Comparison of dissolved and particulate arsenic distributions in shallow aquifers of Chakdaha, India, and Araihazar, Bangladesh

Background  

The origin of the spatial variability of dissolved As concentrations in shallow aquifers of the Bengal Basin remains poorly understood. To address this, we compare here transects of simultaneously-collected groundwater and aquifer solids perpendicular to the banks of the Hooghly River in Chakdaha, India, and the Old Brahmaputra River in Araihazar, Bangladesh.     

Significance of co-immobilized activated carbon and Bacillus subtilis on removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions

Batch sorption system using co-immobilized (activated carbon and Bacillus subtilis) beads as adsorbent was investigated to remove Cr(VI) from aqueous solution. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed the functional groups of both bacteria and activated carbon in co-immobilized beads. Experiments were carried out as a function of contact time (5–300 min), initial metal concentration (50–200 mg L^?1), pH (2–8), and adsorbent dose (0.2–1 g L^?1). The maximum percentage of removal was found to be 99 %. Langmuir model showed satisfactory fit to the equilibrium adsorption data of co-immobilized beads. The kinetics of the adsorption followed pseudo-second-order rate expression, which demonstrates that chemisorption plays a significant role in the adsorption mechanism. The significant shift in the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy peaks and a Cr peak in the scanning electron microscope–energy dispersive spectroscopy spectra further confirmed the adsorption. The results indicate that co-immobilized beads can be used as an effective adsorbent for the removal of Cr(VI) from the aqueous solution.     

Ionospheric refraction effects on radio interferometer phase

The refraction of radio waves as they traverse through the terrestrial ionosphere and troposphere introduces a differential phase path which results for a radio interferometer in variations of the visibility phase. Though refraction due to troposphere is significant for synthesis radio telescopes operating at 1.0 GHz and above, ionospheric refraction is dominant at lower frequencies. This problem is important in the case of Ooty Synthesis Radio Telescope (OSRT) operating at 326.5 MHz, due to its proximity to the magnetic equator. This paper deals with the nature of phase variations suffered by OSRT due to refraction and explains the methodology evolved to alleviate them.     

<Emphasis Type="Bold">Petrology of Mafic-Ultramafic Rocks Along North Purulia Shear Zone,West Bengal</Emphasis> by Aditi Mandal and Arijit Ray. Jour. Geol. Soc. India,v.74, July, 2009; pp.108–118.

Discussion

Petrology of Mafic-Ultramafic Rocks Along North Purulia Shear Zone, West Bengal by Aditi Mandal and Arijit Ray. Jour. Geol. Soc. India, v.74, July, 2009; pp.108–118.     

Intensified oxygen minimum zone on the western shelf of Bay of Bengal during summer monsoon: influence of river discharge

A study on biogeochemical cycling in the west coastal Bay of Bengal was undertaken during the peak discharge period to understand the influence of enhanced stratification and primary production on the possible intensification of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Our study reveals that oxygen concentrations were below the detection limits in the northwestern (NW) coastal Bay of Bengal between 100 and 500 m associated with strong stratification and high phytoplankton biomass. Such low oxygen concentrations have never been reported so far from the coastal Bay of Bengal. Despite the existence of an environment conducive to denitrification in the coastal Bay of Bengal, accumulation of neither secondary nitrite nor nitrous oxide (N₂O) was observed. The absence of denitrification was reported to be caused by faster scavenging of organic matter and low bacterial respiration rates; in contrast, our results suggest that neither of these factors are potential reasons for the absence of denitrification in the coastal Bay of Bengal.     

Multiple Regressive Pattern Recognition Technique: An Adapted Approach for Improved Georesource Estimation

Multiple Regressive Pattern Recognition Technique (MRPRT) is an adapted approach for improved geologic resource estimation. We developed and tested this approach for the Platinum (Pt) bearing region near Goodnews Bay, Alaska, which presents an example of a complex depositional environment. We applied geospatial and pattern recognition methods to assess the spatial distribution of offshore Pt in the Goodnews Bay area from point data collected by various agencies. We used the coefficient of correlation (r) and the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (E) to quantitatively assess the degree of accuracy of the estimated Pt distribution. We split the study area, based on trend analysis, into two regions: inside the Bay and outside the Bay. We could not obtain appreciable estimates from the geospatial and pattern recognition methods. Using MRPRT, we were able to improve r from 0.57 to 0.93 and the E from 28.31 to 92.91 inside the Bay. We achieved improvement in r from 0.55 to 0.61 and E from 28.46 to 34.52 outside the Bay. The reasons for a non-significant improvement outside the Bay have been discussed. The results indicate that the proposed MRPRT has wide application potential in georesource estimation where input data is often scarce.     

Mobility of arsenic in West Bengal aquifers conducting low and high groundwater arsenic. Part I: Comparative hydrochemical and hydrogeological characteristics

The present study demonstrates the importance of hydrogeochemical characteristics (groundwater flow and recharge) of an aquifer in the release of As to groundwater. The study area (∼20 km²) is located in Chakdaha block, Nadia district, West Bengal, which hosts groundwaters of variable As content. The spatial distribution pattern of As is patchy with areas containing groundwater that is high in As (>200 μg L⁻¹) found in close vicinity to low As (<50 μg L⁻¹) groundwaters (within 100 m). The concentration of groundwater As is found to decrease with depth. In addition, the data shows that there is no conspicuous relationship between high groundwater As concentration and high groundwater abstraction, although the central cone of depression has enlarged over 2 a and is extending towards the SE of the study area. The river Hooghly, which forms the NW boundary of the study site, shows dual behaviour (effluent and influent during pre- and post-monsoon periods, respectively), complicating the site hydrogeology. The observed groundwater flow lines tend to be deflected away from the high As portion of the aquifer, indicating that groundwater movement is very sluggish in the As-rich area. This leads to a high residence time for this groundwater package, prolonging sediment–water interaction, and hence facilitating groundwater As release.     

Giant Equatorial Radio Telescope

A giant radio telescope for observing galactic and extragalactic radio sources at metre wavelengths is proposed. By locating a parabolic cylindrical antenna at a site close to the Equator such that its axis lies parallel to earth's axis, it is possible to construct a large collecting area economically. The proposed instrument will be very powerful for studying compact and diffuse features of radio sources, monitoring their variability, recombination and deuterium line work, studies of interplanetary medium and pulsar search.Paper presented at the Lembang-Bamberg IAU Colloquium No. 80 on Double Stars: Physical Properties and Generic Relations, held at Bandung, Indonesia, 3–7 June, 1983.