Major ion chemistry,weathering processes and water quality assessment in upper catchment of Damodar River basin,India

The chemical characteristics of surface, groundwater and mine water of the upper catchment of the Damodar River basin were studied to evaluate the major ion chemistry, geochemical processes controlling water composition and suitability of water for domestic, industrial and irrigation uses. Water samples from ponds, lakes, rivers, reservoirs and groundwater were collected and analysed for pH, EC, TDS, F, Cl, HCO₃, SO₄, NO_3, Ca, Mg, Na and K. In general, Ca, Na, Mg, HCO₃ and Cl dominate, except in samples from mining areas which have higher concentration of SO₄. Water chemistry of the area reflects continental weathering, aided by mining and other anthropogenic impacts. Limiting groundwater use for domestic purposes are contents of TDS, F, Cl, SO₄, NO₃ and TH that exceed the desirable limits in water collected from mining and urban areas. The calculated values of SAR, RSC and %Na indicate good to permissible use of water for irrigation. High salinity, %Na, Mg-hazard and RSC values at some sites limit use for agricultural purposes.     

Temporal variability in the withdrawal phase of southwest monsoon over India and related consequences in northeast monsoon: a climatological perspective

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - The variability in duration of withdrawal phase of southwest monsoon over India is often witnessed to influence the northeast monsoon rainfall of India as...     

Spatio-temporal variability of lightning climatology and its association with thunderstorm indices over India

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Lightning is an electrical discharge — a ‘spark’ or ‘flash’ as charged regions in the atmosphere instantly balance themselves...     

A diagnosis of groundwater quality from a semiarid region in Rajasthan,India

A diagnosis of the groundwater quality of 70 wells sampled during two climatic regimes (dry and raining seasons) from a semiarid area in Rajasthan, India, had been carried out using standard methods. Analysis of the results for various hydrochemical parameters wherein the geological units are alluvium, quartzite and granite gneisses showed that all the parameters did not fall within the World Health Organisation’s acceptable limits for irrigation and drinking water purposes. The order of major cations and anions obtained during the dry and raining seasons are Na⁺ ? Mg²⁺ ? Ca²⁺ ? K⁺ and Cl^?? HCO₃ ^? ? SO₄ ^2?? CO₃ ^?> F^? ? NO₃ ^?, respectively. A maximum value of nitrate of 491.6 mg/l has been examined and its contamination is due to discriminated highly impacted groundwater samples by agricultural activity and small-scale urbanization. Fluoride (F^?) concentration is 6.50 mg/l as a maximum value, whereas values in about 26 % of the samples are more than the permissible limit (1.5 mg/l) for drinking water. The cumulative probability distributions of the selected ions show two individual intersection points with three diverse segments, considered as regional threshold values and highly impacted threshold values for differentiating the samples with the effects of geogenic, anthropogenic and saline water mixing. The first threshold values indicate the background hydrochemical constituents in the study area. The second threshold value of 732 mg/l for bicarbonate indicates that sandy aquifer is being dissolved during wet period, whereas NO₃ ^? concentration of more than the initial threshold value (=75 mg/l) indicates discriminated highly impacted groundwater samples by agricultural activity and urbanization in dry season. Various parameters such as soluble sodium percentage (SSP), salinity (electrical conductivity (EC)), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), Kelley’s ratio (KR), permeability index (PI), residual sodium bicarbonate (RSB) and magnesium absorption ratio (MAR) for the well samples show that, overall, 46 % of groundwater samples are not suitable for irrigation. Further, chloro-alkaline indices (CAIs) were used for distinguishing regional recharge and discharge zones whereas corrosivity ratio (CR) utilized for demarcating areas to use metallic pipes for groundwater supply. In general, groundwater quality is mainly controlled by the chemical weathering of rock-forming minerals. The information obtained represents a base for future work that will help to assess the groundwater condition for periodical monitoring and managing the groundwater from further degradation.     

Mapping lithology and assessing recharge characteristics in a granitic hard rock aquifer: Inference from 2D resistivity,induced polarization,tracer and moisture measurements

Two dimensional Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) investigation along with Time Domain Induced Polarization (TDIP) investigation covering 1.6 km line were carried out at 3 natural recharge sites in a overexploited groundwater granite watershed, situated in a semi arid region in the state of Telangana, India. At these sites, shallow and/ or deep moisture influx measurements were also carried out using injected tritium tracer and neutron moisture probe. The watershed is covered by sandy loam to silt loam soil, receives an average annual rainfall of 620 mm with the pre monsoon groundwater level ranging from 8m to 29m bgl. The spot investigations were done to assess and understand the recharge process and groundwater potential in terms of resistivity/conductivity and moisture characteristics of the subsurface rock formation.     

