Enter records

ID: 63096
Title: Developing a management plan for Loktak Lake considering Keibul Lamjao National Park and hydropower demand using a data driven modeling approach
Author: Kh. Eliza, R. Khosa, A. K. Gosain and A. K. Nema
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1793-1798 (2018)
Subject: Developing a management plan for Loktak Lake considering Keibul Lamjao National Park and hydropower demand using a data driven modeling approach
Keywords: Hybrid SHE-SWAT, Sangai deer, water balance model.
Abstract: Monthly water balance of Loktak Lake has been developed using catchment discharge obtained from a combination of hydrological models, MIKE SHE and SWAT, abbreviated as hybrid SHE-SWAT. A management plan has been proposed considering the variation of lake water level without compromising hydropower generation. The management plan aims to restore ecological balance of Keibul Lamjao National Park prioritizing Sangai deer. This will also prevent inundation of surrounding area without compromising hydropower generation.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Ramsar Bureau. The List of Wetlands of International Importance, Ramsar Convention Bur., 2016, pp. 1–48. Khwairakpam, E., Khosa Rakesh, Gosain, A. and Nema, A., Management approach of Keibul Lamjao National Park in Loktak Lake, Manipur using water balance analysis. In 19th European Geoscience Union General Assembly, Austria, 2017.
Literature cited 2: Trisal and Manihar, T., The Atlas of Loktak Lake, Manipur, Loktak Development Authority and Wetlands International South Asia, New Delhi, 2004. IUCN, Rucervus eldii, Eld’s Deer. IUCN Red List Threat, Species, 2015.

ID: 63095
Title: Monitoring of total volatile organic compounds and particulate matter in an indoor environment
Author: Manisha Gaur, Kirti Bhandari and Anuradha Shukla
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1787-1792 (2018)
Subject: Monitoring of total volatile organic compounds and particulate matter in an indoor environment
Keywords: Indoor environment, particulate matter, office, volatile organic compounds.
Abstract: Indoor air pollution in the workplace is considered as one of the most potential environment risks to an occupant’s health. Office employees are exposed to airborne pollutants that include particulate matter (PM), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gases chemicals and microorganisms originating from indoor and ourdoor sources. Exposure to PM and VOCs is likely to be higher in the workplace than outdoors due to the amount of time people spend in the indoor environment. A weekly monitoring of VOCs and PM with sampling period of 8 h was carried out in an indoor (office) environment in order to evaluate the exposure to pollutant concentration. The sampling was carried out with the help of a Grimm dust monitor and potable VOC monitor for PM and VOCs respectively. The results clearly show that exposure to PM and VOCs is much higher in an office building.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Datta, A., Suresh, R., Gupta, A., Singh, D. and Kulshrestha, P., Indoor air quality of non-residential urban buildings in Delhi, India. Int. J. Sustain. Built Environ., 2017, 1–91. Kamarulzaman, N., Saleh, A. A., Hashim, S. Z., Hashim, H. and Abdul-Ghani, A. A., An overview of the influence of physical office environments towards employee. Proc. Eng., 2011, 20, 262–268.
Literature cited 2: Bruce, N., Perez-Padilla, R. and Albalak, R., Indoor air pollution in developing countries: a major environmental and public health challenge. Bull. WHO, 2000, 78, 1078–1092. Smith, K. R., Indoor air pollution in developing countries: recommendations for research. Indoor Air, 2002, 12, 198–207.

