Enter records

ID: 61095
Title: Land use intensity trajectories on Amazonian pastures derived from Landsat time series.
Author: Philippe Rufin, Hannes Muller, Dirk Pflugmacher, Patrick Hostert.
Editor: F.D.van der Meer
Year: 2015
Publisher: Elsevier B.V.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION. Vol. 41 1-10 (2015).
Subject: APPLIED EARTH OBSERVATION AND GEOINFORMATION.
Keywords: Land use intensity, vegetation dynamics, Phenology, Amazon Pastures, Landsat, Time series.
Abstract: Monitoring changes in land use intensity of grazing systems in the Amazon is an important prerequisite to study the complex political and socio-economic forces driving Amzonian deforestation. Remote sensing offers the potential to map pasture vegetation over large areas, but mapping pasture conditions consistently through time is not a trivial task because of seasonal changes associated with phenology and data gaps from clouds and cloud shadows. In this study, we tested spectral-temporal metrics derived from intra-annual Landsat time series to distinguish between grass-dominated and woody pastures. The abundance of woody vegetation on pastures is an indicator for management intensity trajectories between 1985 and 2012 in Novo Progresso, Brazil, finding that woody vegetation cover generally decreased after four to ten years of grazing activity. Pastures established in the 80s and early 90s showed a higher fraction of woody vegetation during their initial landuse history that pastures established in the early 2000s. Historic intensity trajectories suggested a trend towards more intensive land use in the last decade, which aligns well with regional environmental policies and market dynamics. This study demonstrates the potential of dense Landsat time series to monitor land-use intensification on Amazonian pastures.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Almeida, C.A., Pinheiro, T.F., Barbosa, A.M., Abreu, M.R., Lobo, F.L., Silva, M., Gomes, A.R., Sadeck, L.W., Medeiros, L.T., Neves, M.F., Silva, L.C., Tamasaukas, P.F., 2009. Metodologia para mapeamento de vegetacao secundaria na Amazonia legal.Sao Jose dos Campos.http:/urlib.net/8JMKD3MGP7W/36F3Q92 Alves, D., Soares, J., Amaral, S., Mello, E., Almeida, S., Da Silva, O., Silveira, A., 1997. Biomass of primary and secondary vegetation in Rondonia, Western Brazilian Amazon.Glob.Change Biol.3, 451-461.
Literature cited 2: Alves, D.S., Escada, M.I.S., Pereira, J.L.G., de Albuquerque Linhares, C., 203. Land use intensification and abandonment in Rondonia, Brazilian Amazonia.Int.J.Remote Sens.24 (4), 899-903. Asner, G.P., Elmore, A.J., Olander, L.P., Martin, R.E., Harris, A.T., 2004a.Grazing systems, ecosystem responses, and global change.Annu.Rev.Environ.Resour. 29 (1), 261-299.

ID: 61094
Title: Influence of Nanofluids as the Heat Transfer Fluid in Solar Thermal Energy Storage System.
Author: M.Gajendran and N Nallusamy.
Editor: P K Bhattacharya
Year: 2015
Publisher: Dr. R k Pachauri.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: TIDEE Vol.14 (1) (2015)
Subject: TERI information Digest on Energy and Environment.
Keywords: Solar energy, Thermal energy storage, Heat transfer fluid, Flat plate collector, Phase change material, Carbon nanofluids.
Abstract: Carbon nanofluids gain importance as heat transfer fluids due to their high thermal conductivity even with their presence in smaller fractions. This article investigates the influence of nanofluids as Heat Transfer Fluid (HTF) in Phase Change Material (PCM) based solar thermal energy storage system. The encapsulated cylindrical capsules contain the PCM, paraffin. The Thermal Energy Storage (TES) tank acts as a storage unit consisting of PCM capsules packed in three beds surrounded by water, which acts as Sensible Heat storage (SHS) material. The heat stored is a combination of sensible heat and latent heat. Carbon nanofluids transfer the heat received by solar Flat Plate Collector (FPC) from insolation to the TES tank. Carbon nanofluids of different concentration (0.1 percent and 0.3 per cent by weight) were prepared with the Sodium Dodecyl Benzene Sulphonate (SDBS), as the surfactant and this mixture is sonicated to ensure proper mixing of nanofluid with water. Performance parameters such as charging time, instantaneous heat stored, cumulative heat stored and system efficiency are studied for various HTFs. The results show that there is considerable amount of reduction in charging time, around 26 per cent for carbon nanofluid of 0.1 per cent and 42 per cent for 0.3 per cent, and improvement of system efficiency around 42 per cent with reference to charging time when compared with the conventional HTF, water.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Al-Jandal S S and Sayigh A A M.1994. Thermal performance characteristics of STC system with phase change storage. Renewable Energy 5 (1-4): 390-399. Cho K and Choi S H. 2000. Thermal characteristics of paraffin in a spherical capsule during freeing and melting processes. Int ?, Heat and Mass Transfer 43 (17): 3183-3196.
Literature cited 2: Nallusamy N, Sampath S and Velraj R. 2006. Study on performance of a packed bed latent heat thermal energy storage unit integrated with solar water heating system. ?.Zhejiang Univ.Science A 7 (8): 1422-1430. Heinz A and Streicher W. 2009. Application of phase change material and pcm slurries for thermal energy storage. Institute of Thermal Engineering, Graz University.

