Pysico-chemical parameters of the upper and lower reach of the new Calabar River, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

The physico-chemical parameters of the upper and lower reach of the New Calabar River across five stations in relation to season were investigated from December 2013 to May 2014.The result showed that the water was slightly acidic across months with pH range of 6.18to7.08 and across Stations. Relatively high Do levels were observed during the study with higher value at the upstream sampled stations than downstream sampled stations. There was no significant variation in Temperature and BOD across Stations and season. Further results revealed that there were variation in salinity values, lowest salinity was recorded in station 5(5.93mg/l) and lowest in station 2(1.08mg/l) while the highest salinity in December (6.01).Dissolved Oxygen decreased across Stations (6.45 to 4.49mg/l) but showed variation across season.

Keywords: New Calabar River, Physico-chemical parameters, seasonal variation