ID: 63094
Title: Development of a unique full-scale real-fire façade testing facility at IIT Gandhinagar
Author: Gaurav Srivastava, Chinmay Ghoroi , Pravinray Gandhi, V. Jagdish, G. Karthikeyan, Aravind Chakravarthy and Dharmit Nakrani
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1770-1781 (2018)
Subject: Development of a unique full-scale real-fire façade testing facility at IIT Gandhinagar
Keywords: Façade testing facility, green building regulations, leap frog effect, real-fire behaviour
Abstract: Most modern buildings incorporate a façade system to conform to green building regulations. Several common façade systems utilize composite panels made of combustible materials and can significantly enhance the fire risk, as shown by many recent building fires. This study presents the development of a full-scale research facility at IIT Gandhinagar to better understand the behaviour of real fires involving façade systems. Such a facility will facilitate scientific studies pertaining to façade fires and help in improving fire safety of such buildings.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Peng, L., Ni, Z. and Huang, X., Review on the fire safety of exterior wall claddings in high-rise buildings in China. Proc. Eng., 2013, 62, 663–670. Kim, Y., Mizuno, M. and Ohmiya, Y., Fire examination of super high-rise apartment building ‘Wooshin Golden Suites’ in Busan, Korea. Fire Sci. Technol., 2011, 30(3), 81–90.
Literature cited 2: Badrock, G., Post incident analysis report: Lacrosse Docklands. In MATEC Web of Conferences, 25 November 2014, 2016, vol. 46, pp. 06002. White, N. and Delichatsios, M., Fire hazards of exterior wall assemblies containing combustible components. The Fire Protection Research Foundation, MA, USA, 2014.

ID: 63093
Title: 10Be/9 Be ratios of Cauvery river delta sediments, southern India: implications for palaeo-denudation rates in the catchment and variation in summer monsoon rainfall during Late Quaternary
Author: Soumya Prakash Dhal, S. Balakrishnan, Pankaj Kumar, Pramod Singh, Alok Sharan and Sundeep Chopra
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1770-1781 (2018)
Subject: 10Be/9 Be ratios of Cauvery river delta sediments, southern India: implications for palaeo-denudation rates in the catchment and variation in summer monsoon rainfall during Late Quaternary
Keywords: Cauvery delta, denudation rate, Holocene, meteoric 10Be/9 Be, sediment cores, summer monsoon.
Abstract: Present and past denudation rates (D) of the Cauvery River catchment determined using meteoric 10Be/9 Be on drill-core sediment samples from Uttarangudi and Valangaiman sites in the delta vary from 18.7 ± 1.6 to 48.1 ± 8.3 t/km2 /a. The present-day denudation rates of 37.7 ± 4.9 t/km2 /a and 36.9 ± 5.2 t/km2 /a estimated for these sites are higher by a factor of two than that based on solute and suspended load of the Cauvery river. Denudation rates estimated using 10Be/9 Be (reactive) is more accurate as it is not affected by damming of rivers. Based on 9 Be fraction (reactive + dissolved) and previous studies, we infer that sediments for Valangaiman site were mainly sourced from Western Ghats and Mysore plateau, whereas highlands bordering southwestern margin of the delta mostly supplied sediments to the Uttarangudi site. The Western Ghats and the delta received rainfall mainly during summer monsoon and NE monsoon respectively. Comparison of palaeo-denudation rates with various proxies of the Indian summer monsoon shows inverse relationship between them. Lower denudation rates are estimated for Early to Mid-Holocene period which is characterized by intense rainfall. Drier conditions after 4.5 ka BP caused increase in denudation rates after 2.5 ka BP for the Valangaiman core, consistent with a response time of 2 ka required to change 10Be/9 Be in sediments of the Cauvery basin.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Raymo, M., Ruddiman, W. and Froelich, P., Influence of late Cenozoic mountain building on ocean geochemical cycles. Geology, 1988, 16, 649–653. Berner, R. A., A model for atmospheric CO2 over phanerozoic time. Am. J. Sci., 1991, 291, 339–376.
Literature cited 2: Gaillardet, J., Dupre, B., Louvat, P. and Allegre, C. J., Global silicate weathering and CO2 consumption rates deduced from the chemistry of large rivers. Chem. Geol., 1999, 159, 3–30. Whipple, K. X. and Meade, B. J., Orogen response to changes in climatic and tectonic forcing. Earth Planet. Sci. Lett., 2006, 243, 218–228.