ID: 61093
Title: Delivery Mechanism for Energy Efficient Cookstoves: A Case Study from Rural India.
Author: R C Pal, Vivek Jha and Jitendra Tiwari.
Editor: P K Bhattacharya
Year: 2014
Publisher: Dr. R k Pachauri.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: TIDEE Vol.13 (4) 447-451 (2014)
Subject: TERI information Digest on Energy and Environment.
Keywords: Improved forced draft cook stoves, Traditional cook stoves, Biomass fuels, Delivery mechanism.
Abstract: The domestic sector in India is the largest consumer of traditional sources of energy and accounts for 85 percent of households in the rural areas, using fuel wood as an important source of energy for cooking and kerosene for lighting applications. However, the penetration of commercial fuels for cooking in rural areas continues to be low, with 11.5 percent of rural households using kerosene and 6.5 percent using LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) for cooking.[1] Hence, rural households commonly use traditional biomass fuels in traditional cook stoves (TCs), which are not only inefficient but also have an adverse effect on the health of people, especially women and children, who are largely exposed to the smoke emitted while burning such fuels. In order to reduce the ill effects caused by the use of low-efficiency (<12 %) of TCs, introduction of improved forced draft biomass cook stoves will enhance cooking device efficiency and also improve the indoor kitchen environment. This article focuses on the adaptation process and service delivery mechanism for improved biomass cook stove. It also concentrates on the approach undertaken for leveraging technology and promotes the use of biomass and source energy in a sustainable manner.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) 2009-10- (Energy Statistics 2013). TERI Project Report No. 2008 RA02.2010.Sustainable Development through-Research, Customization and Demonstration of Technologies in Jagdishpur Block, district Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The Energy and Resources Institute. New Delhi.
Literature cited 2: TERI Project Report No. 2008 RA02.2012. Sustainable Development through-Research, Customization and Demonstration of Technologies in Jagdishpur Block, district Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The Energy and Resources Institute. New Delhi. Chaurey A and Kandpal T C, 2009. Solar lanterns for domestic lighting in India: Viability of central charging station model; Energy Policy 37, pp. 4910-4918.

