Coast Of India Research Articles

The First Record of the Rearfin Flying Fish, Cypselurus opisthopus (Exocoetidae), from the Waters of South India, with the Assessment of Flying Fish Species Occurring in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone

The present study reports the first record of the rearfin flying fish, Cypselurus opisthopus (Bleeker, 1865), in the south-eastern Arabian Sea based on a single specimen caught by a commercial trawler off the Kerala coast. Hitherto unknown in the waters off Indian coast, this is the first occurrence of this species in the Indian EEZ, suggesting the extension of distributional range of the species in the Indian Ocean. Detailed information on the morphometric and meristic characters are given and discussed. Molecular confirmation of the species identification was carried out using partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase sub-unit I gene. A map of the geographical distribution of C. opisthopus in the Indian Ocean based on published data and a list of flying fishes occurring in the Indian waters (within EEZ) is provided. Up to now, 24 species from 6 genera of flying fishes are recorded from the Indian waters.

Surface and Sub‐surface Ocean Response to Tropical Cyclone Phailin: Role of Pre‐existing Oceanic Features

AbstractThe upper oceanic thermal response induced by Tropical Cyclone Phailin (9–14 October 2013) under the influence of East India Coastal Current (EICC) and a cyclonic eddy is investigated and contrasted with the response from open ocean region using a high‐resolution HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model simulation. There is significant cooling (7° C) inside the cold core eddy and negligible cooling (0.5° C) within the EICC region characterized by the shallow and deeper thermocline, respectively. Our analysis of mixed layer heat budget terms showed that the horizontal advection plays a significant role in determining the temperature tendency for the location within the EICC, in contrary to the general dominance of vertical processes as reported in previous studies during the cyclone period. The analysis for the locations inside eddy and open ocean concurs with the previous studies showing the dominance of vertical processes toward the temperature tendency. Further, near the coast, the surface cooling is minimal compared to the subsurface cooling, dominantly seen between 50‐ and 100‐m depth. This disparity indicates that the factors responsible for the surface temperature anomalies are different from those of subsurface. Our analysis of thermal signatures after the passage of cyclone showed that the EICC and cyclonic eddy contribute to the faster advection of cold wake and recovery of sea surface temperature to the prestorm state.

Strategic Analysis on the Potential of Coastal Reservoirs in Reshaping Indian Coastal Economic Corridor

In general, people like to live near the coast because of a better aesthetical pleasing living environment, access to a variety of recreational activities and more job opportunities. Consequently, more than 50% of the world’s population live within 200[Formula: see text]km of the coast, and ¾ of the world’s megacities are situated by the shore. Significant pressure on land, water supply, waste management and other infrastructures appear in these coastal cities. India, which hosts one-sixth of the world’s population is looking for strategies to manage India’s coastal cities, water, land and human resources. This paper reviews China’s experience in water resources development for coastal cities. China’s coastal economic corridor (CEC) contributes 60% of the national GDP, which needs plentiful water supply to sustain its coastal cities. The present investigation shows that India has better natural conditions to develop its CEC. Among the coastal infrastructures, coastal reservoirs (i.e., CRs) should be the priority, which nourishes the coastal prosperity. This paper also discusses the feasibility of water–oil exchange project between India and Persian Gulf countries.

Impact of monsoon-induced discharge on phytoplankton community structure in the tropical Indian estuaries

To understand the influence of monsoon-induced river discharge and associated environmental changes on phytoplankton community structure in the Indian estuaries, physical and biogeochemical parameters were collected from 28 major and medium estuaries along the Indian coast during the peak discharge period. Relatively higher river discharge was recorded in the estuaries located in northern India associated with higher suspended particulate matter (SPM), which arrested light penetration, resulting in a decreased in phytoplankton abundance and biomass. In contrast, higher phytoplankton abundance and biomass were observed in the estuaries located in southern India due to lower discharge and SPM than northern India. Diatoms were the dominant phytoplankton group in the Indian estuaries, except in estuaries located in the southeast coast, where blue–green algae predominate due to the existence of brackish water and stagnant water conditions due to less discharge. Higher phytoplankton diversity was observed in the south Indian estuaries than north Indian estuaries due to the long water residence time in the former. A present study is revealing that the magnitude of river discharge and SPM load seems to be the primary factors controlling phytoplankton abundances and community composition in the Indian estuaries.

