Research Projects

Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems, known as "the kidneys of the landscape" and "biological supermarkets" due to their extensive food webs and rich biodiversity. Pulicat Lake, one of India's best wetland ecosystems, is the second largest brackish water lake, covering an area of 760 km2. It serves as a feeding ground for migratory birds and hosts diverse fish species and plankton. Over 50,000 fishermen depend on the lake, providing food for secondary and tertiary consumers. The lake draws salt water from sea moths during high tide from Tupilapalem and fresh water from Kalagi River, Uppeti vagu, and Pamulakalva, which are the main sources of collecting anthropogenic pollutants. These pollutants merge with the salt water in the lake to form brackish water, making them feeder water bodies. A study aims to assess the health of the lake and tributaries by monitoring key parameters like microbiome load, antibiotics, physicochemical parameters, and heavy metals in soil loggings up to 10 feet depth. The plankton analysis helps understand the health of the food chain in the lake. The hypothesis is that fresh water tributaries carry different types of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, chemicals, and metal pollutants, which are received from anthropogenic sources. Soil logging analysis at different depths will help assess the retrospective accumulation of pollutants and resistant bacteria and propose remedial measures to protect the wetland ecosystem. The project aims to track the historical and ecological relationships and influences of biological and abiotic factors in brackish water lake sediments.