ID: 61092
Title: Advances in Nanotechnological Research and Development in Medicine from Marine Resources.
Author: Mrinal K Ghose
Editor: P K Bhattacharya
Year: 2014
Publisher: Dr. R k Pachauri.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: TIDEE Vol.13 (4) 439-445 (2014)
Subject: TERI information Digest on Energy and Environment.
Keywords: Marine organisms, Bioactive compounds, Human cell ultrastructure, Immune system.
Abstract: Nanoscience suggests a solid body of theory, upon which a technology could be built. The concept of nanotechnological research in the fields of marine science and technology is quite recent. This paper discusses the potentials for applications of nanotechnology in the areas of marine biomedicines, marine toxicology, marine industrial chemicals, and others. It holds a great promise for developing countries where fish and shelfish are a major source of food, as well as an industrial commodity. This technology points out that several marine organisms contain many bioactive chemical compounds with various pharmacological properties and have provided useful drugs. Therefore, it is seen that there is an immense potential for nanotechnology in marine sciences. This paper emphasizes that today there is a great need for exploitation of biologically active compounds and untapped food resources. Marine pollution control and management with the applications of nanotechnology have also been discussed in this paper. It includes that medical science will of course be heavily involved through the application of nanotechnology, which will impact not only human cell ultrastructure and effects on the immune system, but should also contribute to solving the riddle of allergy. This paper brings out that the advances in nanotechnological research will go a long way in innovations in chemical industries.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Medina C, Santos-Martinez MJ, Radomski A, Corrigan OI, Radomski MW.2007.Nanopartices: Pharmacological and Toxicological Significance.Br ? Pharmacol 150:pp.552-558. Gregoriadis G, Ryman BE.1972.Fate of Protein-containing Liposomes Injected in to Rats: An Approach to the Treatment of Storage Diseases. Eur ? Biochem 24: pp.485-491.
Literature cited 2: McCormack B, Gregoriadis G.1994.Drugs-in-cyclodextrins-inliposomes: A Novel Concept in Drug Delivery. Int ? Pharm 112: pp.249-258. Illum L, Davis S S.1984.The organ Uptake of Intravenously Administered Colloidal Particles can be Altered Using a Non-ionic Surfactant (Poloxamer 338). FEBS Lett 167: pp. 79-82.

ID: 61091
Title: Effects of Fuel Temperature on Biodiesel Spray Characteristics: An In-depth Study.
Author: P.Raghu, N.Nallusamy and K.Pitchandi.
Editor: P K Bhattacharya
Year: 2014
Publisher: Dr. R k Pachauri.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: TIDEE Vol.13 (4) 431-438(2014)
Subject: TERI information Digest on Energy and Environment.
Keywords: Spray cone angle, Spray tip penetration, SMD, Spray chamber, Fuel temperature.
Abstract: Biodiesel is technically competitive with conventional petroleum-derived fuels and requires no changes in the fuel-distribution system. Moreover, there is an evidence that biodiesel-fuelled engine can have a strong impact on performance and pollutant emissions. Spray development plays a vital role in improving the combustion and emission characteristics of fuel because it directly affects the air-fuel mixture formation. Spray characteristics of fuel mainly depend on fuel-injection process, fuel density, viscosity, ambient pressure, and temperature. The purpose of this article is to reveal the effects of fuel temperature on the spray characteristics of Jatropha Oil Methyl Ester (JOME), Karanja Oil Methyl Ester (KOME), and Cotton Seed Oil Methyl Ester (COME) fuels in a spray chamber. The spray behaviour was analysed through spray characteristics such as spray cone angle and spray tip penetration using image-processing technique. The increase of fuel temperature from 40? C to 80? C caused a decrease in spray tip penetration and Sauter Mean Diameter (SMD) and an increase in spray cone angle. Experimental results show that the spray cone angle for JOME, KOME, and COME was increased, but spray tip penetration and SMD were decreased. This is due to the preheating of fuel which reduces density, viscosity, and surface tension of tested fuel.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Faeth GM. 1997.Mixing, transport and combustion in sprays. Progress Energy Combustion Science13:pp.293-345. Bari S, Lim T H, and Yu CW. 2007. Effects of preheating crude palm oil on injection system performance and emission of a diesel engine. Biomass and Bioenergy 27: pp. 339-351.
Literature cited 2: Boggavarapu P and Ravikrishan R.V. 2012.A comparison of Jatropha methyl ester and diesel spray.12th Triennial International Conference on Liquid Atomization and Spray Systems (ICLASS). Heidelberg: Germany, Sep 2-6, pp.1-12. Tran TH, Enomoto, Hiroshi, Kushita, Motoki, Sakitsu, and Takaaki.2010.Effect of fuel temperature on spray properties using local contact microwave heat. FISITA 2010 SC-0-16, pp.1-7.