Clinicopathological spectrum of solitary Plasmacytoma: a single center experience from coastal India

BackgroundPlasma cell disorders are a rare group of hematological malignancies that accounts for 10% of all hematological neoplasms. Solitary plasmacytomas are rarer entities accounting for less than 5% of all the plasma cell dyscrasias. They encompass three subtypes - Solitary Plasmacytoma of Bone (SPB) and Solitary Extramedullary Plasmacytoma (SEP) and multiple solitary plasmacytomas (MSP). In this study, we discuss the clinical, histopathological and immunohistochemical characteristics of solitary plasmacytomas.MethodsA 13 year retrospective analysis of solitary plasmacytomas was performed from a single tertiary care center. Bone marrow evaluation was done concurrently at the time of diagnosis to rule out the presence of multiple myeloma.ResultsA total of 29 cases fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for SP during the study period. SPB accounted for 55.2%, SEP for 44.4% and MSP for 3.4% of the cases. The most common sites involved were the paranasal sinuses and vertebrae. Other infrequent sites included lymph node, tonsil and lungs. The mean age of presentation of SPB was a decade later than SEP. A male preponderance was observed in both subtypes.ConclusionSolitary plasmacytoma is a rare entity, the diagnosis of which requires a systematic approach. There is limited data available in the literature on the clinico-pathological characteristics of SP from India.

Land resource management of coastal areas in Indian cities: comparative assessment with prevailing methods

Indian coastal cities, enriched with a variety of marine resources, are a major driver of economic growth where the Indian coast provides shelter to a large part (∼49%) of the total population in India. Proper planning of coastal resources is crucial for sustainable development, which can be achieved through advanced planning methods. Current methods for the planning of coastal landscapes in Indian coastal cities are ineffective in sustainable utilization of coastal resources and need improvements. This paper evaluates the application of the new planning method for classification of coastal landscapes in Mumbai city. The new method incorporates geospatial technology and multicriteria decision-making approach. The existing method of coastal area classification is based on Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications by the central government, which has ambiguities in implementation. In the new method, coastal areas of Mumbai city are classified based on the physical eligibility of the coast for management of coastal resources and spatially compared with prevailing unscientific classification of coastal areas. The most dense urban area is considered for quantitative comparison of prevailing and new classification approach. Results of coastal area classifications by both methods disclosed the significant differences among different classes of coastal land. The results are validated with field visits and ground truthing along the coast of Mumbai. The findings of this study will enable the stakeholders to utilize available coastal land resources in an efficient manner for developmental and conservational activities at regional and neighborhood scale.

Variation in the proximate composition of edible marine macroalga Ulva rigida collected from different coastal zones of India.

Several species of cosmopolitan marine macroalgal genus Ulva (Chlorophyta) are economically important due to high growth, carbohydrate, protein and lipid content. Nevertheless, analysis pertaining these traits of any species has by no means been explicitly investigated. We herein investigated 109 samples of U. rigida from fifteen locations of Indian coast for carbohydrate, protein and lipid content suitable for further development of scaled-up production. The carbohydrate, protein and lipid content ranged from 16.63 ± 1.07 to 65.93 ± 0.49% dry weight, 4.14 ± 0.45 to 26.0 ± 1.43% dry weight and 0.8 ± 0.08 to 3.1 ± 0.04% dry weight respectively. Principal component analysis provides an interpretable overview of main information enclosed in a multidimensional data set satisfactorily explained 72.1% of the total variability in the present data, with principal component 1 accounting for 38.7% and principal component 2 for 33.4% of the total variation. The study confirmed that the strain collected from Gopnath, Gujarat possesses high potential for industrial exploitation due to its high carbohydrate level. Growing this alga on large-scale might pave ways for socio-economic development of coastal populace.

First Record of Rhizostome Jellyfish Catostylus perezi Ranson 1945 (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) from the Indian Coast

The present paper reports the occurrence of a poorly known rhizostome jellyfish Catostylus perezi from the Veraval coast of Gujarat in India for the first time. Specimen was identified based on their morphology and the structure of nematocysts. This species has been previously reported from the Arabian Peninsula, the Iranian Gulf and the Pakistan coast. The current report shows the extended distribution of this species in the Arabian Sea. The genus Catostylus is reported for the first time from the Indian coast. Nematocysts like, microbasic mastigophore and heterotrichous anisorhiza also reported for the first time in the genus Catostylus.