ID: 63092
Title: Semi-empirical model for predicting pot-hole depth in underground coal mining
Author: Lokhande D. Ritesh, V. M. S. R. Murthy and Singh Kalendra
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1761-1769 (2018)
Subject: Semi-empirical model for predicting pot-hole depth in underground coal mining
Keywords: Bord and pillar method, depillaring, pothole subsidence, pot-hole depth, underground coal mining
Abstract: Pot-hole subsidence can be induced by extracting underground coal seam at shallow depth and is a matter of great concern. This has been the case in some of the coal mines of South Eastern Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India Limited. Many of the old underground coal mines developed by bord and pillar method of mining lying at shallow depth are posing stability concerns to the habitat due to pillar collapse and gallery widening under the creep loading and weathering. This requires a systematic study for developing an in-depth analysis on various parameters which influence pot-hole occurrence and also for formulating suitable predictive models. A study was conducted to analyse the pot-hole subsidence data related to 34 pot-hole cases and develop a semi-empirical model for simulating pot-hole depth. This study was carried out in some of the Indian coal mines during different stages of coal extraction, i.e. development. and depillaring. Data analysis indicates that height and width of extraction, thickness of soil and rock layers, weighted density and compressive strength are key contributing parameters for the occurrence of pot-hole subsidence. The predicted results match with the actual pot-hole depth measured in the field, validating the model.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Nie, L., Wang, H., Xu, Y. and Li, Z., A new prediction model for mining subsidence deformation: the arc tangent function model. Nat. Hazard, 2015, 75, 2185–2198. Lokhande, R. D., Prakash, A., Singh, K. B. and Singh, K. K. K., Subsidence control measures in coal mines: a review. J. Sci. Indust. Res., 2005, 64, 323–332.
Literature cited 2: Lokhande, R. D., Murthy, V. M. S. R. and Singh, K. B., Pot-hole subsidence in underground coal mining: some Indian experiences. Int. J. Geotech. Geol. Eng., 2013, 31, 793–799. Lokhande, R. D., Murthy, V. M. S. R. and Singh, K. B., Predictive models for pot-hole depth in underground coal mining – some Indian experiences. Arabian J. Geosci., 2014, 7(11), 4697–4705.

ID: 63091
Title: Population dynamics of Betula ermanii in response to climate change at the Changbai Mountain treeline, China
Author: Xiaodong Wang, Weihua Dong, Huiqing Liu, Zhengfang Wu, Weihong Fan and Junhu Dai
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1751-1760 (2018)
Subject: Population dynamics of Betula ermanii in response to climate change at the Changbai Mountain treeline, China
Keywords: Betula ermanii population dynamics, climate change, Changbai Mountains, treeline shift, tree-ring analysis.
Abstract: To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the population dynamics of Betula ermanii in response to climate change over temporal and spatial dimensions, 310 quadrats were systematically sampled in 7 plots located in the upper treeline region on the north-facing slopes of Changbai Mountains. IKONOS images were used to identify the spatial distribution of Betula ermanii with the aid of a digital elevation model (DEM). Meteorological data were recorded in the field throughout the study area and collected from a nearby long-term weather station, to reconstruct the temperature and precipitation changes. We collected tree-ring samples from a total of 1197 Betula ermanii trees. The correlation coefficients between 14 eco-climate parameters (from 1953 to 2008) and the aggregated annual indices of population dynamics for each quadrat (totaling 310 quadrats) in the corresponding years were calculated via statistical analysis facilitated by GIS technology. The results show that the Betula ermanii population is more sensitive to changes in air temperature, than to change in precipitation. During the period when air temperatures increased at a slower pace, the Betula ermanii population steadily expanded via asexual reproduction and showed higher survival rate. During the period when air temperatures increased rapidly, the Betula ermanii population responded via rapid sexual reproduction and produced a large number of progeny.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Shi, P. l., Korner, C. and Hoch, G., End of season carbon supply status of woody species near the treeline in western China. Basic Appl. Ecol., 2006, 7, 370–377. Singh, C. P., Panigrahy, S., Thapuyal, A., Kimothi, M. M., Soni, P. and Parihar, J. S., Monitoring the alpine treeline shift in parts of the Indian Himalayas using remote sensing. Cur. Sci., 2012, 102(4), 559–562.
Literature cited 2: . Soja, A. J. et al., Climate-induced boreal forest change: predictions versus current observations. Global Planet Change, 2007, 56, 274–296. Elliott, K. J., Miniat, C. F., Pederson, N. and Laseter, S. H., Forest tree growth response to hydroclimate variability in the southern Appalachians. Global Change Biol., 2015, 21, 4627–4641.

