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Salinity, temperature and turbidity structure in the Suva Lagoon, Fiji

Singh, Awnesh M. and Aung, Than H. (2008) Salinity, temperature and turbidity structure in the Suva Lagoon, Fiji. American Journal of Environmental Sciences, 4 (4). pp. 266-275. ISSN 1553-345X

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Abstract

The city of Suva is home to nearly a quarter of the population of lot of anthropogenic pressure on its lagoon. The Suva lagoon (comprising of Suva Harbour and Laucala Bay) has been subject to substantial sediment inputs generated by erosion and human activities. Freshwater input into the lagoon fluvial system in the country. The high sedimentary load from the Rewa River, especially during the wet-warm period (November-April), has a strong impact on the lagoon. In addition, there are local sources of pollutant input into the lagoon via the Vatuwaqa River and the Kinoya Sewage Treatment Plant, which discharges effluents into the lagoon and degrades the marine environment. The salinity, temperature and turbidity in the Suva lagoon are some important parameters for water quality which are continuously changing with the seasons and need to be studied because they are efficient indicators of variations and can transform the marine ecosystem. Several field trips were undertaken in the Suva lagoon to collect hydrographical data to study the water properties in the lagoon. Results obtained showed that the salinity near the head of Laucala Bay during the wet 24.8 psu and was 33.7 psu during the dry the wet-warm period was between 28.0. The turbidity was always above 3.0 FTU near the river mouths. The field results show that the variations of CTD measurements dominant wind regime is the southeast trade winds.

Item Type: Journal Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Key words: Fiji, Suva lagoon, water properties, river runoff, wind regime
Subjects: G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GC Oceanography
G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences
Q Science > Q Science (General)
Q Science > QC Physics
Divisions: Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment (FSTE) > School of Engineering and Physics
Depositing User: Awnesh Singh
Date Deposited: 04 Oct 2013 00:51
Last Modified: 23 Apr 2017 23:00
URI: http://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/6830
UNSPECIFIED

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