Mani Murali

National Institute of Oceanography | nio · Division of Physical Oceanography (NIO)

The Deltas of the east coast of India are highly susceptible to vertical deformations due to various factors like hydrological changes, reduced sediment inflow from rivers, groundwater exploitation, hydrocarbon extraction, sea-level variations, and neotectonics. This study focuses on the LOS (Line of Sight) deformation in the Krishna Delta, India,...

SAtellite-based Marine Process Understanding, Development, Research and Applications (SAMUDRA) for blue economy, a technology development program of the Space Applications Centre, is an umbrella program covering research and applications geared toward physical and biological oceanography making use of current and future satellite observations for d...

SAtellite-based Marine Process Understanding, Development, Research and Applications (SAMUDRA) for blue economy, a technology development program of the Space Applications Centre, is an umbrella program covering research and applications geared toward physical and biological oceanography making use of current and future satellite observations for d...

The mud bank at Alleppey along the southwest coast of India is a persistent one that forms in June and dissipates by September during the southwest monsoon (SWM). A calm patch of turbid water with a thick fluid mud at the near bottom helps in dampening the large waves. This holds a high societal and economic importance as a large number of fishing...

The present study explored the role of the pre-existing cyclonic eddy on the chlorophyll-a (Chla) bloom after a cyclone pass over the northern Bay of Bengal (BoB). We used a high-resolution (~9 km) Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) coupled with an established Nutrient-Phytoplankton-Zooplankton-Detritus (NPZD) model. In the study, we have consid...

Climate change (CC) is one of the most challenging problems of today which need to be understood. CC impact studies at the urban centres are the need of the hour. Mumbai is one of the most vulnerable port cities in the world and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is vulnerable to CC-induced hazards, including sea-level...

Murali, R.M.; Reshma, K.N.; Kumar, S.S.; Balaji, S.A.; Raju, D.M.K., and Ramakrishnan, R., 2020. Spatio-temporal coastal morphological changes of Godavari delta region in the east coast of India. In: Malvárez, G. and Navas, F. (eds.), Global Coastal Issues of 2020. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 95, pp. 626–631. Coconut Creek (Flori...

Archaeological findings from explorations and excavations provide insight into the history of habitational sites, either those along the coastline, underwater or in hinterland areas. There are several coastal sites along the east and west coast of India right from the Harappan period onwards which served as port and trade centres. Among ancient por...

The occurrence of the PHAILIN, HUDHUD cyclones in the Bay of Bengal region highlights the importance of continuous monitoring of this area from the coastal vulnerability perspective. The increase in the magnitude and frequency of coastal disasters is estimated to cause disastrous effects on the ever-increasing coastal population as well as the natu...

Kumar, S.S. and Murali, R.M., 2018. In-Situ observations of mudbanks of southwest coast of India and mapping of its extent in Formation of mudbanks in Alleppey, southwest coast of India is an annual phenomenon which is widely discussed, and many hypotheses have been proposed on its formation. The presence of fluid mud in a levitated condition in th...

Demarcation and continuous monitoring of shorelines are essential for understanding the dynamic nature and processes of the coastal areas. Shorelines of delta regions are ecologically and economically sensitive and dynamic. Changes in the environmental conditions and human interference affect the balance of delta's morphology. As delta areas are se...

The paper offers models for simulating photosynthesis as a function of empirical variables, such as radiation, temperature, CO2 concentrations, water content in the atmosphere, vapour pressure deficit and relative humidity for sun and shade leaves of Indian red mangrove (Rhizophora mucronata Poir.). The photosynthetic rates were modelled by incorpo...

Geospatial analysis of shoreline changes at a particular place includes topographic sheets, satellite imageries and field data. The remains of maritime activities along the Indian coast have been traced dating back to the 4th millennium BCE. Subsequently, due to shoreline changes, many past habitations have been submerged in the sea or located far...

Tsunami numerical model studies are mostly focused on inundation and run-up onto the coast. Fewer studies have been aimed at investigating the role of submarine canyons on tsunami heights, currents and run-up. The tsunami hydrodynamics in the vicinity of submarine canyons and ridges in the Palar-Cauvery region off the southeast coast of India on 26...

