Abstract
Biogeochemical and ecological responses to limited external nutrient loading are poorly understood in tropical semi-enclosed coastal lagoons which are highly influenced by hydrological and salinity regimes. With objectives towards ecosystem sustainability via better management of the nutrient inputs, investigations were carried out to estimate the water, salt, and nutrient budget of “Pulicat” hypersaline coastal lagoon for the year 2018–2019. The budget revealed that the annual rate of precipitation and evaporation are the major driving factors regulating the annual residual flow in the lagoon. Limited exchange of water and material had resulted in a hypersaline condition with high spatial and temporal variation in salinity ranging from 20 to 103. In the absence of external loading, nutrient enrichment by internal compensation had resulted in DIN enrichment. DIN constituents are mainly contributed by ammonia, indicative of remineralisation through benthic regeneration. The extended water residence time and enhanced primary production has converted the inner lagoon into a limited phosphate system. The TRIX index also indicates a decline in the trophic status transforming the lagoon from a mesotrophic to a eutrophic system.
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All data generated or analysed during this study are included in this published article and its supplementary information files. The datasets generated and/or analysed during the current study are available in the Copernicus climate data repository (https://cds.climate.copernicus.eu/cdsapp#!/dataset/reanalysis-era5-single-levels?tab=form) as well as in India-WRIS (2020) Water Resources Information System, Government of India (https://indiawris.gov.in/wris/#/RiverMonitoring) and in Asia-Pacific Data Research Center (http://apdrc.soest.hawaii.edu/)
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Govt. of India, for implementing the Ecosystem-based Services Programme at the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Chennai. The authors are sincerely thankful to the Secretary, MoES, for encouraging the study. The encouragement of Dr K. Ramu, Scientist E, NCCR in-field sampling is greatly acknowledged. This is research contribution No. NCCR/16/2019/MS 362 of NCCR.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Fieldwork, analysis, and data collection were performed by Akhilesh Vijay, M.Kumaraswami, and Gayathri Reghu; supervision by Anitha Gera and V. Ranga Rao; and project administration by M.V. Ramanamurthy. Akhilesh Vijay writes the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented and approved the final manuscript.
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Highlights
• Precipitation and evaporation are major driving factors of annual residual flow.
• DIN enrichment leads to a phosphate limiting system.
• Water residence time regulates the trophic status of Pulicat.
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Vijay, A., Munnooru, K., Reghu, G. et al. Nutrient dynamics and budgeting in a semi-enclosed coastal hypersaline lagoon. Environ Sci Pollut Res 28, 69029–69041 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15334-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-021-15334-y