The politics of barstool biology: Environmental knowledge and power in greater Northern Yellowstone

Critical researchers of underdevelopment have established a well-known record celebrating the environmental knowledges of subsistence communities in contested wildlife conservation zones. Similar battles are being fought over science, uncertainty, and wild animals in the American west, however, with far less attention to local epistemologies. Often dismissed as “barstool biology”, the ecological knowledges of local hunters in the Northern Yellowstone ecosystem are rooted in environmental experience and situated politics. How does local hunter knowledge diverge or converge with that of state officials, environmentalists, ranchers, and other constituencies, and to what effect on wildlife management policy? This paper seeks to answer that question, reviewing recent research amongst local resource users, managers, and activists in Montana. By rendering empirical the question of local knowledge around America’s oldest national park, rather than trying to “read it off” political affiliation, education, or livelihood, a clearer picture of power, knowledge, and conservation emerges. The results suggest that emerging management policies have developed from the discursive alliance of landowners, outfitters, and environmentalists, shifting priorities towards enclosure and exclusion in wildlife at the expense of other silent constituencies.     

Science and security expertise: Authority,knowledge, subjectivity

What role does science play in shaping the political? This themed issue brings together scholars from political science, human geography, natural science and related fields with the common aim of exploring links between science/expertise and politics with a specific focus on security implications. The increasing attention to threats and risks related to issues such as climate change, migration, energy security, or emerging technologies creates a demand for new types of experts and expertise relevant for security politics. By looking at the actors who operate at the boundary between science, bureaucracy and security politics, this themed issue seeks to destabilize the notion of an apolitical sphere of science and expertise, while at the same time demonstrating how the politics of expertise shapes the authority and subjectivity of scientists and reconfigures the meanings and roles of scientific knowledge. In this editorial, we connect relevant literatures and introduce the individual articles that compose the themed issue.     

Dispossessing irrigators: Water grabbing,supply-side growth and farmer resistance in India

This paper examines, first, the conditions under which irrigating farmers are being alienated from their water through a state-led process of dispossession, and then, second, details the dialectical process of farmers’ resistance to these efforts. The paper advances recent scholarship on water grabbing and ‘accumulation by dispossession’ by drawing on a case from northwestern India to explore the connections between non-agrarian economic growth, irrigated agriculture and farmer livelihoods. Specifically, it examines an urban water infrastructure development project that aims to provide water to Jaipur, the Indian state of Rajasthan’s capital city, through the appropriation of an existing rural dam/reservoir complex built for irrigation and redirecting it to domestic, commercial and industrial uses. Drawing on an examination of policy documents and interviews with farmers and state planners, this paper argues that these transfers must be understood as a supply-side solution to support economic growth, where the lack of stable water supplies is a barrier to capital accumulation. The paper contributes to critical scholarship by showing that the processes underpinning water’s reallocation are specific acts of ongoing ‘dispossession’ through extra-economic means under advanced neoliberal capitalism, which alienates water away from peasant producers towards new centers of capital accumulation, dialectically creating peasant resistance to these efforts.     

Assessment of groundwater quality for drinking and irrigation purposes: a case study of Peddavanka watershed, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India

In India, the quantity and quality of water available for irrigation is variable from place to place. Assessment of water quality has been carried out to determine the sources of dissolved ions in groundwater. Quality of groundwater in a 398 km² Peddavanka watershed of a semi-arid region of south India is evaluated for its suitability for drinking and irrigation purposes. The middle Proterozoic Cuddapah Supergroup and Kurnool Group of rocks underlie most of the watershed. The main lithologic units consist chiefly of quartzite, limestone, and shale. Seventy-six water samples were collected from open-wells and bore-holes. Water samples were collected representative of the post-monsoon (winter) and pre-monsoon (summer). The quality assessment is made through the estimation of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, CO₃²⁻, HCO₃⁻, total hardness as CaCO₃, TDS, EC, and pH. Based on these analyses, parameters like sodium adsorption ratio, % sodium, residual sodium carbonate, non-carbonate hardness, potential salinity, Kelley’s ratio, magnesium ratio, index of base exchange and permeability index were calculated. According to Gibbs‘ ratio samples in both seasons fall in the rock dominance field. The overall quality of waters in the study area in post-monsoon season is high for all constituents ruling out pollution from extraneous sources.     

