Late Glacial–Holocene record of benthic foraminiferal morphogroups from the eastern Arabian Sea OMZ: Paleoenvironmental implications

The Arabian Sea is characterized today by a well-developed and perennial oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) at mid-water depths. The Indian margin where the OMZ impinges provides sediment records ideal to study past changes in the OMZ intensity and its vertical extent in response to the changes of monsoon-driven primary productivity and intermediate water ventilation. Benthic foraminifera, depending upon their adaptation capabilities to variation in sea floor environment and microhabitat preferences, develop various functional morphologies that can be potentially used in paleoenvironmental reconstruction. In this study, we analysed benthic foraminiferal morphogroups in assemblage records of the last 30 ka in a sediment core collected from the lower OMZ of the Indian margin (off Goa). In total, nine morphogroups within two broadly classified epifaunal and infaunal microhabitat categories are identified. The abundance of morphogroups varies significantly during the late Glacial, Deglacial and Holocene. It appears that monsoon wind driven organic matter flux, and water column ventilation governing the OMZ intensity and sea-bottom oxygen condition, have profound influence on structuring the benthic foraminiferal morphogroups. We found a few morphogroups showing major changes in their abundances during the periods corresponding to the northern hemisphere climatic events. Benthic foraminifera with planoconvex tests are abundant during the cold Heinrich events, when the sea bottom was oxygenated due to a better ventilated, weak OMZ; whereas, those having tapered/cylindrical tests dominate during the last glacial maximum and the Holocene between 5 and 8 ka BP, when the OMZ was intensified and poorly ventilated, leading to oxygen-depleted benthic environment. Characteristically, increased abundance of taxa with milioline tests during the Heinrich 1 further suggests enhanced ventilation attributed probably to the influence of oxygen-rich Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW).     

Rate of tube building and sediment particle size selection during tube construction by the tanaid crustacean,Leptochelia dubia

In estuaries, organic coatings play an important role in the aggregation of mineral particles. Particles acquire adhesive surfaces through the activities of bacteria and microalgae in the sediment and water column. Eventually, they may become incorporated into larger aggregates and structures, such as tubes, constructed by infaunal benthic animals. Where these structures are large enough, and the adhesive bonds between particles strong enough, individual particles may remain in place at bed shear stresses otherwise strong enough to cause sediment transport. This study examined the aggregation of particles during tube building by the ubiquitous tanaid crustaceanLeptochelia dubia. Particle size selection and rates of tube building were determined as functions of animal size, temperature, and the presence or absence of bacteria and microalgae. These data were used to model seasonal patterns of sediment binding by a population ofL. dubia in Yaquina Bay, Oregon, taking into account seasonal changes in sizes and abundance of animals. Rates of tube building (mass of sediment per day) increased with animal size, but temperature had no effect. The model indicated that the field population ofL. dubia bound sediment into tubes at a gross rate of 350 g m^?2 d^?1, averaged over a 2-yr period. Seasonally, gross rates of tube building were predicted to range from 70 g m^?2 d^?1 (during late winter-early spring) to 600 g m^?2 d^?1 (during autumn). When constructing tubes from sterile sediments, small animals selected silt-sized particles while large animals discriminated against these particles. The presence of microbes in sediments tended to reduce particle selectivity.     

Seafloor environmental changes resulting from nineteenth century reclamation in Mishou Bay, Bungo Channel, Southwest Japan

This study reconstructed environmental changes to the seafloor associated with reclamation in Mishou Bay, Bungo Channel, Japan, based on measurements of sediment grain size, organic matter and sulfur contents of surface sediments and data from sediment cores. Grain size within sediment cores from the middle of Mishou Bay decreased from the beginning of the 1800s to the 1900s. In contrast, a grain size profile from the river mouth shows a gradual increase in grain size up through the sediment core. These changes in grain size indicate a decrease in tidal current velocity within the middle of the bay and that the delta system is gradually prograding from the river mouth. Records of organic matter composition and sulfur contents indicate that the effect of the river on seafloor sedimentation became stronger during the nineteenth century. These changes are related to reclamation during the late 1700s and 1800s. The decrease in sea area resulting from reclamation probably led to a decrease in tidal prism and current velocity. It is likely that the increasing effect of river water on sedimentation is associated with reclamation-related progradation of the river delta system.     

