Search

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]

This paper examines the drivers and impacts of degradation of agricultural land in a village in a South Indian coastal delta. Drawing on insights from political economy and political ecology scholarship, it argues that there is a dialectical relation between land degradation and social inequalities, i.e. the biophysical degeneration of land is not only caused by human and environmental factors but it also generates social contradictions which further intensify both land degradation and social inequalities. The paper demonstrates, firstly, that coastal land degradation has been generated in the form of soil salinity through a confluence of the inherent environmental vulnerabilities of the region, forces of commoditization (especially those associated with shrimp aquaculture), existing social hierarchies and state policy. Secondly, it shows that social groups differentiated by caste, class and gender have experienced these changes differently. A small, relatively well-off section of the locally dominant caste landowners has benefitted from shifting from paddy to shrimp aquaculture, which is leading to a further increase in salinisation. Others have to bear the brunt of decreasing productivity of land for crop cultivation, leading them to abandon or reduce cultivation and increase dependence on non-agricultural sources of income, especially through male outmigration. Women's burden of work has increased while their capacity to earn wage-income has declined. Without any concerted state effort to either restore the land or to alleviate the widespread agrarian distress, land degradation has developed into a continuously evolving downward spiral, but one where there will still be some winners and many losers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bivalves are ubiquitous in all habitats, including marine and freshwater environments. The present paper revises bivalve diversity and their current status along the two selected sites of the Sikka coast, i.e., the Vador site and the GSFC jetty site. The selected study site, the Sikka coast, lies at the centre of the southern coast of the Gulf of Kachchh, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India under the jurisdiction of Marine National Park, Forest Department, Jamnagar. During the study, samples were recorded during low tide hours followed by a tide chart for a period of six regularly scheduled months, from December 2021 to May 2022. The voucher specimens were collected for each species. The collected samples were identified up to species level with the help of different reference books. During the entire study, 15 bivalve species belonging to 7 orders, 11 families and 15 genera were recorded from two sites. Brachidontes undulatus and Saccostrea cucullata were the densest and abundant species throughout the study period at both sites whereas Pinna bicolor and Pinctada fucata were most frequently recorded throughout the study. Mean Shannon diversity index (H') values for bivalve for the entire study period at GSFC (1.603) were comparatively higher than at Vador (1.421). Station-wise, mean Margalef's richness index was higher at GSFC (2.185) than Vador (1.917). The mean evenness value at the Vador was 0.3672, while the GSFC value was 0.4282. [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]

Since the 2000 s the demand for sand has proliferated at the coastal-land interface to fill up the increasing demand straining Blue Economy (BE) activities and provision of water-energy-food resources. Recent studies have revealed that increased sand mining in both coastal and freshwater zones has continued to impact livelihood-ecological systems threatening the provision of livelihood goods and services. These impacts are exacerbated by a lack of comprehensive frameworks to regulate sand mining and trade; creating the need to develop micro and macro-frameworks and guidelines for sustainable sand mining. This paper uses a non-systematic literature review approach to build on this gap to develop an understanding of the resource nexus perspectives and trade-offs due to sand mining. The paper proposes a novel framework based on the Ecosystem Service Assessment advanced from the review of the literature to guide risk assessments toward more sustainable sand mining. In order to add evidence, the paper analyses in-depth the state of Kerala - one of India's coastal states that has experienced unprecedented rates of sand mining since the 1990 s especially along the Chavara coast albeit with less research on the intersectionality of mining on the resource nexus. Both the framework and our case study highlight how sand mining stresses local ecosystems and livelihoods thus increasing vulnerability to both human and environmental impacts. The paper brings to the fore seven (7) key steps that local institutions can use to guide sustainable sand mining and build integrated governance systems that promote interaction among natural capitals in a given area and livelihood considerations. The article further documents that the use of coherent guidelines and the framework can help in amalgamating the various actors in a given system that can guide local participation in local resource management and the development of cooperative agreements for the sustainable utilization of resources among coastal communities. This could further help understand the resource nexus from the perspective of the synergies and trade-offs in the BE. • The Blue Economy and Resource Nexus offer new pathways for sustainable livelihoods. • But, the proliferation of sand mining is increasing trade-offs thus livelihood and ecosystem vulnerability. • A lack of a comprehensive sand mining governance framework increases such vulnerability. • The developed novel framework based on Ecosystem Service Assessment can help reverse these externalities and trade-offs. • Our framework integrated new insights on sand mining governance that could be leveraged at all levels [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Saravanan, S. and Chandrasekar, N., 2015. Wave refraction pattern and littoral sediment transport along the SE Tamilnadu coast, India. The objective of the paper is to understand the wave refraction pattern and littoral sediment transport along the SE coast of India. There are areas of erosion and accretion observed along the coastal stretch that depend primarily the direction of wave approach, the wave period, and the wave refraction pattern. In the nearshore zone of the study area, the movement of sand alongshore is due to the action of waves and currents. Wave refraction is an important process responsible for effecting changes in coastal configuration. Based on this study, the wave convergent and divergent zones are identified with reference to wave refraction. Longshore sediment transport is higher in the northerly direction than in the southerly direction. The present study of littoral sediment transport implies that the beaches of Kanyakumari, Navaladi, and Ovari have greater transport rates. [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 changes in the beach dynamics at Gahirmatha sea turtle rookery along Odisha coast of India have forced the olive ridley turtles to nests in a non-conducive environment. In the recent past, non-availability of nesting beach due to erosion was hypothesized to be one of the major reasons for non-occurrence of arribada at Gahirmatha. This paper reviews the current status of nesting habitat for olive ridley turtles at Gahirmatha and suggests onshore and offshore developmental activities close to Gahirmatha rookery should be monitored efficiently so that future arribada at this rookery should not be troubled due to habitat destruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