The gravity method in groundwater exploration in crystalline rocks: a study in the peninsular granitic region of Hyderabad, India

The application of variations in the earth's gravity in groundwater exploration on a regional scale, especially in sedimentary basins, metamorphic terrains, valley fills, and for buried alluvial channels, is well established. However, its use in hard crystalline rocks is little known. In granite, for example, the upper weathered layer is a potential primary aquifer, and the underlying fractured rock can form a secondary aquifer. Fracturing and weathering increases the porosity of a rock, thereby reducing the bulk density. Changes in gravity anomalies of 0.1–0.7 mGal for granites, due to weathering or variations in lithology, can be detected. To test the use of gravity as a groundwater exploration tool for crystalline rocks, a gravity survey of the peninsular shield granites underlying Osmania University Campus, Hyderabad, India, was undertaken. At the site, gravity anomalies reflect variations in the lithology and in the thickness of weathered zones. These anomalies also define the position of intrusives and lineaments. Areas of more deeply weathered granite that contain wells of higher groundwater yield are represented by negative gravity values. In the weathered zone, well yield has an inverse relation to the magnitudes of residual gravity. The study confirms the feasibility of gravity as a tool for groundwater exploration in crystalline rocks. Electronic Publication     

Characterization of surface water and groundwater in the Damascus Ghotta basin: hydrochemical and environmental isotopes approaches

The hydrochemistry of major ions and environmental isotope compositions (¹⁸O, ²H and tritium) of water samples have been used to investigate the characteristics of rainfalls, surface water and groundwater in the Damascus Ghotta basin. The groundwater salinity in the Damascus Ghotta basin gradually increases, as the groundwater moves from western to south-eastern and north-eastern parts of the basin. A strong relationship exists between the Barada river and the surrounded groundwaters, mainly in terms of recharge by infiltration of surface waters. The groundwater quality in the Adra region has clearly become less saline as a result of establishment of the sewage-water-treatment station in this area since 1997. The uncommon depleted stable isotope concentrations in the vicinity of Al-Ateibeh Lake and Adra valley could be interpreted as a result of sub-flow recharge from the Cenomanian–Turonian aquifer, mostly prolonged along the Damascus Fault, which forms direct contact between this complex and the Quaternary alluvium aquifers. The extensive exploitation of water from the Cenomanian–Turonian aquifer for drinking water supply would shortly be reflected by a gradual decline of the groundwater table in the Damascus Ghotta basin. Amelioration of water quality in the Damascus basin still requires further management strategies and efforts to be taken within the forthcoming years.     

Spatial assessment of groundwater use potential for irrigation in Teesta Barrage Project in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, development of the groundwater resource for irrigation is a vital component of the government’s agricultural strategy to attain food self-sufficiency. Amidst reports of falling groundwater levels in many parts of Bangladesh, the potential of groundwater use has been investigated in the Teesta Barrage Project (TBP) in which large-scale groundwater development for dry-season irrigation has taken place in the recent past. Several techniques and tools have been applied such as the combination of analysis of groundwater hydrographs and mathematical modelling to derive key hydrogeological variables, calculation of net irrigation requirement and the use of geographical information systems. The results show that the economically attractive high-yielding variety (HYV) Boro (dry season) rice cultivation during the groundwater irrigation season may not be sustained in large parts of the project area if the current trends in abstraction are continued. However, due to spatial variation in abstraction, nine thanas (sub-districts)—out of a total of 21 in the project area—may still be able to expand groundwater-irrigated cropland and a groundwater-use potential of 40 mm/year may be created if deep-set shallow tubewells are used by the farmers to abstract groundwater. A structured approach, based on zoning of potential areas, is recommended for groundwater development and use.

