Effect of Atmosphere and Temperature Treatment on Leoanardite for Increasing Humic Acid Yield

In this review, the shifts in organic matter (OM) accumulation and C:N ratios in lake sediments to reconstruct paleoclimate and paleo-environmental changes since the early Holocene period are presented. The C:N proxy data of total OM reflect wet climatic conditions during early Holocene (10 to 8.2 kyrs BP) due to enhanced southwest monsoon. This was followed by intermittent arid conditions during the mid and late Holocene period (8.2 to 2.8 kyr BP). Enhanced values of C:N ratio during middle to late Holocene (7.8–2.3 kyrs B.P) indicate periods with lower lake levels and minimum precipitation, while decreased C:N ratio point to stronger SW monsoon and expansion of the lakes. Further, C:N and δ¹³C results from the lake sediments reveal a detailed and continuous paleo-environmental changes in the relative sources of OM (allochthonous vs autochthonous). Proxy records using such natural archives have also been utilized to reconstruct past extreme events and environmental changes around the lake systems, such as causes for lake desiccation, hydrographic changes, alternations between C₃ and C₄ vegetation and historical disturbances in the catchment area since the early-late Holocene period coupled with the Indian summer monsoon.     

Construction and Characterization of Transportable Calibration Pads for Calibration of Portable and Airborne Gamma Ray Spectrometers in India

Characterization of the Panandhro lignite deposits from western Indian state of Gujarat, based on the geochemical and palynological evidences, has been performed to assess the floral composition, maturity and hydrocarbon potential of the sequence. Elementally, the lignites consist of moderate carbon, low hydrogen and moderate sulfur contents. The samples are characterized by high TOC contents (lignite: av. 46.43 wt.%, resin: 62.47 wt.%). The average HI values for the lignite is 136 mg HC/g TOC, and that of the associated resin is 671 mg HC/g TOC. The highest T_max is recoded in lignite (422°C) and lowest in the resin (39°C) samples. The FTIR spectrum of lignite is characterized by highly intense OH stretching peak ~3350 cm^-1, aliphatic CH_x stretching peaks between 3000-2800 cm^-1, aromatic C=O stretching and an aromatic C=C stretching. The spectrum of resin shows strongest absorption due to aliphatic CHx stretching between 2940-2915 cm^-1 and 2870-2850 cm^-1, and deformation by the medium peak between 1450 and 1650 cm^-1. The recovered palynofloral assemblage indicates the dominance of angiosperm pollen grains with maximum abundance of Arecaceae family, and subdominant pteridophytic spores. Marine influence is indicated by the presence of abundant dinoflagellate cysts. The occurrence of flora from a variety of ecological niches suggests a luxuriant diverse vegetation pattern existed in the vicinity of depositional site under humid tropical conditions. The overall characteristics of the lignite deposits point towards their ability to generate (upon maturation) hydrocarbons as they have types III–II admixed kerogen (organic matters).     

Influence of Geo-environmental and Chemical Factors on Thermotolerant Coliforms and <Emphasis Type="Italic">E.coli</Emphasis> in the Groundwater of Central Kerala

Geo-environmental studies in parts of Ernakulam district (Kerala, India) were carried out. The study area comprises of sedimentary (Limestone, sandstone, Clay and Lignite) and crystalline (Charnockite and gneisses) rocks. The sedimentary terrain is characterized by confined and unconfined aquifers. In hard crystalline formations groundwater occurs under phreatic conditions in the shallow weathered portions and under semi confined to confined conditions in the deep-seated fractures. The study area is demarcated into five areas based on soil types. Climate is hot humid to hot summer with heavily raining monsoon. Two major rivers Periyar and Muvattupuzha drain through the area. Agricultural and industrial activities are prevalent in Ernakulam district. The major cause of pollution in the study area is due to the presence of coliforms. Detailed investigations carried out to identify the coliforms indicated spatial and seasonal changes in the distribution pattern. Monsoon and post monsoon showed significantly high total coliforms compared to pre-monsoon. Thermo-tolerant coliforms is high during monsoon season. This seasonal change could be due to the effect of rainfall, overland flow, nutrient load and temperature change. Wide variations in the coliform counts are observed in wells situated near rivers, canals, paddy fields and in water bodies lying close to pilgrimage center, fertilizer industry, and public places. It is noticed that the chemical characteristics of the groundwater influence the coliform survival. pH, nitrite, bicarbonate, hardness, and alkalinity play a significant role in controlling coliform count. At the outset, the study highlighted the impact of anthropogenic activities on ground water in a coastal district of Kerala state.     

Development of Earthquake Event Detection Technique Based on STA/LTA Algorithm for Seismic Alert System

The drainage basin of the Kalyani river, a tributary of Gomati river has been mapped and delineated using Survey of India toposheets (1:50,000 scale) and remote sensing satellite data. The digitization, slope map preparation and statistical calculations have been carried out with the help of geographical information system (Arc GIS 10). Kalyani a fifth order river exhibits meandering behavior having 2.45 sinuosity index (SI). The Kalyani river basin has about 1235 km²area with NW-SE sloping trend. The total number of first, second, third, and fourth order streams are 373, 71, 12 and 2 respectively, showing dominance of first order streams in the basin. The mean bifurcation ratio (Rb) of the entire basin is 4.8, which indicates that the drainage is not much influenced by geological structures and exhibits dendritic drainage pattern. Relief ratio (Rr) indicates low to medium surface run-off, and low stream power for erosion. The analysis of river bank height ‘r’ (escarpment) and longitudinal profile of the river closely reveals neotectonic activity at some locations in the basin. To prepare a comprehensive watershed development and management plan, it is important to understand the topography and drainage characteristics of the region.     