ID: 63090
Title: Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in relation to cropping systems in Central Himalaya, India
Author: Kirtika Padalia, S. S. Bargali, Kiran Bargali and Kapil Khulbe
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1741-1750 (2018)
Subject: Microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in relation to cropping systems in Central Himalaya, India
Keywords: Cropping systems, microbial biomass, microbial activity, tree plantation.
Abstract: In this study, the impact of cropping systems on physicochemical properties of soil and microbial biomass was evaluated. Soil was collected from four cultivated fields (cropland, crop + single tree species, crop + multiple tree species and homegardens) and one uncultivated (agriculturally discarded) field and analysed. The outcome of the present study indicated that cultivated land squandered about 14% C and 5% N in 8 years of cultivation to the nearby uncultivated land. Soil microbial biomass of cultivated land with multiple tree species (C + mT) was greater than other systems and showed an appreciable seasonal variation. The microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) assorted from 166 to 266 μg g–1 and microbial biomass nitrogen (Nmic) from 11 to 41 μg g–1. Cmic contributed 1.25–1.90% of soil C and Nmic 0.83– 3.77% of soil N. Among cultivated land, maximum Cmic and Nmic were reported in C + mT system which suggested that tree plantation in cultivated land has significant positive effects on microbial biomass and other soil properties by shifting natural soil properties under the similar environmental circumstances.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Kara, O. and Bolat, I., The effect of different land uses on soil microbial biomass carbon and nitrogen in Bartin province. Turk.J. Agric. For., 2008, 32, 281–288. Jenkinson, D. S. and Lass, J. N., Microbial biomass in soil: measurement and turnover. In Soil Biochemistry (eds Paul, E. A. and Ladd, J. N.), New York, 1981, pp. 415–471.
Literature cited 2: Zaia, F. C., Gama-Rodrigues, A. C., Gama-Rodrigues, E. F., Moc,M. K. S., Fontes, A. G., Machado, R. C. R. and Baligar, V. C., Carbon, nitrogen, organic phosphorus, microbial biomass and N mineralization in soils under cacao agroforestry systems in Bahia, Brazil. Agroforest. Syst., 2012, 86(2), 197–212. Sharma, P., Rai, S. C., Sharma, R. and Sharma, E., Effects of land use change on soil microbial C, N and P in a Himalayan watershed. Pedobiologia, 2004, 48, 83–92.

