ABSTRACT

The variation in environmental quality of Ondo coast between seasons and sites were evaluated using principal component analysis (PCA). Seventeen metals were analysed in water and sediments with five anionic components further evaluated in water samples. The dry season concentrations of parameter and their degree of variation are higher than that of wet season. PCA of sediments revealed four parameter clusters and five clusters for water based on related sources of input, biogeochemical reactions or effects of physical conditions which are useful means of managing pollution when understood. The concentrations of sediment parameters were higher while their variations are narrower than for water parameters making sediment a veritable tool in coastal pollution monitoring. Mg is the most abundant metal in the sediment while Na and chloride are the most prominent in water. The incursion of saline water therefore plays a major role in the dispersion of pollutants and the water-sediment chemistry of the coast. The spatial variation based on the sediment parameters are much conservative than the water-based. Overall, site 9 and 10 were distinct from the others while sites 1, 2, 3 related perfectly playing important roles in the sourcing and chemistry of pollutants in the coast.