018082   Ram R D;Verma R B;Singh U P;Raha G N (NO, India Meteorological Dep, New Delhi, Email: rdram52@gmail.com) : Threshold values of various indices of thunder storms during pre-monsoon over Mohanbari. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 326-30.

5 tables, 13 ref

018081   Puttanna B;Agnihotri G (NO, Meteorological Centre, Bangalore, Email: bputtana1955@gmail.com) : Floods in Karnataka during 2009 : a synoptic study. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 223-30.

Karnataka a State in south peninsular India receives 73% of its annual rainfall during southwest monsoon season. Because of the complex physiographical features, the rainfall pattern over the State shows large spatial variation from 50 to 350 cms. The coefficient of interannual variation of the monsoon rainfall is about 15% over coastal Karnataka (CK) and between 20-30% over interior Karnataka. The precipitation over this State is mainly dominated by semi permanent systems like offshore trough running along the west coast, low pressure systems forming over the Bay of Bengal during the monsoon season. A well marked low pressure area during 28 September - 3 October 2009 over the Bay of Bengal caused widespread damage to life and property in north Karnataka. In this study, an attempt has been made to examine the synoptic features of this system that caused heavy rainfall over many districts of the State leading to widespread destruction.

5 illus, 1 table, 1 ref

018080   Pradhan D;De U K;Singh U V (NO, India Meteorological Dep, Kolkatta, Email: pradhandev1960@gmail.com) : Development of nowcasting technique and evaluation of convective indices for thunderstorm prediction in gangetic West Bengal (india) using doppler weather radar and upper air data. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 299-318.

Thunderstorm and hailstorm are well known short term severe weather phenomena which sometimes turn in to natural hazard especially in Gangetic West Bengal region of India. Large vertical extent of the cumulonimbus cloud, very high reflectivity, squally wind speed sometimes exceeding 100 km/h and heavy rainfall are the main features of these thunderstorms during pre-monsoon period in this region. A study of 70 thunderstorms has been carried out during the pre-monsoon season (March-May) of the year 2005 around Kolkata (22.5° N, 88.5° E) using Doppler Weather Radar and Upper air data. Standard convective indices like CAPE, CINE, LI, BRN and VGP have been evaluated and analyzed statistically. As no definite thresholds of the convective indices are available for thunderstorm prediction in this region, an attempt has been made to find threshold of these indices for possible occurrences of thunderstorms in Gangetic West Bengal region after the analysis of the thunderstorms during year 2005. The validity of these convective indices has been checked with 34 occurrences of thunderstorms during 2006-2007 recorded by Doppler Weather Radar Kolkata. The study reveals that nowcasting of thunderstorms may be done at least 2-3 hrs in advance with a fair degree of accuracy using Doppler radar products only. However, the lead time of nowcasting may be further improved if the convective indices are also analyzed and used in addition to the DWR data. A simple technique has been suggested by the authors for better prediction of thunderstorms at least three to four hours in advance.

17 illus, 14 tables, 28 ref

018079   Namboodiri K V S;Dileep P K;Mammen K (Meteorology Facility, Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Thiruvananthapuram-695 022, Email: kv_sambhunambhoodin@vssc.org) : Wind steadiness up to 35 km and its variability before the southwest monsoon onset and the withdrawal. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 275-82.

This paper brings out mainly on the quantitative approach to delineate wind direction variability through Wind Steadiness Factor (WSF) - a single parameter which depends on height, wind speed and wind direction. This can be used as a prognostic parameter for the onset and withdrawal of south west monsoon (SW Monsoon) over Kerala. A brief sketch on wind climatology up to 35 km over TERLS (8° 32' N / 76° 52' E) is also discussed to have a background knowledge. From the derived WSF climatology, it is seen that the region between 12.5 km to 18 km is of highest WSF during the SW Monsoon due to the Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ). Vertical variation of annual WSF has shown well demarcated four layered structure and the wind rose constructed for each layer provides the contribution of WSF attributed by the dominant direction for that particular layer. A WSF value was estimated for the region between 12.5 km to 18 km over Thiruvananthapuram for each available rawin profile [0530 and 1730 hrs (1ST)] and inferred that an early incidence and maintenance of WSF well above 80% prior the SW Monsoon supports an early SW Monsoon onset and reverse for a late onset. A late/early WSF decrease from a value of 80% followed by systematic further decrease is associated with late/early withdrawal of the S W Monsoon.

10 illus, 1 table, 3 ref

018078   Midya S K;Sarkar H;Sarkar S;Maiti D K;Ghosh M (Atmospheric Sciences Dep, Calcutta Univ, Kolkata-700 019, Email: drskm06@yahoo.co.in) : Sharp decrease of attenuation of 183.31 GHz water molecular absorption line associated with Nor'wester over kolkata-may be one important experimental set-up to forecast Nor'wester. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 219-22.

Sharp depletion of attenuation of 183.31 GHz signal just before the onset of Nor'wester over Kolkata has been studied. Possible explanations of such type of variation are presented. It is concluded that this may be taken as one possible method of forecasting of severe thunderstorms associated with Nor'wester. Physical explanations based on the formation and dissipation mechanisms of thunderstorms are also presented.

4 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

018077   Metri S M (NO, India Meteorological Dep, AMO Mohanbari, Email: metrisunder@yahoo.com) : Study of GPS radiosonde observation system in Goa. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 291-8.

Meteorological Radiosonde in the past used to apply navigation system to rout to determine the upper air pressure, temperature, humidity and the wind data through Radars. In this paper GPS Radiosonde test has been recently introduced in IMD is studied. The observations taken from M2K2 Radiosonde have been discussed. GPS Radiosonde obtains wind data as well.

4 illus, 1 table, 3 ref

018076   Mazumdar A B;Khole M;Sunitha Devi S (NO, Meteorological Office, Pune-411 005) : Weather in India winter season (January-February 2011). Mausam 2012, 63(1), 173-90.

2 illus, 7 tables, ref

018075   Mahajan P N;Khaladkar R M;Narkhedkar S G;Nair S;Prabhu A;Mahakur M (NO, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, Pune-411 008, Email: mahajan@tropmet.res.in) : Investigation of features of May, 2001 tropical cyclone over the Arabian sea through IRS-P4 and other satellite data. Mausam 2012, 63(1), 137-48.

In this paper, utility of satellite derived atmospheric motion vectors and geophysical parameters is brought out to discern appropriate signals for improving short-range forecasts in respect of development/dissipation of tropical cyclones over the Indian region. Results of a particular case study of May, 2001 cyclone, which formed in the Arabian Sea are reported. Analysis of wind field with input of modified cloud motion vectors and water vapour wind vectors is performed utilizing Optimum Interpolation (OI) technique at 850 and 200 hPa for finding dynamical changes such as vorticity, convergence and divergence for the complete life period of this cyclone. Simultaneously, variations in geophysical parameters obtained from IRS-P4 and TRMM satellites in ascending and descending nodes are compared with dynamical variations for discerning'some positive signals to improve short range forecasts over the Indian region. The enhancement of cyclonic vorticity at 200 hPa over larger area surrounding center of cyclone was observed from 26 to 28 May 2001 which gave a positive signal for dissipation of storm.