Water Quality Monitoring of Tropical Ponds: Location and Depth Effect in Two Case Studies

The variability in water chemistry of samples taken on a monthly basis (March 1999 to February 2000) from two shallow tropical ponds was studied. The effect of location and pond depth on water chemistry was also examined. The study demonstrated that intraannual variability in nutrient concentration is high. Thus, a high annual sampling frequency is required to provide representative annual mean water quality data. Routine monitoring during the monsoons is important for studies on dissolved oxygen and macrophyte growth. Significant differences were found between the topmost and bottommost points for samples of dissolved oxygen collected from the deepest part of both ponds. For nutrient analysis (nitrogen and phosphorus), sample from any location was found to be representative of the whole pond.     

Palaeocurrent and environmental implications from anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS): a case study from Talchir and Barakar formations,Raniganj Basin,West Bengal,India

Oriented cylindrical cores of rock samples were collected from the Talchir and Barakar formations of the Lower Gondwana Supergroup of the Raniganj Basin exposed in and around Kalyaneshwari and Maithon areas. The cores (2.54 cm diameter and 2.2 cm height) were studied in the low field anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) measurement to determine the nature of magnetic fabrics, to correlate it with the sedimentological characteristics and to determine the palaeocurrent patterns. The results derived from the statistical parameters (especially the q-factor), the shapes of the susceptibility ellipsoids and directional data of the AMS indicate that the magnetic fabrics within the studied units are primary (depositional) and are correlatable form the palaeoenvironmental features. The orientation of the maximum (K₁), intermediate (K₂) and minimum (K₃) susceptibility axes is dispersed on the lower hemisphere equal area diagram rather than strong clusters which is not because of secondary (tectonic) influence but due to the moderate to high-energy environment of deposition of the sediments in the studied units. Based on the q-factor (which is 0.581 for Barakar Formation and 0.565 for Talchir Formation which are both <?0.7), it is suggested the AMS indicates that the imbrication of the K₁ axis is the indicator of palaeocurrent. Also, the magnetic foliation (average value?=?1.255) exceeds the magnetic lineation (average value?=?1.107) and the shape parameter exceeds 0 in most cases pointing towards an oblate fabric. The palaeocurrent in the present study as indicated by the K₁ axis imbrication is very similar in both the units under study and is due SW. However, apart from this precise palaeocurrent direction, there exists a certain degree of randomness of the susceptibility axes which are very clear indication of corresponding depositional environments.     

Battered minipile response to low-frequency cyclic lateral loading in very dense sand

Acta Geotechnica - This experimental study investigates the response of vertical and battered minipiles to two-way symmetrical low-frequency (0.1&nbsp;Hz) cyclic lateral loading. Laboratory...     

Monitoring dual-season hydrological dynamics of seasonally flooded wetlands in the lower reach of Mayurakshi River,Eastern India

The seasonally flooded wetlands are often neglected due to their ephemeral and erratic appearance and small size, however, their hydro-ecological importance, socio-economic values are equivalent to the permanent wetlands. Using dual-season Landsat multi-spectral imagery, this study highlights a comprehensive monitoring of the hydrological dynamics of wetlands in the lower reach of the Mayurakshi River at a 14-year temporal resolution with the seasonal mode of 1987–2014 time frames. Our results demonstrate the seasonal and periodic hydrological variability of water presence frequency (WPF) in six wetland complexes defined for this study. The Hijal, Ghambira and Maldah wetland complexes are highly affected by the change of WPF, while Dwarka complex is relatively stable. The assessment of WPF change analysis showed that the method is proficient in identifying stable and physically vulnerable wetland patches and absolute loss of wetland inundation frequency resulting from various anthropogenic causes like regulation of river, dry farming practices and other integrated developmental works. The outcome of our study provides a robust basis for the fundamental hydrological and ecological studies and helpful for the conservation and management of seasonally flooded wetland resources in the tropical monsoon climate.