长江口-杭州湾及其邻近海域不同粒级沉积有机碳分布特征

通过对长江口、杭州湾、舟山海域及东海陆架4个海区表层沉积物样品的粒度敏感组分分析,发现东海陆架与长江口具有相似的三级组分物质组成,杭州湾与舟山海域具有相似的两级组分物质组成.综合4个区域粒级组分分布特征,采用湿分法将4个海域表层沉积物样品分成6个粒级:＜0.004 mm,0.004～0.025 mm,0.025～0.063 mm,0.063～0.125 mm,0.125～0.250 mm和＞0.250 mm,分别提取各级组分和全样进行有机碳及同位素测试.定量分析各级组分有机碳含量、来源及物质组分,除杭州湾海域粗粒级外,基本上＜0.004 mm的粘土组分有机碳含量最高;富集在杭州湾海域粗颗粒中的有机质主要来源于陆源植物碎屑.沉积物颗粒大小、物质组成类型是不同粒级有机质富集的主要控制因素.     

鄂霍次克海南部OS03-1岩心MIS6期以来的沉积记录及其古环境意义

通过对取自鄂霍次克海南部的柱状岩心OS03-1的古海洋学研究,包括浮游有孔虫壳体AMS14C测年、底栖有孔虫壳体δ18O分析、蛋白石含量测定、有机碳含量测定、浮游有孔虫组合、冰筏碎屑含量变化、沉积物粒度分析等内容,建立鄂霍次克海OS03-1岩心年代地层学框架,分析该海区古表层海水温度、古生产力变化,并研究其古环境意义。结果表明,Neogloboquadrina pachyderma(sin.)百分含量变化曲线与Globigerina bulloides百分含量变化曲线呈很好的负相关性,与氧同位素曲线对比显示,两者均可作为该海区古温度替代性指标;浮游有孔虫绝对丰度、蛋白石含量、有机碳含量变化显示,研究区古生产力水平整体表现为间冰期较高、冰期较低;冰筏碎屑和沉积物粒度特征指示,鄂霍次克海南部间冰期陆源粗颗粒百分含量较冰期高。     

深海研究中的底栖有孔虫：回顾与展望

底栖有孔虫在古环境研究中的应用先是用作古水深或水团的标志物。随着新技术的应用,识别出了2种不同的底栖有孔虫微生境：外生种和内生种;认识到甚至深海底栖有孔虫,也能对表层浮游生物勃发的季节性短暂事件作出响应,因为沉降到海底的有机物质供养着底栖有孔虫。目前,底栖有孔虫被广泛应用于估算海洋表层生产力和底层水团的含氧量。回顾了深海底栖有孔虫生态研究的历史和其在古海洋学中的应用,并强调研究、应用中的新方法、新技术。中国已经加入了诸如IODP等深海研究计划,有必要向我国学术界提供底栖有孔虫研究的新方向,以资参考。     

An estuarine benthic index of biotic integrity for the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. I. Classification of assemblages and habitat definition

An objective of the Mid-Atlantic Integrated Assessment Program (MAIA) of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is to develop an index for assessing benthic community condition in estuaries of the mid-Atlantic region of the United States (Delaware Bay through Pamlico Sound). To develop such an index, natural unimpaired communities must first be identified and variability related to natural factors accounted for. This study focused on these two objectives; Lnansó et al. (2002) describe the index. Using existing data sets from multiple years, classification analyses of species abundance and discriminant analysis were employed to identify major habitat types in the MAIA region and evaluate the physical characteristics that structure benthic infaunal assemblages. Sampling was restricted to soft bottoms and to the index development period, July through early October. The analyses revealed salinity and sediment composition as major factors structuring infaunal assemblages in mid-Atlantic estuaries. Geographical location was a secondary factor. Nine habitat classes were distinguished as a combination of 6 salinity classes, 2 sediment types, and the separation of North Carolina and Delaware-Chesapeake Bay polyhaline sites. The effect of sediment types on faunal assemblages was restricted to polyhaline sites, which were separated into two sediment groups above and below 90% sand content. Assemblages corresponding to each of these 9 habitats were identified in the context of widely recognized patterns of dominant taxa. Differences between North Carolina and Delaware-Chesapeake Bay polyhaline assemblages were attributed to the relative contributions of species and not to differences in species composition. No zoogeographic discontinuities could be identified. Our results reinforce the findings of recent studies which suggest that, with respect to estuarine benthic assemblages, the boundary between the Virginian and the Carolinian Provinces be moved to a new location south of Pamlico Sound.     