‘Multiple disasters’ or disasters that occur in ‘one specific place’ are regular events in coastal parts of the state of Orissa in eastern India. Yet the policy framework for addressing multiple disasters is weak. This paper aims to show that policy responses in pre- and post-independence Orissa have overlooked the effects of multiple disasters. Evidence based on a review of the literature and onfieldwork indicates that Orissa has a long history of experience of multiple disasters due to its unique geographic location, political dislocation, and ineffective disaster policies that have focused only on single events. One can observe the effects of this even today in Orissa, notably inadequate measures to counteract the consequences of multiple disasters at the household level and to build people's capacity. This study posits, therefore, that multiple disasters deserve good representation in integrated disaster reduction strategies designed to mitigate their impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Travel literature intends to put to record usually the personal experiences of an author touring a place for the pleasure of travel or intentionally for the purpose of research transgressing the cultural, social, racial, ethnic, religious and gender based boundaries that exist among humanity. Travel writing is another genre that has, as its focus, accounts of real or imaginary places. The genre encompasses a number of styles that may range from the documentary to the evocative, from literary to journalistic, and from the humorous to the serious. It is a form whose contours are shaped by places and their histories. Critical reflection on travel literature, however, is a relatively new phenomenon. Moreover in this context, India remains a land of deserts, mountains and plains in most imaginations. Only a few of the stories about India explore its vast rivers actually mention its coasts. This paper aims at exploring an Indian journalist turned writer, Samanth Subramanian's nonfiction, Following Fish: Travels Around The Indian Coast (2010). In this attempt, he observes the cosmopolitanism and diverse influences absorbed by India's coastal cities, the withdrawing of traditional fishermen from their craft, the corresponding growth of fishing as pure and voluminous commerce, and the degradation of waters and beaches from over-fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Freedom of navigation and the rights of coastal states in zones extending from their shores are two of the foundational pillars of the law of the sea regime. However, these two foundational pillars are in tension when it comes to innocent passage, especially the innocent passage of warships. Traditional maritime powers such as the United States and the United Kingdom assert the right to virtually unrestricted passage by warships around the globe. Rising powers such as China and India, on the other hand, protest these activities as threatening their security and global peace and as a violation of their rights in their maritime zones. Conflict over these issues is not new, and history shows how such disagreement can lead to the brink of war. For example, the collision between Soviet and U.S. warships in the Soviet territorial sea in 1988 increased the already heightened tensions of the Cold War. This article explores the positions of Russia, China, and India regarding the passage of warships through the territorial sea. Looking at the history of these countries, we argue that the legacies of colonialism and imperialism have produced national collective senses of insecurity and trauma vis-à-vis their maritime frontiers. Thus, it should not be assumed that, like past great powers, India and China will eventually support the unrestricted innocent passage of warships. [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]

