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Variability of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass in a shallow brackish water ecosystem (Chilika Lagoon, India)

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Abstract

Seasonal and spatial variations in water quality parameters, such as nutrients [NH4 +–N, NO −2 –N, NO −3 –N, PO 3−4 –P, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP)], Secchi disc depth, salinity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll a, primary productivity and phytoplankton standing stock, were studied in Chilika Lagoon (from 27 sampling locations) during 2001–2003 to assess the present ecological status. The study was undertaken after a major hydrological intervention in September 2000, which connected the lagoon body and the Bay of Bengal via a manmade opening (new mouth). Current and old data on water quality were also compared to establish the changes that had occurred after the hydrological intervention. Multivariate techniques and gridding methods were used to investigate the spatial and seasonal variability of the data and to characterize the trophic evolution of the basin. Results of principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that the 27 stations can be classified into five groups based on similarities in the temporal variation of nutrients, chlorophyll a concentration, salinity, and other physicochemical parameters. The tributaries and the exchange of lagoon water with the Bay of Bengal most probably determine the water quality and the dynamics of the ecosystem. Hydrodynamics of the lagoon, weed coverage, input of urban sewage through tributaries and agricultural runoff are probably the key factors controlling the trophic conditions of the lagoon. An increase in salinity and total phosphorus was noted after the new mouth was opened, while the total suspended sediment load, the water column depth, and nitrogenous nutrients decreased. The new mouth opening also brought changes in the phytoplankton species composition.

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Acknowledgment

The first author acknowledges the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India, for providing a financial grant during the study. The authors are thankful to the Director, IMMT, Bhubaneswar for providing laboratory facilities to carry out the work. Help obtained from Dr. B.K. Nayak and Mr. S.K. Acharya in the field as well as in the laboratory is gratefully acknowledged. Comments from Dr. Shuji Hino and two anonymous reviewers greatly improved the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Umeå Marina Forskningscentrum, Department of Ecology and Environmental Science, Umeå University, 910 20, Norrbyn, Hörnefors, Sweden

    Satya Panigrahi & Johan Wikner

  2. Department of Marine Sciences, Berhampur University, Berhampur, 760007, Orissa, India

    R. C. Panigrahy

  3. Environmental and Industrial Safety Section, IGACR (DAE), Kalpakkam, 603102, Tamilnadu, India

    K. K. Satapathy

  4. Institute of Minerals and Materials Technology, Bhubaneswar, 751013, India

    B. C. Acharya

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  1. Satya Panigrahi
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  2. Johan Wikner
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  3. R. C. Panigrahy
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  4. K. K. Satapathy
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  5. B. C. Acharya
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Correspondence to Satya Panigrahi.

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Panigrahi, S., Wikner, J., Panigrahy, R.C. et al. Variability of nutrients and phytoplankton biomass in a shallow brackish water ecosystem (Chilika Lagoon, India). Limnology 10, 73–85 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10201-009-0262-z

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