To reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emission from rice and wheat cultivation several mitigation options have been suggested. However, economic impact of these technologies has been poorly documented. In the present study economic analysis of some emerging GHG mitigation technologies for rice–wheat system of the Indo-Gangetic Plains has been carried out.

Original Source

Kandi block of Murshidabad district, West Bengal is situated in the Mayurakshi–Dwarka Plain. This is one of the maximum flood-affected blocks in Murshidabad. The average frequency of occurrence of floods in the last decade is 8. This study prepares a vulnerability map of Kandi block at village level combining physical, social and economic indicators of flood hazard. PCA analysis has been applied for computation of vulnerability indices. The results reveal that there is a difference in biophysical exposure and vulnerability index.

Dependence upon groundwater to meet rising agricultural and domestic water needs is expected to increase substantially across the tropics where, by 2050, over half of the world’s population is projected to live. Rare, long-term groundwater-level records in the tropics indicate that groundwater recharge occurs disproportionately from heavy rainfalls exceeding a threshold. The ubiquity of this bias in tropical groundwater recharge to intensive precipitation is, however, unknown.

The importance of light-absorbing organic aerosols, often called brown carbon (BrC), has become evident in recent years. However, there have been relatively few measurement-based estimates for the direct radiative effect of BrC so far. In earlier studies, the AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET)-measured aerosol absorption optical depth (AAOD) and absorption Angstrom exponent (AAE) were exploited.

Artificial recharge to groundwater is steadily assuming importance in the wake of the decline in water level in several parts of the country. Recharge through an injection well is the most suitable option of artificial recharge for semi-confined and confined aquifers, especially in urban and industrial areas as it requires little space. Recharging capacity of a well is an important criterion in deciding the number of recharge structures required for large-scale planning of artificial recharge.

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

Irrigated agriculture is placing increasing pressure on finite freshwater resources, especially in developing countries, where water extraction is often unregulated, un-priced and even subsidized. To shift agriculture to a more sustainable use of water without harming the food security and livelihoods of hundreds of millions of smallholders, substantial improvements of water use efficiency will be required.

Secondary organic aerosol (SOA) affects the earth’s radiation balance and global climate. High-elevation areas are sensitive to global climate change. However, at present, SOA origins and seasonal variations are understudied in remote high-elevation areas.

Original Source

This study presents the characteristics of aerosol black carbon (BC) from a rural continental site, Agartala, located in the North-Eastern part of India using two year measurements from September 2010 to September 2012. Diurnal and seasonal variations are examined in relation to the unique geographical location, changeable meteorological conditions and distinct source characteristics. Winter season is characterized by extremely high BC concentration (17.8 ± 9.2 µg/m3) comparable

Regional climate models (RCMs) are considered to be more useful than general circulation models for assessing impacts of climate change scenarios in agriculture.