Groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects in India

During a 28-year field survey in India (1988–2016), groundwater arsenic contamination and its health effects were registered in the states of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in the Ganga River flood plain, and the states of Assam and Manipur in the flood plain of Brahamaputra and Imphal rivers. Groundwater of Rajnandgaon village in Chhattisgarh state, which is not in a flood plain, is also arsenic contaminated. More than 170,000 tubewell water samples from the affected states were analyzed and half of the samples had arsenic >10 μg/L (maximum concentration 3,700 μg/L). Chronic exposure to arsenic through drinking water causes various health problems, like dermal, neurological, reproductive and pregnancy effects, cardiovascular effects, diabetes mellitus, diseases of the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, and cancers, typically involving the skin, lungs, liver, bladder, etc. About 4.5% of the 8,000 children from arsenic-affected villages of affected states were registered with mild to moderate arsenical skin lesions. In the preliminary survey, more than 10,000 patients were registered with different types of arsenic-related signs and symptoms, out of more than 100,000 people screened from affected states. Elevated levels of arsenic were also found in biological samples (urine, hair, nails) of the people living in affected states. The study reveals that the population who had severe arsenical skin lesions may suffer from multiple Bowens/cancers in the long term. Some unusual symptoms, such as burning sensation, skin itching and watering of eyes in the presence of sun light, were also noticed in arsenicosis patients.     

Land degradation analysis of mine-impacted zone of Kolubara in Serbia

This paper presents the effect of land-use changes on land degradation by utilization of remote sensing methods and the Gavrilovi? erosion potential method, due to surface mining activities in the period 2001–2011. Studied area includes the zone of influence of the Rudarski basen Kolubara, which covers the exploitation area of the Kolubara coal basin in the Republic of Serbia. The analysis is based on the processing of Landsat 5 satellite images from 2001 and 2011. In the analysis of satellite images, the supervised classification method was used. The results suggest that the observed spatial–temporal area is exposed to erosion as a result of land-use changes. Preliminary conclusion is that the dominant anthropogenic factor, responsible for changes in land use, is pronounced through the mining activity, industrialization, construction as well as agricultural activities. Very small changes in land use that occurred in the period 2001–2010 have led to relatively small amount of change from the aspect of land degradation. Also, due to the planned exploitation of the mine which included into account the sustainability of ecosystems, primarily through appropriate conservation measures, RB Kolubara is not in danger of a possible erosion processes that could undermine the stability of the basin.     

Assessment of large aperture scintillometry for large-area surface energy fluxes over an irrigated cropland in north India

Amount of available net energy and its partitioning into sensible, latent and soil heat fluxes over an agricultural landscape are critical to improve estimation of evapotranspiration and modelling parse (ecosystem modelling, hydrological and meteorological modelling). Scintillometry is a peculiar and robust methodology to provide structure parameter of refractive index and energy balance. Scintillometer has proven for assessment of sensible and latent heat flux, which is based on the principle of Monin–Obukhov similarity theory. Scintillometer has been installed in the agricultural experimental farm of ICAR-Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi, with a spatial covering path length of 990 m of irrigated and cultivable agricultural landscape. This paper discusses the patterns of energy flux as diurnal and seasonal basis at scintillometer path which was mainly covered by maize in Kharif and wheat in Rabi season during a crop growing seasons of 2014–2015. The biophysical parameters (leaf area, soil moisture, crop height) were recorded at a temporal resolution of fortnight basis along the path length at usual sampling distance. The Bowen ratio value for both Kharif and Rabi season was 0.76 and 0.88, respectively by scintillometer. Leaf area index had a significantly positive correlation with latent heat flux (\(R^{2} =0.80\)) while a significantly negative correlation with sensible heat flux (\(R^{2}{=}-0.79\)). Soil moisture had a significant negative correlation with sensible heat flux (\(R^{2}{=}-0.68\)). The average evapotranspiration from crop land was \(1.58 ~\hbox {mm d}^{-1}\) and total evapotranspiration was 543 mm over the 12 months study period. This study defines that large aperture scintillometer is robust instrument which can evaluate energy flux over a large area with a long term series time domain. Moreover, further studied should be conducted to use in crop simulation modelling, developing of new model with calibration and validation of remote sensing energy balance algorithm, etc.     