ID: 63089
Title: Photocatalytic degradation of aqueous phenanthrene in a slurry photocatalytic reactor: optimization and modelling
Author: C. Nirmala Rani and S. Karthikeyan
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1732-1740 (2018)
Subject: Photocatalytic degradation of aqueous phenanthrene in a slurry photocatalytic reactor: optimization and modelling
Keywords: Degradation, kinetic constants, mineralization, photocatalysis, TiO2
Abstract: A photoreactor with 254 nm, 16 W UV lamp was evaluated for phenanthrene (PHE) degradation. The effect of operating variables such as initial PHE concentration (1000–1500 μg/l), catalyst dosage (0.1– 0.9 g/l) and pH (3.0–9.0) on PHE degradation was investigated in detail. The batch study of photocatalytic process showed 83.5% PHE degradation and 60.2% TOC removal for optimized values (PHE concentration – 1000 μg/l, TiO2 dosage – 0.5 g/l and pH – 3.0) during 3 h reaction. The photocatalytic degradation of PHE was found to follow pseudo-first-order kinetics. The results obtained from continuous process revealed that nano TiO2 could be used for industrial applications because of its potential for long-term operations. Response surface methodology (RSM) with Design Expert software was used to analyse the obtained experimental data.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Gevao, B., Jones, K. C. and Hamilton, T. J., Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) deposition in a small rural lake Cumbria, UK. Sci. Total Environ., 1998, 215, 231–242. Gao, Y. Z. and Zhu, L. Z., Plant uptake, accumulation and translocation of phenanthrene and pyrene in soil. Chemosphere, 2004, 127(1), 131–139.
Literature cited 2: Baek, S., Goldstone, M., Kirk, P., Lester, J. and Perry, R., Phase distribution and particle size dependency of polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons in the urban atmosphere. Chemosphere, 1991, 22, 503–520. NRC (National Research Council), Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: Evaluation of sources and effects. National Academy Press ES/I-ES/7, Washington, DC, 1983.

ID: 63088
Title: Tree-based classification of tabla strokes
Author: Subodh Deolekar and Siby Abraham
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1724-1731 (2018)
Subject: Tree-based classification of tabla strokes
Keywords: Classification, decision tree, random forest, tree classifiers, tabla strokes.
Abstract: This study attempts to validate the effectiveness of tree classifiers to classify tabla strokes especially the ones which overlap in nature. It uses decision tree, ID3 and random forest as classifiers. A custom-made data set of 650 samples of 13 different tabla strokes were used for experimental purpose. Thirty-one different features with their mean and variances were extracted for classification. Three data sets consisting of 21,361, 18,802 and 19,543 instances respectively, were used for the purpose. Validation was done using measures like receiver operating characteristic curve and accuracy. All the classifiers showed excellent results with random forest outperforming the other two. The effectiveness of random forest in classifying strokes which overlap in nature is evaluated by comparing the known results with multi-layer perceptron.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Sagar, S. N., A comparative study of classification techniques in data mining algorithms. Orient. J. Comput. Sci. Technol., 2015, 8(1), 13–19. Yan-yan, S. and Ying, L. Decision tree methods: applications for classification and prediction. Shanghai Arch. Psychiatry, 2015, 27(2), 130–135.
Literature cited 2: Moon, S. S., Kang, S.-Y., Jitpitaklert, W. and Kim, S. B., Decision tree models for characterizing smoking patterns of older adults. Expert Syst. Appl., 2012, 39(1), 445–451. Wilton, W. T., Fok, H. C., Yi, J., Li, S., Au Yeung, H. H., Ying, W. and Fang, L., Data mining application of decision trees for student profiling at the Open University of China. In IEEE 13th International Conference on Trust, Security and Privacy in Computing and Communications, Beijing, 2014,

ID: 63087
Title: Microbial eukaryotic diversity with emphasis on picoprasinophytes under the sea ice of the central Arctic Ocean in summer
Author: Wei Luo, Huirong Li, Xiaoyan Gao, Ling Lin, Yong Yu and Yinxin Zeng
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1709-1713 (2018)
Subject: Microbial eukaryotic diversity with emphasis on picoprasinophytes under the sea ice of the central Arctic Ocean in summer
Keywords: Microbial eukaryotes, molecular probe, picoprasinophyte, sea ice.
Abstract: The central Arctic Ocean and its microbial ecosystem are shifting towards variable states due to climate change. In this study, diverse microbial eukaryotes belonging to Alveolata, Chlorophyta, Stramenopile,Telonemia, Picobiliphyta, Cercozoa, Choanoflagellida, Fungi and Haptophyta have been identified by pyrosequencing. Canonical correspondence analysis suggested that the microbial eukaryote communities sampled from lower latitudes were significantly correlated with temperature and nutrients in sea water, whereas those from higher latitudes were correlated with conditions of ice cover, latitude of sample site and chlorophyll concentration. Picoplankton Micro monas, with a total occurrence of 17% of all reads, was the most abundant taxon. Quantification of picoprasinophytes by FISH proved their absolute predominance in the central Arctic Ocean under heavy sea ice.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Not, F. et al., Picobiliphytes: a marine picoplanktonic algal group with unknown affinities to other eukaryotes. Science, 2007, 315, 253–255. Luo, W., Li, H. R., Cai, M. H. and He, J. F., Diversity of microbial eukaryotes in Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Hydrobiologia, 2009, 636, 233–248.
Literature cited 2: Piquet, A. M. T., Scheepens, J. F., Bolhuis, H., Wiencke, C. and Buma, A. G. J., Variability of protistan and bacterial communities in two Arctic fjords (Spitsbergen). Polar Biol., 2010, 33, 1521– 1536. Bachy, C., López-García, P., Vereshchaka, A. and Moreira, D., Diversity and vertical distribution of microbial eukaryotes in the snow, sea ice and seawater near the North Pole at the end of the polar night. Front. Microbiol., 2011, 2, 1–12.

