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Spatio-Temporal Variability of Hydro-Chemical Characteristics of Coastal Waters of Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (Gommbr), South India

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Spatio-Temporal Variability of Hydro-Chemical Characteristics of Coastal Waters of Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (Gommbr), South India View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Springer - Publisher Connector Appl Water Sci (2017) 7:361–373 DOI 10.1007/s13201-014-0251-1 ORIGINAL ARTICLE Spatio-temporal variability of hydro-chemical characteristics of coastal waters of Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve (GoMMBR), South India K. Kathiravan • Usha Natesan • R. Vishnunath Received: 28 May 2014 / Accepted: 27 October 2014 / Published online: 23 November 2014 Ó The Author(s) 2014. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract The intention of this study was to appraise the NIO North Indian Ocean spatial and temporal variations in the physico-chemical NE Northeast monsoon parameters of coastal waters of Rameswaram Island, Gulf NMBRP National Marine Biosphere Reserve Park of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, south India, using PB Palk Bay multivariate statistical techniques, such as cluster analysis, PCs Principal components factor analysis and principal component analysis. Spatio- PCA Principal component analysis temporal variations among the physico-chemical parame- SMC Summer monsoon current ters are observed in the coastal waters of Gulf of Mannar, SW Southwest monsoon especially during northeast and post monsoon seasons. It is Sampling stations inferred that the high loadings of pH, temperature, sus- PS South of Pamban Pass pended particulate matter, salinity, dissolved oxygen, bio- KI Kurusadai Island chemical oxygen demand, chlorophyll a, nutrient species KU Kunthukal of nitrogen and phosphorus strongly determine the dis- TK Thavukadu crimination of coastal water quality. Results highlight the Krk South of Kodhandaramar kovil important role of monsoonal variations to determine the Mkc Mukuntharaiyar Chathiram coastal water quality around Rameswaram Island. Dk Dhanushkodi Dk1 2 km from Dhanushkodi Keywords Coastal water quality Á Rameswaram Island Á Dk2 4 km from Dhanushkodi Physico-chemical variables Á Factor analysis (FA) Á Dk3 6 km from Dhanushkodi Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis AmS South of Arichamunai (CA) Tip Mixing zone between PB and GoM Tip1 Mixing zone of 2 km from Tip Abbreviations AS Arabian Sea BoB Bay of Bengal CA Cluster analysis Introduction EEZ Exclusive economic zone GoM Gulf of Mannar Coastal areas are the most productive as well as valuable GPS Global positioning system habitats. It is subject to great environmental modification JMA Japan Meteorological Agency because of their dense population, and deterioration in the coastal land use patterns such as urbanization, development of industries and agricultural activities. Monitoring of & K. Kathiravan Á U. Natesan ( ) Á R. Vishnunath coastal water quality is one of the main concerns for its Centre for Water Resources, Anna University, Chennai 600025, India degradation and is an informative tool for coastal man- e-mail: [email protected] agement and polices. The distribution of nutrients in the 123 362 Appl Water Sci (2017) 7:361–373 Fig. 1 Study area with sampling stations sea water exhibits some variations depending on the local north and GoM on its south (Fig. 1). The submerged chain conditions such as rainfall, fresh water inflow, tidal of Islands in the Palk Strait and Mannar Island act as incursion and also biological activities (Sushanth and physical barriers between GoM and PB (Jyothibabu et al. Rajasekar 2012). Due to the intensification of human 2013), which limits the water and sediments exchange. As activities and urbanization along coastal regions the a result, the hydrography of the GoM is influenced by the increase of input of nutrients to the coastal water transpired AS waters and PB is influenced by the BoB waters (Murty in the past decades. Coastal areas act as natural filters for and Varma 1964; Jyothibabu et al. 2013). The climatology suspended sediments and nutrients coming from the land to of this area has been indulgenced into four seasons in a the open sea. Besides the role of land nutrient discharge, year, i.e., (1) summer (April–May), (2) southwest (SW) the nutrient concentration variations of coastal marine monsoon (June–September), (3) northeast (NE) monsoon waters can also be related to oceanic sources, as in the case (October–December) and (4) post-monsoon (January– of areas subject to coastal upwelling events (Matsuura March). The coastal water quality of Rameswaram Island 1986; Gonzalez-Rodriguez et al. 1992; Valentin et al. has not been paid attention when compared to the other 1994; Simonassi et al. 2010). During these events, the research works in GoM and most of the available literature productivity increases and the temporal variation in the and studies do not indicate the present scenario of the GoM nutrient concentrations