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Pollution in the estuaries of north Kerala
(Society of Fisheries Technologists (India), 2010) Ashraf, P.M.; Abhilash, P.P.; Thomas, S.N.; Edwin, L.
Deterioration of the perennial rivers and estuarine areas due to human interventions, over exploitation and increased pollution is a major concern among the policy makers, planners and researchers. Estuaries are heterotrophic. ecosystems and act as source of carbon dioxide due to the increased anthropogenic disturbances (Mukhopadhyay etal., 2002; Biswas et al., 2004). Freshwater runoff, sediment transport, fluxes of carbon and nutrients in coastal ecosystems are affected by changes in land use pattern and reduced coverage of vegetation (Walsh, 1991). The key link of global carbon cycle is the transfer of organic matter from the land to ocean through the rivers (Richey et al., 1990). Every year, large volumes of sediment were transported through the estuaries to the oceans out of which 85% are minerals and the rest is mainly organic matter. Annual load of sediments from the estuary to the northeast coast of Bay of Bengal was estimated to be 65.19x106 t (Mukhopadhyay et al., 2006). This has resulted in large quantities of nutrient release which temporarily rests on the banks, flood plains and river beds.