Soil Erosion Susceptibility Assessment of the Lower Himachal Himalayan Watershed

Assessment of erosion status of a watershed is an essential prerequisite for integrated watershed management. It not only assists in chalking out suitable soil and water conservation measures to arrest erosion and conserve water but also helps in devising best management practices to enhance biomass production in watersheds. Keeping this in view, the present study has been undertaken by involving geospatial-statistical techniques to determine the critical and priority areas for soil and water conservation in Suketi watershed of the lower Himachal Himalayan region. A novel weighted sum analysis technique was used for ranking each of hydrological unit by obtaining the weightages from various morphometric parameters. This technique offers dynamic, effective and sustainable approach over traditional prioritization methods in which significance of each parameter were considered equally. Considering this approach, sub-watersheds were delineated into low, medium and high priority zones. The results illustrate that about 52 % of sub-watersheds of Suketi watershed are in moderate to high erosion and runoff susceptible zones. Therefore, these potential areas can be considered for preferential soil and water conservation planning. The results obtained from the study will be useful for various stakeholders such as agriculturists, water resource managers, conservation measures planners and decision policy makers for better management practices and decision making. The geospatial-statistical technique can be used for effective estimation of erosion status of watersheds leading to watershed prioritization for taking up soil and water conservation measures in watershed systems. Finally, this technique can be very useful in remote, rugged and inaccessible watersheds with absence of soil erosion and runoff monitoring.     

Soil Loss Estimation based on RUSLE along the Central Hunter Valley Region,NSW, Australia

Soil erosion by water has been a major problem since man introduced agriculture in the landscape. Soil erosion is a common hazard which is steadily increasing as a result of human activities in many parts of the world. Hunter Valley of NSW is located in subtropical eastern Australia. The region is known for its diversity in landscape that includes wide floodplains, extensive estuarine wetlands, undulating country, escarpments and rugged sandstone gorges. The region is also well known for wine production. The Hunter Valley has a long history of soil erosion following the European settlement 150 years ago. Currently there have been renewed human activities in the south central part of the region for coal mining, leading to clearance of vegetation and disturbance of soil. The present study addresses the issue of soil erosion in a part of Hunter Region by employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE, Renard et al., 1977) model. The results indicate that the average annual soil loss from the area is 0.7 kg/m²/year, which is well beyond the tolerance limit of the soil. Statistical relationships between soil loss and each parameter of the RUSLE equation were obtained and it was found that C factor has significant influence on the average soil loss in the area. An overall picture that emerges out of the study is that the region is continuing to suffer as a result of disturbance in natural environment from the historical times till present.     

Response of Mollusk Assemblages to Environmental Conditions: A Case Study from the Burullus Lagoon,Egypt

The identified mollusks from the Burullus lagoon of Egypt (Eastern Mediterranean) are represented by four bivalve species and four gastropod species. Sources of heavy metals pollution in the Burullus lagoon include phosphate fertilizers, sewage and oil spills from fishing boats.The Cerastoderma glaucum species has a wide distribution in the central part of the studied area with satisfying criteria required for good bio-monitors of pollution. High concentrations of heavy metals are found in water, at the eastern side of the lagoon, while low concentrations were detected in the central and western sides of the lagoon. Pirenella conica constitutes the total gastropods assemblages, reflecting this species tolerance to the high concentration of heavy metals. Meanwhile, the total pelecypods in bottom lagoon sediments are completely absent in the eastern parts of the lagoon, which may be due to the sensitivity of pelecypods to the accumulation of heavy metals.     

Retrieving of Land Surface Temperature Using Thermal Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques in Kandaihimmat Watershed,Hoshangabad, Madhya Pradesh

Remotely sensed thermal infrared (TIR) data have been widely used to retrieve land surface temperature (LST). LST is an important parameter in the studies of urban thermal environment and dynamics. In the study, an attempt has been made using LANDSAT 8 thermal imagery to compute LST and the associated land cover parameters viz; land surface emissivity (LSE), normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), normalized difference built-up index (NDBI) and normalized difference water index (NDWI). Landsat 8 TIRS band 10 & 11 (thermal bands) during 21 Oct. 2016, 22 Nov.2016, 24 Dec. 2016 and 09 Jan. 2017 were processed for LST analysis. However, band 5 & band 4 of the imagery was processed for NDVI, band 6 & band 5 for NDBI and band 2 & band 5 for NDWI analysis. LST has been derived from both the bands 10 &11 and validated by in-situ observations on the date and time of satellite overpass from the study area. Band 10 derived LST have shown much temperature difference while comparing with the in-situ observations. However, LST derived from band 11 found similar & close to the in-situ measurements. Relationship between band 11 results and in-situ observed measurements were developed, which has showing a strong correlation with (r² = 0.991). Land surface emissivity were also evaluated which shows variation in different land cover surfaces like vegetation, settlement, forest cover and water body. The study has proven that land surface temperature derived from satellite band 11 is the actual surface temperature of the study area.