Last-five-decade heavy metal pollution records from the Rewalsar Lake,Himachal Pradesh,India

The lakes of the Himalaya are degrading due to increase in toxic heavy metal loading. This study reports the last 50-year heavy metal pollution loading in the Rewalsar Lake, Himachal Pradesh, India. Sediment cores were recovered to study the pollution loading in the lake sediments. The ¹³⁷Cs and ²¹⁰Pb isotope-based sedimentation rate suggest rapid sedimentation in the lake during the last ~50 years. The concentrations of Mn, Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb, Co, Ni, Cr metals in the lake sediments owe its contributions both to the natural and anthropogenic sources. Prior to ca 1990 AD, metal loading was dominated by the lithogenic input, whereas post ca 1990 AD the metal loading was controlled by the anthropogenic factors. The Pb concentration in the lake gradually increased during 1990–2004 and then decreased significantly till present. The higher concentration of Pb seems to be derived from the fossil fuel burning, while the Cr concentration in the lake indicates the use of fertilizer in the catchment area. The lowest concentrations of elements around ca 1990 AD seem to have occurred due to channelization of the lake feeding system.     

Soft X-ray Focusing Telescope Aboard AstroSat: Design,Characteristics and Performance

The Soft X-ray focusing Telescope (SXT), India’s first X-ray telescope based on the principle of grazing incidence, was launched aboard the AstroSat and made operational on October 26, 2015. X-rays in the energy band of 0.3–8.0 keV are focussed on to a cooled charge coupled device thus providing medium resolution X-ray spectroscopy of cosmic X-ray sources of various types. It is the most sensitive X-ray instrument aboard the AstroSat. In its first year of operation, SXT has been used to observe objects ranging from active stars, compact binaries, supernova remnants, active galactic nuclei and clusters of galaxies in order to study its performance and quantify its characteriztics. Here, we present an overview of its design, mechanical hardware, electronics, data modes, observational constraints, pipeline processing and its in-orbit performance based on preliminary results from its characterization during the performance verification phase.     

Geochemical implications of minerals and environmentally sensitive elements of Giral lignite,Barmer Basin,Rajasthan (India)

The Barmer Basin of Rajasthan is significant for its Paleogene lignite sequences. The lignite seam occurs in Akli Formation of Barmer Basin at the depth of 06–241 m. A total of 57 lignite samples were collected from the working faces of lignite mine and were subjected to proximate analysis (moisture, ash yield, volatile matter, and fixed carbon), ultimate analysis (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur), elemental analysis (Fe, Ca, Mg, Cd, Mn, K, Na, Cu, Co, Ni, Cr, Zn, and Pb) and rock-eval pyrolysis for mineral carbon (MINC). Some elements like Cu, Cd, Co, Ni, Zn, Pb, Na, and K occur in high concentration, while Mg and Ca have their concentrations lower than World Clarke average. In addition, various minerals and functional groups present in the lignite samples were analyzed through X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The mineral (weight and atomic) percentage has also been analyzed through scanning electron microscopy–energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS).     

An integrated study of geospatial information technologies for surface runoff estimation in an agricultural watershed,India

Runoff is one of the important hydrologic variables used in most of the water resources applications. The Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is adopted for the estimation of surface runoff in the Mehadrigedda watershed area, Visakhapatnam district, India using multispectral remote sensing data, curve number approach and normal rainfall data. The main source of water in the Mehadrigedda watershed area is by rain, most of it drains off and only a little percolates into ground. The weighted curve number is determined based on antecedent moisture condition (AMC)-II with an integration of hydrologic soil groups (HSGs) and land use/land cover LULC categories. An integrated approach is applied to delineate the land use/land cover information as adopted from NRSA classification. The recording of daily rainfall data during the years 1997–2006 is collected from Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) rainguage center at Kottavalasa. It is observed that the annual rainfall-runoff relationship during 1997–2006, which is indicating that the overall increase in runoff with the rainfall of the watershed area. Integration of remote sensing (RS) and geographical infomation system (GIS) techniques provide reliable, accurate and up-to-date information on land and water resources.     