Satellite-derived ocean colour data was used to identify the phytoplankton bloom associated with tropical cyclones Thane and Phailin in the Bay of Bengal (BoB). Cyclone Thane was category 2 cyclone (25–31 December 2011), and Phailin was category 5 cyclone (8–14 October 2013), and both occurred during the post-monsoon season. The present study exami...

The Grande Island, located at the central west coast of India is one of the less studied coral reef systems in India. In this study, we provide a comprehensive description of the coral community structure and health status of corals across the spatial scales at different depths in Grande Island. Such descriptions provide a baseline for evaluating f...

This review article briefly describes about tracing the microbial diversity by using advanced technologies viz. Remote sensing and Geographic Information System, which would help reduce the long term process of identification of potential microbes for their novel bioactive principles for the use of humankind and establishing new species from the co...

The history of Odisha, lying on the east coast of India, is well documented from the Stone Age onwards. The evidences suggest that the ports of Odisha had contacts with the Arabs, Mediterranean countries and South Asia, as well as Southeast Asian countries. Khalkattapatna, a medieval port located on the banks of River Kushabhadra was discovered by...

One of the major requirements of planning coastal protection works is to understand the processes of erosion, deposition, sediment transport, flooding and sea level changes which continuously alter the shoreline. Significant erosion can affect the stability and productivity of aquatic environment which may have severe implications for coastal inhab...

One of the major requirements of planning coastal protection works is to understand the processes of erosion, deposition, sediment-transport, flooding and sea-level-changes which continuously alter the shoreline. Significant erosion can affect the stability and productivity of aquatic environment which may have severe implications for coastal inhab...

Organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (TN) and stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic compositions were meas-ured in suspended particulate matter (SPM) and sur-face sediment along estuaries of Mandovi and Zuari rivers, two small mountainous river systems in western India during wet and dry seasons, to characterize the sources of organic matter (OM) in t...

The advancement of remote sensing technology and the analysing capability of Geographical Information System (GIS) can very well be used in the science of Archaeology. Though these subjects look apart, they can be studied in conjunction with each other. The applications of remote sensing are vast and the field of archeology need not be left out in...

This review article briefly describes about tracing the microbial diversity by using advanced technologies viz. Remote sensing and Geographic Information System, which would help reduce the long term process of identification of potential microbes for their novel bioactive principles for the use of humankind and establishing new species from the co...

The bacterial bioluminescence assay is one of the novel means for toxicity detection. The bioluminescence response of 2 marine bioluminescent bacteria was tested upon their long-term exposure to 9 different reverse osmosis (RO) rejects with varying chemical composition sampled from various dye industries. Bioluminescent bacteria were cultured in th...

Coastal erosion is one of the major problems of the coastal zone. The erosion is triggered by various reasons such as high wave energy, reduction of sediments, natural disasters and climate change etc. In the era of industrialization, major infrastructure developments are happening along the coast. Prior to the initiation of those projects, it is i...

The opening and closure of coastal tidal inlets play a major role in regulating the water and sediment exchange between the river and ocean as well as in the interruption of the longshore sediment transport. The present work is an effort to understand the seasonal variations in the morphology of tidal inlets located on the east coast of India, whic...

This study deals with the location of the potential sites for offshore wind farms and also deals with the feasibility of installing offshore wind farms through scientific examination along the coast of India. Offshore wind energy is almost unexplored along the Indian coast. Potential and feasible regions need to be found and studied in detail. In t...

Ekakula spit is at the northern end of Gahirmatha coast in the state of Odisha, India. This spit is located at the mouth of Maipura river, which is falling in the northern side of Mahanadi delta region. This spit is a prominent and important for many reasons because it triggers interests to the coastal managers and environmentalists because of its...

Available geophysical survey data confirm submergence of a large area comprising of building complex, which are possible remains of a submerged township. A global sea level rise estimate of 1-2 mm per year would inundate up to several hundred meters of coast line over a period of 2000 years. Shore line changes have been calculated to about 497 m an...

Total Suspended Matter (TSM) is an important parameter for determining the water quality in coastal regions as it is responsible for the reduction in the light available to the aquatic vegetation which subsequently alters the health and quality of the water body. In the present study, total suspended matter (TSM) was derived from multi-temporal MOD...