in waters can be high (Valentin influenced. From this study, the physico-chemical charac- et al. 1994; Fock 2003; Brandini et al. 2007). Gulf of teristics of the GoM was observed and analyzed with Mannar (GoM) is located between the northwestern Sril- strengthens tools about the seasonal variations. anka and Southeast coast of India and the boundary starts The multivariate statistical technique is useful in from the southern coast of Rameswaram Island on its north asserting the temporal and spatial variations caused by which opens in the south into the North Indian Ocean natural and anthropogenic factors (Shrestha and Kazama (NIO). NIO dynamics determines the monsoonal activities 2007; Garizi et al. 2011). Cluster analysis (CA) based on particularly in India. GoM intacts with NIO directly as well euclidean similarity measure is used to group sites as receives massive amount of nutrient enriched water from recording similarity in environmental parameters (Arumu- Arabian Sea (AS) as well as freshwater from Bay of Bengal gam et al. 2013). Principal component analysis (PCA) (BoB) during monsoon results in the changes in the coastal assists to recognize the factors or origin responsible for water quality, because of the monsoonal currents tri- seasonal water quality variations (Zare et al. 2011). As the umphing in this area. Rameswaram Island is bounded first principal component accounts for the covariation between the longitudes 79°1203000Eto79°2103000E and the shared by all attributes, this may be a better estimate than latitudes 9°805500Nto9°1902500N with Palk Bay (PB) on its simple or weighted averages of the original variables (Babu 123 Appl Water Sci (2017) 7:361–373 363 et al. 2010). PCs actually take the cloud of data points and Table 1 Geographical co-ordinates of the sampling stations rotate it such a way that maximum variability is visible Stn. Latitude Longitude Depth Station name and (Fathy et al. 2012). The most significant variables in the ID (m) description components represented by high loadings (correlation 0 00 0 00 coefficient[0.7) taken into consideration for evaluating the 19°16 37.47 N79°11 56.67 E 6 South of Pamban Pass: fishing, coastal components (Mazlum et al. 1993). Factor analysis (FA) habitat attempts to explain the correlation between the observa- 29°15018.4300N79°12029.4500E 3 Kurusadai Island: tions in terms of the underlying factors, which are not fishing, coral directly observable (Yu et al. 2003). In this present study, ecosystem, coastal multivariate statistical techniques such as CA, PCA and FA habitat 0 00 0 00 were applied to the interpretation of complex data matrices 39°14 50.23 N79°13 55.41 E 3 Kunthukal: fishing, tourism site, coastal to better understand the water quality. It helps in identi- habitat fying the possible factors/sources that influence water 49°14040.1000N79°16029.4800E 4 Thavukadu: fishing, quality (Reghunath et al. 2002; Panda et al. 2006; Bu et al. coastal habitat 2009; Garizi et al. 2011). 59°13030.8400N79°19010.1700E 6 South of Kodhandaramar kovil: fishing Study area 69°12010.6700N79°21038.0300E 4 Mukuntharaiyar (M.K)Chathiram: fishing, Tourism site, Rameswaram Island is located in the north boundary of Coastal habitat GoM, which is the one of the important islands among the 21 79°11031.3900N79°22036.4700E 3 Dhanushkodi: fishing, islands of GoM separated from mainland India by the Pam- tourism site, coastal ban channel. The Island is located 2 km from the mainland habitat of Tamil Nadu which comes under a part of the Marine 89°10056.8000N79°23028.2000E 3 2 km from Biosphere Reserve protected by Gulf of Mannar Marine Dhanushkodi: fishing, coastal National Park. The island stretching from Pamban in the habitat west to Dhanuskodi in the east separates the Palk Bay and 99°10016.8200N79°24026.5800E 3 4 km from the Gulf of Mannar. Gulf of Mannar joined with Palk Strait Dhanushkodi: via Pamban pass and submerged sand patches between fishing, coastal Rameswaram Island and Srilanka. Rameswaram Island is habitat 0 00 0 00 bounded between PB in the northern side and GoM in the 10 9° 9 32.87 N79°25 21.85 E 3 6 km from Dhanushkodi: southern side (Fig. 1). The length of the island is about fishing, coastal 28 km in the east–west direction. The extreme southeastern habitat part of Rameswaram Island known as Dhanuskodi Foreland 11 9° 8048.7400N79°26019.2500E 2 South of Arichamunai: is a long sand spit of about 4 km length formed up to A- tourism, pilgrimage richamunai (tip) from Dhanuskodi and it tends to grow 12 9° 8052.0500N79°2708.1800E 1 Tip: mixing zone longer and wider. The tidal regime is semidiurnal with an between Palk bay and Gulf of Mannar average range of 0.3–0.7 m and hydrodynamics is mainly 13 9° 8027.7900N79°27033.8500E 1.5 Tip1: mixing zone controlled by the tide currents around the Island. Rame- between Palk bay swaram Island comprises a holy pilgrimage site which and Gulf of Mannar comes under the sensitive EEZ of Indian coastal water and is surrounded by coral patches and National Marine Biosphere Reserve Park. The most important economic activities are prefixed locations (Fig.
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