ID: 63086
Title: Genome sequences of two cold-adapted Cryobacterium spp. SO1 and SO2 from Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica
Author: C. P. Teoh, C. M. V. L. Wong, D. J. H. Lee, M. A. González , N. Najimudin, P. C. Lee and Y. K. Cheah
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1706-1708 (2018)
Subject: Genome sequences of two cold-adapted Cryobacterium spp. SO1 and SO2 from Fildes Peninsula, Antarctica
Keywords: Fluctuation, genomes, King George Island, 16S rDNA, temperature.
Abstract: Psychrophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria play important roles in nutrient cycling in cold environments. These bacteria are suitable as model organisms for studying cold-adaptation, and sources of cold-active enzymes and metabolites for industrial applications. Here, we report the genome sequences of two Cryobacterium sp. strains SO1 and SO2. Genes coding major proteins related to cold- or thermal-stress adaptations and those with industrial applications found in their genomes are described.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Inoue, K. and Komagata, K., Taxanomic study on obligated psychrophilic bacteria isolated from Antarctica. J. Gen. Appl. Microbiol., 1976, 22, 165–176. Suzuki, K.-I., Sasaki, J., Uramoto, M., Nakase, T. and Komagata,K., Cryobacterium psychrophilum gen. nov., sp. nov., nom. rev., comb. nov., an obligated psychophilic actonomycete to accommodate Curtobacterium psychrophilum Inoue and Komagata 1976. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 1997, 47(2), 474–478.
Literature cited 2: Zhang, D.-C. et al., Cryobacterium psychrotolerans sp. nov., a novel psychrotolerant bacterium isolate from the China No. 1 glacier. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2007, 57, 866–869. Liu, Q., Liu, H., Wen, Y., Zhou, Y. and Xin, Y., Cryobacterium flavum sp. nov. and Cryobacterium luteum sp. nov., isolated from glacier ice. Int. J. Syst. Evol. Microbiol., 2012, 62, 1296–1299.