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Resumen En Bangladesh, el desarrollo de las aguas subterráneas para riego es un componente vital del la estrategia agrícola del Gobierno para obtener la auto-suficiencia alimentaria. Un informe intermedio evidencia un descenso de los niveles de aguas subterráneas en muchas partes de Bangladesh, el uso potencial de aguas subterránea ha sido investigado en el Proyecto Tessta Barrage (TBP) en el cual ha tenido lugar el desarrollo de las aguas subterráneas a gran escala para el riego en la estación seca en un pasado reciente. Se ha aplicado algunas técnicas y herramientas, como la combinación del análisis de datos gráficos de aguas subterráneas y modelización matemática para obtener variables hidrogeológicas clave, el cálculo de la necesidad neta de riego y el uso de Sistemas de Información Geográfica. El resultado muestra que el cultivo, económicamente atractivo, de arroz HYV Boro (estación seca) durante la estación de riego con aguas subterráneas puede no ser sostenible en gran parte del área del proyecto si continúan las tendencias actuales en las extracciones. Sin embargo, debido a la variación espacial en la extracción, nueve thanas (subdistritos)—de un total de 21 en el área del Proyecto—pueden todavía sufrir un aumento de la tierra cultivable regada con aguas subterráneas y que se puede asumir un uso potencial de agua subterránea de 40 mm/estación si los granjeros utilizan sondeos someros instalados en fosas para la extracción. Se recomienda una aproximación estructurada para el desarrollo y uso de las aguas subterráneas, basada en la zonificación de áreas potenciales.

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Résumé Au Bangladesh, l’exploitation des ressources en eau souterraines pour l’irrigation est une composante vitale de la stratégie agricole gouvernementale pour atteindre l’auto-suffisance alimentaire. Parmi les baisses de niveaux piézométriques rapportées sur de nombreuses régions du Bangladesh, le potentiel d’utilisation des eaux souterraines a été étudié sur le Projet de Barrage de Teesta (TBP), où, dans un passé récent, les eaux souterraines ont été massivement exploitées pour l’irrigation en saison sèche. De nombreux outils et techniques ont été utilisés, comme l’analyse combinée des chroniques piézométriques et des modèles mathématiques pour dégager les variables hydrogéologiques clés, le calcul des besoins nets pour l’irrigation, et l’utilisation des systèmes d’information géographique. Les résultats démontrent que la culture en saison d’irrigation de la variété de riz HYV Boro (saison sèche), économiquement attrayante, n’est potentiellement pas viable sur de nombreux secteurs de la zone étudiée si les prélèvements perdurent selon la tendance actuelle. Cependant, du fait de la variation spatiale des prélèvements, neuf thanas (sous-districts)—sur un total de 21 sur le secteur d’étude—pourraient encore augmenter les surfaces irriguées, et une disponibilité en eau de 40 mm/saison pourrait être générée si les agriculteurs utilisaient des puits peu profonds pour exploiter les ressources souterraines. Une approche structurée, basée sur le zonage des secteurs potentiels, est recommandée pour l’exploitation et l’utilisation des eaux souterraines.

     

Erratum to: Geochemical and environmental magnetic characteristics of high arsenic aquifer sediments from Datong Basin,northern China

Geochemical and environmental magnetic studies were carried out to identify the effect of iron oxyhydroxides on arsenic mobilization in high arsenic aquifer system. Using high arsenic sediment samples from two boreholes, specifically drilled for this study, chemical composition and magnetic properties including magnetic susceptibility, saturation remnant magnetization, and isothermal remnant magnetization were measured. Results of correlation analysis of element contents show that arsenic and iron are closely associated with each other (r ² = 0.40, α = 0.05, n = 21). In contrast, the correlation of phosphorus with iron (r = 0.11, α = 0.05, n = 21) and arsenic (r ² = 0.18, α = 0.05, n = 21) was poor, which might result from competitive adsorption of phosphorus and arsenic on the surface of Fe-oxyhydroxides. The high correlation coefficients between arsenic contents and magnetic parameters suggest that the ferrimagnetic minerals including maghemite and hematite are the dominant carrier of arsenic in aquifer sediments. The results of sequential extraction experiments also revealed the association of arsenic with reducible iron oxides, such as maghemite and hematite in aquifer sediments. Therefore, under reducing conditions, reductive dissolution and desorption of arsenic from Fe-oxyhydroxides into the aqueous phase should be the dominant geochemical processes for its enrichment in groundwater at Datong. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Something in the Air: Civic science and contentious environmental politics in post-apartheid South Africa

