INVESTIGATION ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL ECOLOGY OF PHYTOPLANKTON IN THE SUNDERBAN MANGROVE ENVIRONMENT, NW COAST OF BAY OF BENGAL

Principal Investigator: Prof. T.K. Jana, Dept. of Marine Sciences, Calcutta University, 35 B C

                                      Road,  Kolkata-700019

Sanctioned cost:          INR 499330.00        

Man Power:                 1 Research Fellow and 1 Field Asst.

Tenure:                        3 Years

Objectives:

i.                    To study the effect of changes in external forcing and boundary conditions on the blooming condition of different species of phytoplankton.

ii.                  To study the exchanges of gases i.e. CO₂, CH₄, NO_x between air and coastal water during succession and blooming of different phytoplankton species and estimation of their net fluxes

iii.                To study the impact of eutrophication on phytoplankton productivity.

iv.                 To determine the conditions for maximum species diversity of phytoplankton to occur and its relation to pollution index.

v.                   To critically examine the availability of Fe, Mn, Al etc. thorough the complexation with naturally occurring ligands such as humic acids and its relation to eutrophication.

vi.                 To study the number of types of organisms which are able to survive in eutrophic system and consider predator – prey model.

vii.               Application of model to explain the CO₂ exchange flux in the air water interface.

Findings:

i.                    Maximum number of phytoplanktons were observed during blooming time (February)

ii.                  Net negative flux of CO₂ was also observed during monsoon at Jambu and Thakuran

iii.                Emission rate of CO₂  and CH₄ showed a considerable diurnal variations and between the Lothian Island the atmosphere were found to be 113.06 and 1.51 kg/d respectively.

iv.                 Average primary productivity was found to be 32-83 mg C m ^–2 h ^{–1  .}

Publications:

i.                    Impact of Sunderban Mangrove biosphere on the Carbon dioxide and methane mixing ratios at the NE coast of Bay of Bengal, India, Atmospheric Environment,  Elsevier Publication.

ii.                  Biogenic controls on the air-water carbon dioxide exchange in the Sunderban mangrove environment, NE coast of Bay of Bengal, India. Limnology and Oceanography, 2004(49):95-101.

Benefits:

            This finding would help to find answer of the basic question that “ Are the world’s coastal oceans being changed from systems with predominantly internal cycles of production and consumption to systems which are based more on external inputs of organic carbon”.