ID: 63085
Title: Analysis of bacterial communities of King George and Deception Islands, Antarctica using high-throughput sequencing
Author: C. Y. Chua , S. T. Yong , M. A. González , P. Lavin , Y. K. Cheah , G. Y. A. Tan and C. M. V. L. Wong
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1701-1705 (2018)
Subject: Analysis of bacterial communities of King George and Deception Islands, Antarctica using high-throughput sequencing
Keywords: Antarctica, South Shetland Islands, soil bacterial diversity, 16S rDNA, pyrosequencing.
Abstract: King George Island (KGI) and Deception Island (DCI) are members of the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica, each with their own landscape and local environmental factors. Both sites are suitable for longterm monitoring of bacterial diversity shift due to warming, as temperature rises relatively faster than East Antarctica. This study was conducted to determine and compare the baseline diversity of soil bacteria in KGI and DCI. 16S rDNA amplicons of bacteria from both sites were sequenced using Illumina next generation sequencer. Results showed that major phyla in KGI and DCI were Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia, Bacteriodetes and Acidobacteria. The distribution and evenness of the soil bacterial communities varied at genus level. The genera Sphingomonas sp. was predominant at both sites while the subsequent six major genera differed. Two bacterial genera, Legionella and Clostridium were also found in low abundance in both sites, both of which may contain pathogenic members. Further verification will be required to determine whether the pathogenic members of these genera are present in both sites.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Wynn-Williams, D. D., Ecological aspects of Antarctic microbiology. Adv. Microb. Ecol., 1990, 11, 71–146. Smith, J. J., Tow, L. A., Stafford, W., Cary, C. and Cowan, D. A., Bacterial diversity in three different Antarctic cold desert mineral soils. Microb. Ecol., 2006, 51, 413–421.
Literature cited 2: Braun, C., Mustafa, O., Nordt, A., Pfeiffer, S. and Peter, H. U., Environmental monitoring and management proposals for the Fildes region, King George Island, Antarctica. Polar Res., 2012, 31, 18206. Amenábar, M. J., Flores, P. A., Pugin, B., Boehmwald, F. A. and Blamey, J. M., Archaeal diversity from hydrothermal systems of Deception Island, Antarctica. Polar Biol., 2015, 36, 373–380.

ID: 63084
Title: Effects of field warming on a High Arctic soil bacterial community: a metagenomic analysis
Author: P. P. J. Lim, K. K. Newsham, P. Convey, H. M. Gan, W. C. Yew and G. Y. A. Tan
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1697-1700 (2018)
Subject: Effects of field warming on a High Arctic soil bacterial community: a metagenomic analysis
Keywords: Arctic soil bacterial diversity, high throughput sequencing, open top chambers, Svalbard
Abstract: Soil microbial communities in the Arctic, one of the most rapidly warming regions on Earth, play an important role in a range of ecological processes. This report describes initial studies of natural soil bacterial diversity at a High Arctic site on Svalbard, as part of a long-term field environmental manipulation study. The impact of increased soil temperature and water availability on soil microbial communities was investigated. The manipulation experiment, using open-top chambers, was installed in late summer 2014, and the soils were sampled soon after snow melt in July 2015. High throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes showed relatively uniform diversity across the study area and revealed no significant initial effect of treatments on bacterial communities over the first 10-month autumn–winter–spring manipulation period.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Symon, C., Arris, L. and Heal, B. (eds), Arctic Climate Impact Assessment, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 2005. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Climate Change 2014 – Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Regional Aspects, Cambridge University Press, 2014, pp. 3–5.
Literature cited 2: Cooper, E. J., Warmer shorter winters disrupt arctic terrestrial ecosystems. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. Syst., 2014, 45, 271–295. AMAP. Snow, Water, Ice and Permafrost in the Arctic (SWIPA): Climate Change and the Cryosphere. Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), Oslo, 2011.