Ten New Records of the Reticulate Unicornfish Naso reticulatus Randall, 2001 (Perciformes: Acanthuridae): Distributional Range Expansion along the Southern Coasts of India

The reticulate unicornfish Naso reticulatus Randall, 2001 has been previously reported from Indonesia, Taiwan, Philippines, north-east coast of India and Pakistan. In the present study, ten specimens of N. reticulatus were collected during 2016 and 2017 from four locations in Indian waters covering both east coast (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) and west coast (Kerala and Gujarat). A detailed morphological and morphometric description of the specimens is provided. This species is characterised by V + 28–30 dorsal rays, II + 26–28 anal rays, 16–17 pectoral rays, elongate body (body depth 28.1–32.4% in SL in larger specimens and 36.0–38.5% in SL in smaller individuals), angular median interorbital space and reticulated colour pattern on body of larger specimens and absent in smaller individuals which display some irregular white and black patches. This study reports the range extension of N. reticulatus towards the southern coasts of India, suggesting that this species is widely distributed throughout the Indian coast.

A study of ocean parameters in Bay of Bengal (BoB) using indigenised drifting buoys

Drifting buoys (DBs) are widely deployed to observe near-surface ocean currents and sea surface temperature. The National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT), Chennai, India, had indigenised the DB with the Indian satellite (INSAT) in 2012. This paper describes the results of various studies conducted by NIOT using the indigenised DBs and also describes unique features attempted in indigenised DBs to measure the near-surface ocean current with 24 position acquisitions per day to capture small-scale surface eddies and the use of real-time geostationary satellite communication every hour. Additionally, the surface currents observed with indigenous DB are compared with DBs available in the market, Marlin-Yug (coefficient of determination R2 > 0.88) and forecast using the ocean surface current analyses real-time (coefficient of determination R2 > 0.90). Our results show that the DBs in the Bay of Bengal are carried with the East India Coastal Current in the March–May periods and the in-situ observations by the DB provide accurate surface current observations than satellite-based data. Furthermore, the new observations near the world’s largest tidal mangrove and delta system, the Sundarbans and Bengal Delta, will help in further enhancing our understanding of the spatiotemporal variability in the region in terms of coastal currents and its influence on marine environments.

Coupled effects of ocean current on wind stress in the Bay of Bengal: Eddy energetics and upper ocean stratification

This study examines the effect of surface current in the bulk formula for the wind stress, referred to as the relative wind (RW) effect, on the energetics of the geostrophic circulation and the upper ocean stratification in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) during the summer monsoon seasons. When the RW effect is taken into account in the high-resolution SCOAR (WRF-ROMS) regional coupled model simulation and compared to the run without such a consideration, the kinetic energy both in the mean (MKE) and eddy (EKE) is reduced by more than a factor of two. The most significant reduction in the kinetic energy is found along the path of the northward East India Coastal Current (EICC) and to the south of its separated latitude. The energetics calculations and spectral analysis reveal that this significant damping of EKE is primarily due to reduced eddy wind work principally at wavelengths close to the first baroclinic Rossby deformation radius, indicating the modulation of the wind work by geostrophic mesoscale eddy fields. Moreover, the mixed layer depth (MLD) is significantly shoaled south of the separated EICC latitude, the area dominated by anticyclonic eddy activity. The shallower mixed layer and enhanced stratification with the RW effect are attributed to doming of the isopycnals by the anomalous upward Ekman velocity, which itself is generated by the interaction of anticyclonic mesoscale surface current and the prevailing southwesterly monsoonal wind. Overall, the geostrophic circulation and upper ocean stratification along the EICC and south of its separated latitude exhibit the most significant dynamical response. This result implies that this southwestern part of the BoB is a hot spot for the momentum exchange between the surface circulation and the monsoonal winds, thus a potential area for focused field measurements for the ocean circulation energetics and air-sea interaction.