Komatiite within Chhotanagpur Gneissic Complex at Semra,Palamau District,Jharkhand: Petrological and geochemical fingerprints

Komatiite near Semra village, southwest of Daltonganj in Palamau District of Jharkhand, occurs within tremolite actinolite schist of ultramafic parentage. The fragmented olivine phenocrysts show mutually parallel as well as angular alignment, representing relict spinifex texture. Mineralogically the Semra ultramafic is lehrzolite in composition. The cumulates lack visible deformation suggesting original magmatic crystallization of these ultramafic rocks. The present occurrence of Spinifex Textured Peridotitic Komatiite (STPK) in Chhotanagpur Gneissic Complex (CGC) at northwestern part of Eastern Indian Shield is of great significance as it opens up a possibility of the presence of Archaean rock in CGC, which is yet to be established.     

Alkaline Magmatism Versus Collision Tectonics in the Eastern Ghats Belt, India: Constraints from Structural Studies in the Koraput Complex

Linear domains of deformed alkaline rocks and carbonatites have recently been identified as representing sites of ancient suture zones. In peninsular India, the western margin of the Proterozoic Eastern Ghats Belt (EGB) is characterized by a series of alkaline plutons that are aligned close to the contact with the Archaean Craton. Most of the complexes were deformed and metamorphosed during a subsequent orogenic event. Unlike other plutons in the belt, the alkaline complex at Koraput reportedly escaped deformation and granulite facies metamorphism forming an anomalous entity within the zone. Multiply-deformed country rocks hosting this complex underwent syn-D_1CR granulite facies metamorphism followed by D_2CR thrusting, with pervasive shearing along a NE-SW trending foliation. A second granulite facies event followed localized D_3CR shearing. Within the Koraput Complex, strain partitioning was responsible for preserving igneous textures in the gabbroic core, but aligned magmatic amphibole needles and plagioclase laths occasionally define a S_1AC fabric. Along the margins, S_1AC is rotated parallel to a NE-trending, east-dipping S_2AC fabric in the gabbro, fringing syenodiorite and nepheline syenite bands. Locally, D_3AC shearing follows D_2AC deformation; S_2AC and S_3AC parallel S_2CR and S_3CR in the country rocks. High-grade metamorphism represented by recrystallization of amphibole and plagioclase, and breakdown of amphibole and biotite to garnet, pyroxene and K-feldspar in the complex follows D_3AC. Unlike earlier reports, therefore, the Koraput body is also deformed and metamorphosed. The aligned alkaline complexes in the EGB probably represent deformed alkaline rocks and carbonatites formed by rifting related to an earlier episode of continental break-up that were deformed during subsequent juxtaposition of the EGB with the Archaean Craton. This supports the contention that the western margin of the EGB and its contact with the Archaean Craton is a suture zone related to the Indo-Antarctica collision event.     

Geological and tectonic influence on water–soil–radon relationship in Mandi–Manali area,Himachal Himalaya

Radon measurements in soil and groundwater (springs, thermal springs and handpumps) were made in a variety of lithological units including major thrusts between Mandi and Manali in Himachal Himalaya. Analysis of radon data in light of lithological controls and influence of deep-seated thrusts has been made to elucidate the causative factors for anomalous emanation of radon. The lithological types include banded gneisses, schists, quartzite, granite, phyllites, volcanics and mylonites. The low-grade metasedimentries of Shali and Dharamsala generally show low and narrow range of radon concentration in water (5.6–13.4 Bq/l) as well as in soil (1.8–3.2 kBq/m³) except for the samples related to thrusts. On the other hand, sheared and deformed rocks of Chail and Jutogh show moderate radon content (average 5.03 kBq/m³, range 2.9–11.1 kBq/m³) in soil. However, the groundwater radon concentration shows wide variation in different types of sources (2.1–80.8 Bq/l). The quartzite and volcanic rocks of Rampur formation in this area present as a window separated by Chail thrust. Radon emanations on these rock types are relatively high (6.3–68.1 Bq/l in water and 5.5–15.9 kBq/m³ in soil) and are exceptionally high in samples that are related to uranium mineralization, deep-seated thrusts and hot springs (13.5–653.5 Bq/l). It is generally observed that anomalous high radon content is associated with mineralization, deeper source and tectonic discontinuities. Whereas it is obvious that subsurface radioactive mineralization would facilitate enhanced radon production, however, thrust plains provide easy pathways for escape of gases from the deeper sources. Shallow and deep sources of the groundwater have contrasting radon content particularly in the deformed and metamorphosed rocks of Jutogh and Chail. Shallow groundwater sources, mainly handpumps, have lower radon concentration due to limited superficial water circulation, whereas deeper sources, mainly perennial springs, show higher radon content because of larger opportunity for water–rock interaction.     