Integrated biostratigraphy and palaeoenvironments of an upper Santonian - upper Campanian succession from the southern part of the Eastern Carpathians, Romania

Study of an upper Santonian to upper Campanian hemipelagic succession from the southern part of the Romanian Eastern Carpathians enables us to establish an integrated biostratigraphy based on planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannofossils and to compare this record with the agglutinated foraminiferal biozonation used for the Carpathians.Benthic foraminiferal assemblages were investigated using several methods, such as agglutinated and calcareous benthic foraminiferal morphogroups, and the benthic foraminiferal oxygen index in order to determine their response to environmental parameters in the basin (correlated with sea-level maxima documented by regional sea-level curves for the Tethys). A pattern of changes in benthic foraminiferal communities associated with increased organic carbon flux and rising sea-levels can be summarized as follows in the studied succession. As sea-level begins to rise there is an increase in the proportion of calcareous benthic foraminifera at the expense of agglutinated foraminifera within the benthic assemblages (earliest Campanian, mid-late Campanian). Once sea-level rises, an increase in the elongate keeled morphotype of agglutinated foraminifera (shallower water forms) can be observed, and if sea-level remains high for an extended period (as in the early Campanian) then an invasion of both agglutinated and benthic calcareous foraminifera characteristic of outer shelf-upper slope environments take place in the basin. The variations in tubular and deep infaunal morphotypes of agglutinated foraminifera are ascribed to varying levels of organic carbon flux.     

The early diagenesis of aliphatic hydrocarbons and organic matter in sedimentary particulates from Dabob Bay,Washington

Aliphatic hydrocarbon compositions were quantitatively characterized in plankton, sediment trap-collected particulate materials and sediments from Dabob Bay using high resolution glass capillary gas chromatography. The average net accumulation of individual hydrocarbons measured in a 1-yr series of sediment traps was compared with the net accumulation of corresponding compounds measured in three depth intervals of ²¹⁰Pb-dated bottom sediments. Systematic and rapid decreases in the net accumulation of individual hydrocarbons were observed from the sediment traps to the sediments. Most pronounced decreases were measured for planktonically derived hydrocarbon constituents (e.g. pristane and two unsaturated compounds) which are rapidly remineralized at or near the sediment-water interface. Consequently, the amount of each compound measured in deposited sediments is not necessarily a quantitative indication of its initial flux to the sediments. The n-alkanes (C_25,27,29,31). characteristic of terrestrial plant waxes, are the predominant hydrocarbons measured by 4–6 cm depth in these sediments and show reasonably constant net accumulation below this interval.Significant diagenetic alteration of the bulk organic matter contained in the average sediment trap particulate material is also noted through comparison with bottom sediments on the basis of organic C/N and δ¹³C measurements. Organic matter elementally similar to marine plankton is preferentially remineralized upon deposition of the sedimentary particulates. The residual organic matter remaining and buried in the bottom sediments closely resembles terrestrial organic matter.     

A climate-related oxidizing event in deep-sea sediment from the Bering Sea

Many cores from the deep basins of the Bering Sea have a thin oxidized zone within otherwise reduced sediment. This oxidized zone began to form about 6000 yr ago and represents an interval of about 3200 yr. Mineralogically, the oxidized and reduced sediments are similar, but chemically they differ. Concentrations of Fe and C are lower, and concentrations of Mn, Ba, Co, Mo, and Ni are higher in the oxidized than in the reduced sediment. Mn is enriched about 10-fold in the oxidized zone relative to its concentration in the reduced sediment, Mo about threefold, and Ba, Co, and Ni about twofold. These data suggest that the oxidized zone developed diagenetically as the result of the balance between the flux of organic matter and the available dissolved oxygen in bottom and interstitial waters.We propose that the Bering Sea was substantially ice covered when global glacial conditions prevailed. during the transition to global interglacial conditions, seasonal meltwater from thawing sea ice formed a lens of fresh water that decreased organic productivity. During the winter seasons, however, sea ice reformed and caused downwelling of dense, oxygen-rich waters to recharge bottom waters. The combination of lower organic productivity and more oxygen-rich bottom water allowed oxidized sediment to accumulate. Once full interglacial conditions were established, the volume of sea ice produced was insufficient to affect either productivity or the supply of dissolved oxygen and so bottom conditions again became reducing.Similar events probably occurred during the onset of global glacial conditions, and similar oxidized layers probably formed at these times. Such oxidized zones are highly unstable, however, in a reducing environment and, once buried beyond the influence of bacterial and infaunal activities, are depleted of their available oxygen and converted to reduced sediment.     