2 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

018074   Lopez-Romero J M;Lombardi M A;Diaz-Munoz N (Time and frequency Div, Centro Nacional de Metrologia, CENAM, Queretaro, Mexico, Email: jlopez@cenam.mx) : Automated clock comparisons and time scale generation in the SIM region. MAPAN 2012, 27(1), 49-53.

The second, the base unit of time interval in the International System, is defined in terms of the two hyperfine states of the Cesium atom ground-state energy level. This definition has so far served the metrology community well, and the uncertainty of the best realization of the second has improved by a rate of about one order of magnitude per decade over the past 50 years, reaching a current level of a few parts in 10¹⁶. This continual reduction in uncertainty has increased the level of performance expected from both time and frequency transfer systems and from the time standards maintained by national metrology institutes (NMIs). During recent years, an automated time comparison network has been developed within the Sistema Interamericano de Metrologia (SIM), a regional metrology organization. The SIM Time Network (SIMTN) allows NMIs to compare their time scales via the Global Positioning System common-view and all-in-view time transfer techniques, and makes results available through the Internet in near real time. The SIMTN has proven to be robust and reliable, and the uncertainty of its comparisons is similar to the uncertainty of the key comparisons published by the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in its monthly Circular T document. The large number of geographically dispersed clocks measured by the SIMTN made it attractive to develop a SIM time scale (SIMT), which is computed in near real time and immediately made available to the general public via the Internet. This rapid computation allows contributing laboratories to easily monitor their time scales, and to quickly detect short term fluctuations in stability and accuracy. This paper discusses both the SIMTN and the SIMT, focusing primarily on the SIMT algorithm and the results of its performance.

3 illus, 9 ref

018073   Lin H T;Huang Y J;Tseng W H;Liao C S;Chu F D (National Time and Frequency Standard Laboratory, Telecommunication Laboratories (TL), Chunghwa Telecom, Taoyuan, Taiwan 326, Republic of China, Email: linht@cht.com.tw) : Recent development and utilization of two-way satellite time and frequency transfer. MAPAN 2012, 27(1), 13-22.

TWSTFT (Two Way Satellite Time and Frequency Transfer) has been developed for a long time, and has become one of the most precise and accurate techniques for comparison of the frequency standards located at remote sites. Since 1999, TWSTFT has been used in TAI (International Atomic Time) generation. More than two-thirds of TAI clocks and almost all the primary frequency standards are transferred using TWSTFT. To increase the time transfer precision and stability, several calibration methods were developed and the possible instability sources were investigated. Due to the high redundancy of the time transfer links and quick developments of independent time transfer techniques (e.g. GPS), much utilization was proposed to enhance the robustness, to reduce the uncertainty, and to reduce the diurnal effect of TWSTFT. For example, one can adopt the concept of network time transfer to improve the short term stability, or combine the data of different time transfer techniques to take their advantages. The numerical results of network time transfer are very promising. For the future development, a newly developed DPN-based TWSTFT method shows competitive performance with the GPS PPP and much less diurnals than the conventional TWSTFT. It is a very promising method for the next-generation TWSTFT. This paper will give an overview of the above topics.

2 illus, 1 table, 42 ref

018072   Kulandaivelu E;Guhan M V (NO, Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai, Email: metmds@snl.com) : Record rainfall over Ketty valley, Nilgiri, Tamil Nadu. Mausam 2012, 63(1), 165-7.

1 illus, 1 table, 5 ref

018071   Koyama Y (NO, National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, Tokyo, Japan, Email: koyama@nict.go.jp) : Use of very long baseline interferometry for time and frequency metrology. MAPAN 2012, 27(1), 23-30.

Historically, very long baseline interferometry became possible by the invention of atomic frequency standards more than 40 years ago. Since then, the reliable spatial reference frame has been constructed from numerous space geodetic observations and the construction of international atomic time is now relying on the spatial reference frame and space geodetic observations. The time and frequency difference between two places separated by a long distance can be precisely measured by using very long baseline interferometry, and therefore this technique is expected to have a potential to be used to compare and evaluate optical frequency standards. This paper tries to review the principle of the very long baseline interferometry and its use for time and frequency metrology.

^iia2 illus, 11 ref

018070   Joshi P;Ganju A (Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Defense Research and Development Organization, Chandigarh-160 036, Email: piyush.joshi@sase.drdo.in) : Maximum and minimum temperature prediction over Western Himalaya using artificial neural network. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 283-90.

Due to eastward moving synoptic weather system called Western Disturbance (WD), Western Himalaya receives enormous amount of precipitation in the form of snow during winter months (November to April). This precipitation keeps on accumulating and poses an avalanche threat. Temperature plays an important role for the initiation of avalanches. Therefore, prediction of maximum and minimum temperature may be quite helpful for avalanche forecasting. In the present study Artificial Neural Network (ANN), a non-linear method is used for the prediction of maximum and minimum temperature using surface meteorological data observed at various observatories in Western Himalaya region. ANN provides a computational efficient way of determining an empirical possible non-linear relationship between a number of input and one or more outputs. In present study back propagation learning algorithm is used to train the network. In the training process the relationship between input and output is extracted i.e., final weights are computed. Past data of about 25 years is used for training the network and trained network is used for temperature prediction for five winter seasons (2005-06 to 2009-10). Root mean square errors (RMSE) corresponding to maximum and minimum temperature are computed. For independent data set RMSE vary from 2,18 to 2.48 and 1.99 to 2.78 for maximum and minimum temperatures respectively.

1 illus, 6 tables, 12 ref

018069   Jenamani R K (NO, India Meteorological Dep, New Delhi-110 037, Email: rjenamani@hotmail.com) : Development of intensity based fog climatological information system (daily and hourly) at IGI airport, New Delhi for use in fog forecasting and aviation. Mausam 2012, 63(1), 89-112.

Main objective of the present paper is to make a microclimatological study of occurrence of fog of different intensities at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, New Delhi which includes their date-wise climatological probabilities and their corresponding total number of hours of occurrence for 62-days of peak winter from lst December to 31st January by using hourly visibility data for the period of 1981-2005. Their hourly climatology has been discussed separately for both months using same data for understanding their diurnal variations. Both the computations have been done to find most vulnerable periods with exact dates and timings when both duration and intensity of the fog are very high and hazardous for aviation. Corresponding 10-days and 3-hourly climatology of cumulative fog occurrences are computed to identify a period when fog related flight diversion risk is highest. For better understanding of their variability, dates of extreme hours of occurrences of a particular fog type amongst occurrences of all dates for the period during both months have also been documented. These climatological: informations can be used by various airlines for planning flight operation and action for establishment of fog dissipation mechanism. Finally, fog probability matrices of various intensities based on these climatological data have been presented with dates in first column and hours in the first row for all 62 days of December and January and for all 24 hours of each day giving date and hour wise climatological probability of their occurrences which can be used at IGI as climatological tool for forecasting of fog of various intensity and expected climatological period.

