Multi-annual variability of pCO(aq) and air-water CO flux in the mangrove-dominated Dhamra Estuary draining into the Bay of Bengal (India).

Small estuaries often remain neglected while characterizing air-water CO flux dynamics. This study reports the seasonal, spatial, and multi-annual variability of carbon biogeochemistry, emphasizing air-water CO flux from a small tropical mangrove-dominated estuary (Dhamra Estuary) of the Bay of Bengal, based on the 9-year-long sampling survey (2013 to 2021). The sampling covered twelve pre-fixed locations of this estuary.

The Interaction of Seasons and Biogeochemical Properties of Water Regulate the Air-Water CO Exchanges in Two Major Tropical Estuaries, Bay of Bengal (India).

The exchange of CO between the air-water interfaces of estuaries is crucial from the perspective of the global carbon cycle and climate change feedback. In this regard, we evaluated the air-water CO exchanges in two major estuaries-the Mahanadi estuary (ME) and the Dhamra estuary (DE) in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal, India. Biogeochemical properties of these estuarine waters were quantified in three distinct seasons, namely, pre-monsoon (March to May), monsoon (June to October), and post-monsoon (November to February).

Anthropogenic influence on the physico-chemical parameters of Dhamra estuary and adjoining coastal water of the Bay of Bengal.

Estuaries receive the anthropogenic pollutants of their watershed area. Dhamra estuary, on the east coast of India, is such an estuary that receives a huge amount of pollutants, and it will eventually pose a threat to the ecological sensitive areas in its vicinity. Therefore, a study was carried out on physico-chemical parameters and chlorophyll-a to delineate the sources of variation during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons.