Geo-spatial dynamics of snowcover and hydro-meteorological parameters of Astore basin,UIB, HKH Region,Pakistan

Snowcover dynamics and associated accumulation and depletion of snowcover along with its spatial and temporal scale mainly constitute hydrological phenomena of the given basin and are mostly controlled by the local climate variables. Snow accumulation and melting time and duration determine the cyclic volume of water resources and downstream availability. In this study, snowcover area (SCA) was extracted from remotely sensed Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) snow products (MOD10A2) for the period 2000–2016. Data for hydro-meteorological parameters was obtained from relevant departments acquired through their field stations. The analysis of 16-year satellite data shows that there is a slight increase in cryospheric area at high altitude. In Astore basin, the study concluded that 15–20% of the basin area is covered by glacier and snowcover may reach around 90–95% of the basin area due to accumulation of seasonal snow from the westerly wind circulation. Analysis of hydro-meteorological parameters showed significant correlation between temperatures (T_max, T_min) and river runoff while no significant correlation was observed between river runoff and rainfall. Similarly, significant inverse correlation was found between river runoff and Astore mean snowcover. At sub-altitudinal zone level (zones 1, 2, 3), river runoff has significant correlation with snowcover. Analysis of 20-year climate data along with river runoff depicts that river runoff is a general phenomenon of snowmelt when minimum temperature starts to rise above 4 °C during mid of April. The study highlights the importance and interdependence of meteorological parameters and snowcover dynamics in determining the hydrological characteristics of Astore Basin.     

Fluoride contamination of groundwater and its seasonal variability in parts of Purulia district,West Bengal,India

The contamination of aquifers by fluoride and arsenic is a major cause of concern in several parts of India. A study has thus been conducted to evaluate the extent and severity of fluoride contamination and also its seasonal variability. Two blocks (Purulia-1 and Purulia-2) were considered for this purpose. Twenty groundwater samples (in each season) were collected from tube wells during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. In addition to fluoride, groundwater samples were also analyzed for major cations, anions, and other trace elements. The concentration of fluoride shows significant seasonal variation and ranges between 0.94–2.52 and 0.25–1.43 mg/l during the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, respectively. In pre-monsoon season, more than 40% of the water samples show fluoride concentrations higher than the WHO limit. However, during the post-monsoon season, none of the groundwater sample shows fluoride concentrations higher than the WHO limit. Lesser concentration during the post-monsoon season is attributed to the dilution effect by the percolating rainwater, which has also been reflected in the form of a decrease in concentrations of other elements. The petrographic studies of the rock samples collected from the study area show that the rocks are mainly composed of plagioclase, orthoclase, and quartz with abundant biotite. The weathering and dissolution of biotite plays an important role in controlling the fluoride concentrations in the groundwater of the study area.     

Rainfall–runoff modelling of railway embankment steep slopes

Abstract

A distributed 1D rainfall–runoff model is presented. It consists of the Saint Venant continuity and momentum equations for overland flow and a modified Green-Ampt model for the infiltration on railway embankment steep slopes. The model is applied to adjacent 10-m-wide erosion control experimental plots with different percentages of grass cover. A relationship between the 2-day antecedent rainfall and initial moisture content was established and used to predict the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks). Average values of Ks for 0, 50 and 100% grass cover were found to be 0.1, 1.19 and 2.56 mm/h, respectively. For the majority of cases, the model simulated runoff with acceptable accuracy, 68% having Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) values above 0.50. The average NSE value varied between 0.60 and 0.80, with 0% grass-covered plots yielding the highest values. As expected, the runoff volume decreased with increasing percentage of grass cover.

Citation Sajjan, A.K., Gyasi-Agyei, Y., and Sharma, R.H., 2013. Rainfall–runoff modelling of railway embankment steep slopes. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 58 (5), 1162–1176.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis     

Geochemistry of Cd in groundwater of Winder,Balochistan and suspected health problems

Sedimentary rocks of Jurassic age (Ferozabad group) and igneous rocks (Bela Ophiolite) of Cretaceous age are widely exposed in the east of Winder Town, Balochistan. Representative 48 water and soil samples were collected and analyzed for Cd and other elements. The present study showed that water samples were contaminated by the Cd ion and most of the samples have higher concentration than prescribed WHO standards (3 μg/l) for drinking purpose. The concentration of Cd ions ranged between 1 and 30 with mean values of 10 μg/l and was found high in the vicinity of outcrops. The alkaline pH (av. 7.42) was mainly responsible for elevated Cd content in the water, having near equal molar proportions of Ca and HCO₃ ions. Computed relative mobility values appeared as 0.23, indicating poor leaching from rocks and metal load in the groundwater is also measured low. The estimated values of mobility reflect fairly high mobility of Cd in the study area, decreases with distance from outcrops. The health hazard indices of drinking water was high (av. 1.33) with respect to safe average daily intake of Cd. The consumption of high Cd-bearing water may induce many disorders in the human health.     

Arsenite removal from water by electro-coagulation on zinc–zinc and copper–copper electrodes

Removal of arsenite from aqueous solution was carried out using electro-coagulation method. The experiments were conducted using copper–copper and zinc–zinc electrodes. The optimized experimental parameters were 2.0 mg/L initial concentration, 16.0-min processing time, 6.0 pH, 3.0-V applied voltage and 30 °C temperature for zinc–zinc electrodes while these values for copper–copper electrodes were 2.0 mg/L initial concentration, 20.0-min processing time, 7.0 pH, 5.0-V applied voltage and 30 °C temperature. The results demonstrated that zinc–zinc and copper–copper electrodes removed arsenite up to 99.89 and 99.56 %, respectively. The treated water was clear, colorless and odorless without any secondary contamination. There was no change in water quality after the removal of arsenite. The reported method is capable to remove arsenite from water at 6–7 pH range, which is a pH range of natural water. Therefore, this method may be the choice of arsenite removal from natural ground water.     