8 illus, 10 tables, 3 ref

018068   Jenamani R K (NO, India Meteorological Dep, New Delhi, Email: rjenamani@hotmail.com) : Micro-climatic study and trend analysis of fog characteristics at IGI airport New Delhi using hourly data (1981-2005). Mausam 2012, 63(2), 203-18.

Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, New Delhi where near about 675 flights on an average depart and arrive daily, is highly susceptible to dense fog occurrences during the winter season. In the present paper, an attempt has been made for development of an intensity based fog climatological information system for December and January based on hourly visibility data of 25-years (1981-2005) recorded at IGI airport. Variations and trends if any were also analyzed along with their extreme years and dates of occurrences. Data since 1964 were also used to find climatic jumps in the trend which includes various higher visibilities of no fog conditions. Besides various vital fog climatological information generated through the present study for use in aviation, the most important finding is the alarming increasing trend of the dense fog (< 200m) occurrences in both the months up to as high as 10-20 times from 1960s in contrast to unusual drastic reduction of higher visibility hours to as low as one thirtieth to one fiftieth of hours which were observed in 1960s. Thus, finally making IGI airport, a unique airport in the world which hardly experiences good visibility conditions (<62>5000m) in both the months. By considering the unexpected huge annual growth of 30% in both air traffic and passengers that India including IGI has presently been experiencing against the global average of 6%, such visibility trend also confirms that present flight disruptions and passengers sufferings in winter will be aggravated more, severely in days to come unless CAT-III ILS implemented fully. Finally, we have computed further number of consecutive hours, spell periodicity, most favorable climatological timing of fog onset and fog dispersal based on various intensities for use in aviation and fog forecasting.

7 illus, 4 tables, 7 ref

018067   Hosalikar K S;Mohan K N;Vashishta R D;Tyagi A (Meteorological Office, C. S. I. Airport, Mumbai-400 099) : Integrated automatic aviation meteorological instrument system at C. S. I. airport, Mumbai. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 247-60.

An 'Integrated Automatic Aviation Meteorological Instrument System' (IAAMS) is installed at Mumbai International Airport in May-2008. The system is State-of-the-Art and has features like automatic generation of aviation reports; METAR / SPECI, AFTN (Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network) connectivity for dissemination of aviation weather reports to user agencies and ATIS (Automatic Terminal Interface System) for automatic broadcasting of aviation weather reports to airborne pilot. Besides these features system is having facility to enter manually weather parameter for which sensors are not available such as cloud coverage, past weather, present weather for generation of aviation reports. The system meets the requirements of operational desirable accuracy of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, 2004) and vector averaging of winds as per World Meteorological Organization guidelines (WMO, 1992). The paper is mainly focusing on the different technical features of this new system along with its observational response in last one year at Mumbai airport. Similar system has been installed at other major airports; New Delhi (4 sites), Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Amritsar, Jaipur, and Guwahati. The system is supplied and installed by Telvent Company, Australia.

16 illus, 2 tables, 10 ref

018066   Chakraborty P K;Sen A K (NO, Regional Meteorological Centre, Alipore, Kolkata, Email: pkcimd1972@rediffmail.com ) : Synoptic analogue model for quantitative precipitation forecast over damodar valley area. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 330-4.

3 tables, 4 ref

018065   Biswas B K;Dukare P B (NO, Meteorological Office, CSI Airport, Mumbai-400 099, Email: biswasbimal@gmail.com) : Climatological study of thunderstorm activity over Aurangabad (Chikalthana) airport with special relevance to aviation in flight planning. Mausam 2012, 63(2), 319-25.

6 tables, 8 ref

018064   Balachandran S;Geetha B (India Meteorological Dep, Meteorological Centre, Bangalore, Email: balaimd@gmail.com) : Statistical prediction of seasonal cyclonic activity over North Indian Ocean. Mausam 2012, 63(1), 17-28.

The Northeast monsoon season of October to December (OND) is the primary season of cyclonic activity over the North Indian Ocean (NIO). The mean number of days of cyclonic activity over NIO during this season is about 20 days. In the present study, statistical prediction for seasonal cyclonic activity over the North Indian Ocean during the cyclone season of October to December is attempted using well known climate indices and regional circulation features during the recent 30 years of 1971-2000. Potential predictors are identified using correlation analysis and optimum numbers of predictors are chosen using screening regression technique. A qualitative prediction for number of Cyclonic Disturbance (CD) days is attempted by analysing the conditional means of the number of CD days during OND over NIO for different intervals of each predictor based on the 30 year data of 1971-2000. Predictions and their validations for the subsequent test period of 2001 to 2009, based on this scheme, are discussed. An attempt for quantitative prediction is also made by developing a multiple regression model for prediction of number of CD days over the NIO during OND using; the same predictors. The regression model accounts for 70% of the inter annual variance. The root mean square error of estimate is 5 days and the bias error is 0.36 days. The regression model is cross validated by Jackknife method for each individual year using the data of 29 years from the sample excluding the year under consideration. The model is also tested for independent dataset for the years 2001 to 2009. Salient features of the model performance are discussed.

5 illus, 5 tables, 14 ref

018063   Akre R S;Nagrale G S (NO, Regional Meterological Centre, Airport, Nagpur-440 005, Email: ravindraakre@gmail.com) : Drought situation in El-nino years over Central India homogeneous region. Mausam 2012, 63(1), 162-4.

4 tables, 10 ref

018062   Abdel-Wahab M;Essa K S M;Embaby M;Elsaid S E M (Meteorology and Astronomy Dep, Faculty of Science, Cairo Univ, Egypt, Email: mohamedksm56@yahoo.com) : Some characteristic parameters of Gaussian plume model. Mausam 2012, 63(1), 123-8.

Gaussain solution of the diffusion equation for line source is used to have the first four moments of the vertical concentration distribution (centroid, variance, skewness, and kurtosis). The magnitude and position of maximum concentration level were evaluated. Also the plume advection wind speed is estimated. Equations for the ground level concentration were compared with wind tunnel measurements.

2 illus, 7 ref

017111   Yadav S K;Mishra S P (Geography Dep, Banaras Hindu Univ, Varanasi-221 005, Email: sangit_82@yahoo.co.in) : Land use/land cover change detection using remote sensing and GIS techniques: a case study of Mirzapur district, Uttar Pradesh. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 300-9.

