An assessment of hydropedological factors of the salt marsh environment of chittagong coastal area in Bangladesh
Book Chapter
Shafiqul Islam, M, Zamal, H, Alam, MS. (2014). An assessment of hydropedological factors of the salt marsh environment of chittagong coastal area in Bangladesh
. 201-245.
Shafiqul Islam, M, Zamal, H, Alam, MS. (2014). An assessment of hydropedological factors of the salt marsh environment of chittagong coastal area in Bangladesh
. 201-245.
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 exchangeable Ca, K and Mg, total N and available P grouped together with minimum difference in their nature. Soil organic carbon and soil organic matter was highly correlated factors so that they are grouped together. Other factors like water salinity, soil salinity and water transparency showed similar distribution pattern in the study area which clustered together with minimum euclidean distance level.
