ENVIS Centre, Ministry of Environment & Forest, Govt. of India
Printed Date: Saturday, October 12, 2024
Thengapattinam estuary
|
Name of the estuary
|
Thengapattinam estuary
|
|
Name of the river
|
Thamiraparani (Kuzhithuraiar)
|
|
Place
|
Thengapattinam
|
|
District
|
Kanyakumari
|
|
State
|
Tamil Nadu
|
|
Latitude
|
8° 24’N
|
|
Longitude
|
77° 16’E
|
|
Type of the estuary
|
Bar-built
|
|
Salinity
|
0.90–10.0 ppt
|
Physico-chemical parameters
Descriptive statistics of physicochemical parameters of water for three seasons
|
Sl. No.
|
Parameters
|
Units
|
Post monsoon
|
Summer
|
Southwest monsoon
|
|
Minimum
|
Maximum
|
Minimum
|
Maximum
|
Minimum
|
Maximum
|
|
1
|
Rainfall
|
mm
|
82
|
344
|
10
|
232
|
29
|
237
|
|
2
|
Atmospheric
Temperature
|
°C
|
28.3
|
30.8
|
29.3
|
32
|
29.6
|
31.1
|
|
3
|
Surface Water
Temperature
|
°C
|
26.2
|
29.1
|
27.6
|
29.8
|
27.7
|
29.8
|
|
4
|
Turbidity
|
NTU
|
28
|
39
|
2
|
19
|
4
|
18
|
|
5
|
Salinity
|
‰
|
0.5
|
6.5
|
1
|
7
|
2
|
4.5
|
|
6
|
pH
|
|
7..2
|
7..95
|
7..29
|
8
|
7.1
|
7..9
|
|
7
|
DO
|
mg/L
|
4.42
|
7.46
|
4.1
|
6.31
|
4.5
|
5.3
|
|
8
|
BOD
|
mg/L
|
1.2
|
3
|
1.4
|
3..2
|
2
|
3
|
|
9
|
Total
Alkalinity
|
mg/L
|
30
|
56
|
32
|
64
|
36
|
53
|
|
10
|
Total
Hardness
|
mg/L
|
360
|
1860
|
580
|
2650
|
720
|
2220
|
|
11
|
Nitrite
|
mg/L
|
0.05
|
0.26
|
0.07
|
0.2
|
0.11
|
0.68
|
|
12
|
Nitrate
|
mg/L
|
2
|
6.02
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
6
|
|
13
|
Ammonia
|
mg/L
|
0.08
|
1.07
|
0.35
|
1.26
|
0.5
|
0.98
|
|
14
|
Phosphate
|
mg/L
|
0.15
|
1.9
|
0.45
|
2.8
|
0.75
|
0.84
|
|
15
|
Sodium
|
mg/L
|
280
|
1070
|
420
|
1120
|
390
|
485
|
|
16
|
Potassium
|
mg/L
|
24
|
320
|
53
|
96
|
45
|
95
|
Biological entities
Benthic communities
Foraminifera
Elphidium spp.,
Globigrrina
Polychaeta
Ceratonereis costae
Dendronereis estuarine
Heteromastidus spp.,
Prinospio cirrifera
Ostracoda
Cypris spp.,
Cando cypria
Decapoda
Macrobrachium spp.,
Penaeus indicus
Metapenaeus spp.,
Mollusca
Bivalvia
Villorita cyrinoides
Gastropoda
Planorbis spp.,
Nematode
Desmodora spp.,
Oncholaimus oxyuris
Oligochaeta
Autophorus spp.,
Branchidrilus spp.,
Dero spp.,
Tubifex tubifex
Harpactioda
Paramesochra wilsoni
Amphipoda
Corophium triaenonyx
Melita zeylanica
Photis geniculata
P. digitata
Insecta
Chironomous larva
Miscellaneous
Larvae of crustaceans
Crab juveniles
Fish eggs and larva
References
Anitha, G. and Sugirtha P. Kumar, 2013. Seasonal variations in physico-chemical parameters of Thengapattanam estuary, South west coastal zone, Tamilnadu, India. International Journal of Environmental Sciences, 3(4): 1253–1261.
Vasantha, R., L. Prabha Devi and P. Natarajan, 2004a. Benthic fauna of Thengapatnam estuary along southwest coast of India. In: Pandey, B.N., P. Natarajan, N. Arumugam and S. Premjith (eds.), New Horizon of Animal Sciences, 352–359.