Characteristics of the Discontinuity of Western Boundary Current in the Bay of Bengal

AbstractThe western boundary current in the Bay of Bengal, also known as East India Coastal Current, is northward (southward) and continuous during pre‐ (post‐) Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) but discontinuous during ISM (June–September). This study investigates the features of this discontinuity and role of eddies, local winds, and southern open boundary lateral forcing using AVISO TOPEX Poseidon, ERS, and Jason1 combined sea surface height anomaly, Ocean Surface Current Analysis Real‐time (OSCAR) surface currents and high‐resolution Regional Ocean Modelling System simulations. The study shows that the discontinuity is governed by westward and southwestward propagating eddies between two opposite facing flows along the boundary, northward of 10°N and southward of 21°N. This northward flow of 10°N is wind driven with lateral influence during September. The southward flow of 21°N is influenced by the Summer Monsoon Current, but the local wind influence starts from July onward. During ISM, about 79% cyclonic and 77% anticyclonic eddies move westward, while 68% cyclonic and 69% anticyclonic eddies move southward. Three highly active eddy genesis areas, having more than 50% activities during ISM, are identified: northern and southwestern bay for cyclonic and off Visakhapatnam (17.68°N, 83.21°E) coast for anticyclonic eddies. The pre‐ISM (post‐ISM) is dominated by anticyclonic (cyclonic) eddies, which are found across the western Bay of Bengal and away from northward (southward) East India Coastal Current. The ISM is dominated by westward and southwestward moving both cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, which are confined to the boundary, where discontinuity is generally observed.

Influence of Rainfall Over Eastern Arabian Sea on Its Salinity

AbstractThe west coast of India and the adjoining eastern Arabian Sea (EAS) is one of the high rainfall zones of Indian summer monsoon. The summer monsoon rainfall in this region is about 1,036 km3, which is comparable to the annual runoff of the Ganga‐Brahmaputra river system. We have investigated the impact of EAS rainfall and Bay of Bengal (BoB) low‐salinity water on the Arabian Sea salinity with a suite of experiments using an ocean general circulation model. The sea surface salinity (SSS) of EAS decreases progressively from June to September by 0.5 to 1 psu. A numerical experiment that isolates the effect of EAS rainfall suggests that this SSS decrease is largely due to local rainfall over the EAS. The spatial pattern of SSS decrease, however, is influenced by the prevailing West India Coastal Current. The role of low‐salinity water originating in the BoB on reducing the EAS salinity has also been examined. In the South Eastern Arabian Sea, during winter, the SSS decreases by about 1.5 psu. This freshening is caused by rainfall during the early winter in the southwestern BoB between 6°N and 15°N. Neither rainfall to the north of 15°N nor river runoff into the BoB contributes much to the South Eastern Arabian Sea freshening during winter.

A new record of deep-sea shrimp Glyphocrangon investigatoris Wood-Mason amp; Alcock, 1891 (Decapoda: Glyphocrangonidae) from the southeastern Arabian Sea.

Here, we report the new record of deep-sea caridean shrimp Glyphocrangon investigatoris Wood-Mason Alcock, 1891 from the Arabian Sea along the Indian coast. The three individual specimens were collected from Sakthikulangara fish landing center (fishing off Kollam 8°56'60.78"N/76°32'34.27"E) obtained from deep-sea bottom trawlers between 200 and 300 m depth along the southwest coast of India in December of 2017 and the voucher specimen was deposited to the Marine Biodiversity Referral Museum at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. The species of G. investigatoris is considered as one of the data deficient in distributional range, which was only recorded from northern and southern Bay of Bengal. The intraspecies genetic distance in the COI gene of G. investigatoris retrieved from NCBI revealed 0.6-0.7% while interspecies distance ranged from 5% to 26.5% and 16S was found between 1.1% to 8.1% and the closest genetic distance ranged with G. regalis.

Intercropping of marine finfish in shrimp ponds: A maiden feasibility study.

