Vulnerability of groundwater in an industrial (Bauxite) valley of Lanjigarh (Orissa), India

Groundwater, particularly in the shallow zone aquifer is an easily available source of freshwater that serves various needs of people around it. Due to rapid growth in the industrial sector, the shallow groundwater regime becomes vulnerable to industrial toxicity and human activity. In the case of bauxite ore processing industry it is not only the groundwater potential that gets affected, but often the quality of groundwater is at risk from the ore processing activity. Bauxite processing plant has been setup in the Lanjigarh (Orissa State), India during 2007. An attempt has been made to evaluate the groundwater regime in the watershed that comprises the plant and its various disposal sites. Although the groundwater has not been found affected due to waste disposals, however, areas vulnerable to pollution have been demarcated.     

Near-infrared H- and K-band studies of the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi

We present near-infrared photospectroscopy in the H and K bands of the 2006 outburst of the recurrent nova RS Ophiuchi. The observations cover the period between 1 and 94 d after the eruption. The near-infrared light curve is presented. An extensive set of spectra is presented, lines identified and the general characteristics of the spectra discussed. Analysis of the H  i line profiles shows the presence of broad wings on both flanks of a strong central component indicating the presence of a bipolar velocity flow in the ejecta. Such a flow is kinematically consistent with the bipolar structure that the object displays in high-resolution spatial images. We discuss the behaviour and origin of the Fe  ii lines at 1.6872 and 1.7414 μm that are prominently seen throughout the span of the observations. It is examined and shown that Lyman α and Lyman continuum fluorescence are viable mechanisms to excite these lines. We draw upon the result, that collisional excitation can also contribute in exciting and significantly enhancing the strength of these Fe  ii lines, to propose that these lines originate from a site of high particle density. Such a likely site could be the high-density, low-temperature contact surface that should exists in the shock front in between the shocked ejecta and red giant wind. Recombination analysis of the H  i lines indicates deviations from case B conditions during most of the span of our observations indicating optical depth effects. It appears likely that the breakout of the shock front had not yet occurred till the end of our observations. An analysis is made of the temporal evolution of the [Si  vi ] 1.9641 μm coronal line and another coronal line at 2.0894 μm which is attributed to [Mn  xiv ]. Assuming collisional effects to dominate in the hot coronal gas, estimates are made of the ion temperature in the gas.     

Seasonal variation in the biochemical composition of red seaweed (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Catenella repens</Emphasis>) from Gangetic delta,northeast coast of India

The biochemical composition of red seaweeds, Catenella repens was investigated in this present study along with subsequent analysis of relevant physico-chemical variables. In this study, the relationship between the nutritive components of this species and the ambient environmental parameters was established. Protein content varied from 2.78 ± 0.30% of dry weight (stn.3) to 16.03 ± 0.96% of dry weight (stn.1) with highest values during monsoon. The protein levels were positively correlated with dissolved nitrate content and negatively correlated with water temperature (except stn.3) and salinity. Carbohydrate content of this species varied significantly (p < 0.05) during pre-monsoon between stations and the values showed positive relationship with salinity and surface water temperature. In contrast to carbohydrate, lipid concentration was lowest in values and varied very slightly between seasons and stations. Astaxanthin content of the seaweed species was greater in pre-monsoon than monsoon and post-monsoon in all the selected stations. Compared with the three seasons, samples of red seaweed collected in pre-monsoon has high carbohydrate-astaxanthin in contrast to protein-lipid which showed high values during monsoon. Statistical analysis computed among the environmental and biochemical parameters suggests the potential role played by the abiotic parameters on biosynthetic pathways of seaweed. This paper also highlights the influence of the nutritional quality of water that can be used for mass cultivation of Catenella repens.     

Reductive dissolution of arsenic-bearing ferrihydrite

Ferrihydrites were prepared by coprecipitation (COP) or adsorption (ADS) of arsenate, and the products were characterized using solid-state methods. In addition, the kinetics of reductive dissolution by hydroquinone of these well-characterized materials were quantified. Characterization and magnetism results indicate that the 10 wt% As COP ferrihydrite is less crystalline and possibly has smaller crystallite size than the other ferrihydrites, which all have similar crystallinity and particle size. The results from reductive dissolution experiments show similar reaction rates, reaction mechanism, and activation energy for ferrihydrite precipitated with or without added arsenate. However, a marked decrease in reactivity was observed for 10 wt% As ADS ferrihydrite. The decrease is not attributed to differences in activation energy but rather the preferential blocking of active sites on the ferrihydrite surface. Results demonstrate that arsenic may be released by the reductive dissolution of arsenic-bearing ferrihydrite regardless of whether the arsenic is coprecipitated with or adsorbed onto the ferrihydrite. However, under these reaction conditions, release from materials with adsorbed arsenate greatly exceeds that from materials with coprecipitated arsenate. In fact, a considerable amount of arsenic was released from the 10 wt% ADS ferrihydrite before reductive dissolution was initiated. Therefore, the characterization of arsenate-bearing iron oxide materials to determine the method of arsenate incorporation into structures—perhaps by quantification of Fe-Fe coordination with EXAFS spectroscopy—may lead to improved predictions of the large-scale release of arsenic within aquifer systems under reducing conditions.     