Land is one of the most important basic natural resources on which all shorts of socio-economic and techno-cultural functions of human beings are performed. Increasing pressure of population and its counter effect as excess demand of food and shelters has pin-pointed to stress the study of land resources. Therefore, the knowledge of land use/land cover change is very important in understanding land resources, their utilization, conservation, management and also formulating local developmental policies. Remote sensing and GIS technologies have led to the betterment of mapping and interpretation techniques as a means of understanding the changes occurred in land utilization. Change detection refers to identifying differences in the state of an object or phenomena by observing it at different points of time. It includes the ability to quantify changes using remotely sensed data sets because remote sensing data obtained from earth-orbiting satellite and its repetitive coverage at short intervals. Change detection is useful in such diverse application as land use change analysis, monitoring and assessing different categories of land. The area of land under agricultural uses and built-up land is increasing day by day due to population pressure. In the present study, an attempt has been made to identify and assess different land use/land cover change of Mirzapur district, U.P. using remotely sensed data of two period such as IRS-1 B LISS-I, (1993) having 72.5m resolution at scale 1:250,000 and IRS- P6 LISS-III data (2004) having 23.5m resolution and at scale 1:250,000. The study on land use/land cover change was carried out by comparing the two satellite images at different times (1993 and 2004). Area covered under dense forest has been decreased whereas the agricultural land has been increased due to expansion of agricultural practices on wastelands. Some new patches of plantation have also been noted in the image of 2004.

3 illus, 5 tables, 12 ref

017110   Tiwari P K;Sharma V N (Geography Dep, Nagrik P.G. College, Janghai, Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh) : Review of rural development and poverty amelioration programmes in India. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 1-20.

Rural poverty in India is very much historical but now it has multiplied with the population explosion and unemployment situation. The slogan 'Garibi Hatao' was very much specific for poverty alleviation pro grammes. In India, a number of rural development programmes has been implemented in the Five Years Plans to raise income, provide employment, make masses literate and alleviate the poverty of rural poor. This paper critically evaluates different rural development programmes launched by the government during pre-independence and post-independence periods. The trend of poverty in the country is also discussed.

1 illus, 4 tables, 43 ref

017109   Suneetha P;Yirgu T (Geography Dep, Andhra Univ, Visakhapatnam-530 003) : Spatial evaluation of erosion risks in the basso watershed, gamo highlands of Ethiopia. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 351-7.

Soil erosion is one of the major environmental constraints, and remains a main threat to the farming community in the mountainous areas, like Basso watershed. In this area, soil erosion is reflected in depleting soil nutrient content, reduced crop production potential and thereby changing the livelihood of rural community into destitute. Effective land-use planning and soil conservation measures do require well-assessed and established resource map. For that purpose the regionalization of erosion risk areas become a requirement. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate erosion risks in a small watershed using a limited amount of readily available relief, soil and drainage data. When potential erosion risk of the watershed was examined (considering relief and drainage density into account); the watershed is grouped in to four broad potential erosion risk regions; namely low, moderate, high and severe erosion risk. When its coverage is considered, only 9.3% of the watershed area has low, 8.6% has moderate, 33.6% has high and 49.1% has severe erosion risks. In the watershed, the measured value of annual soil loss (according to Universal Soil Loss Equation model) varies considerably in different erosion classes. For instance, it is 52.9 tons/ha/annum on barley farms in high erosion risk area and 2 tons/ha/ annum on the same land-use in low erosion risk area, suggesting that the rate of soil loss varies with slope angle. Thus, most likely this model best fits to predict soil loss for mountainous country, like Ethiopia, where most of its terrain has slope angle above 5°.

3 illus, 10 ref

017108   Singh M P;Kalpna Kumari (Chemistry Dep, Nitishwar College, Muzaffarpur-842 001, Email: Kalpna.chemistry@rediffmail.com) : Biological aspect of removal of arsenic from ground water in Ganga region. Asian J chem envir Res 2012, 5(3-4), 24-8.

Higher Concentration of arsenic in drinking water are hazardous to the health of the people. It causes many disease like melanosis (skin cancer), hepato-megaly (lever enlargement) dyspnoea (bronchilasthma) digestive problem, urinary cancer, kidney and intestinal problem Arsenic leaching in ground water is due to waste water discharge, plating industry, pesticide, pigment dyes, textile operation. Removal process is ultimately dependent upon technology being validated and sustainable. Biological process is ecofriendly low cost, less side effect. Implement this principle present research is based on sorption of As(III) ions in aqueous solution on citrus sinensis skin acts as a good bio-sorbet for As. In this study the sorption capacity of citrus sinensis skin (mausmi) in removing As(III) for aqueous solution was 2 investigated with different parameters, Such as PH, temperature and initial metal ion concentrations in a batch adsorption system. The Arsenic removal from ground water was estimated over a wide range of initial concentration 1-20mg/l, contact time:-20min, sorbent dose-1-10 g/L PH6-7 of a temperature 25°C and rpm 120. The sorption increased with increasing contact time but equilibrium was attained in 24 hrs. The sorption followed freundlich as well as Langmuir isotherms.

5 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

017107   Shukla V (Geography Dep, Allahabad Univ, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh) : Soil profile of Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 296-9.

Present author has tried to analysis the soil profile of Pratapgarh District, U.P. She has identified the related problems arising out both of the erostional depositional process as well as the salinity, lost of forest cover etc. in different part of the Sahi River basin and the adjacent areas of Pratapgarh District. The soil fertility levels has also been ascertained (blockwise) and the related solution for conservation of soil etc. are also discussed briefly.

3 tables, 5 ref

017106   Shinde D (Geography Dep, Shivaji Univ, Kolhapur) : Nutritional status of population in South Konkan region of Maharashtra. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 95-108.

Main objective of this paper is to evaluate the nutritional status of population, tehsilwise, based on chemical composition of the food consumed by people in the region. This is supplemented by analysing the gender and rural-urban differential of nutritional deficiency from the RDA. Wide range of variations exists among the tehsils of the study region. Two third people depend on cereals for majority nutrients. Total nutritional deficiency occurs more in Devgad, Ratnagiri, Sangameshwar, Chiplun, Khed and Dapoli tehsils. The population above 6 years is affected by high proportion of energy, carbohydrates, carotene, riboflavin, ascorbic acid, calcium, phosphorous, folic acid and iron deficiencies in totality. Females record more deficiencies of energy, carotene, riboflavin, vitamin C and calcium; it is slightly greater than that of the males. The proportion of urban nutritional deficiency is bigger than the rural areas.

4 illus, 17 ref

017105   Sharma G (Geography Dep, Rajasthan Univ, Jaipur) : Control of structure and neotectonic activity on the fluvial morphology of the Banas basin, Rajasthan. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 83-94.

Banas River Basin is known for its diversity of land/arms with many striking contracts of land/arms, tectonic and morphological characteristics. It has been regarded as the important open system in terms of input and output of energy in sub-tropical climate. The Banas Basin is one of the major contributory network to the Chambal drainage system. It is a part of the Pre-Cambrian metamorphic terrain of ancient Indian shield. The present landforms of the basin are characterized by great inequalities having hills, plateaus and vast rolling peneplain dotted with inselbergs and monadnocks. These landforms have been produced by the continual interplay between tectonic activities on the one hand and exogenic processes on the other. The complex entity of landforms peculiarities have been produced through long continued erosion on the Archaean basement and rocks undergone sequential changes throughout geological past. The paper is based on analysis of IRS LISS II FCC and detailed field verification. The study brings out that the Banas drainage basin is characterized by palaeo channels, antecedent river course, river capture and control of neotectonic activity on drainage network.

