The seasonal status of chemical parameters in shallow coastal aquifers of Rameswaram Island, India

The study area Rameswaram, a holy island, is famous for the sacred Ramanathaswamy temple, which cements people of the country regardless of their place, residence, or their religion or creed. This coastal tract is experiencing a chronic fresh water shortage, despite a few spring sources. The study area is selected for the characterization of physico-chemical parameters viz., pH, EC, TDS, salinity, TA, TH, CH, MH, chloride, and fluoride for 150 groundwater samples and the impact of pre- and post-monsoons on the groundwater quality is studied. The water quality index advocates the transfer of groundwater quality from unacceptable status in the pre-monsoon into an acceptable status in the post-monsoon. The Langelier saturation index reflects the scaling tendency of groundwater in the study area. The Karl Pearson correlation matrix has approved the maximum influence of calcium and chloride on the total dissolved solids. It is interesting to conclude that the groundwater in the study area has very had nature, especially of non-carbonate type.     

Heavy metals in bottom sediments of Lake Umbozero in Murmansk Region, Russia

Sediment cores collected from different locations of Lake Umbozero were studied with respect to concentration and mobility of trace and heavy metals Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, U, and Zn. Lake Umbozero is the second largest lake in the Murmansk Region and subjected to contamination by air-borne emissions and river transportation from the nearby metallurgical and mining industries. Unlike its neighboring, more industry-prone Lake Imandra, Lake Umbozero is relatively unexplored with respect to its state of pollution. In our study, metal distribution in sediments was found to vary with respect to the cores, although in general the concentrations were at the same level throughout the lake indicating uniform horizontal distribution of metals. When compared to Lake Imandra, the concentrations of most of the metals studied were significantly lower and represented the levels in sediments measured in lakes of Kola Peninsula located further off from industrial pollutant sources. An exception was Pb the concentration of which was at the same level as in Lake Imandra, probably due to long-distance transport. Sediment layers were subjected to four-step sequential extraction procedure to reveal the metal distribution in soluble, exchangeable, acid-soluble, and residual fractions. Indicative of their potential higher lability, Mn, U, and Zn were generally found in exchangeable fraction; as also Mn and U extensively in the acid-soluble fraction.     

Metal fractionation study on bed sediments of Hussainsagar Lake, Hyderabad, India

Hussainsagar Lake in the heart of Hyderabad City (India) receives toxic substances through five streams draining from a catchment area of 245 km². Of particular interest are heavy metals received from urban runoff as well as municipal sewage and industrial effluents. Heavy metals entering the lake get adsorbed onto the suspended sediments, which eventually settle down in the bottom of the lake. In this study, fractionation of metal ions has been studied on the bed sediments of Hussainsagar Lake in order to determine the ecotoxic potential of metal ions. Comparison of sediments with average shale values indicated anthropogenic enrichment with copper, nickel, lead, cadmium, and zinc. The risk assessment code as applied to the present study reveals that 10–17% of manganese, 10–18% of nickel, 14–24% of chromium, 10–19% of lead, 21–30% of cadmium, and 18–28% of zinc exist in exchangeable fraction and, therefore, comes under medium risk category and may enter into food chain. The association of these metals with the exchangeable fraction may cause deleterious effects to aquatic life. The present database will help in formulating guidelines for carrying out dredging operations under restoration programs in the Hussainsagar Lake.     

Fire risk evaluation using multicriteria analysis—a case study

Forest fires are one of the major causes of ecological disturbance and environmental concerns in tropical deciduous forests of south India. In this study, we use fuzzy set theory integrated with decision-making algorithm in a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) framework to map forest fire risk. Fuzzy set theory implements classes or groupings of data with boundaries that are not sharply defined (i.e., fuzzy) and consists of a rule base, membership functions, and an inference procedure. We used satellite remote sensing datasets in conjunction with topographic, vegetation, climate, and socioeconomic datasets to infer the causative factors of fires. Spatial-level data on these biophysical and socioeconomic parameters have been aggregated at the district level and have been organized in a GIS framework. A participatory multicriteria decision-making approach involving Analytical Hierarchy Process has been designed to arrive at a decision matrix that identified the important causative factors of fires. These expert judgments were then integrated using spatial fuzzy decision-making algorithm to map the forest fire risk. Results from this study were quite useful in identifying potential “hotspots” of fire risk, where forest fire protection measures can be taken in advance. Further, this study also demonstrates the potential of multicriteria analysis integrated with GIS as an effective tool in assessing “where and when” forest fires will most likely occur.     

