Research Projects

Water resources are crucial elements of our ecological and environmental systems, constituting essential natural assets for human survival and development. Among these, groundwater is particularly significant, serving as a fundamental source of water provision (Famiglietti, 2014). In areas facing water scarcity, particularly coastal zones impacted by rapid industrialization and urbanization, human activities have led to the excessive release of both organic and inorganic pollutants into water bodies, intensifying water pollution issues (Devic et al., 2014; Wang et al., 2021). Coastal zones are distinct biogeochemically as they interact with three hydrological systems: surface water, groundwater, and seawater (Burnett et al., 2003). Within the mixing zones of these waters, geochemical reactions substantially change the dissolved and suspended loads in coastal intertidal aquifers, which play a vital role in transporting heavy metals and maintaining coastal environmental health. These mangrove intertidal wetlands are vital transitional areas that connect land and ocean, characterized by dynamic interactions between seawater and groundwater (Lewis et al., 2021). They generally occur in tidal estuaries and subtropical to tropical coastlines (Duke et al., 2017). The water quality assessment is complicated by the hydrological dynamics of mangrove wetlands, where interactions between seawater and groundwater shape their hydrogeochemical profiles. Seawater infiltrates the mangrove shores during high tide and mixes with groundwater; at low tide, groundwater predominantly discharges near the low tide line. Despite extensive research on seawater-groundwater interactions, our understanding of coastal water quality dynamics is still limited, particularly at saltwater-freshwater interfaces. Most studies have concentrated on the composition of water rather than its origins or the effects of groundwater transport. Groundwater movement in intertidal zones is shaped by various hydraulic factors affecting water flow and chemical interactions at the sediment-water interface (Clark, 1998). The sediment in mangrove areas has a significant capacity for heavy metal accumulation, which can ultimately be released into the surrounding water and transported to the ocean (Holloway et al., 2016).The study aims to examine the hydrodynamics and chemodynamics of mangrove intertidal mixing zones while assessing water quality by analyzing major ions, nutrients, and heavy metals. It will focus on the pollution levels of heavy metals and their mobilization into coastal waters from groundwater discharge, which can pose significant health risks to communities and marine life. The research will clarify the geochemical cycling of dissolved compounds as trace metals and nutrients and their impact on the coastal ecosystem of the Arabian Sea, particularly along the Goa coast. The findings will be valuable for understanding variations in pollutant concentrations on India's western coast.