NATURE OF SOLUTE LOAD FROM MANGROVE ECOSYSTEM, A STUDY OF BANGLADESH SUNDERBAN

INTRODUCTION
Mangrove swamps are tropical analogous of the temporal salt marshes. Mangroves are halophytes, this does not mean that mangroves require salt for their successful growth and most mangroves probably grow reasonably well in fresh water. In deed, it has been suggested by Snedaker(1979) that “Freshwater is a physiological requirement and salt water is an ecological requirement. The former prevents excess respiratory losses and later prevents invasion and competition of non halophyte”. The mangroves of Bangladesh are significant globally because of their size, geological settings, biological diversity and natural resource and livelihood support potentiality. The chemical composition of mangrove water is controlled by the input water from estuaries /rivers mixing with the sea water, rock weathering, precipitations and by evaporations
BACKGROUND
The coastline of the Bengal Basin, Bangladesh is one of the geologically most recent and tectonically active denudation regimes of the world (Datta and Suvramanian, 1997). The GBM system is one of the largest sources of material to the world’s ocean (Kuehl et al., 1989). It covers the large low-laying region of the Indo-Bangladesh, where the chemical denudation rate is one of the highest in the world (Subramanian, 1987; Sarin et al., 1989; Datta, 1997). Studies of the hydrochemical processes in the coastal river and mangrove ecosystem are therefore essential for a better understanding of the land – ocean interaction that affect the mangrove estuarine ecosystem and the abundance and distribution of species. Hydrochemistry and nutrient status of mangrove and estuarine system from Passur River in South-Western Bangladesh is not well known . . This gap in our knowledge has only recently been addressed and encourages me to conduct such kind of study

Global distribution of mangroves

Causes and Effect of Mangrove degradation

LIQUID IS LIFE
The Earth distinguishes itself from all other planets by the presence of water .As a life supporting natural resource, importance of water is not as crucial for its quantity rather than for quality and distribution. Hydrochemistry is connected with the chemical process affecting the distribution and circulation of chemical compounds in natural waters
Chemical Characterization of water of Mangrove estuarine system (According to Gibbs, 1970)

CONCLUSION
The nature of solute load in mangrove ecosystem shows that water is alkaline in nature.

The higher PH value in the winter seasons reflects a period of greater photosynthetic activity, which utilizes CO2, thereby shifting equilibrium towards the high alkalinity.

The dilution by atmospheric precipitation and fresh water flow lowers the electrical conductivity (EC) in the monsoon period.

Chloride behaves in similar fashion to Electrical Conductivities. Chloride is contributed mainly by sea water for that instance it is higher gradually from North to South. Marine cycling is also assumed to be the major source of chloride in the surface waters.

The bicarbonate shows a minor fluctuation within the mangrove.

All the major cations show wide variation within the mangroves and are higher in the Winter season.