The Sundarban of India and Bangladesh (about 6000 km²) are the only mangrove forests inhabited by a sizeable population of tigers. The adjoining area also supports one of the highest human densities and experiences severe human-tiger conflicts. We used GPS-Satellite and VHF radio-collars on 6 (3 males and 3 female) tigers to study their ranging patterns and habitat preference.

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Accurate estimation of the groundwater budget requires good estimate of flux across the boundary of a region. Different methods and techniques are available to estimate recharge to groundwater; however methods for estimation of flux across boundaries are not available. The present article represents a GISbased methodology to estimate the groundwater flow rate and volume of water flux across the boundary. Groundwater level data (pre-monsoon and postmonsoon) are used to derive detailed maps like flow direction, hydraulic gradient and velocity component perpendicular to the boundary.

The world-famous Rajaji National Park, Uttarakhand, India has recently been notified as Rajaji Tiger Reserve (RTR). This Protected Area is now the 48th Tiger Reserve in the country and the second in Uttarakhand. Though RNP was established in 1983, final notification for the Park was issued in 2013 because of non-settlement of rights of the local people, which provided a full-fledged legal status to it and strengthened the conservation activities. (Correspondence)

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We have addressed the question of whether the massive deficit of 42% in rainfall over the Indian region in June 2014 can be attributed primarily to the El Niño. We have shown that the variation of convection over the Northern part of the Tropical West Pacific (NWTP: 120–150E, 20–30N) plays a major role in determining the all-India rainfall in June with deficit (excess) in rainfall associated with enhancement (suppression) of convection over NWTP.

Evidence from ecological studies, eddy flux towers and satellites shows that many tropical forests ‘green up’ during higher sunlight annual dry seasons, suggesting they are more limited by light than water. Morton et al. reported that satellite-observed dry-season green up in Amazon forests is an artefact of seasonal variations in sun-sensor geometry. However, here we argue that even after artefact correction, data from Morton et al. show statistically significant increases in canopy greenness during the dry season.

Ocean ecosystems play a critical role in the Earth's carbon cycle and the quantification of their impacts for both present conditions and for predictions into the future remains one of the greatest challenges in oceanography. The goal of the EXport Processes in the Ocean from Remote Sensing (EXPORTS) Science Plan is to develop a predictive understanding of the export and fate of global ocean net primary production (NPP) and its implications for present and future climates.

Following a record winter in many ways, Arctic sea-ice cover seems poised to reach one of its smallest winter maxima ever. As of 28 February, ice covered 14.525 million square kilometres, or 938,000 square kilometres less than the 1981–2010 average. And researchers are using a new technique to capture crucial information about the thinning ice pack in near real time, to better forecast future changes.

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Air pollution is associated with morbidity and premature mortality. Satellite remote sensing provides globally consistent decadal-scale observations of ambient nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution. The researchers determined global population-weighted annual mean NO2 concentrations from 1996 through 2012.

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