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This study attempts to determine the impact of industries such as paper mills and ferro-alloy units and mining of Mn ore deposits on soil and river geochemistry in a monsoon-dominated area on the southwest coast of India. Soils, suspended particulate matter (SPM), andbottom sediments from the Kali River are all enriched with Al, Fe, Ni and Co, but strongly depleted in Na, Ca, K, Mg, Rb and Sr due to intense chemical weathering. However, even in river water the concentrations of dissolved alkaline and alkaline earth elements are low. Manganese, in particular, is anomalously high in bottom sediments and suspended particles by factors of 2.3 to 20.76 in relation to average shale and world river SPM. This enrichment is attributable to mining of Mn ore deposits in the riverdrainage area. The concentration of dissolved Pb, Co and Cd in Kali River water is much higher (by factors of 2 to 13) in comparison to the world's major rivers, implying anthropogenic inputs of these metals through localized discharge of sewage and industrial effluents. Assessment of heavy metal pollution determined by the element enrichment factor (EF) and the index of geo-accumulation (Igeo) suggests that most of the hazardous heavy metals studied are within the background level. However, Al, Fe, Co andNi are enriched due to their immobility during chemical weathering and their adsorption subsequently by Al and Fe oxides. These studies show that, although there are major industries in the study area, their impact is not yet visible due to the large input of pristine sediments from the catchment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper describes Filisoma argusum n. sp. (Cavisomatidae), an acanthocephalan parasite infecting the intestine of the spotted scat, Scatophagus argus (Linnaeus, 1766), in the south-west coast of India. The prevalence is 18% (mean intensity: 1.61 and abundance: 1–4 worms/host). Filisoma argusum n. sp. is morphologically characterized by a creamy-white, cylindrical, elongate, aspinose, and robust trunk; a collar-like neck; and a cylindrical proboscis with 18–20 longitudinal rows of hooks, with 19–22 hooks/row. Proboscis receptacle long, double-walled. Lemnisci digitiform, equal, longer than proboscis receptacle. Females 79.14 ± 33.69 × 0.593 ± 0.19 mm; males 32.62 ± 2.98 × 0.46 ± 0.071 mm. Males with four cement glands; bulbous muscular copulatory bursa with six digitiform rays. SEM studies revealed smooth hooks, sensory pits, and epidermal micropores. Histopathological changes at the site of parasite attachment included inflammation, hemorrhage, sloughing of epithelium, and detachment of mucosal layer of the intestine. In molecular and phylogenetic analyses, the parasite occupied an independent position within the Cavisomatidae clade with high bootstrap values for both ITS1-5.8S and ITS2, and mt-CO1 regions. Considering the morphologic and morphometric differences with previously described species of Filisoma along with its phylogenetic positioning, the present acanthocephalan is treated as a new species and the name Filisoma argusum n. sp. is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Serious attempts have been made to manage the highly populated Indian coast during the last 25 years in terms of regulating the activities and managing disasters. This has lead to formulation of various policies to maintain environmental quality and sustainably manage the coastal resources. Basically, the coastal zone needs to address the demands of all the stakeholders starting from traditional local communities, administrators, to academic researchers etc. India has faced tremendous challenges in implementing regulatory measures like Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) issued in 1991 by demarcating countries coast in to four different zones with provisions and prohibitions for various activities. The concept of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) has been taken with the support of spatial decision-support tools derived from satellite data including national programmes on inter-sectoral approaches towards ICZM. 2004 onwards a series of disasters have reminded the necessity of having regulatory measures through implementable approaches. Subsequently, the CRZ 2011 notification has been a new addition to the list of policies using bottom-up approach as a good governance tool. The country has strengthened its potential in coastal management, disaster management and several community based field projects to enhance participation of stakeholders. This paper is aimed to critically review the processes that are made during the last two decades including the future challenges towards sustainable management of coastal zone with special emphasis on the three coastal areas from eastern, western and southern coast of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The world's coral reef ecosystems are built by a symbiotic relationship between reef corals and the dinoflagellates of the family Symbiodiniaceae. Climate change has already impacted the world's coral reef ecosystems. Some corals can survive in extreme environmental conditions through the acquisition of stress-tolerant endosymbionts. In the present study, the genetic diversity of endosymbionts of fourteen coral genera such as Porites (Five), Favia (Two), and Acropora (Seven) sampled from the reefs of Mandapam and Rameswaram, Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu, India was assessed by sequencing both large (LSU) and small subunit (SSU) gene fragments. The phylogenetic construction of LSU revealed the diversity of thermo tolerant Clade D that was monophyletic throughout various coral taxa. Comparison of thermo tolerant clade D with SST (> 32 °C) has provided valid evidence for the presence of the endosymbiont Durusdinium sp. (Clade D) across different coral species in the Palk Bay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial aquaculture in India has come under attack for having caused negative agricultural and environmental impacts. This paper formulates an interactive model of non-renewable and renewable resources to characterize land allocations between aquaculture and agriculture in ecologically and economically sustainable fashion. Through an empirical application, various economic and policy circumstances that affect the optimal land allocation mix are evaluated. The aquaculture industry must address two economic effects: off-site negative effects on renewable food and other coastal resources, and on-site self-pollution of shrimp ponds. Current regulatory and land-use policies are inadequate to address these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The vulnerabilities of coastal communities have increased in recent years, as more people have to live in hazard-prone areas due to population growth. The east coast of India is one such vulnerable area that faces the combined challenge of climate risks and poverty. This study identifies the environmental and socioeconomic factors contributing to the resilience building that helped the communities in the study area to cope with cyclone Phailin in 2013 and cyclone Hudhud in 2014. We used questionnaire surveys, GIS and satellite data, and econometric analysis to identify these features. The damage suffered by the households, and the time needed by them to return to the pre-cyclone situation were used as indicators of resilience. We found that factors such as high education, decision-making power of women, and presence of coastline vegetation of local species such as cashew and palmyra helped the communities to build resilience toward cyclones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intrusion of seawater into the coastal aquifers is a major concern as it affects the quality of groundwater. The objective of this study is to delineate the extent of seawater intrusion in the Indian coast based on previous studies and estimate the area as well as locations of seawater intrusion and submarine groundwater discharge based on the groundwater level of the years 2007 and 2017. Several researchers have reported seawater intrusion in the coastal regions of India by different methods of investigation. These studies indicate that the east coast of India is affected greater than the west coast by seawater intrusion. The maximum extent (about 14 km) of seawater intrusion in India is reported in regions north of Chennai. It is estimated that around 7% of the total coastal area is affected by seawater intrusion, where groundwater is below mean sea level. Around 57% of the coastal area of India has groundwater level in the range from 0 to 10 m msl. Future research needs to focus on the areas where seawater intrusion and submarine groundwater discharge were identified based on this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]