Spatial and temporal dynamics of water quality along coastal waters of Mumbai, India

Abstract

The present study aims to appraise the spatial and temporal dynamics of the coastal waters of the Mumbai coast in India. Four sampling stations were monitored based on the pollution and anthropogenic stress in the coastal area where two stations were fixed near to the coast (off Aksa and Juhu beach), while the other two were away from the coast. Sampling periodicity was monthly for the ten water quality parameters such as SST, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen levels, alkalinity, chlorophyll a patterns, and nutrient levels such as ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and phosphate. Overall SST, pH, alkalinity, and phosphorus showed significant variation when the data across seasons were analysed, whereas chlorophyll a and phosphorus showed significant variation across stations in the two-way univariate ANOVA model. SST and pH, and DO and pCO2 had a substantial negative correlation, but SST and salinity, SST and pCO2, pH and DO, alkalinity and pCO2, nitrate and phosphate, and phosphate and pCO2 had a significant positive correlation. Resource-rich coastal areas are continuously threatened globally due to developmental pressure that inevitably affects the environment, especially around megacities.