The role of zooplankton fecal pellets in the sedimentation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Dabob Bay,Washington

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) compositions were determined in plankton, sediment-trap-collected particulate material and sediment cores from Dabob Bay using a high performance liquid Chromatographie (HPLC)/fluorescence technique. The annual flux of individual PAH measured in a series of sediment traps was compared with the flux of corresponding compounds determined from ²¹⁰Pb dated bottom sediments. Systematic seasonal variations in the fluxes and concentrations of PAH, Al and organic carbon in the trap-collected particulates and seasonally collected plankton were also investigated to determine whether or not PAH are associated with either terrestrial or marine-derived materials.Concentrations of all PAH studied increased tenfold within the last 80–100 yr of sediment deposition, except for perylene which displayed a reasonably constant concentration profile. This suggests at least two sources contribute to the observed sedimentary PAH compositions in Dabob Bay, i.e., anthropogenic combustion and a natural source. Plankton and sediment trap-collected particulates contained PAH mixtures qualitatively similar to underlying surface sediments. Microscopic examination indicated fecal pellets were the major form of particulate material in the sediment traps. The fecal pellets collected in the sediment trap time series quantitatively account for essentially 100% of the PAH fluxes measured in the ²¹⁰Pb dated sediments, implying Zooplankton fecal pellets control the removal of PAH to Dabob Bay sediments. These measurements provide clear evidence that the PAH studied are not produced after sediment deposition. The observed seasonal covariations of PAH and Al in both sediment trap and plankton samples further indicate that PAH originate from terrestrially-based sources, are introduced into the marine environment by runoff and erosion or atmospheric deposition and are not produced by marine plankton.     

Environmental impact of salmon net-pen culture on marine benthic communities in Maine: A case study

The environmental impacts of salmon net-pen aquaculture on the benthic environment were investigated at a commercial fish farm located in coastal Maine waters. This site has a sandy mud bottom and low current velocities, is subjected to episodic sediment resuspension, and way in production for 3 yr prior to this study: We examined both the increase in carbon flux to the benthos caused by the net-pen and the effects of the elevated flux on sediment biogeochemistry and the microbenthic communities. The experimental design involved the establishment of two study sites, an ambient site ca. 100 m from the net-pen and a treatment site around the pen. Sediment traps deployed 1 m above the sediment-water interface indicated that carbon flux to the benthos was increased 1-fold to 6-fold (to a maximum of 5 g m^?2d^?1) at the edge of the net-pen with little or no increase in carbon flux 10 m from the pen. Unlike carbon flux rates, sediment organic matter inventories showed a complex pattern of change over time. Mineral surface area, organic carbon and nitrogen, digestible protein, and sterol content were initially (April 1991) lower beneath the pen than in ambient sediments. During 1991 ambient sediment accumulated organic matter until July after which it decreased, to a low during November. In contrast, organic matter inventories of sediment beneath the pen remained low until July and then increased to a high during November. These latter gains were associated with the development of bacterial mats at the sediment-water interface. Beneath the pen, microbial and macrofaunal communities were shifted toward those commonly associated with organic enrichment but seasonal trends and storm-related resuspension events also significantly affected these sediment communities. When abundant, most epibenthic organisms were more numerous near the pen than in adjacent ambient areas. These results suggest that net-pen aquaculture can alter the benthic ecosystem in Maine Coastal waters but indicate that the effects are spatially limited.     

Vertical distribution of infauna in sediments of a subestuary of central Chesapeake Bay

The vertical distribution of infauna was quantified in eight strata from 0–35 cm in sand and mud sediments of a lower mesohaline subestuary of Chesapeake Bay. Large numbers of small polychaetes, amphipods, and clams occurred in the upper 5 cm of both sediment types, whereas large clams (Macoma balthica in mud andMya arenaria in sand) extended down to 30 cm and comprised most of the biomass in their respective sediment types. There was extensive overlap of the species inhabiting both sediment types. Vertical stratification within and among species apparently reflected constraints on burrowing depth related to body size rather than resource partitioning among competitors. The maximal sediment penetration of 35 cm, which was exhibited byHeteromastus filiformis, was considerably less than the maximal penetration for deep burrowing species in some marine infaunal communities. Several species which burrowed deeper than 5 cm exhibited significant temporal shifts in their vertical distribution.     