Solar-wind interactions with the moon: Role of oxygen ions

The solar-wind interacts directly with the lunar surface due to tenuous atmosphere and magnetic field. The interaction results in an almost complete absorption of the solar-wind corpuscles producing no upstream bowshock but a cavity downstream. The solar-wind oxygen ionic species induce and undergo a complex set of reactions with the elements of the lunar minerals and the solar-wind derived trapped gases. The oxygen concentration indegeneous to the lunar surface material is about 60 at.%. Some of these oxygen are displaced from their crystal lattice locations by interactions of the solar-wind corpuscles. A small fraction of these displaced oxygen is in active state. The solar-wind oxygen species flux is about 6×10⁴ cm^–2 s^–1. Besides inducing and undergoing various reactions these species become trapped as oxygen atoms in the lunar grains. Only a portion of these trapped oxygen atoms is in active state. For the contribution of oxygen atoms and molecules from the lunar surface grains to the atmosphere and their reactions with other species, the diffusion coefficients of oxygen atom and molecule should be known. However their values in the highly radiation-damaged lunar surface material are not known. The coefficients are calculated by using the apparent lifetimes of atomic and molecular oxygen in the lunar material. The atmospheric concentration of oxygen atoms and molecules near the lunar surface are found to be about 20 and 3 cm^–3, respectively. These values appear to be very reasonable in comparison with the experimental data. The Apollo 17 lunar orbital UV spectrometer data indicate the atomic oxygen concentration is <8×10¹ cm^–3. The Apollo 17 lunar surface mass spectrometer (sensitivity: 1 count=2×10² molecules cm^–3) did not detect any oxygen molecules on the dayside of the Moon, but the sunrise concentration was reported to be 1±×10³ cm^–3. At the time of the sample collection on the Moon the oxygen content in the trapped gas layer was partly as oxygen atoms and partly as oxygen molecules. At the time of sample analysis on the Earth the concentrations of these two species did not change appreciably.     

Solar-wind interactions with the moon: Nature and composition of nitrogen compounds

The lunar atmosphere and magnetic field are very tenuous. The solar wind, therefore, interacts directly with the lunar surface material and the dominant nature of interaction is essentially complete absorption of solar-wind particles by the surface material resulting in no upstream bowshock, but a cavity downstream. The solar-wind nitrogen ion species induce and undergo a complex set of reactions with the elements of lunar material and the solar-wind-derived trapped elements. The nitrogen concentration indigeneous to the lunar surface material is practically nil. Therefore any nitrogen and nitrogen compounds found in the lunar surface material are due to the solar-wind implantation of nitrogen ions. The flux of the solar-wind nitrogen ion species is about 6×10³ cm^–2 s^–1. Since there is no evidence for accumulation of nitrogen species in the lunar surface material, the outflux of nitrogen species from the lunar material to the atmosphere is the same as the solar-wind nitrogen ion flux. The species of the outflux are primarily NO and NH₃, and their respective concentrations in the near surface lunar atmosphere are found by calculation to be 327 and 295 cm^–3. The calculated concentration of NH₃ seems to be consistent with the sunrise concentration results of the mass spectrometer implanted on the lunar surface. This is not the case for the concentration of NO. According to the presently calculated concentration value of NO, the mass spectrometer should have detected NO at sunrise, but no report was made for its detection. There is also discrepancy about the concentration of N₂ which is explained in this paper. The concentrations of nitrogen species in the lunar material at the time of sample collection on the Moon remained about the same when the samples were analyzed on the Earth. However, no specific experiment was planned to detect the nitrogen species in the lunar material samples.     

Magnetospheric currents and estimation of theSq focal latitude

The average latitude of theSq(X) focus along the longitude 75°E has been estimated using the Tsyganenko model (Tsyganenko, 1981) of the external magnetic field for storm time conditions of the magnetosphere. It is observed that the shift of the focal latitudes, due to magnetospheric currents, is only about 1 to 2° even during strong storms. It is also shown that the shift is asymmetric about the equator and longitude dependent. The day to day changes in observed focal position are much larger and the magnetospheric currents cannot, therefore, be regarded as a dominant mechanism of focal movement.The paper was presented at the IAGA General Assembly meeting held in Prague, Czechoslovakia, during August 1985.     

Free vibrations of open-section shear walls

The coupled torsional-flexural vibration of open-section shear walls, braced by connecting beams at each floor level, is analysed on the basis of Vlasov's theory of thin-walled beams. The basic dynamic equations and boundary conditions are derived from Hamilton's principle, and a numerical solution obtained by the Ritz-Galerkin method. In addition to the primary torsional and flexural inertias, secondary effects due to rotatory and warping inertia forces have also been taken into account. The method is suitable for both rigid and flexible base conditions. A series of numerical examples is presented in which analytical results are compared with available experimental data, and the effects of secondary inertia forces, base flexibility and connecting beams upon the vibration characteristics of such shear walls are examined for two different structural forms.