Naseem and Bashir (2026), published in TEMJ (an online multidisciplinary journal, Volume 2 Issue 1, January 2026), present a theoretical narrative review on how seasonal variation affects heavy metal concentrations in aquatic environments and their bioaccumulation in fish tissues. The paper has no original measurements; it synthesizes published literature to argue that temperature, pH, rainfall, and seasonal hydrology are the primary drivers of within-year variability in fish tissue metal levels, and that monitoring programs should be multi-seasonal rather than single-point assessments. This is a general background review without site-specific data or primary measurements.
Key numbers
No original measurements reported. Key conceptual claims from the review:
- Warm-season (summer) metal concentrations in fish tissues tend to be higher due to increased metabolic rate and reduced water volume.
- Rainy/monsoon season: elevated surface runoff introduces metals but concurrent dilution can offset concentration increases; seasonal patterns are “complex and sometimes contradictory.”
- Winter: lower temperatures reduce biological activity and metal uptake rates; sedimentation increases, reducing water-column availability.
- Liver and kidney generally exhibit higher metal concentrations than muscle tissue in fish.
- Fish are bioindicators of aquatic metal contamination, with tissue concentrations reflecting temporal exposure history.
- No concentration tables, no ppb/mg/kg values, no site-specific data.
Methods (brief)
Narrative theoretical review. Authors from Sunrise University, Alwar, Rajasthan (India). No primary data. Published in TEMJ, a multidisciplinary online journal (E-ISSN 3117-8057) that does not appear in indexed scientific databases. Received 5 January 2026, accepted 9 January 2026, published 12 January 2026 — very rapid review suggests limited peer review rigour. No DOI assigned. This paper’s evidence value is C-tier: it is a summary of well-known mechanisms without original data.
Implications
Certification: No direct certification value; this paper does not supply concentration data.
Courses: The seasonal dynamics framework (summer peak, winter trough, monsoon complexity) is a useful pedagogic overview for aquatic food safety modules, pending verification against primary literature.
App: The conceptual framework supports a seasonal modifier flag for freshwater fish, but this paper cannot supply magnitude values.