Current state of knowledge regarding the world’s wetlands and their future under global climate change: a synthesis

Wetlands cover at least 6 % of the Earth’s surface. They play a key role in hydrological and biogeochemical cycles, harbour a large part of the world’s biodiversity, and provide multiple services to humankind. However, pressure in the form of land reclamation, intense resource exploitation, changes in hydrology, and pollution threaten wetlands on all continents. Depending on the region, 30–90 % of the world’s wetlands have already been destroyed or strongly modified in many countries with no sign of abatement. Climate change scenarios predict additional stresses on wetlands, mainly because of changes in hydrology, temperature increases, and a rise in sea level. Yet, intact wetlands play a key role as buffers in the hydrological cycle and as sinks for organic carbon, counteracting the effects of the increase in atmospheric CO₂. Eight chapters comprising this volume of Aquatic Sciences analyze the current ecological situation and the use of the wetlands in major regions of the world in the context of global climate change. This final chapter provides a synthesis of the findings and recommendations for the sustainable use and protection of these important ecosystems.     

Anthropogenic effects on sediment quality offshore southwestern Taiwan: Assessing the sediment core geochemical record

Slag material was dumped in two sites off southwestern Taiwan by the China Steel Corporation during 1984–1995. By geochemically analyzing four sediment cores, we investigated the impact of slag on the sediment chemistry. Elemental profiles from the dumping sites show a strong depletion in detrital elements and enrichment in alkaline and redox-sensitive elements, especially for the top ～20 cm of sediments. The relative enrichment factor (EF_rel) exhibits wider range for Ca (0.73–13.33), Fe (0.88–3.03), Mg (0.94–9.58) and Mn (1.22–33.30) due to contamination of sediments by slag. Sediment weathering indicators also show a distinct change with lower values in sediments influenced by dumping due to Ca and Sr addition. Higher EF_rel for As, Cd and Pb in the top sections of the cores indicate an additional modern/industrial input of these elements since ～1950. Our study suggests that slag dumping may have a localized effect on biogeochemical processes by inducing the diagenetic remobilization of certain elements.     

3D depth migration by rotated McClellan filters1

The application of McClellan transformations considerably reduces the computational cost of 3D wavefield depth extrapolation by explicit convolutional methods. The accuracy of migration methods based on McClellan transformation depends on how well the transformation filter (cos !;κ!;) is approximated; errors in this approximation cause anisotropy in the extrapolation operator and frequency dispersion in the migrated results. The anisotropy can be greatly reduced by rotating the approximate filter by 45° and averaging the rotated filter with the original filter. The application of the rotated filter yields a migration method that correctly images very steep dips, with little or no additional computational cost. McClellan migration with the improved circular response enhances the imaging of synthetic and real data.     

Plant studies in the first Himalayan Biosphere Reserve: a review

Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve(NDBR) was declared as the first Himalayan Biosphere Reserve owing to its unique biological and cultural wealth. Its core zones, Nanda Devi National Park and Valley of Flowers National Park, are a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site. In spite of lying at a high altitude, interplay of factors such as unique geographical location, climate, topography and wide altitudinal variations have endowed NDBR with a rich and diverse flora. Proportionately high percentage of endemic and near endemic plants makes NDBR a very important protected area from conservation point of view. However, its floristic wealth is facing unprecedented threats in the form of climate change and growing anthropogenic pressure. Hence, a need was felt to assess the directionality, quality and sufficiency of past and ongoing research for the conservation of floral and ethnobotanical wealth of NDBR in the absence of any such previous attempt. Based on an extensive review of more than 150 plant studies on NDBR, this communication provides a detailed account of the current state of knowledge and information gaps on flora, vegetation ecology, rare, endangered, threatened(RET) and endemic plants and ethnobotany. Priority research areas and management measures are discussed for the conservation of its unique floral wealth. Incomplete floral inventorization, lack of biodiversity monitoring, meagre studies on lower plant groups, population status of medicinal plants, habitat assessment of threatened taxa and geo-spatial analysis of alpine vegetation were identified as areas of immediate concern.     

Evolution of Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic open coast ramp-clues from stromatolite-bearing carbonate facies of Vempalle Formation,Cuddapah Basin,India

The carbonate-dominated Palaeo-Mesoproterozoic Vempalle Formation of the Cuddapah Basin, Southern India, represents deposition in a supratidal-subtidal setting. The facies associations, deciphered from this study, are consistent with continued gradual rise of sea level with little or no sedimentary influx during the deposition of sediments, wherein gradual deposition of carbonates are recorded with increased accommodation. The broad development of stromatolites in different layers of sediments across the coast indicates a moderately high-energy open coastline. The prolific volcanism as recorded at the top of the succession ultimately shuts down the Vempalle carbonate factory.     

Urban land-use suitability analysis — A case study of Calcutta Metropolitan Area

Urban land-use zoning analysis has been carried out to evaluate the suitability of land for urbanisation i.e. a process of assessing the fitness of different land characteristics (soils, physiography, slope, land use etc.) for urban development in Calcutta Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) area (1350 sq. km). Remote sensing data in conjunction with Survey of India maps and ancillary data have been employed for the analysis. A GIS-based methodology has been developed for the integration of different physical parameters and generation of urban land development units. In all 82 Urban Land Development Units (ULDUs) were delineated and evaluated with respect to physical constraints and the degree to which each class could limit the development for urban purpose. These ULDUs are categorised into five suitability classes for urban use. The relationships between ULDU classes, suitabilities and urban land development considerations in a generalised form have also been assessed. It has been observed that the physical constraints have become progressively greater from class-I to class-V meaning thereby that the cost for the developing the area for urban purpose increases from class-I and becomes uneconomic for class-V. The suitability map prepared using this methodology would also serve as a sub-set for the preparation of a Master plan of the city.