Bio-optical Characterization And Ecological Plasticity Of The Hooghly-matla Estuarine Ecoregion - An Isro-sponsored Study On The Impact Of Cyclone Remal On The Optically Complex Shallow Waters Of Northwestern Bay Of Bengal

• Author(s):

  Dr. Abhishek Mukherjee | Prof. Tarun Kumar De | Dr. Anurag Gupta

• Keywords:

  Bay Of Bengal, Cyclone, Hooghly Estuary, Sundarban Mangrove, Water Quality

• Abstract:

  The Present Study Was Aimed At Assessing The Impact Of Tropical Cyclonic Storms On Mangrove Dominated Vertically Well-mixed Estuaries. The Landfall Of Cyclone Remal Over An Area That Is Predominantly The Sundarban Straddling Hooghly-Matla Estuarine Complex Provided With Such An Opportunity Since It Was Already Under Environmental Monitoring At The Time. A Considerable Array Of Relevant Variables Was Chosen For The Study Encompassing Meteorological, Physicochemical, As Well As Biological Sections Of The Ecosystem. The Observed Values Of Mean Meteorological And Physical Variables Were Not Much Different In The Wake Of The Storm After A Few Weeks Than What Was Recorded Prior To The Storm. Dissolved Nitrates, Phosphates, And Silicates Were Relatively Higher Following The Storm, But Not To The Anticipated Extent. This Had Triggered An Influx Of Stenohaline Phytoplankton Owing To Lingering Shifts In Salinity And PH Following The Storm, Conducive Enough For The Species. This Change Was Not Exclusive Of The Euryhaline Species But Was Sufficient To Modify The Diversity Index Of The Population. It Was Also Reflected On Chl A And TSM Data, Corroborated By Both In Situ And OCM 3 Satellite Generated Readings, In Spite Of The Population Density Being Not Too Dissimilar To Pre Storm State. The Effect Of The Storm Was Observed In CDOM Contents As Well But Due To The Unique Nature Of The Estuary Itself, It Was Already Observed Bordering On Pre Storm Data Even Only A Few Weeks Later.

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Other Details

• Paper id:

  IJSARTV11I9104030

• Published in:

  Volume: 11 Issue: 9 September 2025

• Publication Date:

  2025-09-19

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