Time-based correlation of biogenic,lithogenic and authigenic sediment components with anthropogenic inputs in the Gulf of Mexico NECOP study area

Hypotheses related to variability in seasonal hypoxic conditions, coastal nutrient enhancement, and off-shelf transport of carbon on the Louisiana continental shelf were tested by characterization of biogenic, lithogenic, and authigenic components from two shelf and one Mississippi Canyon sediment cores. The authigenic-phase glauconite occurs above detection limits only in the core from the hypoxic area. A major increase in glauconite concentration was coincident with the onset (≈1940) of the increased use of commercial fertilizers in the United States. In the same hypoxic-area core, benthic foraminifera species diversity decreases upcore from approximately the turn of the century to the present in a manner concurrent with glauconite and fertilizer increases. A subset of opportunistic benthic foraminifera species, known to become more prominent in stressed environments (i.e., hypoxic), increased upcore from ～52% of the total population at core bottom to ≈90% at core top. These benthic foraminifera population and diversity changes were not apparent in a “control” core outside the area of documented hypoxia. Seaward of the shelf, in the Mississippi Canyon, coincident increases in sediment accumulation rate, percentages of coarse fraction and of organic carbon at core top indicate increased offshelf transport of carbon and other components. Quartz percentages indicate that episodic down-canyon transport has been active to core bottom (prior to the mid 1800s).     

The former presence of organic matter caused its later absence: Burn‐down of organic matter in oceanic red beds enhanced by bioturbation (Eocene Variegated Shale,Carpathians)

Eocene oceanic red beds that formed in a well‐oxygenated setting at low sedimentation rates below the calcite compensation depth are effectively barren of organic carbon in the present state. Recurrent distal low‐erosive turbidites preserve the bioturbated zone underneath that documents seasonal and long‐term fluctuating accumulation of considerable amounts of organic matter on the sea floor as evidenced by Scolicia ; the producers of this trace fossil exploited nutritious organic matter conserved in turbidite‐buried sea floor deposits. Over the long‐term, slow average sedimentation of (hemi)pelagic oxic (red) mud led to long oxygen exposure times and low burial of organic matter. Consequently, trace fossils representing persistent sediment‐feeding modes are of small size. Although the food‐limited setting appears appropriate for producers of graphoglyptids, such ‘stationary’ burrows have not been encountered because seasonal deposition of organic matter fostered at least temporary surface layer feeding organisms, for instance producers of Nereites irregularis that intensively reworked the sediment and, hence, hindered graphoglyptid production. These findings confirm palaeoceanographic modelling results that suggest upwelling in the study area during the Eocene.     

南海颗粒物质的通量、组成及其与沉积物积累率的关系初探

通过大孔径时间系列沉积物捕获器的多年测量及对样品的多学科综合分析表明:南海北部与中部深海区1000m左右水深颗粒通量大约为90mg·m-2·d-1,在多数情况下,季风期间的颗粒通量有比较明显的增高。颗粒物主要组成为钙质生物来源的CaCO₃、生物硅、岩源物质及海洋生物来源的有机质。颗粒通量与组成在水柱中的垂向变化表明,生源组分中CaCO₃及有机质随深度具有较为明显的减少。颗粒物侧向运动可能是造成某些时段南海中部深层颗粒通量增加的主要原因。颗粒物质在进入深海沉积物之前,CaCO₃、生物硅均在深层水与沉积物界面之间发生大量的溶解作用。有机质在沉降过程中的减少,一方面是由于硅质与钙质壳体的溶解而使结合在壳体内部的有机质随之溶解造成;另一方面可能与生物及生物地球化学作用有关。岩源物质除水柱沉降之外,还可以通过浊流等底层搬运机制进入南海北部及中部海盆,其中在南海北部这种搬运作用更为明显。     

Spatial and seasonal patterns in sediment nitrogen remineralization and ammonium concentrations in San Francisco Bay,California

Nitrogen remineralization and extractable ammonium concentrations were measured in sediments from several locations in North and South San Francisco bays. In South Bay, remineralization rates decreased with depth in sediment and were highest in the spring following the seasonal phytoplankton bloom. At the channel stations, peak remineralization lagged peak water-column phytoplankton biomass (as measured by chlorophylla) by a month. Remineralization rates were generally higher in South Bay than North Bay. The lower remineralization rates in North Bay may be a result of anomalously low phytoplankton production and thus reduced deposition to the sediments, as well as low reiverine organic inputs to the upper estuary in recent years. Remineralization rates were positively correlated to carbon and nitrogen content of the sediments. In general, ammonium profiles in South Bay sediments showed no increase in deeper (4–8 cm) sediments. In North Bay, ammonium concentrations were greatest at stations with highest remineralization rates, and, in contrast to South Bay, extractable ammonium increased in deeper sediment. Differences in ammonium pools between North Bay and South Bay may be a result of increased irrigation by deep-dwelling macrofauna, which are more abundant in South Bay.     

