About

Email  | rajkrishnan2302@gmail.com

PhD Details

Joining Date | 14.05.2021

Supervising guide | Dr. P. K. Saji

Field of study | Oceanography

Title | Coastal currents, tides and eddies

Abstract

Coastal Oceanography deals with studies of the physics, chemistry, ecology and geology of the coastal ocean. The coastal ocean is where the continents meet the open ocean; hence for transporting organic and inorganic, natural and anthropogenic materials between the land and sea. More accurately, it functions as a turbulent boundary layer that joins the land and the sea under the influence of forces and their responses on a large range of time and space scales (Moores). The Coastal Ocean is influenced by both El Ninos and Surface Gravity waves. Coastal ocean circulation is driven by a variety of (often competing) forces: winds, atmospheric pressure, solar and atmospheric heating/cooling, evaporation/precipitation, freezing/melting, buoyant river discharge, tides, and offshore currents and their meandering jets with associated mesoscale eddies and fronts (Moors). Our study is mainly dealt with winds, river discharge & tides in the off Kochi region.

As the Coastal Ocean is very essential for the safe and efficient conduct of maritime trade, especially for the defence of coastal nations to be protected from maritime attacks from outside. Therefore interest in tide and long term coastal sea level variations will help the coastal populations and infrastructure over the region. Rapid Industrialization has greater impact on the ecosystem of the coastal ocean by dumping of Industrial and municipal waste (Revichandran, et al., 2012). Because of dumping of these waste disposal in the coastal region has adverse effect on coastal populations. There is an increasing need to understand the dynamic behavior of coastal areas and the response of these coastal systems to anthropogenic and long-term changes.

Indian Summer Monsoon (June-September) plays a vital role in the west coast of India. It provides moderate to high rainfall which resulted to large volume of fresh water into the coastal ocean region. Circulation in the coastal region mainly depends on the effects of shallow water. The presence of the sea floor in the ∼ 100s m depth-range of moderate or strong water movement is responsible for bottom-drag effects that cannot be ignored in the coastal ocean (Moors). Tides play an important role as the tidal waves approaches the shelf the amplitude of the wave increases and propagation of wave crest is retarded. Coasts make an obstacle to the flow of water as current approaching the coast must move either horizontally or downward. Also the variations in sea level due to convergence and divergence due to coast. Other factors which is responsible for coastal circulation will be the stratification in the shallow water region.

Objective

Study the coastal circulation off West Coast of India using field measurements & model