Ecology of mudbanks - The current system at Alleppey mudbank

Abstract

The knowledge of the water currents in the locality being essential for understanding the causes of forma tion, maintenance, movement and dissipation of mudbanks, the current system over two tidal cycles, one in May, before the formation, and the other in August, toward the end of the mudbank period, in 1975, at Alleppey mudbank was studied. Marked difference in the direction and velocity of the current was noticed between the two occasions. In May the effect of the tides was not noticeable on the direction of the current, which was southerly, whereas in August, though the major current con tinued to be southerly, the speed was considerably reduced due to tidal influence. Introducing thereby a northerly component. Along with the current observations, the diurnal changes in the hydrologica! and biological aspects observed in the mudbank are reported.