The emergence of an environmental movement in post-apartheid South Africa has involved the reframing of the environment as a ‘brown’ issue, articulating the discourse of social and environmental justice and a rights-based notion of democracy. Environmental movements have pursued a dual strategy of deliberation and activist opposition. Environmental movements have deployed science to pursue the strategic task of democratic opposition and have established networks of environmental knowledge and expertise. Ecological modernization is the dominant approach to environmental governance and adopts a science-based policy approach. In this context the regulation and management of the environment is premised on the need for science, which provides the authoritative basis for a regulatory response. In local environmental movements, there exists a fundamental tension between a cumulative history of lay knowledge about pollution and the lack of official acknowledgement of qualitative narratives. This is accompanied by a lack and suspicion of reliable official data. Environmental movements have thus employed ‘civic science’ strategically to place the issue of air pollution on the political agenda. This paper uses the case of environmental politics in Durban to reflect on the ways in which civic science and lay knowledge, together constituting community hybrid knowledge, are produced and disseminated in order to pressure the state and capital. The three ways in which knowledge is deployed are: to frame environmental problems, in strategies of oppositional advocacy, and in deliberative policy forums. Empirical analysis shows that civic science is produced through knowledge networks, and both lay knowledge and civic science are opportunistically used by environmental movements to engage both inside and outside formal policy making arenas. This deployment of hybrid knowledge by environmental movements represents a broader challenge to the power of science and technology based on increasing evidence of the hazards and risks facing ordinary people in their daily lives.     

Recharge mechanism and hydrochemistry evaluation of groundwater in the Nuaimeh area, Jordan, using environmental isotope techniques

The relationship between the stable isotopic and chemical composition of precipitation and groundwater was studied in the Nuaimeh area of the Ajloun Highlands in Jordan. The isotopic composition values of precipitation and groundwater are almost identical. The spatial variation of stable isotopes in precipitation is mainly due to the effect of seasonal temperature, altitude and amount. The groundwater reveals identical variation in isotopic composition to the precipitation due to direct recharge and the karstic nature of the outcropping Turonian aquifer. Tritium levels in wells are high and their content is similar to the weighted mean value of tritium content in precipitation, indicating local recharge and low residence time. The ¹⁴C activity in the tritiated groundwater is found to be about half of the ¹⁴C activity of precipitation in the region. A geochemical evolution through dissolution of carbonate by water–carbonate rock interactions reduced the atmospheric ¹⁴C activity from 114 to 61 pmc in the groundwater. A ¹⁴C of around 61 pmc and 7.6 TU values are considered the initial concentration for the recharge in the shallow carbonate aquifer in the Yarmouk Basin. The large fluctuation of water level in observation wells during the rainy season indicates the sensitivity and direct response of the aquifer to the recharge. The chemical composition of the groundwater (Ca²⁺–HCO₃^–) gives emphasis to the short duration of water–rock interaction and indicates dissolution of the carbonate aquifer. The elevated concentrations of Cl^– and NO₃^– in groundwater are attributed to anthropogenic sources.

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Resumen Fue estudiada la relación entre la composición isotópica estable y la composición química, tanto de la precipitación como del agua subterránea, en el área de Nuaimeh en las montañas de Ajloun, en Jordania. Los valores de la composición isotópica de la precipitación y del agua subterránea son casi idénticos. La variación espacial de los isótopos estables en la precipitación, es debida principalmente al efecto de la temperatura estacional, a la altura y a la cantidad. El agua subterránea muestra una variación idéntica a la precipitación en cuanto a la composición isotópica, debido a la recarga directa y a la naturaleza cársica del acuífero Turoniano aflorante. Los niveles de tritio en los pozos son altos y su contenido es similar al valor medio ponderado del contenido de tritio en la precipitación, indicando una recarga local y un tiempo de residencia corto. Se ha encontrado que la actividad de ¹⁴C en el agua subterránea tritiada, es alrededor de la mitad de la actividad del ¹⁴C en la precipitación para la región. La evolución geoquímica ocurrida a partir de la disolución del carbonato, por las interacciones roca carbonatada–agua, redujeron la actividad atmosférica del ¹⁴C desde 114 en porcentaje de carbono moderno (pcm) hasta 61 pcm en el agua subterránea. Los valores del ¹⁴C cercanos a 61 pcm y de 7.6 unidades de tritio, se han considerado como las concentraciones originales para la recarga en el acuífero carbonatado somero de la Cuenca de Yarmouk. Una gran fluctuación en el nivel de agua de los pozos de observación, durante la estación lluviosa, indica la sensibilidad y la respuesta directa del acuífero frente a la recarga. La composición química del agua subterránea (Ca²⁺–HCO₃^–), enfatiza en la corta duración de la interacción de agua–roca, e indica disolución del acuífero carbonatado. La concentración elevada de Cl^– y NO₃^– en el agua subterránea, se atribuye a fuentes antropogénicas.