ID: 61090
Title: Heavy rainfall in the Kedarnath valley of Uttarakhand during the advancing monsoon phase in June 2013.
Author: D.R.Sikka, Kamaljit Ray, Kalyan Chakravarthy, S.C.Bhan and Ajit Tyagi.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 353-361(2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Heavy rainfall, landslides, monsoon season, rapid advance.
Abstract: During the monsoon season of 2013, the advance of monsoon over northwest (NW) Indian region showed large abnormality as arrival of rainfall over Punjab, Himachal Pradesh (HP), Uttarakhand, Haryana and Delhi occurred between 13 and 16 June 2013, nearly twice standard deviation earlier than normal. Such an early arrival by mid-June has been exceptional. The event was marked by unprecedented very heavy rainfall between 14 and 18 June 2013 over different meteorological sub-divisions of NW India. The event also led to human tragedy in Uttarakhand, in which many local people and pilgrims lost their lives. This heavy rainfall in fact moved from Punjab and HP during 14 and 15 June 2013 over NW India was highly organized and it was continuously sustained with mesoscale enhanced intensity over Uttarakhand, which dispels the opinion about cloud-burst. The present communication is aimed to study the observational aspects of the vigorous and rapid advance of monsoon rainfall over NW India and its intensification during 15-17 June 2013 over Uttarakhand.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Gabet, E.J., Burbank, D.W., Putkonen, J.K., Pratt-Sitaula, B.A. and Ojha, T., Rainfall thresholds for landsliding in the Himalayas of Nepal. Geomorphology, 2004, 63, 131-143; doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2004.03.011. Sengupta, A., Gupta, S. and Anbarasu, K., Rainfall thresholds for the initiation of landslide at Lanta Khola in North Sikkim, India.Nat.Hazards, 2010, 52, 31-42; doi: 10.1007/s11069-009-9352-9.
Literature cited 2: Bhan, C., Paul, S.and Kharbanda, K.L., Cloud bursts in Himachal Pradesh.Mausam, 2004, 55 (4), 712-713. Houze, R.A., Wilson, D.C. and Smull, B.F., Monsoon convection in the Himalayan region as seen by the TRMM precipitation radar.Q.J.R.Meteorol.Soc, 2007, 133, 1389-1411.

ID: 61089
Title: Assessment of coastal erosion along the Indian coast on 1:25, 000 scale using satellite data of 1989-1991 and 2004-2006 time frames.
Author: A.S.Rajawat, H.B. Chauhan, R.Ratheesh, S.Rode, R.J.Bhanderi, M.Mahapatra, Mohit Kumar, R. Yadav, S.P.Abraham, S.S.Singh, K.N. Keshri and Ajai.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 347-353 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Accretion, coastal erosion, shoreline changes, high and low tide lines, satellite data.
Abstract: The long stretch of coastline on either side of the Indian peninsula is subjected to varied coastal processes and anthropogenic pressures, which makes the coast vulnerable to erosion. There is no systematic inventory of shoreline changes occurring along the entire Indian coast on 1:25, 000 scale, which is required for planning measures to be taken up for protecting the coast at the national level. It is in this context that shoreline change mapping on 1:25, 000 scales for the entire Indian coast based on multidate satellite data in GIS environment has been carried out for 1989-1991 and 2004-2006 time frame. The present communication discusses salient observations and results from the shoreline change inventory. The results show that 3829 km (45.5 %) of the coast is under erosion, 3004 km (35.7 %) is getting accreted, while 1581 km (18.8 %) of the coast is more or less stable in nature. Highest percentage of shoreline under erosion is in the Nicobar Islands (88.7), while the percentage of accreting coastline is highest for Tamil Nadu (62.3) and Goa has the highest percentage of stable shoreline (52.4). The analysis shows that the Indian coast has lost a net area of about 73 sq.km during 1989-1991 and 2004-2006 time frame. In Tamil Nadu, a net area of about 25.45 sq.km has increased due to accretion, while along the Nicobar Islands about 93.95 sq.km is most due to erosion. The inventory has been used to prepare a shoreline Change Atlas of the Indian Coast.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Nicholls, R. J. and Cazenave, A., Sea-level rise and its impact on coastal zones. Science, 2010, 328, 1517. NRC, Managing coastal erosion, National Research Council, National Academy Press, Washington ,DC, 1990, p. 182.
Literature cited 2: Eurosion, Living with coastal erosion in Europe: sediment and space for sustainability. Part IV- a guide to coastal erosion management practices in Europe: lessons learned, 2004, p.37. Mujabar, S., Chandrasekar, N. and Magesh, N.S., Shoreline change analysis along the coast between Kanyakumari and Tuticorin of India using remote sensing and GIS.Arab.J.Geosci., 2013, 6 (3), 647-664.

