Stable isotope evidence of dual (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal) vapour sources in monsoonal precipitation over north India

High resolution time series data of hydrogen (δD) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotope values of precipitation have been generated for the first time at Kolkata, eastern India where the summer monsoon clouds from Bay of Bengal (BOB) commence their journey over India. Use of a Rayleigh cum two component mixing model and comparison of Kolkata data with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)–Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) data base of New Delhi suggest that the precipitation at New Delhi cannot be explained by simple continental effect of a BOB vapour source alone, traveling and raining successively along Kolkata–New Delhi route. It is necessary to invoke an admixture of  20% vapour originating from the Arabian sea with the vapour coming from BOB and finally causing summer monsoon rains at New Delhi. The findings have major implications to the regional water vapour budget over India.     

Role of interannual equatorial forcing on the subsurface temperature dipole in the Bay of Bengal during IOD and ENSO events

Role of equatorial forcing on the thermocline variability in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) during positive and negative phases of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was investigated using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) simulations during 1988 to 2015. Two numerical experiments were carried out for (i) the Indian Ocean Model (IOM) with interannual open boundary conditions and (ii) the BoB Model (BoBM) with climatological boundary conditions. The first mode of Sea Surface Height Anomalies (SSHA) variability showed a west-east dipole nature in both IOM and altimetry observations around 11°N, which was absent in the BoBM. The vertical section of temperature along the same latitude showed a sharp subsurface temperature dipole with a core at ~ 100 m depth. The positive (negative) subsurface temperature anomalies were observed over the whole northeastern BoB during NIOD (PIOD) and LN (EN) composites due to stronger (weaker) second downwelling Kelvin Waves. During the negative phases of IOD and ENSO, the cyclonic eddy on the southwestern BoB strengthened due to intensified southward coastal current along the western BoB and local wind stress. The subsurface temperature dipole was at its peak during October–December (OND) with 1-month lag from IOD and was evident from the Argo observations and other reanalysis datasets as well. A new BoB dipole index (BDI) was defined as the normalized difference of 100-m temperature anomaly and found to be closely related to the frequency of cyclones and the surface chlorophyll-a concentration in the BoB.

     

Removal of Cadmium from Aqueous Solution Using Castor Seed Hull: A Kinetic and Equilibrium Study

The effects of various parameters such as initial concentration, adsorbent loading, pH, and contact time on kinetics and equilibrium of adsorption of Cd²⁺ metal ion from its aqueous solution by castor seed hull (CSH) and also by activated carbon have been investigated by batch adsorption experiments. The amount of adsorption increases with initial metal ion concentration, contact time, solution pH, and the loading of adsorbent for both the systems. Kinetic experiments indicate that adsorption of cadmium metal ion on both CSH and on activated carbon consists of three steps – a rapid adsorption of cadmium metal ion, a transition phase, and an almost flat plateau region. This has also been confirmed by the intraparticle diffusion model. The lumped kinetic results show that the cadmium adsorption process follows a pseudo‐second order rate law. The kinetic parameters including the rate constant are determined at different initial metal ion concentrations, pH, amount, and type of adsorbent, respectively. The Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models are used to describe the experimental data. The Langmuir model yields a better correlation coefficient than the other model. A comparison of the monolayer adsorption capacity (q_m) of CSH, activated carbon, and several other reported adsorbents has been provided. The value of separation factor (R_L) calculated from the Langmuir equation also gives an indication of favorable adsorption of the metal ion. From comparative studies, it has been found that CSH is a potentially attractive adsorbent than commercial activated carbon for cadmium metal ion (Cd²⁺) removal.