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Résumé Dans la région montagneuse dAjloun de Jordanie on a étudié la relation entre la composition chimique et isotopique des précipitations et des eaux souterraines. La composition isotopique est presque identique dans précipitations et les eaux souterraines. La variation spatiale de la teneur en isotopes stables dans les précipitations est déterminée en principal par les variations saisonnière de la température, laltitude ainsi que par la quantité des précipitations. A cause de la recharge directe et de la nature karstique des affleurements de laquifère dage touronienne, les eaux souterraines présentent la même composition isotopique que les précipitations. La teneur en ³H mesurée dans les forages présente des valeurs élevées, proches de la valeur moyenne des précipitations, ce quindique une recharge locale et un temps court de résidence. On a déterminé pour lactivité de ¹⁴C une valeur proche de la moitié trouvée dans les précipitations. Lévolution géochimique par dissolution des carbonates pendant linteraction entre leau et les roche a diminué lactivité du ¹⁴C, de la valeur de 114 pcm en atmosphère à 61 pcm dans les eaux souterraines. Dans laquifère calcaire de surface de bassin Yarmouk, on a considéré comme de concentrations initiales, les valeurs de 61 pcm pour ¹⁴C et 7.2 UT pour ³H. Les grandes fluctuations des niveaux des eaux souterraines observées dans les forages pendant les saisons pluvieux montrent la sensibilité ainsi que la réponse directe de laquifère au recharge. La composition chimique des eaux souterraines (Ca²⁺–HCO₃^–) montre de plus le temps court de linteraction entre leau et la roche, en indiquant aussi la dissolution de laquifère calcaire. Les taux élevées de la concentration en Cl^– et NO₃^– dans les eaux souterraines ont été attribuées aux sources humaines.

     

Morphotectonic evaluation of the Delhi region in northern India,and its significance in environmental management

This paper deals with the morphotectonic evaluation of the Delhi region in northern India to understand its impact on land use and urban development. To accommodate heavy urbanization and population rise (being the capital of India), the area has undergone tremendous environmental degradation resulting from a mismatch between adopted land use and morphotectonic considerations. The geomorphic and drainage signatures of the region have evolved out of interaction of varied geological parameters including neotectonic activities. We have evaluated the changes in the drainage pattern of the Yamuna River in the Delhi region to underline its significance in geomorphic evolution and subsequent land use and/or land suitability. The Yamuna River has shown variations both in channel position and geometry over the last two centuries. The observed migration pattern of the river (shifting of confluences, position and disposition of palaeochannels, etc.,) cannot be attributed to normal river phenomenon and appears to have been effected by neotectonic changes. In addition, some case studies are discussed to underline the significance of geomorphic factors in urban development.     

Use and application of CFC-11,CFC-12,CFC-113 and SF_6 as environmental tracers of groundwater residence time:A review

Groundwater residence time is a fundamental property of groundwater to understand important hydrogeological issues,such as deriving sustainable abstraction volumes,or,the evolution of groundwater quality.The anthropogenic trace gases chlorofluorocarbons(CFC-11,CFC-12 and CFC-113)and sulphur hexafluoride(SF_6)are ideal in this regard because they have been released globally at known rates and become dissolved in groundwater following Henry's Law,integrating over large spatial(global)and temporal(decades)scales.The CFCs and SF_6 are able to date groundwater up to～100 years old with the caveat of certain simplifying assumptions.However,the inversion of environmental tracer concentrations(CFCs and SF_6)to derive groundwater age rests on the accurate determination of groundwater recharge parameters,namely temperature,elevation,salinity and excess air,in addition to resolving the potential for contamination,degradation and unsaturated zone effects.This review explores the fundamentals of CFC-11,CFC-12,CFC-113 and SF_6 as environmental tracers of groundwater age and recommends complementary techniques throughout.Once this relatively simple and inexpensive technique has been used to determine initial concentrations at the recharge zone,setting the groundwater dating'clock' to zero,this review then explores the meaning of groundwater'age' in relation to measured environmental tracer concentrations.It is shown that the CFCs and SF_6 may be applied to a wide-range of hydrogeological problems and suggests that environmental tracers are particularly powerful tools when integrated with numerical flow and transport models.     

