A spatio-temporal three-dimensional conceptualization and simulation of Dera Ismail Khan alluvial aquifer in visual MODFLOW: a case study from Pakistan

Dera Ismail Khan (DIK) is situated in the Lower Indus Basin of Pakistan. The land use has been changed in the canal command area due to irrigation activities near the Indus River. To check the current status and predict the groundwater levels in the area, the unconfined aquifer has been simulated in Visual MODFLOW for a period of 35 years, i.e., from 1985 to 2020. The 2900-km² area has been modeled with a grid of 500 by 500 m and the depth set to 100 m. The aquifer in the study area has been divided vertically and laterally into three and ten zones, respectively, for the characterization. Water wells and streams were used as the sinks and hydrologic boundaries, respectively. The model was successfully calibrated in steady and the non-steady state. The simulation revealed that the whole simulation can be divided into two phases, i.e., before and after the construction of the Chashma Right Bank Canal (CRBC), whereas the results were summarized in the form of water table depth maps and groundwater budget calculations. To determine the groundwater sustainability, a conjunctive use scenario has been employed to simulate the aquifer dynamics till 2020. The simulation revealed incremental drawdowns till the end.     

Petrology and geochemistry of Jura granite and granite gneiss in the Neelum Valley,Lesser Himalayas (Kashmir,Pakistan)

Late Proterozoic rocks of Tanol Formation in the Lesser Himalayas of Neelum Valley area are largely green schist to amphibolite facies rocks intruded by early Cambrian Jura granite gneiss and Jura granite representing Pan-African orogeny event in the area. These rocks are further intruded by pegmatites of acidic composition, aplites, and dolerite dykes. Based on field observations, texture, and petrographic character, three different categories of granite gneiss (i.e., highly porphyritic, coarse-grained two micas granite gneiss, medium-grained two micas granite gneiss, and leucocratic tourmaline-bearing muscovite granite gneiss), and granites (i.e., highly porphyritic coarse-grained two micas granite, medium-grained two micas granite, and leucocratic tourmaline-bearing coarse-grained muscovite granite) were classified. Thin section studies show that granite gneiss and granite are formed due to fractional crystallization, as revealed by zoning in plagioclase. The Al saturation index indicates that granite gneiss and granite are strongly peraluminous and S-type. Geochemical analysis shows that all granite gneisses are magnesian except one which is ferroan whereas all granites are ferroan except one which is magnesian. The CaO/Na₂O ratio (>0.3) indicates that granitic melt of Jura granite gneiss and granite is pelite-psammite derived peraluminous granitic melt formed due to partial melting of Tanol Formation. The rare earth element (REE) patterns of the Jura granite and Jura granite gneiss indicate that granitic magma of Jura granite and Jura granite gneiss is formed due to partial melting of rocks that are similar in composition to that of upper continental crust.     

Seismic stratigraphy of the Mianwali and Bannu depressions,north-western Indus foreland basin

International Journal of Earth Sciences - Regional seismic reflection profiles, deep exploratory wells, and outcrop data have been used to study the structure and stratigraphic architecture of the...     

Modeling the Population Effects of Hypoxia on Atlantic Croaker (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Micropogonias undulatus</Emphasis>) in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico: Part 1—Model Description and Idealized Hypoxia

We developed a spatially explicit, individual-based model to analyze how hypoxia effects on reproduction, growth, and mortality of Atlantic croaker in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico lead to population-level responses. The model follows the hourly growth, mortality, reproduction, and movement of individuals on a 300 × 800 spatial grid of 1-km² cells for 140 years. Chlorophyll-a concentration, water temperature, and dissolved oxygen (DO) were specified daily for each grid cell and repeated for each year of the simulation. A bioenergetics model was used to represent growth, mortality was assumed stage- and age-dependent, and the movement behavior of juveniles and adults was modeled based on temperature and avoidance of low DO. Hypoxia effects were imposed using exposure effect submodels that converted time-varying exposures to low DO to reduced hourly growth, increased hourly mortality, and reduced annual fecundity. Results showed that 100 years of either mild or intermediate hypoxia produced small reductions in population abundance, while repeated severe hypoxia caused a 19% reduction in long-term population abundance. Relatively few individuals were exposed to low DO each hour, but many individuals experienced some exposure. The response was dominated by a 5% average reduction in annual fecundity of individuals. Under conditions of random sequences of mild, intermediate, and severe hypoxia years occurring in proportion to their historical frequency, the model predicted a 10% decrease in the long-term population abundance of croaker. A companion paper substitutes hourly DO values from a three-dimensional water quality model for the idealized hypoxia and results in a more realistic population reduction of about 25%.     