Present study infers that the construction of embarkation wharves in four of the Lakshadweep islands (Agatti, Amini, Kavaratti and Minicoy) in the last 5 years was accompanied by a marked degradation of coral community structure and coral biodiversity. Reduction in live coral percent cover was significant, from 31% to 4.69% in Agatti, 24% to 5.92%...

Role of the grounded ship MV River Princess in activating erosion along the Candolim to Sinquerim coast of Goa, India, is evaluated. Beach and dune system was severely affected, as over a kilometre long strip of coastal sand dunes were destroyed. Results suggest that the wreck acted like an offshore breakwater, trapped sediment around the site, and...

The Mandovi estuary is highly influenced by mining and tourism related activities in the central west coast of India. Vertical fluxes and accumulation of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHCs) in three sediment cores (D1, C1 and OG) from the Mandovi estuary were assessed using Ultra-Violet Fluorescence (UVF) spectroscopy. The range of PHCs values in estuari...

Land use/land cover change dynamics along the estuarine complex of Mandovi–Zuari in the coastal state of Goa, India is studied by the application of multi-temporal remote sensing data. This tropical estuarine region has faced significant changes in the last few decades due to diverse pressures from various sectors, mainly of anthropogenic origin. S...

Most of the ports of the historical period of the east and west coasts of India were located away from the seafront. But in later period, new ports were established mostly along the coastal regions. The reasons attributed to abandoning inland ports are: (a) bigger ships, which had to carry more cargo, (b) larger vessels could withstand the flow of...

Mangrove forests in South Asia occur along the tidal sea edge of Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. These forests provide important ecosystem goods and services to the region's dense coastal populations and support important functions of the biosphere. Mangroves are under threat from both natural and anthropogenic stressors; however the cu...

Tripati, S., Mascarenhas, A., and Mani Murali, R., 2014. Why were historical period ports of Goa located away from the coast? The decline of Gopakapatana,

Many coastal regions of India were affected by the tsunami caused by a magnitude 9 earthquake off Sumatra on 26th December 2004. This report presents the observations of post-tsunami reconnaissance survey conducted by the National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa, India, along the most affected coastal stretch of Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry a...

This chapter emphasizes the regional and local level coastal vulnerability studies due to sea level rise and the subsequent coastal inundation along the low-lying coastal areas using the advanced geo-spatial technologies. Natural hazards such as storm surges, tsunami, thermal expansion of seawater due to climate change-induced global warming, and m...

Ecologically Sensitive Marine Habitats (ESMH), including mangroves ecosystems, is of immense ecological and socioeconomic values. Goa, a tourist destination, has limited cover of such habitats and has been intensively subjected to anthropogenic pressures during the past decade. Time lapse (1997, 2001 and 2006) satellite data (IRS-1C LISS III, IRS-1...

As a consequence of change in global climate, an increased frequency of natural hazards such as storm surges, tsunamis and cyclones, is predicted to have dramatic affects on the coastal communities and ecosystems by virtue of the devastation they cause during and after their occurrence. The tsunami of December 2004 and the Thane cyclone of 2011 cau...

Temporal satellite imageries (1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2011), wave model (DHI) results and field measurements have been used to evaluate whether the grounded ship MV River Princess played a role in triggering erosion along the famous Candolim-Sinquerim beaches of Goa. Coastal sand dunes bore the maximum impact. The cause of the erosion is u...

The Kachchh region, presently, is one of the difficult areas in the Indian subcontinent for human settlement due to harsh climate, scanty rainfall and hence no scope for agriculture production. However, the region was probably densely populated in the past, as can be inferred from archaeo-logical studies around the Rann. Several sites of the Harapp...

Historical records reveal the existence of a military fort within the Mandovi estuary. The structure was built in 1598 opposite the Reis Magos fort, extended in the adjoining area of the present traffic circle of Miramar, was located close to the water line and was backed by sand dunes. At present, no structural remains of the fort can be identifie...

Historical records reveal the existence of a military fort within the Mandovi estuary. The structure was built in 1598 opposite the Reis Magos fort, extended in the adjoining area of the present traffic circle of Miramar, was located close to the water line and was backed by sand dunes. At present, no structural remains of the fort can be identifie...

