Post-tsunami changes in the littoral environment along the southeast coast of India

The 26th December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami devastated coastal regions of the Indian subcontinent. Andaman and Nicobar Islands, coastal stretches of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala were the most affected regions of India. Changes in the beach profiles, long shore currents, breaking wave characteristics in the surf zone at selected locations along the Tamil Nadu coast were studied during January, April, October 2005 and January 2006. Long shore sediment transport rates were estimated from the observed parameters. Studies were carried out earlier (1995-1996 and 1998) to understand the coastal environment over a one-year cycle in the study region. The post-tsunami observations were compared with the earlier studies to establish the variations in the littoral environment and to ascertain the normalcy of the littoral environment in the post-tsunami scenario. From the changes in the beach profiles, the shoreline was observed to recede by about 20m and built-up of backshore by about 0.5m at most locations. Observations from the field investigations and comparisons with earlier studies along this stretch of the coastline indicate that the coastline is yet to return completely to normalcy.     

Dust deposition in a sub-tropical opencast coalmine area, India

This paper provides baseline information about the total annual dust fall, and its constituents and seasonal variation, from a sub-tropical opencast coalmine area in Bina, India. Dust samples were collected monthly for 2 years (June 2002-May 2004) from five sampling sites in the region and analyzed in the laboratory for water-soluble and -insoluble matter. Water-insoluble components constituted the major fraction of the total annual dust fall. Two-way ANOVA indicated significant variations in dust fall at different sites, over the months and in their interactions. The dust deposition rate was highest during summer (March-June), followed by winter (November-February) and lowest in the rainy season (July-October). Maximum dust fall was observed near the coal handling plant (at site 2) followed by the receiving pit of the coal handling plant (site 3), near the main sub-station (site 4), Jawahar colony (site 1) and Gharasari village (site 5). An inverse and significant relation was observed between dust fall and precipitation. Our studies have shown that the main residential areas are experiencing higher levels of dust fall which makes them unsuitable for living. We suggest that residential areas should be moved farther away from the mining area in the opposite direction of prevalent winds.     

Effect of zinc-resistant Lysinibacillus species inoculation on growth,physiological properties,and zinc uptake in maize (Zea mays L.)

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Soil contamination by heavy metals is one of the major abiotic stresses that cause retarded plant growth and low productivity. Among the heavy metals,...     

The role of ICT diffusion in sustainable human development: an empirical analysis from SAARC economies

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study intends to examine the impact of ICT diffusion, globalization, financial development, government effectiveness, and economic growth on...     

Blade thickness effect on the aerodynamic performance of an asymmetric NACA six series blade vertical axis wind turbine in low wind speed

ABSTRACT

Vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) is an economic and widely used energy converter for converting wind energy into useful form of energy, like mechanical and electrical energy. For efficient energy conversion in low wind speed and to have improved power coefficient of asymmetric blade VAWT, selection of optimum blade thickness is needed thus entailing its detailed investigation with respect to different operating wind speed conditions. Present study methodically explores the impact of thickness to chord (t/c) ratio on aerodynamic performance of a three bladed asymmetrical blade H-Darrieus VAWT at different low wind speed conditions by using 2D unsteady CFD simulations. The optimal t/c is obtained on the basis of maximum power coefficient and average moment coefficient of the turbine. The aerodynamic performance curves are obtained at different operating and t/c conditions and the performance insights are corroborated with the findings from the flow physics study to come to some concrete conclusions on the effects of the thickness to chord ratio. The present study identifies large blade curvature to create a large diverging passage on the blade suction surface as the prominent reason for aerodynamic performance drop at a high t/c ratio.     