ID: 61088
Title: Impacts of rice intensification system on two C.D.blocks of Barddhaman district, West Bengal.
Author: Biswajit Ghosh and Namita Chakma
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 342-346 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Agro-ecology, benefit-cost ratio, economic and ecological potentiality, system of rice intensification.
Abstract: Rice is an important cereal crop of West Bengal and many of the Indian states. There is a compelling need to increase rice productivity vertically in West Bengal due to less availability of land and greater dependency of the population on the productivity of the land. For this reason, the economic and ecological potentiality of the system of rice intensification (SRI) has been evaluated by several researchers. In the present study, Monteswar and Memari-II C.D. blocks of Barddhaman district, West Bengal have been selected to analyse the impacts of SRI on economic and ecological aspects of rice-growing. Results show that benefit-cost (B:C) ratio in SRI practice is significantly higher than the conventional method of rice cultivation. Under SRI B: C ratio varies from 5.06:1 to 3:1, but in the conventional method it varies from 2.18:1 to 1.78:1. Therefore, SRI farmers are experiencing multiple benefits in terms of both economics and ecology.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Kumar, G.A., Sailaja, V., Satyagopal, P.V.and Prasad, S.V., Evaluation of profile characteristics of SRI cultivation farmers in relation to their extent of adoption of technologies.Curr.Biotica, 2014, 8,36-41. Raju, R.A. and Sreenivas, Ch., Agronomic evaluation of system of rice intensification methods in Godavari delta. ORYZA, 2008, 45, 280-283.
Literature cited 2: Thakur, A.K., Critiquing SRI criticism: beyond skepticism with Empiricism.Curr.Sci, 2010, 98, 1294-1299. Uphoff, N., Kassam, A., and Thakur, A., Challenges of increasing water saving and water productivity in the rice sector: introduction to the system of rice intensification (SRI) and this issue. Taiwan J. Water Conserv, 2013, 61, 1-13.

ID: 61087
Title: Implication of Mossbauer spectra on the mixing model of eucrites and diogenites (resulting in howardites)
Author: Beena Bhatia, K.R.Patel, R.P.Tripathi, S.Layek and H.C.Verma.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 331-337 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Cumulate and non-cumulate eucrites, HED bodies, Mossbauer spectroscopy, meteorites.
Abstract: In the present communication, we show that Mossbauer spectra of cumulate eucrites are characteristically different from those of non-cumulate eucrites. In cumulate eucrites, iron occupies only one site, i.e. the M2 site in pyroxene crystal lattice, while it is distributed in both M1 and M2 sites in non-cumulate eucrites. We discuss the importance of asymmetric doublet observed in the Mossbauer spectrum of cumulate body, especially in Vissannapeta cumulate eucrite (fallen in Andhra Pradesh, India), where an appreciable asymmetry was observed. The Mossbauer parameters of diogenite almost exactly replicate those of cumulate eucrites, suggesting that they originate from the same magma ocean. Howardites which are mixed eucrites and diogenites, show iron mineralogy which is different from what one would expect from a physical mixture model. The possible reasons for this difference are also discussed.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: McCord, T.B., Adams, J.B., and Johnson, T.V., Asteriod Vesta: spectral reflectivity and compositional implications. Science, 1970, 168, 1445-1447. Larson, H.P.and Fink, U., Infrared spectral observations of asteroid 4 Vesta.Icarus, 1975, 26, 420-427.
Literature cited 2: Consolmagno, G.J. and Drake, M.J., Composition and evolution of the eucrite parent body: evidence from rare earth elements. Geochim.Cosmochim.Acta, 1977, 41, 1271-1282. Drake, M.J., The eucrite/Vesta story. Meteorit.Planet.Sci, 2001, 36, 501-513.