There’s nothing inherent about scale: political ecology, the local trap, and the politics of development in the Brazilian Amazon

This paper argues that research in political ecology would benefit from more explicit and careful attention to the question of scale and scalar politics. Although political ecologists have extensively considered scale as a methodological question, they have yet to develop an explicit theoretical approach to scale as an object of inquiry. We highlight one principal drawback to this underdeveloped approach to scale: what we call “the local trap” in which political ecologists assume that organization, policies, and action at the local scale are inherently more likely to have desired social and ecological effects than activities organized at other scales. Over the past 10 years or so, an increasingly sophisticated literature on scale has been developing among scholars in geography working in the political economy tradition. This literature has argued that scale is socially produced rather than ontologically given. Therefore, there is nothing inherent about any scale, and so the local scale cannot be intrinsically more desirable than other scales. We suggest that a greater engagement with this scale literature offers political ecology a theoretical way out of the local trap. As a first approximation of the kind of scalar analysis we advocate, we present a case study that examines the scalar politics that have shaped environmental change in the Brazilian Amazon.     

Salinization of groundwater in arid and semi-arid zones: an example from Tajarak,western Iran

Study of the groundwater samples from Tajarak area, western Iran, was carried out in order to assess their chemical compositions and suitability for agricultural purposes. All of the groundwaters are grouped into two categories: relatively low mineralized of Ca–HCO₃ and Na–HCO₃ types and high mineralized waters of Na–SO₄ and Na–Cl types. The chemical evolution of groundwater is primarily controlled by water–rock interactions mainly weathering of aluminosilicates, dissolution of carbonate minerals and cation exchange reactions. Calculated values of pCO₂ for the groundwater samples range from 2.34 × 10⁻⁴ to 1.07 × 10⁻¹ with a mean value of 1.41 × 10⁻² (atm), which is above the pCO₂ of the earth’s atmosphere (10^−3.5). The groundwater is oversaturated with respect to calcite, aragonite and dolomite and undersaturated with respect to gypsum, anhydrite and halite. According to the EC and SAR the most dominant classes (C3-S1, C4-S1 and C4-S2) were found. With respect to adjusted SAR (adj SAR), the sodium (Na⁺) content in 90% of water samples in group A is regarded as low and can be used for irrigation in almost all soils with little danger of the development of harmful levels of exchangeable Na⁺, while in 40 and 37% of water samples in group B the intensity of problem is moderate and high, respectively. Such water, when used for irrigation will lead to cation exchange and Na⁺ is adsorbed on clay minerals while calcium (Ca²⁺) and magnesium (Mg²⁺) are released to the liquid phase. The salinity hazard is regarded as medium to high and special management for salinity control is required. Thus, the water quality for irrigation is low, providing the necessary drainage to avoid the build-up of toxic salt concentrations.     

Bio(in)security,scientific expertise,and the politics of post-disarmament in the biological weapons regime

The increasing focus on new biological risks and threats together with unsatisfactory progress in international negotiations about biological disarmament have opened up new questions about the further development of the biological weapons regime. The present paper focuses on the politics of biological (post-)disarmament from the perspective of critical security studies and scrutinizes the changing role of scientific experts in relation to the shifting understanding of the threat of bioweapons. Specifically, it argues that the move toward a networked approach to biosecurity governance relying on an increasing role of experts and nonstate actors may be read in the context of a broader insecuritization of biological risks and threats and the evolution of new techniques of government. Drawing on sociological approaches in security studies, the paper unfolds the connections between the construction of biosecurity and the politics of expertise and explores the changing role of scientific experts in biological disarmament. The paper also finds that the attempts to manage bio-insecurity create demand for new types of expertise and empower actors with a specific form of knowledge who can navigate in the changed structural environment, and enable new forms of governing security.     

