources of metals are from automobile exhausts and the estuarine zone is entangled with 45.9%.