Estuaries and the lands surrounding them are places of transition from land to sea and from fresh to salt water. Although influenced by the tides, estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms by the reefs, barrier island or fingers of land, mud or sand that define an estuary's seaward boundary. In India, estuaries have been a focal point of activities for human settlement, for development of port and harbors. The health status and the biological diversity of the Indian estuarine ecosystem are deteriorating day-by-day through man-made activities and dumping of enormous quantities of sewage and industrial effluent. They are "nurseries of the sea", as it is an ideal location for fish, shellfish, and other marine animals to reproduce in protected environment and availability of abundant food. Besides, estuaries are important for the health of the oceans as it can filter sediment and pollutants from the water before it flows into the oceans. Estuaries are vulnerable to excessive loading of nutrients by runoff containing fertilizer and other pollutants. Estuaries are among the most complex and complicated ecosystems in the biosphere because they are at the interface of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems. Estuaries are ecologically very important because it provides vital habitats for thousands of marine species. In recent decades, population growth and related activities (agricultural practices, wastewater treatment plants, urban run-off, and the burning of fossil fuels) have increased nutrient inputs by many folds than the levels that occur naturally. The present book Eutrophication of Narmada and Tapi Tropical Estuaries, Gulf of Khambhat, India explores the two major estuaries (Narmada, Tapi), and Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat, India, in terms of an in-depth study of hydrochemistry, geochemistry, biodiversity (phytoplankton, zooplankton, benthic community), along with site-specific challenges and their solutions in both the estuarine and gulf environs. The book will certainly be useful to students, researchers, academicians, scientists, and marine authorities of Gujarat as well as India, to enrich their knowledge in the field of ecology, biodiversity, conservation, restoration, and management of estuarine and gulf environs.

Estuaries are among the most complex and complicated ecosystems in the biosphere because they are at the interface of terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems. Estuaries and the lands surrounding them are places of transition from land to sea and from fresh to salt water. Although influenced by the tides, estuaries are protected from the full force of ocean waves, winds, and storms by the reefs, barrier island or fingers of land, mud or sand that define an estuary's seaward boundary. In India, estuaries have been a focal point of activities for human settlement, for development of port and harbors. The health status and the biological diversity of the Indian estuarine ecosystem are deteriorating day-by-day through man-made activities and dumping of enormous quantities of sewage and industrial effluent. Estuaries are ecologically very important because it provides vital habitats for thousands of marine species. They are "nurseries of the sea", as it is an ideal location for fish, shellfish, and other marine animals to reproduce in protected environment and availability of abundant food. Besides, estuaries are important for the health of the oceans as it can filter sediment and pollutants from the water before it flows into the oceans. Estuaries are vulnerable to excessive loading of nutrients by runoff containing fertilizer and other pollutants. In recent decades, population growth and related activities (agricultural practices, wastewater treatment plants, urban run-off, and the burning of fossil fuels) have increased nutrient inputs by many folds than the levels that occur naturally. The present book Eutrophic Status of Narmada and Tapi Tropical Estuaries of Gujarat, India point-out an intensive study at two major estuaries (Narmada, Tapi) of Gujarat, India. The authors have investigated hydrochemistry, geochemistry, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and benthic community, along with site-specific problems and their suggestions in both the estuarine environs. This book will certainly be a ready reference guide to the students, researchers, academicians, scientists, and riverine and marine authorities of Gujarat and India, to enrich their knowledge in cutting edge of research in the field of estuarine ecology, biodiversity, conservation, restoration, and management.

Papers presented at the symposium organised by Marine Biological Station, Zoological Survey of India, in association with National Biodiversity Authority, and Indian Society for Ecological Economics, Delhi, during 26-29 December 2005.

Estuaries are of high socioeconomic importance with twenty-two of the thirty-two largest cities in the world located on river estuaries. Estuaries bring together fluxes of fresh and saline water, as well as fluvial and marine sediments, and contain high biological diversity. Increasingly sophisticated field observation technology and numerical modeling have produced significant advances in our understanding of the physical properties of estuaries over the last decade. This book introduces a classification for estuaries before presenting the basic physics and hydrodynamics of estuarine circulation and the various factors that modify it in time and space. It then covers special topics at the forefront of research such as turbulence, fronts in estuaries and continental shelves, low inflow estuaries, and implications of estuarine transport for water quality. Written by leading authorities on estuarine and lagoon hydrodynamics, this volume provides a concise foundation for academic researchers, advanced students and coastal resource managers.

This book focuses on the worldwide threats to mangrove forests and the management solutions currently being used to counteract those hazards. Designed for the professional or specialist in marine science, coastal zone management, biology, and related disciplines, this work will appeal to those not only working to protect mangrove forests, but also the surrounding coastal areas of all types. Examples are drawn from many different geographic areas, including North and South America, India, and Southeast Asia. Subject areas covered include both human-induced and natural impacts to mangroves, intended or otherwise, as well as the efforts being made by coastal researchers to promote restoration of these coastal fringing forests.

This much revised and expanded edition provides a valuable and detailed summary of the many uses of diatoms in a wide range of applications in the environmental and earth sciences. Particular emphasis is placed on the use of diatoms in analysing ecological problems related to climate change, acidification, eutrophication, and other pollution issues. The chapters are divided into sections for easy reference, with separate sections covering indicators in different aquatic environments. A final section explores diatom use in other fields of study such as forensics, oil and gas exploration, nanotechnology, and archaeology. Sixteen new chapters have been added since the first edition, including introductory chapters on diatom biology and the numerical approaches used by diatomists. The extensive glossary has also been expanded and now includes over 1,000 detailed entries, which will help non-specialists to use the book effectively.