Holistic approach for quantification and identification of pollutant sources of a river basin by analyzing the open drains using an advanced multivariate clustering

Global scarcity of freshwater has been gearing towards an unsustainable river basin management and corresponding services to the humans. It needs a holistic approach, which exclusively focuses on effective river water quality monitoring and quantification and identification of pollutant sources, in order to address the issue of sustainability. These days, rivers are heavily contaminated due to the presence of organic and metallic pollutants released from several anthropogenic sources, such as industrial effluents, domestic sewage, and agricultural runoff. It is astonishing to note that even in many developing countries, most of these contaminants are carried through open drains, which enter river premises without proper treatment. Such practice not only devastates riverine ecosystem but also gives rise to deadly diseases, such as minimata and cancer in humans. Considering these issues, the present study develops a novel approach towards simultaneous identification of major sources of pollution in the rivers, along with critical pollutants and locations using an advanced hierarchical cluster and multivariate statistical analysis. A systematic approach has been developed by agglomerating both R-mode and Q-mode analysis, which develops monoplots, two-dimensional biplots, rotated component matrices, and dendrograms (using “SPSS” and “Analyse It” software) to reveal relationships among various quality parameters to identify the pollutant sources along with clustering of critical sampling sites and pollutants. A case study of the Ganges River Basin of India has been considered to demonstrate the efficacy and usefulness of the model by analyzing 85 open drains. Both organic and metallic pollutants are analyzed simultaneously as well as separately to get a holistic understanding of all the relationships and to broaden the perspective of water characterization. Results provide a comprehensive guidance to the policy makers and water managers to optimize corrective efforts, minimize further damage, and improve the water quality condition to ensure sustainable development of the river basin.     

Nanoscale materials as sorbents for nitrate and phosphate removal from water

Excessive nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) release into run-off waters from human activities is a major cause of eutrophication. Several techniques are available to remove N and P-containing pollutants, such as chemical precipitation, biological treatment, membrane processes, electrolytic treatment, ion-exchange and adsorption. In order to remove low concentration levels of nitrate and phosphate, adsorption is a cost-effective solution. In this review, we present a list of nanoscale adsorbents such as zero-valent metal, metal oxides/metal hydroxides, and carbon-based materials. We discuss their adsorption capacities, isotherms, kinetics and mechanisms.     

Agriculture,dairy and fishery farming practices and greenhouse gas emission footprint: a strategic appraisal for mitigation

Rising global population would force farmers to amplify food production substantially in upcoming 3–4 decades. The easiest way to increase grain production is through expanding cropping area by clearing uncultivated land. This is attained by permitting deadly loss of carbon (C) stocks, jeopardizing ecosystem biodiversity and deteriorating environmental quality. We aim to propose key agronomical tactics, livestock management strategy and advance approaches for aquaculture to increase productivity and simultaneously reduce the environmental impacts of farming sector. For this, we considered three major sectors of farming, i.e. agriculture, fishery and dairy. We collected literatures stating approaches or technologies that could reduce GHG emission from these sectors. Thereafter, we synthesized strategies or options that are more feasible and accessible for inclusion in farm sector to reduce GHG emission. Having comprehensively reviewed several publications, we propose potential strategies to reduce GHG emission. Agronomic practices like crop diversification, reducing summer fallow, soil organic carbon sequestration, tillage and crop residue management and inclusion of N2-fixing pulses in crop rotations are some of those. Livestock management through changing animals’ diets, optimal use of the gas produced from manures, frequent and complete manure removal from animal housing and aquaculture management strategies to improve fish health and improve feed conversion efficiency could reduce their GHG emission footprint too. Adapting of effective and economic practices GHG emission footprint reduction potential of farming sector could make farming sector a C neutral enterprise. To overcome the ecological, technological and institutional barriers, policy on trade, tax, grazing practice and GHG pricing should be implemented properly.     

One-pot wet ball-milling for waste wire-harness recycling

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - In this study, we developed a one-pot wet ball-milling method for the recovery of highly pure copper wire, poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) coating, and...     

Essential oils and their bioactive compounds as eco-friendly novel green pesticides for management of storage insect pests: prospects and retrospects

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - The control of storage insect pests is largely based on synthetic pesticides. However, due to fast growing resistance in the targeted insects,...