基于遥感影像的甘达基流域博卡拉和巴拉普尔的土地利用变化及其驱动力研究（英文）

城市扩张是反映经济增长的重要指标,但随意的城市扩张也带来了严重的社会经济问题、环境问题以及城市土地管理问题。在这个背景下,理解城市扩张的过程对于指导城市的可持续增长具有重要意义。本研究采用基于遥感影像的监督分类方法,分析了甘达基流域内的两个大城市—博卡拉和巴拉普尔1990–2018年的城市用地变化。结果表明:在过去的28年,博卡拉和巴拉普尔的城市面积分别显著扩张了300%和近500%。人口增长、城市基础设施和便利的生活方式引起周边地区向城市的人口迁移,是造成本研究区城市扩张的主要原因。除此之外,不断变化的城市定义和城市边界的扩张是造成城市快速扩张的关键因素。由于上述两个城市拥有高水平的商业活动以及现代化的设施,未来城市规模可能继续扩大。应当通过城市规划和政策减少随意的城市扩张,从而实现城市的可持续发展。     

Glassy magnetic cronstedtite signatures in Mukundpura CM2 chondrite based on magnetic and Mössbauer studies

We have studied the Mukundpura CM2 meteorite for magnetic properties as a function of temperature and magnetic field, as well as its Mössbauer spectrum, at room and low temperatures (up to 5 K). We find that the high temperature paramagnetic phase is followed by two magnetic transitions: a weak transition near 125 K and a strong transition at 8 K. The weak (125 K) magnetic phase can be attributed to complex Fe²⁺–Fe³⁺ constituents present in the meteorite. The absence of the characteristic sextet corresponding to magnetite in Mossbauer spectrum indicates that this magnetic phase is not magnetite, which, if present, must be in insignificant amount. The 8 K magnetic ordering is superimposed with weak ferromagnetic ordering, showing spin‐glass transition. The Mössbauer spectrum taken at 5 K substantiates the observed spin‐glassy nature, as very large hyperfine field ~32 T is recorded, causing localized subordering leading to spin‐glass behavior. The Mössbauer spectra also confirm that iron is mainly present in serpentine‐group minerals, both in ferrous and ferric states. The complete serpentinization of basic silicates indicates aggressive hydrous alteration. These results show that the observed spin‐glass signature is a characteristic feature of the cronstedtite phase in CM meteorites. This feature is unique to carbonaceous CM chondrites and could be used for nondestructive, quick, and independent classification of this rare class of meteorites. Furthermore, the absence of olivine and the presence of cronstedtite in Mossbauer spectra show that the degree of aqueous alteration observed is the most severe in Mukundpura CM2 meteorite, as compared to many other CM2 meteorites. The degree of aqueous alteration in CM2 carbonaceous chondrites increases in the sequence: Paris, Murchison, Murray, Mighei, Nogoya, Cold Bokkeveld, and Mukundpura.     

Yield Estimation Model and Water Productivity of Wheat Crop (Triticum aestivum) in an Irrigation Command Using Remote Sensing and GIS

Crop yield estimation has an important role on economy development and its accuracy and speed influence yield price and helps in deciding the excess or deficit production conditions. The water productivity evaluates the irrigation command through water use efficiency (WUE). Remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) techniques were used for crop yield and water productivity estimation of wheat crop (Triticum aestivum) grown in Tarafeni South Main Canal (TSMC) irrigation command of West Bengal State in India. One IRS P6 image and four wide field sensor (WiFS) images for different months of winter season were used to determine the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (SAVI) for area under wheat crop. The temporally and spatially distributed spectral growth profile and AREASUM of NDVI (A_NDVI) and SAVI (A_SAVI) with time after sowing of wheat crop were developed and correlated with actual crop yield of wheat (Y_act). The developed relationships between A_SAVI and Y_act resulted high correlation in comparison to that of A_NDVI. Using the developed model the RS based wheat yield (Y_RS) predicted from A_SAVI varied on entire TSMC irrigation command from 22.67 to 33.13 q ha⁻¹ respectively, which gave an average yield of 26.50 q ha⁻¹. The RS generated yield based water use efficiency (WUE_YRS) for water supplied from canal of TSMC irrigation command was found to be 6.69 kg ha⁻¹ mm⁻¹.