Health risk of heavy metals from vegetables irrigated with sewage water in peri-urban of Dera Ismail Khan,Pakistan

Health risks of heavy metals in vegetables irrigated with sewage water were investigated in the present study. The findings indicated a massive accumulation of heavy metals in soil and vegetables collected from Dera Ismail khan, Pakistan. The concentration levels of heavy metal in vegetables grown on soil irrigated with untreated sewage water were significantly higher at (P ≤ 0.001) than in vegetables grown on fresh-water-irrigated soil and proceeded the recommended limits of World health organization. Moreover, the findings also indicated that the adults and children consuming such vegetables ingested a large proportion of the selected toxic metals. Health risk index was greater than one for Pb and Cd in all the selected vegetables and was greater than one for Ni in three vegetables like Spinacia oleracea, Benincasa fistulosa and Lactuca sativa. Health risk assessment would be a useful tool for information regarding any threats of heavy metals contamination in vegetables.     

High-performing antifouling bacterial consortium for submerged membrane bioreactor treating synthetic wastewater

Biofouling, associated with membranes, is considered as a major operational challenge in membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology. Interrupting the process for the formation of biofilm by the action of interspecies quorum quenching (QQ) has received a significant attention since recent years. An antifouling bacterial consortium was identified to improve biofouling inhibition performance during MBR operation. For this purpose, various QQ bacteria were isolated from laboratory-scale MBR using enrichment culture method and identified via 16S rRNA. Potential quenching strains including Enterobacter cloaca, Delftia sp., and Pseudomonas sp. were utilized to control biofouling in the MBR operated in the continuous mode for 38 days. Three laboratory-scale MBRs, including two MBRs with different anti fouling consortium and a control, were operated in parallel under similar operating conditions. Biofouling control by QQ bacteria was compared based on the membrane permeability and EPS secretion from biofilm on the membrane. Both MBRs with antifouling consortium (AC-MBRs) experienced around three times less biofouling as compared to conventional MBR leading to significant decrease in acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs) concentration in the biocake. More than 90, 45, and 49% of COD, NH₄–N, and PO₄ ^3?–P removal efficiencies elucidate that QQ bacterial consortium could effectively reduce membrane biofouling without compromising the MBR efficiency. Comparatively lower concentration of bound EPS in AC-MBRs restricted the bacterial adhesion to membrane resulting in enhanced membrane permeability depicting that a broader range of signal molecules could be hydrolyzed using antifouling consortium than single or no QQ strain in the submerged MBR.     

Recent insights into the dissolved and particulate fluxes from the Himalayan tributaries to the Ganga River

The Ganga River plays a major role in the transfer of materials from the Indian sub-continent to the Bay of Bengal, both in dissolved and particulate forms. To understand the present elemental dynamics of the Ganga River system, it is important to assess the hydrogeochemical contribution of its tributaries. In this paper, we present an updated database on dissolved and particulate fluxes and denudation rates of the Himalayan tributaries of the Ganga River (Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi). Dissolved trace element concentrations, their fluxes and suspended sediment-associated elemental fluxes of the Himalayan tributaries have been reported for the first time. Total dissolved flux of the Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi was estimated as 4, 19.1, 10.3 and 8.8 million tons year^?1 accounting for ~?5.7, ~?27.3, ~?14.7 and ~?12.6%, respectively, of the total annual dissolved load carried by the Ganga River. The total particulate flux of the Ramganga, Ghaghara, Gandak and Kosi was computed as 8.2, 81.6, 30.9 and 19.5 million tons year^?1, respectively. Compared to earlier studies, we have found a significant increase in the total dissolved flux and chemical denudation rate of the studied tributaries. The estimated particulate fluxes were found to be low in comparison to the previous studies. We suggest that a significant increase in the dissolved fluxes and a decrease in the particulate fluxes are an indication of the increasing anthropogenic disturbances in the catchment of these tributaries.