Dispersion and retrievability of water quality indicators during tidal cycles in coastal Salaya, Gulf of Kachchh (West coast of India)

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2010-10, Vol.169 (1-4), p.639-645
• Main Authors: Mohandass, Chellandi, Kumar, S. Jaya, Ramaiah, N, Vethamony, P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abundance; Amplitudes; Applied sciences; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bacteria; Bacterial dispersion; Bacterial Load; Cellulose acetate; Coastal; Coasts; Dispersions; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental Monitoring; Exact sciences and technology; Feces; Gulf of Kachchh; Gulfs; India; Indicators; MIKE 21; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Pollution; Radiation; Salinity; Seawater - chemistry; Seawater - microbiology; Sediments; Sodium; Studies; Tidal amplitude; Tidal cycles; Tidal movements; Tidal Waves; Tides; Water Microbiology; Water Movements; Water Pollutants - analysis; Water pollution; Water quality
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-009-1203-3

Bacterial indicators in relation to tidal variations were studied at five locations for over 2 days covering three tidal cycles in the southwestern region of Gulf of Kachchh, India. Tidal flow here is predominantly in the east west direction and can transport particles up to 32 km. Tidal amplitude appears to play a prominent role in abundance, distribution, and dispersal of coliform bacteria examined during this study. Shallow depths, clayey sediments, strong currents, and higher tidal amplitudes appear to rise by an order of magnitude in total bacterial abundance up to 2.4×10⁴ ml ⁻ ¹ due to their resuspension from the churned up sediments. Dispersal of allochthonous microflora far into coastal marine regions appears to be governed by the strong tidal amplitude in this region.