6 illus, 13 ref

017104   Sebu S;Yaden S (Geography Dep, Nagaland Univ, Hqrs:Lumami, Nagaland, Email: sangyu.yaden) : Forests resources degradation: a case study of Nagaland, North-East India. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 137-44.

Nagaland has 862930 ha of forest cover area 88.3% of the forest is owned by the individual/private and only 11.7% is owned by government. The state is witnessing a rapid population growth in the last decade's as a result fresh forest areas were felled and cleared for agriculture, timber and firewood. Forest resources degradation is witnessed in both private and government forests. However, the rate of deforestation is alarmingly high in private forests due to logging, shifting cultivation/jhum and heavy consumption of firewood. The frequent forest fire is threat to forest resource. Some Naga tribes have the tradition of burning forest in dry season. The forest resource degradation can be attributed to Article 371(A) of the Indian Constitution which has empowered Nagas authority over the land and its resources. As such the state government has limited scope to strictly implement the Forest Act and Laws in the land. There is an urgent need to initiate grass root level awareness seminar and workshop to manage and mitigate the forest resource in the state.

1 illus, 4 tables, 16 ref

017103   Sarkar G;Gupta S (NO, Sarojini Naidu College for Women & PCMM, Bonhoogly, Kolkata) : Fluvio-geomorphological characteristics of downstream of R Panchnoi, Duars, North Bengal, India. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 9-14.

The paper is taken into consideration primarily to study the nature and characteristics of the channel configuration. This academic attempt has also other consideration like, - to identify the channel pattern as major quarry of the problem study; through the direct observation of the factors affecting channel configuration to study the nature, characteristics and micro-morphology of the channel pattern. With the help of observational techniques and data collected from the field deduce the channel pattern morphometry and with the help of morphometric indices channel topography and morphological status are to be ascertained.

6 ref

017102   Sarkar A (Geography Dep, Presidency College, Kolkata-700 073, Email: prof_drashis@rediffmail.com) : Mapping the landscape/landcover of a geographical space by digital image processing of satellite data. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 1-8.

An attempt has been made to map landuse/land cover using remote sensing and GIS. The digital data of IRS - ID LISS - II sensor with a resolution of 23.25 m in multi-spectral mode acquired on September 17, 2002 along with the SOI Topographical Map No. 73 N/14 have been used. Altogether five major classes of landuse/land cover have been identified through unsupervised and supervised approaches. Being a part of the Lower Damodar plain, the data layers with thematic attributes show a perfect harmony to one another with a good mix of cultivated land, settlements, watcrbodies and greens.

4 illus, 5 tables, 14 ref

017101   Sahu A S (Geography Dep, Kashipur M.M. Mahavidyalaya, Purulia, West Bengal, Email: sahu.abhaysankar@gmail.com) : Historical environment and present implications of riverine dykes-a case study in Hugli Estuarine Coast of Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 117-25.

River-front dyke is the central theme of this paper. Since time immemorial riverine dykes became an integral part of a cultural landscape through protecting riparian lands of rivers from the frequent flood occurrences and to utilise that riverine water for the irrigation purposes at a required place and time. In this paper an attempt is being made to review the historical environment behind construction and maintenance of riverine dykes, and also to evaluate their present implications within the estuary-coastal socio-economic environment. The Hugli estuarine coast of the district of Purba Medinipur in West Bengal has been taken into consideration as the study area. Dykes are manmade features. With the growth of population, riverine dykes were built to protect river-front settlements and agricultural lands from the frequent flood occurrences and tidal hazards. In the pre-British period, dykes were constructed discontinuously with a very slow rate. Then, in the British period, they were progressively increased. And, after Independence the number of dykes is being increased gradually. It is observed that the aim of construction and maintenance of these dykes has been changed with time. Dykes interact with the coastal processes on the one hand and coastal environment based socio-economic activities on the other. Physically they are used through several ways. They have physical, socio-economic, political etc. implications. In our estuary-coastal socio-economic environment they have some positive significance with some negative significance as well. There is nomothetic method when we consider the general laws of dykes' construction; and it is ideographic considering the space and time specific characteristics of them. It is an empirical study based on field observations. Primary and secondary data have been used to infer some of the specific conclusions as well.

2 illus, 2 tables, 8 ref

017100   Sahani S;Raghavaswamy V (Urban Studies & Geo Informatics Group, NRSC/ISRO, Hyderabad) : GIS based analysis for emergency response a case study of Cuttack town, Odisha. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 50-9.

Emergency response plays an important role in all geographical areas prone to both natural and man-made disasters. Such a system in the urban areas would depend upon the physical condition of the terrain, road network (type/density/traffic flows), service area and closest facility, besides others. Poor mobility reduces emergency response in urban areas. Cuttack has a municipal area of 192 sq. km, carrying above 7 lakhs of population with a density of around 3,645 persons/per sq. km. The average elevation of the city is 30 m (100 ft.) above MSL and is geographically located in the alluvial plain of Mahanadi delta. It is frequently prone to cyclonic rainfall. The total road length is 783 km and has over 27,613 vehicles on road. The spatial dataset selected for study has been taken from NUIS (2010) database and the non-spatial (attribute) data from NUDBI (2010), Tourist Maps (2008), CDP (2007) and Census (2001) data. The guidelines are referred from UDPFI Report (1996). The Network Analyst (vector based routing module) available in Arc GIS (Ver 9.3.1) was applied for analysing the datasets. The results suggest that the present road network in Cuttack is narrow with width less than 9 m (30 ft) and vehicle speeds at 30 km/hr. The impedances of weightage value of time delay of travel time of 20, 30 and 40 minutes suggest the average travel time of less than 30 minutes and average travel distance of less than 10 km.

5 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

017099   Pal D K;Wani S P;Sahrawat K L (Resilient Dry Land Systems, International Crops Research Institute for the Semiarid Tropics (ICRIS, Patancheru-502 324, Email: paldilip2001@yahoo.com) : Role of calcium carbonate minerals in inmproving sustainability of degraded cracking clay soils (sodic haplusterts) by improved management: an appraisal of results from the semi-arid zone of India. Clay Res 2012, 31(2), 94-108.

