Ambiguities in the classification of Cochin Estuary, West Coast of India

Abstract. Cochin Estuary is a unique complex system along Indian coastline with a widespread area at the upstream. The fluctuations in salinity are of extreme kind ranging from entirely riverine to entirely saline. The high runoff months are characterized by monsoonal spells causing intense flushing. During the peak dry period, the runoff is less but steady providing a stable environment. River runoff is controlled by short term variations rather than long term variations. Using large comprehensive data sets, an attempt is made to evaluate several classification schemes for the estuary. The existing methods proved to be insufficient to represent the real salient features of this typical estuary. Arguments are also presented to illustrate the confusion in the names by which the estuary is commonly known. Therefore, a new nomenclature is proposed as "Cochin Monsoonal Estuarine Bay" embodying the physiographic, hydrographic and biological features of the estuary.