Sedimentological characters of the mangrove ecosystem of Kali estuary, Karwar, west coast of India

Abstract

Estuarine mangroves give natural support to the protection of the riverbanks, due to their accumulative nature. To study this effect, it is necessary to measure sedimentation rates under estuarine mangroves. Sediment plays an important role in the storage and release of nutrient into the water column, the mineralization of organic carbon deposits by various kinds of microbes. In association with other parameters, the sediment is responsible for the variations in densities of majority of benthic organisms. Regular monthly collections of bottom water and sediment were made for a period thirteen months from January 2008 and January 2009 at five different study sites using the motorized outrigger canoe. The present investigation encompassed collection of data pertaining to various aspects of sedimentology. Sediment temperature varied from 25.100c to 30.450c. The pH ranged between 6.18 to 8.30. Organic carbon Varied between 2.06 to 29.45%, moisture content varied from 20.10% to 41.88.
Values of interstitial water content is varied between 1.60% to 30.95%. Wide variation in the percentage composition of sand (28.45% to 80.10%), silt (12.78% to 54.28%), and clay (3.66% to 33.63%) was observed.