Diversification of shrimp farming with marine finfish in a farmer participatory research model was attempted. The study is intended to find an economically viable finfish culture during the fallow period of shrimp farms. The Silver pompano, Trachinotus blochi iintercropped with Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei culture in coastal shrimp ponds was assessed for growth, survival, and economic viability. During the grow-out period of 100 days, fishes grew from 40.23 ± 1.40 g to 256.56 ± 1.08 g in weight and 12.83 ± 0.19 cm to 25.11 ± 0.09 cm in length. The daily weight gain (DWG) and daily length gain (DLG) were 2.16 g/day and 0.12 cm/day, respectively. Relative growth rate (RGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) recorded for weight was 537.80% in 100 days and 1.85% per day, respectively. Pompano has exhibited its sturdiness and adaptability to the land-based culture system as evidenced by an overall survival percentage of 89.8% including nursery and grow-out phases. The realized feed conversion ratio was 1.94. The culture period of 100 days is found to be enough to attain a desirable harvest size of 250 g. The projected production potential of the experimental demonstration farm of 4500 m2 water spread area for culture was 16.2 tonnes/cycle with a benefit-cost ratio (BCR) of 1.34 over operational cost. The present participatory trial empirically proved the viability of Silver pompano as an intercrop in coastal shrimp ponds. Thus, the introduction of Pompano in shrimp ponds is recommended and can be promoted for sustainable intercropping with shrimp farming along the Indian coast for improving people’s livelihoods.

Wave climate projections along the Indian coast

AbstractFuture changes in wave climate will influence the marine ecosystem, coastal erosion, design of coastal defences, operation of near‐ and off‐shore structures, and coastal zone management policies and may further add to the potential vulnerabilities of coastal regions to projected sea level rise. Many studies have reported changes in the global wave characteristics under climate change scenarios, but it is important to project future changes in local/regional wave climate for smooth implementation of policies and preventing severe coastal erosion and flooding. In this study the regional wave climate along the Indian coast for two time slices, 2011–2040 and 2041–2070, is reported using an ensemble of near‐surface winds generated by four different CMIP5 general circulation models (GCMs), under RCP4.5 scenario. Comparison of the wave climate for the two time slices shows an increase in wave heights and periods along much of the Indian coast, with the maximum wave heights increasing by more than 30% in some locations. An important finding is that at most locations along the east coast, wave periods are expected to increase by almost 20%, whereas along the west coast an increase of around 10% is expected. This will alter the distribution of wave energy at the shoreline through changes in wave refraction and diffraction, with potential implications for the performance and design of coastal structures and swash‐aligned beaches. Furthermore, the computations show material changes in the directional distribution of waves. This is particularly important in determining the longshore transport of sediments and can lead to realignment of drift‐aligned beaches, manifesting itself as erosion and/or siltation problems. This study is a preliminary contribution towards regional climate projections for the Indian Ocean region which are needed to plan and mitigate the impacts of future climate change.

Bioprospecting of Halotolerant Bacillus subtilis: A Study depicting its Potential Antimicrobial Activity against Clinically Important Pathogens

Objectives: The current study focuses on characterization and isolation of bioactive compounds from a marine halophilic bacterium and testing its antimicrobial potentiality against clinically important pathogens like Proteus mirabilis, Salmonella typhi A, Salmonella typhi B, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The study also portraits presence of possible bioactive compounds responsible for such antimicrobial activity through Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Methodology: Surface water samples were collected from Kovalam beach at Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala state, a South Indian coast of Indian peninsula and were screened for potential bacteria. Morphological, biochemical and molecular profiling were performed to identify and isolate the bacterium of interest. Antibiogram studies were conducted to understand pathogenic trends in the isolate. Culture supernatant of the test bacterium was screened against clinically important pathogens. Further, crude extract of the culture supernatant was subject to GC-MS analysis. Findings: Morphological, biochemical and molecular profiling of the isolate revealed the organism to be Bacillus subtilis. The culture supernatant had significant activity against clinically important pathogens. GC-MS analysis revealed possible antimicrobial compound to be (Pyrrolo [1, 2-a] pyrazine-1, 4-dione). Novelty: The study has significant importance as it depicts antimicrobial activity of halophiles against potent clinical pathogens. Keywords: Antibiogram Profiling, Bioactive Compounds, Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS), Marine Halophiles, Molecular Profiling

