Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) is the largest coastal city in India. The region experienced tremendous growth over the years due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. MMR is also the major center of economic activity in India. As a result there is a continuous and constant influx of population from the rest of the country. The high population density and uneven growth rate have resulted in serious environmental problems in the MMR coastal region. This paper discusses several aspects of the MMR coastal region that suffer from a wide variety of environmental as well as socio-economic problems due to unplanned and non-integrated sectoral developmental activities over the years. These problems need to be addressed in developing an Integrated Coastal Management plan for the MMR coastal region.

Time series flow data obtained during the thermal bar episode of 17 April to 24 May 1990 in Lake Ontario are analyzed to provide a kinematic description of the coastal flow and cross-margin exchange characteristics. A thermal bar is a shore-parallel front which separates descending waters at or near the fresh water temperature of maximum density (4°C) during Spring and Fall seasons. Thermal bars are important because of their influence mixing, cross-shore exchanges, and the variability of biotic factors in coastal zones. The analysis shows that cross-frontal exchange coefficients, Ky, are nearly constant and consistently smaller than along-frontal counterparts, Kx. Moreover, these exchange coefficients are several orders of magnitude smaller than typical coastal and oceanic values in the absence of the bar. The turbulent kinetic energy represents less than 6% of the total kinetic energy in the flow. These results suggest that small-scale horizontal fluctuations and cross-frontal turbulent momentum exchanges are severely inhibited in the spring during the thermal bar.

No abstract

The alternate strategy of open-lake discharge may alleviate the need for unusually stringent treatment needed to meet water quality goals of the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP). The latest update of the RAP recommended a study of the possibility of offshore discharges. A study conducted for the City of Burlington has proposed a location for outfall in Lake Ontario. This paper utilizes a combination of physical limnological data and mathematical models to predict the waste plume characteristics for the proposed outfall in the lake. Near-field dilutions obtained from a mixing zone model show that, for treated effluents with a discharge condition of 2 m3/s at the proposed outfall site at Burlington, the dilution ratios are in the range of 13:1 to 28:1 for weak to moderate currents during summer stratification. Winter dilution ratios increased to 21:1 to 96:1 for moderate currents. The recommended site for open-lake outfall provides acceptable near-field dilutions for treated effluents under typical lake currents and density structure. The extension of outfall to a location farther offshore is only marginally beneficial. With the proposed Burlington outfall location and discharge conditions, no far-field contamination is observed near the beaches or nearby water intakes for typical summer and winter conditions. Thus, this study indicates that by discharging the treated sewage from an outfall in Lake Ontario it is possible to achieve the Hamilton Harbour RAP goals.

No abstract