Assessment of vulnerability to seawater intrusion and potential remediation measures for coastal aquifers: a case study from eastern India

Seawater intrusion is a major threat to the rapidly depleting groundwater resources in the coastal areas of India. Groundwater-based irrigation, significant industrial development and rapid urbanization are some of the key contributors exacerbating the stress on groundwater resources. Vulnerability to seawater intrusion in the Ramanathapuram district of Eastern India is assessed here utilizing the GALDIT method, for a period of 10 years (2001–2010). Results revealed a drastic increase in percent area coverage under moderate vulnerability, from 19.5 to 53.88 %, between the years 2001 and 2010. On the contrary, areas classified as highly vulnerable underwent minor changes over the span of the study. Vulnerability of the study area was also analyzed for the year 2050 considering an average global mean sea level rise of 3.1 mm/year. Results from the analysis for the year 2050 showed that, almost, the entire study area (~97 %) was classified under moderate vulnerability. As a remedial measure to this imminent threat, favorable zones for artificial recharge were delineated on the basis of overlay analysis with weightage values for important controlling factors. Subsequently, the quantity of artificial recharge required to inhibit the intrusion of seawater, at specified favorable zones were estimated to be 674.87, 599.18 and 1,450.66 m³/year.     

Evaluation of hydrogeochemical parameters and quality assessment of the groundwater in Kottur blocks, Tiruvarur district, Tamilnadu, India

A study was conducted to evaluate the water quality of Kottur block, Thiruvarur district, Tamilnadu. Groundwater samples from hand pumps and tube wells of 16 stations were analyzed during postmonsoon and premonsoon (2008) with the help of standard methods of APHA (1995). Dominance of cations are in the following order Na>Ca>K>Mg and Cl>SO₄>HCO₃>NO₃ by anions in both the seasons. The analytical results shows higher concentration of total dissolved solids, electrical conductivity, sodium, chloride, and sulfate which indicate signs of deterioration but values of pH, calcium, magnesium, and nitrate are within permissible limit as per World Health Organization standards. From the Piper trilinear diagram, it is observed that the majority of groundwater samples are Na-Cl and Ca-Mg-SO₄ facies clearly indicates seawater incursion. In Wilcox diagram, most of the samples fall in low to very high sodium hazard and low to very high salinity hazard indicates moderately suitable for agricultural activities. Kelly’s ratio and magnesium ratio indicates most of the samples fall in suitable for irrigation purpose.     

Biodegradation of toxic chemicals in Guayanilla Bay,Puerto Rico

Studies were conducted to assess the factors that may influence the rate and extent of biodegradation of biphenyl, naphthalene, phenanthrene, pentachlorophenol (PCP) and p-nitrophenol in water samples collected from the Guayanilla Bay (18 degrees N; 67.45 degrees W), southwest of Puerto Rico. In vitro studies mediated slow degradation of biphenyl, naphthalene and phenanthrene substrates by natural microbial flora present in the Bay. Addition of KNO(3) as a source of inorganic N greatly enhanced the degradation of phenanthrene but not of naphthalene, suggesting that effects on degradation due to nutrient limitation were compound specific. The rate and extent of degradation of naphthalene and PCP were higher in water samples collected closer to the source of contamination, i.e. the petrochemical complex. The identity of a phenanthrene degrading bacterium, previously identified by conventional phenotypic method (Zaidi et al., Utilizing Nature's Advanced Materials, Oxford Unviersity Press, 1999) as Alteromonas sp., was confirmed by partial DNA sequencing of the small subunit rRNA gene.     

Hydrochemistry of groundwater of Thiruporur block, Tamil Nadu (India)

An attempt has been made in this work to evaluate the environmental chemistry of groundwater in Thiruporur block, Kancheepuram District, Tamil Nadu, India. Eleven villages of Thiruporur block were selected; where the people use groundwater for drinking purpose, and the water samples were subjected to systematic analysis with a view to understand the potability of drinking water sources. The depth of the bore wells varied from 100 to 200?feet. The values obtained for different parameters were compared with the standard values given by ISI/ICMR/WHO and the variations were notable for the parameters like nitrate and total hardness for few samples. Therefore, a medical survey was carried out to study the harmful effects on the society due to these two parameters at the villages??Kayar and Melkottaiyar.     

A New Approach in Coal Mine Exploration Using Cosmic Ray Muons

Muon radiography is a technique that uses cosmic ray muons to image the interior of large scale geological structures. The muon absorption in matter is the most important parameter in cosmic ray muon radiography. Cosmic ray muon radiography is similar to X-ray radiography. The main aim in this survey is the simulation of the muon radiography for exploration of mines. So, the production source, tracking, and detection of cosmic ray muons were simulated by MCNPX code. For this purpose, the input data of the source card in MCNPX code were extracted from the muon energy spectrum at sea level. In addition, the other input data such as average density and thickness of layers that were used in this code are the measured data from Pabdana (Kerman, Iran) coal mines. The average thickness and density of these layers in the coal mines are from 2 to 4 m and 1.3 gr/c³, respectively. To increase the spatial resolution, a detector was placed inside the mountain. The results indicated that using this approach, the layers with minimum thickness about 2.5 m can be identified.