ID: 61086
Title: Prey abundance and leopard diet in a plantation and rainforest landscape, Anamalai Hills, Western Ghats.
Author: Swati Sidhu, T.R.Shankar Raman and Divya Mudappa.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 323-330 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Diet, leopards, prey abundance, plantation, tropical rainforest.
Abstract: Leopards use a wide range of habitats from natural forests to plantations in human-dominated landscapes. Within interface areas, understanding leopard ecology and diet can help in conservation management and conflict avoidance. In a fragmented rainforest and plantation landscape in southern India, we examined diet of large carnivores (with a focus on leopards) using scat analysis with DNA-based identification of predator species, and estimated relative abundance of prey species in different land uses through transect surveys. Large carnivores predominantly consumed wild prey species (98.1%) and domestic prey species contributed <2% to overall prey biomass. For leopards, four wild prey species (Indian muntjac, Indian spotted chevrotain, sambar and Indian porcupine) contributed 95.1% of prey biomass, with the rest being minor wild prey species (no livestock in identified scats). Wild prey species occurred across the landscape but varied in relative abundance by land-use type, with forest fragments supporting higher abundance of many species relative to tea and coffee plantations. As large carnivores mainly depend on wild prey and rainforest fragments act as refuges for these mammals within the tea and coffee plantations, it is important to continue to retain or restore these forest fragments.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Lindstedt, S.L., Miller, B.J. and Buskirk, S.W., Home range, time, and body size in mammals. Ecology, 1986, 67, 413. Madhusudan, M.D. and Mishra, C., Why big, fierce animals are threatened: conserving large mammals in densely populated land-scapes. In Battles over Nature: Science and the politics of Conservation, (eds Saberwal, V. and Rangarajan, M.), Permanent Black, New Delhi, 2003, pp. 31-55.
Literature cited 2: Hoare, R.E., Determinants of human-elephant conflict in a land-use mosaic.J.Appl.Ecol, 1999, 36, 689-7000. Karanth, K.U. and Madhusudan, M.D., Mitigating human-wildlife conflicts in southern Asia. In Making Parks Work: Strategies for Preserving Tropical Nature (eds Terborgh, J.W. et al)., Island press, Washington, DC, 2002, pp. 250-264.

ID: 61085
Title: Hydrogeochemical assessment of River Jhelum and its tributaries for domestic and irrigation purposes, Kashmir valley, India.
Author: Riyaz Ahmad Mir and Gh.Jeelani.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 311-322 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Anionic and cationic budget, domestic and irrigation purposes, hydrogeochemical assessment, water quality.
Abstract: Fifty water samples were collected during high flow (June 2008) and low flow (January 2009) periods from River Jhelum and its tributaries located in Kashmir valley, Western Himalaya, to carry out hydrogeochemical assessment for domestic, livestock and irrigation purposes. The high flow period represents summer season, and the low flow period represents the summer season, and the low flow period represents the winter season. In general, water was alkaline in nature.Ca2+ among the cationic budget, and HCO-3 among the anionic budget, dominate the chemical quality of water. The higher annual average discharge (~1124.6 m3/s) during high flow period resulted in lower ionic concentration in water through the effect of dilution than during the lower annual average discharge of ~406.4 m3/s during low flow period. The water classification suggested the water to be of fresh category (100 %< 1000mg/l TDS), which is therefore desirable for drinking purposes. Moreover, the mean values of major ions were within the permissible limits of WHO and ISI standards, suggesting that the water is suitable for domestic and livestock purposes. For irrigational practices, the calculated indices show that the water is of ' excellent to good quality ' .
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Chapman, D., Water quality Assessment, Chapman & Hall, London (on behalf of UNESCO, WHO AND UNEP), 1992, p. 585. Gibbs, R.J., Mechanism controlling world water chemistry. Science, 1970, 170, 1088-1090.
Literature cited 2: Lester, J.N.and Birkett, J.W., Microbiology and Chemistry for Environmental Scientists and Engineers, E and FN Spon, New York, 1999, 2nd edn. Carpenter, S.R., Caraco, N.F., Correll, D.L., Howarth, R.W., Sharpley, A.N. and Smith, V.H., Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen.Ecol.Appl., 1998, 8, 559-568.