Monsoon-induced changes in the size-fractionated phytoplankton biomass and production rate in the estuarine and coastal waters of southwest coast of India

Changes in the autotrophic pico- (0.2–2 μm), nano- (2–20 μm), and microplankton (>20 μm) biomass (chlorophyll a) and primary production were measured in the estuarine and coastal waters off Cochin, southwest coast of India during the onset and establishment of a monsoon. During this period, the estuary was dominated by nutrient-rich freshwater, whereas the coastal waters were characterized with higher salinity values (>30 psu) and less nutrients. The average surface chlorophyll a concentrations and primary production rates were higher in the estuary (average 13.7 mg m^???3 and 432 mgC m^???3 day^???1) as compared to the coastal waters (5.3 mg m^???3 and 224 mgC m^???3 day^???1). The nanoplankton community formed the major fraction of chlorophyll a and primary production, both in the estuary (average 85 ± SD 8.3% and 81.2 ± SD 3.2%) and the coastal waters (average 73.2 ± SD 17.2% and 81.9 ± 15.7%). Nanoplankton had the maximum photosynthetic efficiency in the coastal waters (average 4.8 ± SD 3.9 mgC mgChl a m^???3 h^???1), whereas in the estuary, the microplankton had higher photosynthetic efficiency (average 7.4 ± 7 mgC mgChl a m^???3 h^???1). The heavy cloud cover and increased water column turbidity not only limit the growth of large-sized phytoplankton in the Cochin estuary and coastal waters but also support the proliferation of nanoplankton community during the monsoon season, even though large variation in nanoplankton chlorophyll a and production exists between these two areas.     

Seagrass (Posidonia oceanica) monitoring in western Mediterranean: implications for management and conservation

The seagrass Posidonia oceanica is extensively monitored in Mediterranean coastal waters and is an ideal candidate for an eco-regional assessment of the coastal ecosystem. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential of P. oceanica as eco-regional indicator for its assessment at the scale of Mediterranean basin. For this purpose, regional and national P. oceanica monitoring programmes are identified, and their data and metadata are collected and compared in terms of objectives, strategies, sampling designs and sampling methods. The analysis identifies a number of issues concerning data quality, reliability and comparability. In particular, the adoption of different sampling designs and methods may introduce relevant errors when comparing data. The results of this study stress the necessity of carefully planning monitoring programmes. Moreover, it highlights that the adoption of a number of common tools would facilitate all Mediterranean monitoring activities and allows an optimisation of management efforts at an eco-regional scale.     

Hydrogeochemical characterization of fluoride rich groundwater of Wailpalli watershed, Nalgonda District, Andhra Pradesh, India

The groundwater of Nalgonda district is well known for its very high fluoride content for the past five decades. Many researchers have contributed their scientific knowledge to unravel causes for fluoride enrichment of groundwater. In the present paper, an attempt has been made to relate the high fluoride content in the groundwater to hydrogeochemical characterization of the water in a fracture hard rock terrain—the Wailpally watershed. Groundwater samples collected from all the major geomorphic units in pre- and post-monsoon seasons were analyzed for its major ion constituents such as Ca^2?+?, Mg^2?+?, Na^?+?, K^?+?, CO $_{3}^{-}$ , HCO $_{3}^{-}$ , Cl^???, SO $_{4}^{-2}$ , NO $_{3}^{-}$ , and F^???. The groundwaters in the watershed have the average fluoride content of 2.79 mg/l in pre-monsoon and 2.83 mg/l in post-monsoon. Fluoride concentration in groundwater does not show perceptible change neither with time nor in space. The ionic dominance pattern is in the order of Na^?+? > Ca^2?+??> Mg^2?+??> K^??? among cations and HCO $_{3}^{-}\:\,>$ Cl^????> SO $_{4}^{-2} >$ NO $_{3}^{-} >$ F^??? among anions in pre-monsoon. In post-monsoon, Mg replaces Ca^2?+? and NO $_{3}^{-}$ takes the place of SO $_{4}^{-2}$ . The Modified Piper diagram reflect that the water belong to Ca^?+?2–Mg^?+?2–HCO $_{3}^{-}$ to Na^?+?–HCO $_{3}^{-}$ facies. Negative chloralkali indices in both the seasons prove that ion exchange between Na^?+? and K^?+? in aquatic solution took place with Ca^?+?2 and Mg^?+?2 of host rock. The interpretation of plots for different major ions and molar ratios suggest that weathering of silicate rocks and water–rock interaction is responsible for major ion chemistry of groundwater in Wailpally watershed. Chemical characteristics and evolution of this fluoride-contaminated groundwater is akin to normal waters of other hard rock terrain; hence, it can be concluded that aquifer material play an important role in the contribution of fluoride in to the accompanying water. High fluoride content in groundwater can be attributed to the continuous water–rock interaction during the process of percolation with fluorite-bearing country rocks under arid, low precipitation, and high evapotranspiration conditions.     