The Cochin estuary along the SW coast of India has undergone tremendous environmental changes due to continuous alterations. Geospatial information available since 1967 has been compiled to evaluate the long-term morphological changes. Quantification of geomorphological changes that occurred over the decades was made to have an integrated profile t...

Increased frequency of natural hazards such as storm surge, tsunami and cyclone, as a consequence of change in global climate, is predicted to have dramatic effects on the coastal communities and ecosystems by virtue of the devastation they cause during and after their occurrence. The tsunami of December 2004 and the Thane cyclone of 2011 caused ex...

Studies on acute toxicity of textile effluents, collected from various Textile Dye Industries from Erode industrial area, Tamil Nadu, have been carried out. The juveniles of pink prawns (Metapanaeus monoceros) were exposed to a mixture of effluent samples in five different concentrations prepared in seawater, using static acute toxicity test protoc...

Shoreline and the sea bed level change analysis have become very important at the vulnerable places of natural disasters and to estimate the impacts of coastal development. A coastal geomorphologic analysis using the recent techniques such as remote sensing, numerical modeling with measurements using RTK-GPS help to infer the extent of changes and...

A survey on bleaching and the secondary threats on bleached corals in the selected sites of Palk-Bay were conducted during May and June 2010. Massive corals represented by the genera Porites, Goniopora, Favia were bleached extensively. Significant portion of the surface of live corals were found dead. Coral recovery after bleaching was at a great r...

In the present study, multi-temporal satellite images of Indian Remote Sensing Satellites (IRS1D and IRS P6 - Resourcesat) from 1998 to 2005 is used to monitor the coastal environment of Paradip, east coast of India. The resultant coastal vector maps were used to estimate the geomorphological changes and shifting of the shoreline position. This int...

Indian remote sensing satellite (IRS) data have been used to find out the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) for the Goa coast which is situated in the west coast of India. It is one of the most sensitive environments in terms of its rich biodiversity and also due to its coastal geomorphologic features. It comprises of mangroves, creeks, Sandy a...

An oil spill occurred off Goa, west coast of India, on 23 March 2005 due to collision of two vessels. In general, fair weather with weak winds prevails along the west coast of India during March. In that case, the spill would have moved slowly and reached the coast. However, in 2005 when this event occurred, relatively stronger winds prevailed, and...

The coast of Paradip (Orissa, India) is one of the regions where several coastal based developments have taken place in the last 10 years. Satellite imageries of IRS 1D P6 LISS III for the period 1999-2005 have been used to detect the land-use changes that occurred in the areas around Paradip port due to natural and anthropogenic activities. Coasta...

Digital remote sensing data of SPOT-1 (Nov. 1990), IRS-1C (Jan. 2001) and IRS-1D (Jan. 2003) have been subject to maximum likelihood classifier (MLC) to carry out change detection studies in the coastal zone of Goa. The classified images were evaluated on both homogeneous and heterogeneous regions in terms of confusion matrix as well as by field va...

The recent Indian Ocean Tsunami had a devastating effect on the Indian coastline. Apart from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Tamil Nadu coast was the most affected. Post-Tsunami survey was carried out during January-February 2005 along the Tami Nadu coast to study the inundation limits and to estimate the run-up heights. This manuscript presen...

On 26 December 2004 the coastal areas of different countries around the Indian Ocean including India were hit by a Tsunami that caused extensive fatalitites and damage to coastal property. On the initiative of Director, National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) and under the leadership of Dr. G. C. Battacharya, Scientist F, NIO,) surveys were carrie...

Tranquebar (Tamil Nadu, India), also known as Tarangampadi, is situated about 15 kms south of Poompuhar and has the habitation of Chola period till date. It had become a principal port during Dutch and Danish periods. The earliest reference to this place in a 14 th Century inscription, mentioning that the merchants guilds residing at Tarangampadi....

Coastlines are at risk when floating oil slicks reach the shoreline. Oil spill causes major stress on the marine environment. To deal with oil spill problem in the coastal area, Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps are prepared as a guideline to help contingency planning. These maps are prepared in advance of arrival of oil spill. They show t...