Oil spill trajectory prediction with high-resolution ocean currents

ABSTRACT Simulated ocean currents from ocean circulation models along with the surface winds are generally used to force an oil spill trajectory model. Ocean circulation is a key factor in determining the drift of the spilled marine pollutants. The simulations of the drift pattern of spilled oil, when forced by the ocean currents from two ocean models, are presented here. Merchant Vessel (MV) Rak sunk at 72.4865°E, 18.7715°N, on 4 August 2011. As per the information from Indian Coast Guard, approximately 122.5 tons of fuel oil was spilled from the vessel from 5 August 2011 to 12 August 2011. An oil spill trajectory model, General NOAA Operational Modeling Environment (GNOME), was used to simulate the oil drift pattern from MV Rak from 1000 hours of 5 August 2011 to 1300 hours of 12 August 2011. GNOME was forced with winds from European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecast (ECMWF) and ocean currents from Indian Ocean Forecasting System (INDOFOS) and High-resolution Operational Ocean Forecasting and reanalysis System (HOOFS). We found that the oil drift pattern obtained when forced with ocean currents from HOOFS was in better agreement with the actual track, compared to the one obtained while using INDOFOS currents.

River-tide-storm surge interaction characteristics for the Hooghly estuary, East coast of India

ABSTRACT The head Bay of Bengal region that borders the North Indian Ocean is crisscrossed with numerous tidal creeks, riverine systems and channels that play an important role in storm surge studies. In particular, the storm surge resulting from the landfall of tropical cyclone over this region can interact with the river systems and thereby modify the characteristics of storm surge. Several studies were attempted to understand the behaviour of storm surges and associated inundation for the Indian coast; however, the role of hydrologic component in modifying storm surge received less attention. The present study considers a stretch of Hooghly River channel in West Bengal that provides the navigable route to two important national ports, and important in context to socio-economic implications. The state-of-art advanced circulation model (ADCIRC) hydrodynamic model used in this study incorporates the riverine stretch and investigates the effect of river discharge on storm surge propagation along the upstream reaches of the Hooghly River. In addition, the river-tide interaction was studied with differential river discharge volumes of 1000 and 3000 m3 s−1 that corresponds to the respective minimum and maximum discharges. Model simulations well represented the upstream tidal propagation as well the reversal of tidal currents in the river. Also the effect of variable river discharge volumes in modifying the limit of flood flow was clear from simulation. The results signify that limit of flood flow was seen nearly 70 km in the river upstream for discharge volume corresponding to 1000 m3 s−1 and reduced to 62 km on increasing the discharge to 3000 m3 s−1. The effect of wind stress on storm surge penetration into river was also investigated using the hypothetical Aila cyclone wind field. Moreover, the combined effect due to varying river discharge volumes and wind stress on storm surge characteristics was also studied. The study is an effort to understand the role of river-tide-storm surge interaction very useful in a real-time storm surge forecasting system.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) Phototherapy versus Conventional Phototherapy in Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: A Single Blinded Randomized Control Trial from Coastal India.

Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common problem with potentiality to cause irreversible brain damage. Reduction of serum bilirubin level is essential to minimize such damage. Compact fluorescent tubes, halogen bulbs, fiber optic blankets, and LEDs are commonly used light sources for phototherapy with varying efficacies. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of LED versus conventional phototherapy on (a) rate of reduction in total serum bilirubin levels, (b) effect on urinary lumirubin excretion, and (c) comparing side effects of phototherapies among neonates with hyperbilirubinemia. In this randomized control trial, 166 neonates ≥ 35 weeks of age requiring phototherapy were recruited and further divided into 2 groups [LED (83) and conventional (83)] by using computer generated random numbers. Serial total serum bilirubin levels and random urinary lumirubin levels were collected and side effects of phototherapy were noted. Rate of fall in total serum bilirubin levels (TSB, μmol/L/hour) and random urinary lumirubin levels were computed. Data were collected using a pretested proforma. Analysis was done with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5. Independent sample “t” test and Chi-square tests were used with p value of <0.05 being significant. Significant difference was documented in mean rate of decrease of TSB (μmol/L/hour) in LED group (5.3 ± 2.91) when compared to conventional group (3.76 ± 2.39) (p <0.001). A significant increase in mean random urinary lumirubin levels (arbitrary units) was observed in LED group (129.01 ± 33.18) when compared to conventional group (114.44 ± 44.84) (p = 0.021). Side effects were minimal and comparable in both groups. This study concludes the rates of decrease in total serum bilirubin levels and increase in urinary lumirubin levels were significant with LED when compared with conventional phototherapy, implying LED to be more efficacious.