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Volume 8
Journal of Environmental & Analytical Toxicology
EnviTox Summit 2018
September 17-18, 2018
September 17-18, 2018 Singapore
18
th
Global Summit on
Environmental Toxicology and Pharmacology
J Environ Anal Toxicol 2018, Volume 8
DOI: 10.4172/2161-0525-C2-015
Tropical climate variability and its impacts on marine coastal ecosystems and biodiversity of
plankton, southeast coast of India
Nallamuthu Godhantaraman
University of Madras, India
G
lobal warming and the subsequent events of climate variability may have greater repercussions for marine ecosystems than
for terrestrial ecosystems, because of temperature influences, water column stability, nutrient enrichment, biodiversity of
plankton communities and its reproductive cycles. To understand the impacts of tropical climate variability on the marine
coastal ecosystems, a study has been undertaken to investigate the biodiversity and abundance of plankton in the most
important tropical estuarine systems, a unique coastal marine environment in south India. The cumulative long term survey
showed (period from 1988 to 2015) remarkable variations in environmental parameters, chlorophyll concentrations and
diversity of species in abundance of plankton communities. Besides, it showed seasonal variations being highest in summer
(April-June) and lowest in monsoon (October-December). There were wide temperature fluctuations (range- 22.8-33.9 °C),
salinity gradients (3.1-34.8) and chlorophyll concentrations (1.6-19.4 µg l-l). The overall mean abundance of phytoplankton
3.9 fold and zooplankton 3.2 fold were higher in summer than in monsoon. The low diversity and abundance of plankton
during monsoon might be due unfavorable climatological conditions, disappearance of many species, scarcity of food and
high turbidity condition of the water column. The cumulative data on plankton diversity and abundance showed interesting
observations on species distribution and abundance pattern. Climate variability exerts major influence on the ecosystem and
biodiversity of plankton.
godhantaraman@yahoo.com