Journal of Environmental Biology

Seasonal variations in physico-chemical characteristics of water, sediment and soil texture in arid zone mangroves of Kachchh-Gujarat

 

A. Saravanakumar¹, M. Rajkumar*¹, J. Sesh Serebiah² and G.A. Thivakaran²

 

¹Centre of Advanced Study in Marine Biology, Annamalai University, Parangipettai - 608 502,? India

²Gujarat Institute of Desert Ecology, Bhuj - 370 001, India

 

(Received: July 08, 2006; Revised received: April 04, 2007; Accepted: June 18, 2007)

 

Abstract: The present study was carried out to determine the physicochemical characteristics of water and sediment and the textural aspects of sediments in western mangroves of Kachchh-Gujarat, west coast of India, for a period of two years during 1999-2000. Surface water and sediment temperatures varied from 17^oC to 37^oC and from 18.4^oC to 37^oC respectively. Tidal amplitude varied from 0.03m to 3.78 m. Salinity varied from 34.0 to 44 ? and the pH in water and sediment ranged between 7.0 and 8.9 and 6.29 and 8.45 respectively. Variation in dissolved oxygen content was from 3.42 to 5.85 ml l^-1. Concentrations of nutrients viz. nitrate (0.23 to 7.26 ?M), nitrite (0.04 to 0.87?M), phosphate (0.13 to 3.12 ?M) and reactive silicate (4.23 to 19.02 ?M) also varied independently. Total organic carbon varied from 0.29% to 2.56% and the total inorganic phosphorus ranged between 0.12 mg g^-1 and 1.97 mg g^-1. Total nitrogen varied from 0.02 mg g^-1 to 1.95 mg g^-1. Sediment textures ranges in terms of % of sand, clay and silt were: 0.26-19.2; 7.6-47 and 47-87.4 respectively in all the 3 stations. The nature of soil texture is characterized by the abundance of silty loam, silty clay and silty clay loam.??

 

Kew words: Physicochemical characteristics, Water, Sediment, Soil texture, Nutrients, Mangroves, Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat

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