Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Minu Treesa Abraham, Manjunath Vaddapally, Neelima Satyam, Biswajeet Pradhan
Summary: The number of rainfall-induced landslides and resulting casualties is increasing worldwide. A new data-driven approach for spatio-temporal landslide forecasting on a regional scale is proposed, integrating Landslide Susceptibility Maps (LSMs) using RF algorithm and probabilistic hydro-meteorological thresholds. The proposed method is compared with two deterministic process-based approaches and shows better performance.
Article
Environmental Studies
Jeevan R. Kulkarni, Sneha S. Kulkarni, Mitali U. Inamdar, Nitin M. Tamhankar, Spandan B. Waghmare, Kiran R. Thombare, Paresh S. Mhetre, Tanuja Khatavkar, Yashodhan Panse, Amey Patwardhan, Yogini Soman, Prasad Bhagat, Sumit Bhale, Mayuresh G. Prabhune, Vinay Kumar
Summary: This study focuses on landslides in the Western Ghats region of India, particularly in the Maharashtra state. By collecting landslide data for 17 years and using various sources, a predictive model called Satark has been developed to forecast landslides one day in advance.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ali P. Yunus, Xuanmei Fan, Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian, Dou Jie, Qiang Xu
Summary: The study found that landslide activity in the Western Ghats region is amplified by human disturbances, with road cutting and slopes modified to plantations being the strongest environmental variables. Additionally, short-duration intense precipitation and topographic features also contribute to landslide occurrences. Future climate extremes are predicted to increase the vulnerability of the Western Ghats region.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
M. Balasubramanian, Kamaljit K. Sangha
Summary: This study integrates Ecosystem Services and Capability Approaches to assist policy makers in understanding the connections between Indigenous/tribal communities and nature, promoting the well-being of Indigenous communities and sustainable use of natural resources.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
P. S. Vishnu, S. Sandeep, K. S. Anil Kumar
Summary: This study evaluated the variations in taxonomy, soil weathering and pedogenic changes in contrasting forest soils in the Southern Western Ghats, India. The results showed that the soils in all the systems were classified as Ultisols, with different subclassifications. The study also found that the mineral assemblages in the clay fractions of soils differed between the natural forest systems.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Jing Guo, Yaqiong Wu, Xiaohong Wu, Zhong Ren, Guibin Wang
Summary: This study compared the impacts of four afforestation and agroforestry practices on soil properties and bacterial communities with legacy cropping systems in China. The results showed that afforestation and agroforestry practices significantly increased soil organic carbon and total nitrogen levels while also enhancing bacterial diversity, with a greater effect on bacterial community beta diversity in the topsoil. Land conversion was found to be a key factor influencing taxonomic shifts and functional variations in bacterial communities, particularly in the topsoil.
GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION
(2021)
Article
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
Jayesh A. Phadtare, Jennifer K. Fletcher, Andrew N. Ross, Andrew G. Turner, Reinhard K. H. Schiemann
Summary: The variations in monsoonal rainfall over the Western Ghats region are studied using different methods, and it is found that the strength of the low-level westerly jet controls the alternating offshore and onshore phases. A classification based on the Froude number is proposed, which shows that at low F values, rainfall is controlled by diurnal thermal fluctuation and circulations, while at high F values, orographic effects dominate and rainfall is independent of specific time of day.
QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Tharmalingam Ramesh, David Milda, Riddhika Kalle, V. Gayathri, M. Thanikodi, K. Ashish, Anthony J. Giordano
Summary: The study examines human-wildlife conflicts involving Asian elephants and gaurs in Forest Divisions of Tamil Nadu, India. Factors such as crop cover, crop diversity, proximity to water sources, terrain, and precipitation rates are found to influence the conflicts. Hotspot areas of high-intensity elephant and gaur conflicts are identified, providing valuable information for developing conflict mitigation plans.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Kurian Ayushi, Kanda Naveen Babu, C. Sudhakar Reddy, T. Mayamanikandan, Narayanan Barathan, Behera Debabrata, Narayanan Ayyappan
Summary: The use of remote sensing in studying phenological variation in tropical forests is limited. This study aimed to characterize the intra-annual variability of phenological cycle in the Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT) and explore the potential of phenological metrics in defining species assemblages by classifying the forest. Seasonal trends revealed a strong correlation between high NDVI values in September and October and the highest greenness. Seven vegetation classes were identified in the region, and a community level classification map was created with an overall accuracy of 68.9% using the Random Forest classifier. The results showed that incorporating field sampling data and NDVI data can effectively identify, map, and monitor the phenology of the BRT landscape.
GEOCARTO INTERNATIONAL
(2022)
Article
Food Science & Technology
Junghyun Park, Sojeong Heo, Hong-Eun Na, Gawon Lee, Tao Kim, Moon-Hee Sung, Do-Won Jeong
Summary: The effects of adding jogi fish on the bacterial community of baechu-kimchi were studied using culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. The viable bacteria count increased during fermentation, and Latilactobacillus sakei and Leuconostoc mesenteroides were dominant in both types of kimchi. However, in culture-dependent analysis, only Leuconostoc mesenteroides was found. The addition of jogi did not induce changes in bacterial communities, except for the presence of Carnobacterium inhibens in the early stages of kimchi fermentation.
Article
Fisheries
Chandani R. Verma, Pradeep Kumkar, Tushar Khare, Manoj Pise, Lukas Kalous, Neelesh Dahanukar
Summary: A study found that hillstream loaches of families Cobitidae and Nemacheilidae available for human consumption in the local markets in the northern parts of Western Ghats, India, were infected with the nematode Contracaecum. It is suspected that the increase in parasite infection in these fish over the past decade could be attributed to anthropogenic stressors that are altering riverine habitats. Since the loaches are often prepared without degutting and possibly undercooked, there is a potential threat of human infection.
JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anushka Rege, Janice Ser Huay Lee
Summary: Agricultural commodity production, including the production of cashew, has caused tropical deforestation and biodiversity loss. Cashew expansion in India, the world's second largest producer, is driven by government land use policies and agricultural subsidies. The preference for cashew cultivars by farmers has led to forest clearance. Sound planning for forest conservation and sustainability standards for the cashew industry, with equitable stakeholder participation, is recommended.
Article
Engineering, Geological
Nirmala Jain, Priyom Roy, Tapas R. Martha, Nataraja P. Sekhar, K. Vinod Kumar
Summary: This study utilized high-resolution satellite imagery to create an inventory of landslides and found that a large number of landslides occurred in 2021 due to abnormal rainfall, particularly high rainfall over two consecutive days. The heavy rainfall at higher elevations led to rapid soil saturation and triggered numerous landslides. In the context of climate change, this research can contribute to disaster preparedness efforts.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Navya Chandu, T. Eldho, Arpita Mondal
Summary: This study investigates the impacts of climate and land use changes on the hydrology of the West Flowing River Basins from Tadri to Kanyakumari (WFRB-2) in India. The study reveals an increase in rainfall and wet years in the lower region, as well as a decrease in dry years. Sensitivity analysis shows that surface runoff increases and evapotranspiration decreases when forested areas are transformed into built-up areas. The overall impact leads to a decrease in total runoff in the upper and middle regions, and an increase in the lower region.
REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
K. G. Sreeja, C. G. Madhusoodhanan, T. Eldho
Summary: The forest-agricultural landscapes of the humid tropics are undergoing transformation, with processes such as state confiscation of plantations, simplification or abandonment of agricultural practices, casualization and feminization of labor, and non-agricultural diversions. These changes are driven by the global plantation crisis and changes in national forest policies, resulting in out-migration of labor and a significant decline in population. There are contrasting trajectories of incipient forest regeneration and increased degradation in these contested spaces.
JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
(2021)