ID: 63083
Title: Population dynamics of bacterioplankton component associated with the phytoplankton biomass in Kongsfjorden, an Arctic fjord
Author: Rupesh Kumar Sinha, K. P. Krishnan and Savita Kerkar
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1690-1694 (2018)
Subject: Population dynamics of bacterioplanktonic component associated with the phytoplankton biomass in Kongsfjorden, an Arctic fjord
Keywords: Arctic, bacterial diversity, Kongsfjorden, phytoplankton pigments.
Abstract: Temporal variation (June and October 2012) in bacterial and phytoplankton communities of Kongsfjorden was studied using 16S rRNA gene clone libraries and marker pigments respectively. Proteobacteria was the dominant phyla in Kongsfjorden with Gammaproteobacterial (42%) and Alphaproteobacteria (84%) dominating in June and October, respectively. Retrieval of sequences affiliated to Verrucomicrobia, Gammaproteobacteria and Bacteroidetes in June corresponded with high autotrophic biomass (Chl a, 33 ng l–1) whereas abundance of SAR 11 coincided with decrease in the intensity of autotrophic biomass (Chl a, 24 ng l–1) in October. Thus, the distribution of bacterioplankton community varied with change in phytoplankton composition indicating a significant coupling between these two groups in the fjord water.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: Hop, H. et al., The marine ecosystem of Kongsfjorden, Svalbard. Polar Res., 2002, 21, 167–208. Buchan, A., LeCleir, G. R., Gulvik, C. A. and González, J. M., Master recyclers: features and functions of bacteria associated with phytoplankton blooms. Nat. Rev. Microbiol., 2014, 12, 686–698.
Literature cited 2: Van Heukelem, L., HPLC phytoplankton pigments: sampling, laboratory methods, and quality assurance procedures. In Ocean Optics Protocols for Satellite Ocean Color Sensor (eds Mueller, J. and Fargion, G.), NASA Technical Memorandum, 2002, Revision 3, vol. 2, chap. 16, pp. 258–268. Sinha, R. K., Krishnan, K. P., Hatha, A. A. M., Rahiman, M., David, D. T. and Kerkar, S., Diversity of retrievable heterotrophic bacteria in Kongsfjorden, an Arctic fjord. Braz. J. Microbiol.,2017, 48, 51–61.

ID: 63082
Title: Occurrence of ice-bonded sediments in the Mackenzie Trough, Beaufort Sea
Author: Young-Gyun Kim, Young Keun Jin, Sookwan Kim, Seung-Goo Kang and Jong Kuk Hong
Editor: R. Srinivasan
Year: 2018
Publisher: Current Science Association and Indian Academy of Sciences.
Source: ENVIS, CES & EWRG, CES
Reference: Current Science Vol. 115 (9) 1669-1673 (2018)
Subject: Occurrence of ice-bonded sediments in the Mackenzie Trough, Beaufort Sea
Keywords: Beaufort Sea, IBRV Araon, Mackenzie Trough, subsea permafrost limit, subbottom profile, subsurface temperature.
Abstract: The Arctic continental shelves experienced subsea permafrost degradation because of the long-term warming and sea level rise since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), when the sea level was ~100 m lower than its present level. However, the current status of the subsea permafrost limit is not yet clearly defined due to a lack of evidence. New subbottom profiling and subsurface temperatures were acquired to examine the subsea permafrost limit on the eastern slope of the Mackenzie Trough during Korean Icebreaker R/V Araon expeditions in the summer of 2013 and 2014. We found anomalous subbottom acoustic features indicating ice-bonded sediments where cold bottom water and a subsurface with subzero temperature exists. The cold bottom water belongs to the Arctic halocline. We conclude that with help from cold Arctic halocline, ice-bonded sediments can exist at shallow water depths of <100 m. We argue that they are relict subsea permafrost from the LGM, but further investigation is required to clarify their origin. Our conclusion implies that ice-bonded sediments can occur at shallow water depths over the Arctic continental shelves and that their fate depends on the temperature change in seawater.
Location: T E 15 New Biology building
Literature cited 1: . Brown, J., Ferrians, O., Heginbottom, J. A. and Melnikov, E., Circum – Arctic map of permafrost and ground-ice condition, version 2, National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado, USA, 2002. International Permafrost Association, Multi-language Glossary of Permafrost and Related Ground-ice Terms, Boulder, CO: National Snow and Ice Data Center, 1998, Revised May 2005 edn.
Literature cited 2: Heginbottom, J. A., Brown, J., Melnikov, E. S. and Ferrians Jr, O. J., Circum-Arctic map of permafrost and ground-ice conditions in permafrost. In Sixth International Conference, South Chinal University Press, 1993, pp. 1132–1136. Taylor, A. E. et al., Numerical model of the geothermal regime on the Beaufort Shelf, Arctic Canada since the Last Interglacial. J. Geophys. Res: Earth Surf., 2013, 118, 2013JF002859; doi: 10.1002/2013JF002859.