Long-term heritage experiment (LTHE) following the improved management (IM) system was initiated in 1976 on bench mark Vertisols (Kasireddipalli soils, Sodic Haplusterts with ESP <62> 5 but <60> 15 and saturated hydraulic conductivity, sHC <60> 10 mm hr^-1) under semiarid tropics (SAT) environments at International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) centre, Patancheru, India for increased productivity. It was undertaken to test the hypothesis that the IM system in combination with appropriate cropping practices can improve soil quality in comparison to the prevailing traditional management (TM) practices. The average grain yield of the IM system over thirty years was five times more than that in the TM system. Adaptation of the IM system improved physical, chemical and biological properties of soils to the extent that Sodic Haplusterts now qualify for Typic Haplusterts. Constant release of higher amount of Ca²⁺ ions during the dissolution of CaCO₃ (8.4 mg/100g soil/year in 1m profile) under the IM system, compared to slower rate of formation of CaCO₃ (0.10 mg/100g soil/year in 1m profile), provided soluble Ca²⁺ ions enough to replace unfavourable Na⁺ ions on the soil exchange sites. Higher exchangeable Ca/Mg ratio in soils under IM system improved the sHC for better storage and release of soil water during dry spell between rains. Adequate supply of soil water helped in better crop productivity and higher organic carbon (OC) sequestration. The improvement in Vertisols' sustainability suggests that the IM system is capable of mitigating the adverse effect of climate change, and the sustainability of the Typic Haplusterts may continue for another couple of centuries under SAT environments, and thus stands for its adaptation on a sufficiently large scale through national and international initiatives.

017098   Ojha V K;Anal A K (P.G. Chemistry Dep, D.S. College, Katihar-854 105, Email: ojhavk11@rediffmail.com) : Physico-chemical study of potable water quality of Purnia city, Bihar. Asian J chem envir Res 2012, 5(3-4), 53-6.

Purnia is a growing town of Bihar in the belt of Koshi. In both the urban and rural areas of Purnia town, ground water is the major source of drinking water which often gets contaminated, resulting into the outbreak of several water borne diseases. Keeping the view into consideration, the present study deals with the study of physico-chemical characteristics of five major drinking water sources of Purnia city namely river, canal, pond, well and tube well. Samples were taken from fifteen different sampling sites across the city from May 2011 to April 2012. The readings of various parameters were noted during different seasons and the average of this was recorded. The various parameters include hydrogen ion concentration, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, hardness, calcium, magnesium, carbonates, bicarbonates, fluoride, sulfate, chloride, phosphate and total dissolved solids. The results were compared with standard values prescribed by the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) and World Health Organization (WHO). The results revealed that drinking water quality of this area is unfit for human health. Almost all parameters are beyond the permissible limit yet the higher concentration of fluoride is special cause of concern as the effect of contaminated water is visible in the general health of people of this area and the cases of floriasis is not uncommon.

1 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

017097   Nemade R P (Zoology Dep, Dhjanaji Nana Mahavidyalaya, Faizpur-425 503, Email: rajshrinemade@in.com) : Determination of fluoride in ground water of Bhusawal city (Maharashtra). Asian J chem envir Res 2012, 5(3-4), 15-9.

In present study determination of fluoride and chloride from ground water (drinking) was evaluated in the municipal limits of Bhusawal city. The physico chemical analysis of ground water sample (well & bore well) from ten sampling sites of Bhusawal city for a period of 4 months from Nov. 2011 to Feb. 2012. The analysis of different parameters namely temperature, EC, PH, colour, chloride and fluoride were carried out as per standard method. The result were compared with the values stipulated by WHO and ICMR standards. The results indicate that the fluoride in some sampling sites (S1 .... S10) was found above standard probably due to seasonal variable and salt water contamination.

4 tables, 15 ref

017096   Mukhopadhyay S (NO, Asutosh College, 92, S.P. Mukherjee Road, Kolkata-700 026) : Big dam and its glaring implication: an analysis of peoples' perceptions study on Tehri dam. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 321-9.

India gets 4000 km3 of water (0.70 per cent of the global or 9.36 per cent of the Asian precipitation) annually as precipitation but our country renders home to about 16 percent of world's population on 2.45 per cent of the terrestrial surface (NCIWRD, 1999):. The distribution of this natural resource in India is spatially and temporally so uneven. The most popular interventions led to the emergence of large dams as instruments of river basin development The massive capital-intensive engineering interventions into the fluvial system during the post-independence era was guided by a engineering logic of remaking the Nature for meeting increasing and indiscriminate needs of population and economy. The engineers denied the basic ecological tenets and laws governing the fluvial regime and consequently the projects have not fared well in delivering due benefits. Last century has witnessed some of the, the unforeseen, consequences of the large dam projects, in the long run, which have systematically started to emerge, threatening to damage the positive image of large dams. During the last 25-30 years or so, protest against large dams has been gaining ground for various reasons, especially for the detrimental social impact a dam renders. Tehri dam is planned to be the fifth highest dam (260.5 mt) in the world, located at Tehri town across the confluence of Bhagirathi and Bhilanganga of Garhwal district of Uttaranchal. The present paper aims to find out the people's perception about the impact of such large dam.

4 tables, 8 ref

017095   Mollah S;Khatoon N (Geography Dep, Dumkal College, Basantapur, Dumkal, Murshidabad) : Depletion of a wetland and its impact assessment in Murshidabad district: a micro-study. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 189-96.

Depletion of wetlands could partly owe to natural processes like siltation. The study, however, precludes these natural pathways, and tends to deal with only the anthropogenic impacts on them. Agriculture- the growing of paddy, in particular- having been extended, the interaction between man and wetlands has considerably been enhanced, the human population explosion has brought an undesirable pressure exerting a thrust towards draining water out of bills on account of getting more arable land, leaving the wetlands in the most parts of the district under threat of over-exploitation and undergoing degradation due to extensive farming and other development works. Bagri region of Murshidabad is a part of Muriband delta where numerous shallow water bodies, ox-bow-lakes, abandoned channels of streams are in plenty. Bado Beel was an important fresh water wetland of this Bagri region providing for a large biodiversity and a resource-pool for livelihood of the community inhabiting around it. The economic and ecological impact of drying- up of this inland water body is immense and far reaching. The Bado Beel was drained out by dredging a canal. Maybe, a large tract of fertile land was derived, and consequently a few families have been benefited in a short-term count, but the entire community, particularly encompassing fishermen whose whole economic life revolved around the wetland is now drowned under the unfathomable depth of aridness. The crisis emerged out of alteration of occupation of the local community is a serious problem in terms of derangement of the pattern of local economy. The ecological impacts of death of water body are not only indirectly affecting local economy, but also the environmental harm in one system must have ill influence on the other surrounding systems' functioning. This paper intends to respect the evolution of a new paradigm as the consequence of a wetland being transfigured into a high yielding paddy land as it was claimed by a smaller group of the local farmers. The study is to poise the controversial outcomes of the wetland being converted into arable fields. The study anticipates that it can create a data-base to be channelized in the making up the policy for the wetland management and conservation, with a view to a sustainable development, in terms of human sustenance and ecological wholesomeness.