ID: 61084
Title: Performance evaluation of riverbank filtration scheme.
Author: Narayan C.Ghosh, Saroj Kumari Khatania, Shashi Poonam Indwar, Cornelius S.S.Sandhu, C.K.Jain, Sanjay Mittal and Rakesh Goel.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 301-310 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Analytical method, bank filtration, case study, distance, hydrochemistry, performance evaluation.
Abstract: This article presents an analytical method to determine the distance of a bank filtration well from a river in commensuration with the desired percentage of bank filtrate and removal of pathogenic compounds. Applying least squares optimization technique using Marquardt algorithm, the unknown parameter, distance of the well from the river has been estimated. The travel time in commensuration with the desired percentage removal of pathogenic compounds has been ascertained using the first-order decay equation. For evaluating effectiveness of the technique, the physico-chemical and biological parameters of extracted bank filtrate from 22 wells located in the vicinity of the River Ganga and the Upper Ganga Canal network at Haridwar have been analysed for the non-monsoon and monsoon periods. The physico-chemical parameters of the extracted water showed concentration much below the acceptable limits, except turbidity. The percentage removal of turbidity in the extracted water was found about 98 and 76 during the monsoon and non-monsoon periods respectively, in comparison to water from the river/canal. The count of biological parameters, viz. total coliform and faecal coliform in the extracted water is removed considerably (65 % to 85 %), but is found above the acceptable limit. The reason could be mixing of bank filtrate with the rich constituents in the groundwater. It is suggested that bank filtration dilutes groundwater quality and can be regarded as a technique to conjunctive management of surface and groundwater quality.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Hiscock, K.M.and Grischek, T., Attenuation of groundwater pollution by bank filtration.J.Hydrol, 2002, 266 (3-4), 139-144. Kuhn, W.and Muller, U., Bank filtration: an overview.J.Am.Waterworks.Assoc, 2000, 92 (12), 60-69.
Literature cited 2: Schmidt, C.K., Lange, F.T., Sacher, F., Baus, C.and Brauch, H.-J., Assessing the fate of organic micropollutants during river-bank filtration utilizing field studies and laboratory test systems.Geophys.Res.Abstr., 2003, 5, 85-95. Sharma, S.K.and Amy, G., Bankfiltration: a sustainable water treatment technology for developing countries. In 34th WEDC International Conference on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: sustainable Development and Multisectoral Approaches, 2009, paper no. 715.

ID: 61083
Title: COHERENS: a hydrodynamic model validated for the west coast of India.
Author: Betty John, P.P.Saheed, Carlos Franca, P.Venthamony and Edmo J. D.Campos.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 288-300 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Coastal and shelf seas, hydrodynamics, numerical modeling, residual current.
Abstract: COHERENS (Coupled Hydrodynamical and Ecological model for REgioNal and Shelf seas), a 3D hydrodynamic multi-purpose model, has been implemented for the coastal and shelf seas of eastern Arabian Sea to study the flow characteristics. The model has been tested and verified with one month measurements of surface and bottom currents collected off Mangalore, Ratnagiri, Mumbai and Dwarka on the west coast of India (WCI).After calibration, the model was allowed to perform under tide and wind forcings. The flow characteristics at these select locations have been well reproduced by the model. A shift in current direction from south to southeast has been observed at several occasions, and this could be attributed to shamal events. The low amplitudes of the residual currents in the measurements off Mumbai and Dwarka suggest that the influence of the West India Coastal Current is weak or negligible in the northern part of the WCI and the currents are mainly tide-dominant. Certain discrepancies are noticed especially in the southern domain, off Mangalore, where the shallow water dynamics is not only driven by the local wind forcing and tides, but also by the remotely driven currents. In order to get a comprehensive picture of the prevailing dynamics, the model domain has to be extended to the entire Indian Ocean.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Kantha, L.H., Monitoring the oceans using data-assimilative models: implications for integrated in situ and remote observing systems. In Third Symposium on Integrated Observing Systems, Abstr, 79th AMS Annual Meeting, Dallas, TX, USA, 1999. Kantha, L.H., Choi, J.K.,Leben, R., Cooper, C., Vogel, M.and Feeney, J., Hindcasts and realtime nowcast/forecasts of currents in the Gulf of Mexico. In Offshore Technology Conference, Houston, TX, USA, 1999.
Literature cited 2: Kantha, L., Choi, J.-K., Schaudt, K.J. and Cooper, C.K., A regional data-assimimilative model for operational use in the Gulf of Mexico. In Circulation in the Gulf of Mexico: Observations and Models (eds Sturges, W. and Lugo-Fernandez, A.,), American Geo-physical Union, Washington DC, 2005; doi: 10.1029/161GM14. McCreary Jr, J.P., Kundu, P.K. and Molinari, R.L., A numerical investigation of dynamics, thermodynamics and mixed layer processes in the Indian Ocean.Prog.Ocezanogr., 1993, 31, 181-244.

