Broad-Based Assessment Of Water Pollution Level And Land Degradation At The Vicinity Of Ibeno Beach In Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Ibeno Beach in Akwa Ibom State faces alarming environmental challenges with potential risks on human health and the environment. Integrated approach involving classical, instrumental and space-based methods were employed to conduct rigorous heavy metal and physicochemical analyses of water, soil and plant samples to determine the extent of pollution. A total of 10 water, 10 plant (Beach morning glory: Ipomoea pes-caprae), and 20 soil samples were collected at various locations and coordinates taken. Multi-parameter analysis was conducted both in situ and in the laboratory. Physicochemical analysis of the water parameters revealed elevated levels of salt, chloride, TDS, and turbidity. Overall, the pH of samples varied significantly, and the electrical conductivity of the water samples were relatively high. Heavy metal analysis using Agilent 720 ES ICP-OES revealed moderate levels of Pb, Ni and Cr with range in water (0.01-0.04; 0.01-0.07; 0.01) mg/L, soil (0.04-51.59; 0.01-5.18; 0.01-9.69) mg/kg, and plant (1.48-6.19; 2.49-20.52; 0.73-13) mg/kg, respectively. Geospatial analysis using hyperspectral Landsat 8 sensor revealed a general landmass and feature loss indicating degradation. Statistical analysis using a one-way ANOVA at 95% confidence level revealed no significant difference in the heavy metal levels in most of the samples.