Physico-chemical properties of soil of two dominant forest types in Western Himalaya, viz. oak (Quercus leucotrichophora) and pine (Pinus roxburghii) across three soil depths, and winter and rainy seasons were analysed. In general, all the soil parameters, viz. soil moisture, water-holding capacity, organic carbon and total nitrogen decreased significantly with increasing soil depth in both the forests. However, pH did not show any trend with soil depth. All the soil physicochemical parameters were found significantly higher for oak forests compared to pine forests.

Emission of nitrous oxide (N2O) from wheat field under various management practices was measured over two years. The experimental design consisted of two winter wheat (Triticum austivum L.) varieties with three nutritional treatments and two dates of sowing. The results revealed that soil moisture and soil temperature at different depths are the key parameters influencing N2O emission. A positive increase of N2O flux was noticed with increasing soil moisture along with decreasing soil temperature at specific wheat phenophases.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) is formed when water and air come in contact with pyrite (FeS2) present in coal and exposed rocks, to form sulphuric acid. The process of pyrite oxidation further leads to the formation of Fe3+ and some or all of this Fe3+ precipitates to cause red, orange or yellowish colour of the water. The coal deposits in Meghalaya, India along the southern fringe of Shillong plateau are distributed in Khasi, Garo and Jaintia hills .

ARIES, acronym for Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences, located in the Central Gangetic Himalayan (CGH) region is emerging as one of the unique sites for climate change studies. The long-term, in situ, precise measurements of aerosols and trace gases obtained from this region provide valuable inputs for climate studies.

Original Source

An observational analysis of the catastrophic rainstorm during 4–6 September 2014 over Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) presented in this study shows that the event was unprecedented in terms of the 24, 48 and 72 h accumulated rainfall. The 24 h accumulated rainfall exceeded the previously determined one-day severe rainstorm limits of 20 cm for a number of stations on 5 and 6 September 2014.

Original Source

The 2005 Kashmir earthquake of magnitude Mw 7.6 produced 75 km surface rupture showing 3–7 m vertical offset. The surface rupture nearly coinciding with the bedrock geology-defined Balakot-Bagh Fault (BBF) indicates reactivation of the fault. The BBF extends SE with right-step to the Reasi Thrust in Jammu region. Further SE extension of the Reasi Thrust has been mapped with different nomenclature to the 1905 Kangra earthquake meizoseismal region, suggesting linkage between the earthquake and the active fault.

External gamma dose rate measurement using thermoluminescent dosimeter has been performed along the southern coast of Odisha, eastern India. A total of nine villages from the three sectors, viz. Gopalpur, Chhatrapur and Rushikulya have been selected for the study.

Original Source

Heavy metals are found naturally in micro quantities in all aquatic systems. In fact, some of them are essential micronutrients for living organisms. However, they became highly toxic to the organisms when present in higher concentrations. These metal concentrations have been altered in the ecosystem by indiscriminate anthropogenic activities and dispersed into the water as well as sediment column . The metal contaminants in aquatic systems usually remain either in soluble or suspension form and are taken up by the organisms living in them.

Several traditional rice varieties are considered in folk medicine to have high nutritive and therapeutic value. Some of these land races are known in indigenous cultures to cure anaemia in women during and after pregnancy9 , and many of them (e.g. Kalabhat, Navara, Norungan, etc.) are now known to contain high levels of iron . Thousands of folk rice landraces are yet to be screened for their micronutrients content and therapeutic potential.

The Bengal Basin evolved as a rift-controlled extensional basin along the NNE–SSW trending Basin Margin Fault coevally with the 85 East Ridge in the Bay of Bengal during the short-lived hotspot activity south of Bhubaneswar. The basin opening post-dated the Kereguelen Plume magmatism (at ~116 Ma), but predated the phase of continental collision that triggered the rise of the Himalaya in the north. Supply of sediments in the initial stages of basin opening was from the west, mainly through the denudation and erosion of the uplifted Precambrian Shield.