2 illus, 3 tables, 7 ref

017094   Mesrar L;Chahboun A;Lamcharfi T;Elbasset A; Jabrane (Earth Sciences Dep, Laboratory of Georesources and Environment, Faculty of Science and Tec, Bp 2202 Road Immouzzer, Fez, Morocco) : Characterization of miocene marl of fez regions of Morocco after doping with MnO₂. Clay Res 2012, 31(2), 79-83.

Miocene marls or calcareous clay of the southern Rif groove is one of the geological wealth of the two regions of Fez in Morocco. For greater industrial development in Fez regions the present study on calcareous clays was undertaken. Physical and chemical characterization of this clay was carried out before and after doping with MnO₂ following various analytical techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM): The doping of the clays was done at different percentages (5%, 10% and 15%) of MnO₂. The results of the mineralogical analysis of clays before and after this doping show that the peaks appear for pyrolusite. Further characterization of the nano clays by TEM before and after doping, indicated the different nano organization of these oxides in the clay matrix.

017093   Mahajan S V;Shrivastava V S (NO, Smt. Sharchchandrika Suresh Patil Institute of Technology (Polytechnic, Chopda-425 107) : Organics detected by FTIR and GC-MS. Asian J chem envir Res 2012, 5(3-4), 32-3.

Dichloromethane extracted samples of the ground water collected from area of Jalgaoncity (Maharashtra) were recorded for 1R and GC-MS. Only one organic compound have been found. This compound ultimately affect the soil and ground water quality of the area.

1 table, 10 ref

017092   Mahajan S V;Shrivastava V S (NO, Smt. Sharchchandrika Suresh Patil Institute of Technology (Polytechnic, Chopda-425 107) : Organics by FTIR and GC-MS. Asian J chem envir Res 2012, 5(3-4), 22-3.

Dichloromethane extracted samples of the ground water collected from area of Amalner city (Maharashtra) were recorded for IR and GC-MS. Only one organic compound have been found. This compound ultimately affect the soil and ground water quality of the area.

1 table, 8 ref

017091   Mahajan S V (NO, Smt. Sharadchandrika Suresh Patil Institute of Technology (Polytechnic, Chopda-425 107, Email: surenvm@rediffmail.com) : Detection of organics by FTIR and GC-MS in ground water. Asian J chem envir Res 2012, 5(3-4), 9-10.

CH₂CI₂ extracted samples of the ground water collected from chopda city (Maharashtra) were recorded for IR and GC-MS. Several organic compounds have been found. These componds ultimately offecftthe soil and drinking water quality of the area.

1 table, 12 ref

017090   Karlekar S;Rajaguru S (Geography Dep, S.P. College, Pune) : Late holocene geomorphology of Konkan coast of Maharashtra. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 21-34.

There are many conflicting field evidences of Holocene sea level changes along entire Konkan coast of Maharashtra. It was apparent in the field that the reported field evidences for Holocene sea level changes are unequivocal and that detailed topographic and stratigraphic studies of the coastal area would be required to elucidate the Holocene coastal evolution. These sea level changes were mainly recorded as configurational changes. The identification and mapping of coastal features along the coast reveal that during the late Holocene this coast was characterized by barrier spits, open inlets and estuaries. Wide dune systems comprising of fore and back dunes, mangrove swamps, abandoned and realigned spit bars and littoral terraces found almost everywhere on this coast suggest some degree of re orientation and configurational change in the late Holocene. The estuarine systems on this coast matured during the late Holocene, with progressive sedimentation and seasonal inlet closure, leading to the dominance of mangrove swamps in the past 1000 years. Coastal configuration and features are interpreted to represent a mid to late Holocene high stand along this coast.

1 illus, 25 ref

017089   Jana N C (Geography Dep, The Burdwan Univ, Burdwan-713 104, Email: ncjana@yahoo.co.in) : Wastelands in India: status and management. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 119-30.

The term Wasteland is essentially understood to mean low-quality land from an agricultural point of view, often referred to as degraded land. Wastelands are generally considered from production point of view whether it is grass, agriculture or forests. In India, wastelands have been categorized on different basis by different agencies such as by different kinds of degradation, by landuse, by property right, by problem and their various combinations. The present paper deals with different definitions given by various organizations, state-wise status of wastelands in India, management measures for wastelands development and government initiatives taken in this direction.

1 illus, 1 table, 15 ref

017088   I Eja Eja;A Agbor Emmanuel;A Inah Sylvester;O Ita Inyang (Geography and Regional Planning Dep, Calabar Nigeria Univ, Nigeria, Email: ejako2007@yahoo.com) : Spatio-temporal variation of land-use pattern in the rural-urban fringes of Owerri-Nigeria. Int J Envir Dev 2012, 9(1), 17-25.

In recent times, human activities have generated great impact on the rural area where most of the resources have been converted to other uses living the impoverished rural communities into perpetual poverty. This paper seek to examine the tempo spatial analysis of landuse pattern in the rural urban fringes of Owerri. However, nine fringe communities were selected of which three major communities such as Umaoba, Nekedi and Amakohia were picked using systematic sampling technique. Sixty copies of questionnaire were used out of which twenty were distributed to tenants, farmers and landlords. The data analysed shows that at 0.05 significant level, 1.94, 1.89 and 1.35 critical value greater than tabulated value of 0.02, 0.04 and 0.l 1 were obtained. This result shows that there was no positive relationship between land-uses and development indices in the area. This further buttressed that land-use pattern have no formity with land-uses over the area. Therefore, a more intensive and systematic approach should be adopted in order to ensure an effective landuse within the rural-urban fringes of Owerri.

3 illus, 5 tables, 26 ref

017087   Gupta R (Bhim Rao Ambedkar College, Delhi Univ, Delhi, Email: gisrs@oneindia.in) : Monitoring urban land use land cover through remote sensing and GIS: a case study. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2012, 34(1), 75-82.

In this paper, an integrated approach incorporating satellite data and G1S techniques in conjunction with socio-economic data are used to assess urban land use land cover of Jaipur city, the capital city of Rajasthan in India. Based on the multi resolution and multi temporal satellite data, the spatial and temporal changes in the various types of land uses are detected and discusses. Its population has grown from 0.3 million in 1951 to 2.3 million in 2001 and 2.9 million in 2009. The annual average growth rate from 1971 to 2001 has been in the range of 4.1 to 4.7. The growth rate was the highest in the year 1981 but declined sharply by 0.6 per cent in 1991 and in grew again by 0.2 per cent in 2001. The impact of such growth is seen in the change in land use and created many urban problems in the city and led to the congestion of walled city. The crop land has shrunken 1.60 sq km/year, fallow land 2.94 sqkm/year, wasteland 0.59 sq km/year during 1975-2009, whereas the built-up land has increased in the rate of 4.46 sq. km/year or 1.02 per cent/year.

1 illus, 1 table, 14 ref

017086   Fazal S (Geography Dep, aligarh Muslim Univ, Uttar Pradesh) : Modelling urban expansion for protecting cropland: a case study using GIS technique. Indian J Landsc Syst ecol Stud 2009, 32(1), 227-36.