Chloride and the environmental isotopes as the indicators of the groundwater recharge in the Gobi Desert,northwest China

The long term recharge in Gobi Desert from Hexi Corridor to Inner Mongolia Plateau was estimated to be 1 mm year⁻¹ by using the chloride mass balance method from one unsaturated zone profile, which shows that no effective modern recharge is taking place. A good rainfall database from Zhangye provides definition of the stable isotopic composition of modern rainfall. The signature of groundwater from the late Pleistocene differs markedly from that of the Holocene, shown clearly by the compositions of −10.5‰ δ¹⁸O as compared with values of −7‰ at the present day. It is apparent that the groundwaters in the Minqin Basin, Ejina Basin and feeding the lake system of the Badain Jaran are part of a regional flow network related to a wetter past climate as source of recharge. The recharge source in the past and to a limited extent in the more arid conditions of the present day included the foothills of the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau. The tritium age determinations accurate to the year are impossible and of no meaning to groundwater studies. A tritium value in the groundwater means multiple recharge ages in this region.     

Greening the Dam: The case of the San Roque Multi-purpose Project in the Philippines

This article aims to illustrate the extent and ways in which a traditional development aid project became the focus of a ‘greening’ process in the 1990s (and beyond). The article examines the San Roque Multi-purpose Project in the Philippines - a major Japanese bilateral international cooperation project - from a political ecology perspective. The analysis highlights how a complex story of contemporary aid dynamics in the bilateral Japan-Philippines relationship influenced this ‘greening’ process. The article interrogates critically and empirically the stated greening of a proto-type development aid project. This specific example of the practices of the Japanese aid industry is set within the context of the wider political economy of both donor and recipient elite interests.     

Imprints of environmental pollution on laterite/clay and groundwater of Eloor-Kalamassery Industrial Belt,Kerala State,India

The role of laterites and clay in the adsorption of trace elements and consequent remediation of contaminated water from toxic elements has been studied. Laterite, clay and associated water samples from industrially and biologically polluted rivers and wells from Eloor-Kalamassery are analysed for Cr, Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Bi, As, and Hg contents. The cation exchange capacity of the clay-organic matter components from the in situ and transported laterites and clay in differing environments of pollution are responsible for the reduction and depletion of toxic elements concentrated in the polluted water medium. Adsorption of toxic elements by laterite has further been corroborated by a simulation experiment conducted in the laboratory. An artificial laterite bed was prepared and water containing known amounts of Cr, Zn, Ni and Mn were allowed to flow overnight through the bed at uniform rate. Analysis of artificial laterite bed shows enrichment of Cr, Zn, Ni, Mn, indicating the absorbent properties of laterite.     

Correlation of main physicochemical parameters of some groundwater in northern Serbia

The geothermal waters of the first and the shallowest groundwater system of the Province of Vojvodina in northern Serbia, south part of the Pannonian Basin, are characterized by elevated temperatures (between 25 and 85 °C) and elevated gas content (above 1 Nm³/m³) with a high methane content (average about 94% of total gases). These methane-containing waters are particularly abundant in the Central part of the province between Danube and Tisa rivers. Dominant ions in these waters are sodium and bicarbonate, but the waters also contain significant amounts of calcium, magnesium, potassium, chloride, and ammonium. Components that are of balneological significance include iodine, bromine, fluorine, strontium, lithium, barium, and metasilicic and metaboric acids. Based on statistical analysis, a strong positive correlation is generally observed in about 9.2% cases. A slightly lower correlation appears in about 42.2%, and negative correlation coefficient appears in about 48.6% cases. The dendrogram of the cluster analysis built on the wells shows three main groups. There is the cluster of (Na⁺)_aq, (Cl⁻)_aq and (HCO₃⁻)_aq. The second aggregation is (NH₄⁺)_aq/(NH₃)_aq. The third group includes (Mg²⁺)_aq, (Ca²⁺)_aq, (Fe³⁺)_aq, (Sr²⁺)_aq, (Pb²⁺)_aq, and (Zn²⁺)_aq.