Hanamgond P. T. and Mitra D., 2007. Dynamics of the Karwar Coast, India, with special reference to study of Tectonics and Coastal Evolution using Remote Sensing Data. Journal of Coastal Research, SI 50 (Proceedings of the 9th International Coastal Symposium), 842 – 847. Gold Coast, Australia, ISSN 0749.0208 Multi-temporal satellite data has been used for change detection (coastal erosion/accretion), identifying beach ridges and tectonic influence at Karwar coast, Central West Coast of India. The change detection study shows that the coast has experienced net erosion during the 13 years of observation. It has experienced a net erosion of 661.86 and 924 hectares during 1989-2000 and 2000-2003 respectively. This observation indicates that the erosion of land was dominant during 2000-2003. It can be noted that the amount of erosion during 2000-2003 (3 years) is 1 ½ times more than the net erosion during 1989-2000 (11 years). This could be mainly due to human interference in the form of expansion of settlements, development of industries, mining activity, establishment of Konkan railway, construction of naval base, influence of dams built across Kali River and much other interference apart from the changing weather and coastal processes that happened during the period. It is observed that the beach ridges are slowly vanishing along the coast especially at Karwar and Majali, owing to urbanisation and other developmental activities. The beach ridges at Majali are formed owing to the presence of Kangiguda Island and to some extent by Kurmagad Island, which is supporting the formation of spit at the southern end of Majali beach (northern portion of Kali River mouth) owing to tombolo effect. The entire city of Karwar has been built on numerous beach ridges. Many lineaments traversing and criss-crossing the area have been mapped which have variable extent and different azimuthal orientation as obtained by visual interpretation. The lineaments have been identified along the river course, creeks, hill ridges and they are linear and continuous. It is evident from the study of lineaments that the coast is structurally controlled. The present paper is the outcome of a study of satellite data of this coast with the available literature as supporting or ground truth input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pandanus odorifer (Pandanaceae) is an economically important species distributed on coasts from India and Sri Lanka to South China through tropical Asian countries. Pandanus odoratissimus has been widely used as the accepted name for the species, but P. odoratissimus is in reality a superfluous and illegitimate name. No original material of P. odorifer has been traced, and a neotype is designated here for that name. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploration for placer deposits, especially for ilmenites, has been undertaken systematically in the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, India. On the basis of drainage network. Coastal landforms, lithology, and neotectonics, the study area has been grouped into five sectors: Mandapam, Valinokkam, Tuticorin, Manappad, and Kanyakumari. Ilmenites are abundant in Kanyakumari (Max. 53.39 wt%) and Tuticorin (Max. 20.88 wt%) sectors, negligible in Manappad (Max. 0.60 wt%) and Valinokkam (Max. 3.88 wt%) sectors and absent in the Mandapam sector. The abnormal enrichment of ilmenites in the Kanyakumari sector in the absence of any drainage network points to the possibility of a relict source. Literary and scientific evidence corroborates the existence of an Eastern Gondwana land called Lemuria, South of Kanyakumari which was later submerged in the Flandrian transgression. The association of other heavy minerals with ilmenites like overgrown and outgrown zircon supplements the idea of a longer stay of ilmenites in the depositional basin. Ilmenites from these fossil strandlines must have been reworked by the present day coastal processes and deposited in favorable bay-like NE-SW coastal configurations in Kanyakumari-Kuttankuli and Kallar-Vaippar regions under high energy wave conditions. The present study has disclosed the enrichment of ilmenites up to 1 m in depth in the above two zones which can be commercially exploited. The present study also calls for confirming part of the lost continent called Lemuria or Eastern Gondwana by systematic scientific investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coastal zone is attractive for human settlement because it tends to be resource rich, providing a good location to generate incomes and livelihoods. Equally, however, it is a complex and powerful natural environment, which means that the coastal zone often becomes a focus of conflict with multiple users competing for limited space and resources. Understanding the causes of, and determining solutions to, the ensuing problems requires inputs from a range of analyses across sectors and disciplines. However, different disciplinary and sectoral approaches frequently use different investigative methods, language, and means of presenting results. This article presents a framework that has been developed in collaboration with Indian institutions over the past three years in an effort to address some of these fundamental problems of analysis and translation into policy action. Key components addressed by the framework are strengthening the capacity to practice, knowing how to proceed and how to find out what needs to be known using experience-based problem solving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-finned mullet, Osteomugil perusii was caught along the eastern and western coasts of India. The finding of 12 specimens extends the current knowledge about the distribution of this mullet in the western Indo-Pacific to the Indian coast. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]