Human activities have been recognized as a major force shaping the biosphere. Understanding these actions an the social forces that drive them is crucial to understanding, modelling and predicting local, regional as well as global environmental change and also for managing and responding to such change. Changes in the land have often been seen as improvements by some or all land users. Alteration is nearly inseparable from human occupation and use, and the goal is to encourage improvement and to counter forces that encourage degradation. To assess what effect a particular land transformation and its consequences will have involves difficult issues of forecasting (future resource demands and opportunities as affected by technical and socioeconomic change) and evaluation (distribution and the rights of future generations). However, we now possess a better scientific knowledge of the physical extent, character and consequences of land transformation which serves as the foundation for any such assessment. The present study highlights the loss of cropland due to urban expansion and suggests measures for its protection.

5 tables, 16 ref

017085   Emayavaramban V;Thamaraiselvi T (Geography Dep, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj Univ, Madurai-625 021, Email: mayam_1974@yahoo.co.in) : Ground water quality in Usilampatti block of Madurai district, Tamil Nadu. Int J Geosci Technol 2013, 1(1), 31-9.

Water is the most important natural resources on our plant water for consumptive use are divided in to surface and ground water sources. That number is expected to continue to grow in the future. As a groundwater user, it is important to understanding the issues of groundwater quality. It the composition of constituents dissolved or contained within water in the functioning of natural process and human activities. Chemical composition is the most invoked factor in characterizing water quality Biological, Physical, and radiological factors are also considered water quality. Ground water that occurs below the surface, where it occupies spaces in soils or geologic strata most ground water comes from precipitation, which gradually percolates into the Earth. Typically, 10- 20 per cent of precipitation eventually enters aquifers, most ground water is free of pathogenic organisms and purification for domestic or industrial use is not necessary. The quantity, quality, and availability of groundwater in area depend on a variety of factors. Most fundamental is the amount of precipitation that falls in a given location and in the areas that drain into it. Second is the rate of evaporation. A third factor is the amount and type of vegetation cover. Water is considered soft if it fcontains 0 to 60 mg/L of hardness, moderately hard from 61 to 120 mg/L, hard between 121 and 180 mg/L and, vary hard if more than 180 mg/L. A test of the acidity of water is pH, which is a measure of the hydrogen -iron concentration. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of 7 indicates neutral water, greater than 7, the water is basic, less than 7, it is acidic. A one unit changes in pH represents a 10-fold difference in hydrogen- ion concentration. In this context, this paper is attempts to analyze the ground water quality of Usilampatti Block in Madurai district of Tamilnadu. Geographically study area extents between 9°ø 58' N, 77° 48' E. The primary data is collected for this stucjy from the different places in study area. There are nineteen parameters of water quality is analyzed. The result is shows the state of water quality in ten places and mapped the spatial distribution of various nature of water quality by GIS software. Total dissolved solids, Total Hardness and Chloride decide the quality of ground water for drinking purpose and other purpose. TDS and TH maximum are presence in all the villages. It is evident from the ground water study that chloride is less in majority of villages. The level of pH in ground water is permissible in all the villages. Keeripatti village has the high value of ammonia, where sewage and domestic water mix with ground water.

2 tables, 12 ref

017084   Emayavaramban V (Geography Dep, School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj Univ, Madurai-625 021, Email: emayam_1974@yahoo.co.in) : Application of remote sensing data in land use and land cover studies of Melkarandaiodai sub basin, Southern Tamil Nadu. Int J Geosci Technol 2013, 1(1), 21-30.

This paper is attempted to study the land use and land cover change through remote sensing data in Melkarandaiodai sub basin, Southern Tamilnadu. Land-use and land-cover change is significant to a range of themes and issues central to the study of global environmental change. The alterations it effects in the surface of the earth hold major implications for sustainable development and livelihood systems and also contribute to changes in the biogeochemical cycles of the earth, affecting the atmospheric levels of greenhouse and other trace gases. Understanding the nature of land-use/ cover change and its impacts requires the joint efforts of natural and social science because of the expertise of each in certain key faces of the topic. Remote sensing imagery has many applications in mapping land-use and land-cover, agriculture, soils mapping, forestry, city planning, archaeological investigations, military observation, and geomorphologic surveying, among other uses. Although the terms "land cover" and "land use" are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually different. The percentage change in the land use namely agricultural land, settlements, water bodies, dense forest, open forest and scrub land is calculated and represented. Melkarandaiodai sub basin covers Aruppukottai, Sattur, Virudhunager, Ettayapuram, and Vilathikulam, It is located at 90° 10' 47" to 90° 33' 9" N latitude and between 77°0 58' 23" E to 78°ø 10' 15" E longitude and maximum elevation of 65 m and minimum elevation of 40 mts. The difference of each land use between 2004 and 2006 for Sattur, Aruppukottai, Virudhunager, Ettayapuram, and Vilathikulam taluks are found out by subtracting the actual total area in sq. km under each land 'use in 2006 from the actual total area in sq. km under each land use in 2004 and tabulated as change in land use. The values of changes of all land uses thus obtained are summed up. The change in percentage is marked as negative if a particular land use has decreased from 2004 to 2006 and positive if a particular land use has increased.

1 table, 10 ref

017083   Deshmukh V V;Ray S K;Chandran P;Bhattacharyya T;Pal D K (Soil Resource Studies Div, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur-440 033, Email: skraysrs@yahoo.com) : Speciation of smectites in two shrink-swell soils of Central Peninsular India. Clay Res 2012, 31(2), 84-93.

Shrink-swell (Vertisols and their intergrades) soils cover an extensive area especially in Peninsular India with smectites as the dominant mineral. It was felt necessary to find out the species of smectites for better management of these soils. Hence, two benchmark Vertisols namely Seloo from Wardha and Saikhindi from Ahmadnagar districts of Maharashtra were chosen for the study. High resolution mineralogical analysis employed through X ray diffraction (XRD) techniques of the silt, total clay and fine clay fractions of both the pedons were carried out along with Greene-Kelly test with only fine clays. Silt (50-2 μm), total clay (<60> 2 μm) and fine clay (<60> 0.2 μm) fractions are dominated by smectite in both the soils; the smectites content increased gradually with decreasing size fraction. The fine clay fractions are mostly composed of smectite with small amounts of vermiculite and traces of chlorite, kaolin and feldspar. Greene-Kelly test indicated that both Seloo and Saikhindi soil fine clays are dominated by beidellite/nontronite over montmorillonite. The Seloo fine clay smectite is composed of 18-26 per cent and 74-82 per cent montmorillonite and beidellite/nontronite, respectively, and for Saikhindi it is composed of 32-41 per cent and 59-68 per cent for montmorillonite and beidellite/nontronite, respectively. However, these fine clay smectites are of low charge dioctahedral nature and therefore may not have any K selectivity. This property appears to have implications in K management of shrink-swell soils of Deccan basalt areas.