ID: 61082
Title: Dynamical formalism for assessment and projection of carrying capacity in different socio-climatic scenarios.
Author: Prashant Goswami and Shiv Narayan Nishad.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 280-287 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Agricultural self-sustainability, carrying capacity, degree of dependency, dynamical sustainability model, technology demand.
Abstract: Increase in demand, decline in primary resources and impact of climate change make agricultural sustainability a complex function of many variables. A major gap is a consistent and quantitative formulation for assessment and projection of sustainability. We consider agricultural self-sustainability. We consider agricultural self-sustainability, defined as the condition of minimum food requirement from domestic production, and present a dynamical model of evolution of its constrained dynamics. The model is then applied to estimate and project agricultural self-sustainability, carrying capacity and import requirement with India as a case study in different socio-climatic scenarios. Unconstrained productivity is considered to determine technology demand for different scenarios.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Lang, T. and Barling, D., Food security and food sustainability: reformulating the debate.Geogr.J, 2012, 178, 313-326. Garnett, T., Food sustainability: problems, perspectives and solutions.Proc.Nutr.Soc, 2013, 72, 29-39.
Literature cited 2: Bhullar, G.S. and Bullar, N.K., Agricultural Sustainability, Academic Press, Elsevier, 2013. Pretty, J., Agricultural sustainability: concepts, principles and evidence. Philos.Trans.R.Soc.London, Ser. B, 2008, 363, 447-465.

ID: 61081
Title: Tectonic framework and evolutionary history of the Bengal Basin in the Indian subcontinent.
Author: A.B.Roy and Alokesh Chatterjee.
Editor: R. Srinivasan.
Year: 2015
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: Centre for Ecological Sciences
Reference: Current Science Vol. 109 (2) 271-279 (2015)
Subject: Current Science.
Keywords: Basin evolution tectonics, extensional rift basin, depositional pattern, Palaeogeographic setting, sediment supply.
Abstract: The Bengal Basin evolved as a rift-controlled extensional basin along the NNE-SSW trending Basin Margin Fault coevally with the 85? East Ridge in the Bay of Bengal during the short-lived hotspot activity south of Bhubaneswar. The basin opening post-dated the Kereguelen Plume magmatism (at ~116 Ma), but pre-dated the phase of continental collision that triggered the rise of the Himalaya in the north. Supply of sediments in the initial stages of basin opening was from the west, mainly through the denudation and erosion of the uplifted Precambrian Shield. Following virtually similar tectonic and depositional pattern in the entire basin, an abrupt change in depositional pattern was recorded during the Oligocene with the emergence of easterly source of sediments derived from the uplifting of Indo-Myanmarese Ranges. Between the Oligocene and Late Pleistocene different parts of the Sylhet Trough (the best-studied region in the deeper part of the Bengal Basin) received huge volumes of sediments, which resulted in deposition measuring between 10 km and over 17 km in thickness. This was followed by an equally sudden drop in the sediment supply from the east due to the basin inversion concurrently with the westward advance of the Indo-Burmese mountain front during early and mid-Pleistocene. Followed by a short hiatus, the deposition scenario changed completely with the arrival of thick volumes of sediment during the late Pleistocene-Holocene, which covered the entire Bengal basin with the sediments brought by the Ganga and Brahmaputra from the Himalayan sources.
Location: T E 15 New Biology Building.
Literature cited 1: Alam, M., Alam, M.M., Curray, J.R., Chowdhury, M.L.R.and Gani, M.R., An overview of the sedimentary geology of the Bengal Basin in relation to the regional tectonic framework and basin fill history. Sediment. Geol., 2003, 155, 179-208. Kuehl, S.A., Hairu, T.M. and Moore, W.S., Shelf sedimentation off the Ganges-Brahmaputra river system: evidence of sediments bypassing to the Bengal fan. Geology, 1989, 17, 1132-1135.
Literature cited 2: Milliman, J.D., Rutkowski, C. and Meybeck, M., River discharge to sea: a global river index (GLORI).LOICZ Reports and Studies, LOCIZ Core Project Office, Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ), 1995, p.125. Goodbred, S.L., Kuehl, S.A., Steckler, M.S. and Sarkar, M.H., Controls on facies distribution and stratigraphic preservation in the Ganges-Brahmaputra delta sequence.Sediment.Geol, 2003, 155, 301-316.