浅议学科交叉与地球系统科学

随着工业化进程的发展 ,重金属污染已给人类生活带来越来越大的危害。文中基于大连湾水下 11m深 6 1cm沉积柱状样品的地球化学元素测定 ,探讨大连湾近 10 0年来Cd ,Hg,Pb ,As ,Zn ,Cu重金属含量的逐年变化。分析底栖有孔虫多样性的时间分布 ,探讨底栖微体生物对环境污染的效应。分析结果表明 ,上述 6个重金属元素的污染度在近百年间 ,经历了从无污染或轻微污染到中度污染到重度污染的过程。至 1999年 11月 ,污染度增加的幅度分别为Cd 85 .5倍 ,Hg 6倍 ,Pb 7.5 4倍 ,As 3.82倍 ,Zn 7.82倍 ,Cu 3.4 6倍。有孔虫物种数量的年代分布 ,表现出与环境污染度变化的一致性。有孔虫的物种数在 195 0年达到高峰 (2 6个种 ) ,以后物种数和个体数不断减少 ,直至 1997年有孔虫消失。文章讨论了重金属污染对生命健康的影响 ,重金属污染已威胁到人群身体健康 ,应给予密切关注     

Geological environment of a methane-rich Recent sedimentary basin in the Gulf of St. Lawrence

Two sediment cores collected in Chaleur Trough, Gulf of St. Lawrence are compared in terms of organic geochemistry, sediment texture and foraminifera. One of the cores was collected from a depression and contained methane in the range of 5,970–14,230 ppm, in comparison to 42–106 ppm in the core of open environment. The sediments of the methanerich core are finer, higher in organic carbon, extractable organic matter, plant pigments and contained more diverse foraminiferal assemblages. The results of these geological investigations tend to suggest a relatively fast rate of sedimentation in the depression. This results in the preservation of organic compounds and development of anaerobic subsurface conditions, consequently giving rise to high concentrations of methane through fermentative processes. No other gaseous hydrocarbons were detected hence the possibility of seepage of petroleum gases appears to be remote.     

Geochemical and statistical approach for evaluation of heavy metal pollution in core sediments in southeast coast of India

Industrialization coupled with urbanizaton has led to stress in the Buckingham Canal which runs parallel to Bay of Bengal at a distance of around 1 km from the coastline. 4 sediment cores were collected along Ennore — Pulicat stretch to determine acid leachable trace metal concentration. Core samples were collected using gravity corer. The cores were sliced horizontally at 2.5 cm to determine the grain size, sediment composition, pH, organic matter, calcium carbonate, acid leachable trace metals; cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, zinc. The trace metals were extracted using acid mixture containing hydro fluoric acid, nitric acid and sulphuric acid and analysed by atomic emission spectrophotometer. In an attempt to infer anthropogenic input from geogenic input, several approaches including comparison with sediment quality guidelines — ecotoxicological sense of heavy metal contamination and classification by quantitative indexes such as geoaccumalation index, anthropogenic factor, enrichment factor, contamination factor and degree and pollution load index was attempted. Grain size analysis and sediment composition of core samples shows Ennore is sandy in nature having a neutral pH. Organic matter enrichment is observed to a higher extent in core 3. Core 2 at a depth of 5 cm shows organic matter of 9.4 %. calcium carbonate is totally absent at the surface sediments in core 2. Cores collected within the canal showed a higher heavy metal concentration than the cores collected from Pulicat lagoon and 2 km into the Ennore Sea. The trace metal concentration for cadmium, lead and zinc in Ennore does not pose a threat to the sediment dwelling fauna whereas chromium and copper are likely to pose a threat. Quantitative indexes place Ennore under moderately polluted. Ennore is likely to face a serious threat of metal pollution with the present deposition rates unless stringent pollution control norms are adopted.