Seasonal Changes of Sedimentation Rates and Sediment Characteristics Status in the Gulf of Mannar Coral Island, India

Corals are known to flourish in various turbid environments around the world. The quantitative distinction between clear and turbid water in coral habitats is not well defined nor are the amount of sediment in suspension and rates of sedimentation used to evaluate the condition of reef environments well established. This study of sedimentation rate, sediment composition and pH, OC deposition was on a fringing reef flat off Thoothukudi and Vembar group of islands, Gulf of Mannar, India. In the present study the sedimentation rate ranged from 1.97 mg/cm 2 /day to 12.31 mg/cm 2 /day. The percentage of sand in the sediment was higher than silt and clay. The organic carbon level in all the study stations ranged from 0.03 to 2.54. The sediment pH of the six studied stations was highly acidic in nature at all the study sites in the Gulf of Mannar.