Development and performance evaluation of statistical models correlating air pollutants and meteorological variables at Pantnagar,India

Ambient air quality in respect of SO₂, NO₂ and total suspended particulate matter (TSPM) was monitored at Pantnagar, India from May, 2008 to April, 2009 and statistically analyzed with meteorological variables such as relative humidity (RH), wind speed (WS), precipitation (P) and mean air temperature (T). TSPM was found to be the major air pollutant causing significant deterioration of air quality with annual mean concentrations of 280 μg/m³. Further, weekly mean air pollutant concentrations were statistically analyzed through stepwise multiple linear regression analysis in respect of independent meteorological variables to develop suitable statistical models. Both NO₂ and TSPM concentrations were found to have been influenced by meteorological variables with coefficient of determination (R²) of 82.21 and 92.84%, respectively. However, atmospheric SO₂ revealed only 22.87% of dependencies on meteorological variables. Partial correlation coefficients revealed that wind speed has the maximum influence (77.80 and 31.50%) on proposed equations for NO₂ and SO₂, closely followed by weekly mean temperature (73.60 and 24.30%). However, in case of TSPM, individual contribution of ambient temperature (94.40%) was found maximum, followed by relative humidity (86.50%). Model performances were evaluated through both quantitative data analysis techniques and statistical methods. Nearly 98 and 95% of potential error has been explained by the model developed for TSPM and NO₂, while in case of SO₂, it is found as only 61%. Therefore, performances of models (for TSPM and NO₂) to predict ambient weekly mean concentrations based on forecasted weather parameters were found to be excellent, however, performance of model developed for SO₂ was found only satisfactory.     

Crustal Configuration of the Northwest Himalaya Based on Modeling of Gravity Data

The gravity response and crustal shortening in the Himalayan belt are modeled in detail for the first time in the NW Himalaya. The Bouguer gravity anomaly along a ~450-km-long (projected) transect from the Sub-Himalaya in the south to the Karakoram fault in the north across the Indus-Tsangpo Suture Zone is modeled using spectral analysis, wavelet transform and forward modeling. The spectral analysis suggests three-layer interfaces in the lithosphere at 68-, 34- and 11-km depths corresponding to the Moho, the Conrad discontinuity and the Himalayan decollement thrust, respectively. The coherence, admittance and cross spectra suggest crustal shortening because of convergence compensated by lithospheric folding at 536- and 178-km wavelength at the Moho and the upper-crustal level. An average effective elastic thickness of around 31 km is calculated using the coherence method. The gravity data are modeled to demarcate intracrustal to subcrustal regional thrust/fault zones. The geometrical constraints of these faults are obtained in the space scale domain using the wavelet transform, showing good correlation with the major tectonic boundaries. The crustal configuration along the transect shows how the Moho depth increases from 45 to 80 km towards the north with the locus of flexure of the Indian crust beneath the Higher Himalayan zone. The combination of forward modeling and wavelet analysis gives insight into the subsurface extent and geometry of regional structures across the NW Himalaya.     

Optical/IR studies of Be stars in NGC 6834 with emphasis on two specific stars

We present optical and infrared photometric and spectroscopic studies of two Be stars in the 70–80-Myr-old open cluster NGC 6834. NGC 6834(1) has been reported as a binary from speckle interferometric studies whereas NGC 6834(2) may possibly be a γ Cas-like variable. Infrared photometry and spectroscopy from the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope(UKIRT), and optical data from various facilities are combined with archival data to understand the nature of these candidates.High signal-to-noise near-IR spectra obtained from UKIRT have enabled us to study the optical depth effects in the hydrogen emission lines of these stars. We have explored the spectral classification scheme based on the intensity of emission lines in the H and K bands and contrasted it with the conventional classification based on the intensity of hydrogen and helium absorption lines. This work also presents hitherto unavailable UBV CCD photometry of NGC 6834, from which the evolutionary state of the Be stars is identified.