Research Papers
Climate Variability and Rural Livelihood Systems: A Case Study of Three Coastal Villages in India
Nayak B P and Maharjan K L
| 2013
The paper examined the trends of climate variability and local environmental changes and their implications on the livelihood of the people at local level in two Coastal districts in the state of Odisha in India. A trend analysis of the climatic variables has been made based on the Indian Meteorological Department database and the perception of local communities on the implications of these as well as other local environmental changes on livelihood has been discussed through a case study in three coastal villages.
Carrier mounted bacterial consortium facilitates oil remediation in the marine environment
Simons K L, Sheppard P J, Adetutu E M, Kadali K, Juhasz A L, Manefield M, Sarma P M, Lal B, Ball A S
| 2013
Marine oil pollution can result in the persistent presence of weathered oil. Currently, removal of weathered oil is reliant on chemical dispersants and physical removal, causing further disruption. In contrast few studies have examined the potential of an environmentally sustainable method using a hydrocarbon degrading microbial community attached to a carrier. Here, we used a tank mesocosm system (50 I) to follow the degradation of weathered oil (10 g I-1) using a bacterial consortium mobilised onto different carrier materials (alginate or shell grit).
Carbon stock estimation for tree species of Sem Mukhem sacred forest in Garhwal Himalaya, India
Pala Nazir A, Negi A K, Gokhale Yogesh, Showkat Aziem, Vikrant K K, Todaria N P
| 2013
Carbon stock estimation was conducted in tree species of Sem Mukhem sacred forest in district Tehri of Garhwal Himalaya, Uttarakhand, India. This forest is dedicated to Nagraj Devta and is dominated by tree species, including Quercus floribunda, Quercus semecarpifolia and Rhododendron arboreum. The highest values of below ground biomass density, total biomass density and total carbon density were (34.81+-1.68) Mg.ha-1, (168.26+-9.04) Mg.ha-1 and (84.13+-4.18) Mg.ha-1 for Pinus wallichiana.
Can a "Blue Sky" Return to Indian Megacities
Kumar P, Jain S, Gurjar B R, Sharma P, Khare MLidia Morawska, Rex Britter
| 2013
Deterioration of air quality in Indian megacities (Delhi, Mumbai or Kolkata) is much more significant than that observed in the megacities of developed countries. Densely packed high-rise buildings restrict the self-cleaning capabilities of Indian megacities. Also, the ever growing number of on-road vehicles, resuspension of the dust, and anthropogenic activities exacerbate the levels of ambient air pollution, which is in turn breathed by urban dwellers. Pollution levels exceeding the standards on a regular basis often result in a notable increase in morbidity and mortality.
Bacterial Biosynthesis of Indole-3-Acetic Acid: Signal Bacterial Biosynthesis of Indole-3-Acetic Acid: Signal Messenger Service
Kochar M, Vaishnavi A, Upadhyay A, Srivastava S
| 2013
Plant health and soil quality are continuously challenged by increasing environmental stresses and phytopathogen attack. They are often, however, provided a helping hand by unseen microbial inhabitants in the rhizosphere. In this context bacterial biosynthesis of the auxin phytohormone, indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is well established, as it can positively regulate developmental processes of plant roots.
Assessment of Volume Change in East Rathong Glacier, Eastern Himalaya
Agrawal A, Tayal S
| 2013
An estimate of change in volume of East Rathong glacier in Eastern Himalayas has been made, vis-a-vis changes in its surface area over the period 1962-2011. The change in the area and volume of the glacier has been estimated using remote sensing (CORONA and Landsat images) and GIS techniques, field methods and certain empirical relationships and scaling laws. Bruckl's thickness-area relationship and volume-area scaling methods are used to estimate the volume and change in the volume of the glacier from 1962 to 2011.
Assessing biome boundary shifts under climate change scenarios in India
Chakraborty A, Joshi P K, Ghosh A, Areendran G
| 2013
Climate change and its cascading impacts are being increasingly recognized as a major challenge across the globe. Climate is one of the most critical factors affecting biomes and their distribution. The present study assessed shifts in biome types of India using the conceptual framework of Holdridge life zone (HLZ) model, minimum distance classifier and climatic datasets to assess the distribution pattern of potential biomes under climate change scenarios in India.
Application of appropriate technologies in TERI Library and Information Centre: an exploratory study
Sharma Reeta, Sankar T P
| 2013
National Science and Technology Management Information System (NSTMIS) of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) makes available the information and data on resources devoted to R&D activities in the country through its regular and occasional publications for evidence based S&T planning. Digitization of all the publications brought out under NSTMIS scheme since its inception in 1973 and developing web-based digital repository for quick access and retrieval purposes was the mission.
An integrated statistical approach for evaluating the exceedence of criteria pollutants in the ambient air of megacity Delhi
Sharma Pragati, Sharma Prateek, Jain Suresh, Kumar Prashant
| 2013
Like many countries, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi, in India evaluates exceedences of air pollution levels against the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). One of the mandatory requirements for NAAQS compliance is that the probability of non-exceedence should be at least 0.98, meaning that the formulated framework of NAAQS is essentially statistical.
An evaluative model for city competitiveness: Application to UK cities
Singhal S, McGreal S, Berry J
| 2013
Progressive cities have competitive advantages in capturing opportunities for development and attracting leading edge business. Regeneration and business strategies are amongst the tools that cities may employ in order to overcome the challenges that influence their competitiveness. However, there has been little research that links these themes. This paper integrates regeneration and property-led business strategies through the development of a hierarchical model for city competitiveness.