Toxicity of Hg, Cu and Zn on early developmental stages of the European clam (Ruditapes decussatus) with potential application in marine water quality assessment

The toxicity of mercury, zinc and copper on sperm viability, fertilisation and embryogenesis of Ruditapes decussatus was examined. Cu did not affect sperm viability at all the concentrations tested. Conversely, the Zn and Hg significantly (P?<?0.01) reduced sperm viability only at the highest concentration (respectively 512 and 256 μg/l). Cu caused a significant decrease (p?<?0.05) of less than 6% in the fertilisation rate at 128 μg/l and Zn of up to 13% at 64 μg/l. Hg significantly (p?<?0.01) inhibited fertilisation at concentrations as low as 32 μg/l. The median effective concentrations (EC50) reducing rates of embryogenesis by 50% were 21.1 μg Hg/l (0.1 μM), 46.3 μg Cu/l (0.72 μM) and 43.4 μg Zn/l. Therefore, Hg is up to seven times more toxic than Cu (on a molar basis). Ecotoxicity of mercury on larvae survival was also assessed in this work. Result showed a significant (p?<?0.05) reduction of survival after exposure to 4 and 12 μg/l of Hg. The fertilisation rate and embryogenesis were the most sensitive endpoints, although the latter is more advisable for routine assessment of seawater quality because of its greater sensibility.     

Study on the hydrogeochemical characteristics in groundwater, post- and pre-tsunami scenario, from Portnova to Pumpuhar, southeast coast of India

Natural hazards cause great damage to humankind and the surrounding ecosystem. They can cast certain indelible changes on the natural system. One such tsunami event occurred on 26 December 2004 and caused serious damage to the environment, including deterioration of groundwater quality. This study addresses the groundwater quality variation before and after the tsunami from Pumpuhar to Portnova in Tamil Nadu coast using geochemical methods. As a part of a separate Ph.D. study on the salinity of groundwater from Pondicherry to Velankanni, water quality of this region was studied with the collection of samples during November 2004, which indicated that shallow aquifers were not contaminated by sea water in certain locations. These locations were targeted for post-tsunami sample collection during the months of January, March and August 2005 from shallow aquifers. Significant physical mixing (confirmed with mixing models) within the aquifer occurred during January 2005, followed by precipitation of salts in March and complete leaching and dissolution of these salts in the post-monsoon season of August. As a result, maximum impact of tsunami water was observed in August after the onset of monsoon. Tsunami water inundated inland water bodies and topographic lows where it remained stagnant, especially in the near-shore regions. Maximum tsunami inundation occurred along the fluvial distributary channels, and it was accelerated by topography to a certain extent where the southern part of the study area has a gentler bathymetry than the north.     

Organic speciation of atmospheric particles in Alvão Natural Park (Portugal)

PM₁₀ continental rural background aerosols were collected during a summer field campaign (August–September 2006) at Lamas de Ôlo in the upper zone of the Alvão Natural Park, a mountain region of northern Portugal. In addition to the determination of the carbonaceous content by a thermal–optical method, the organic speciation of aerosols was performed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in an effort to evaluate photo-oxidation products of biogenic volatile organic compounds and other markers for source characterization. The detailed analysis revealed relatively high concentrations of polyols and short-chain dicarboxylic, tricarboxylic, hydroxycarboxylic, and oxocarboxylic acids, many of which are thought to be indicators of secondary aerosol formation, accounting for about 70% of global chromatographically resolved mass. Major photo-oxidation products of α- and β-pinene have been detected. The tracers for the photo-oxidation of isoprene comprise two diastereoisomeric 2-methyltetrols, C₅-alkene triols, and 2-methylglyceric acid, which have only recently been elucidated. In addition, the occurrence of levoglucosan and other biomass combustion tracers indicates that the site was affected by wildfires. This source contributed to more than 80% of the organic carbon mass during a period of strong forest fire influence.