The physico-chemical and biological characteristics of the Muthupettai mangrove waters, south of Chennai in India, indicated marked spatial and temporal variation in various parameters. Most of these parameters were found to be largely influenced by the northeast monsoon. The study also found the presence of higher nutrient and dissolved oxygen concentration and were comparable to conditions in other mangroves along the Indian coast. It is also interesting to note the lower concentration of POC in the waters, which is an unusual feature in the mangrove ecosystem. Statistical analysis of the data showed the relations between different parameters within the stations and between stations.

Muthupettai Mangrove, water quality, physico-chemical properties