Order of the National Green Tribunal (Eastern Zone Bench, Kolkata) in the matter of Sridhar Samal Vs State of Odisha & Others dated 06/03/2024. The matter related to pollution caused by Talcher Coalfield under Mahanadi Coalfields Limited in the course of its operation. It was said that on a daily …
In the developing world climate change has far more ramifications than can be addressed by controlling just carbon emissions. The developed world has stable populations and landscapes, and is thus affected mainly by the air which spreads democratically without boundaries. On the other hand, the developing world with increasing populations …
Sal (Shorea robusta Gaertn. f.) is a dominant tree species, whose natural range lies between 20–32°N lat. and 75–95°E long., is spread across 10 million ha in India. Species distribution models predict the species geographic ranges from occurrence records and sitespecific environmental data. Here, we have (i) generated the 1960s …
Characterization, quantification and monitoring of biodiversity have been among the major challenges in biodiversity conservation. Until recently, spatial ecological database in India was almost non-existent. There is need of a robust and quality database of the biological diversity at species, community, ecosystem and landscape levels for identification of vulnerable ecosystems …
The IPCC in its Fourth Assessment Report (AR4) described the Himalayan Region as data-deficient in terms of climate monitoring. This is a serious impediment to global research initiatives and thus necessitates long-term ecological monitoring (LTEM) across the Himalaya. Being governed by low temperature conditions, the high-altitude regions in Himalaya are …
Pterocarpus santalinus L.f. (Red Sanders) is an endemic and endangered species largely confined to the southern portion of the Eastern Ghats, Andhra Pradesh, India. To understand its ecological and geographic distribution, we used ecological niche modelling (ENM) based on field sample-based distributional information, in relation to climatic and topographic datasets. …
We study the regional variation of temperature trends (warming or cooling) over Western India and the contribution of land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes towards this warming or cooling based on temperature datasets of 37 years (1973–2009). The contribution of LULC to the warming or cooling is estimated based on deviation …
Human-driven land-use and land-cover change (LULCC) is one of the most important causes for depletion of biodiversity. Few studies have been undertaken to spatially identify the natural areas prone to LULCC and hence biodiversity loss. This article describes a geospatial modelling technique using a combination of drivers of LULCC, spatial …
Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing offers new and improved capabilities for vertical and structural characterization of objects, such as plant height and different growth stages/strata, etc. Climate change will change tree and plant growth conditions and thus will change forest structure and distribution, which can potentially be studied …
We have utilized satellite images of 1975 and 2001 to reveal the slow response of glaciers to climatic warming in the Great Himalayan Range, Jammu and Kashmir, India. Correlation of various glacier morphometric parameters with reference to glacier area change and shift in the snout position revealed that morphometric parameters …
Those tracking kharif paddy, among other scenes, can get a clear picture of it this year, thanks to RISAT-1, the all-weather satellite. The nation's second radar imaging satellite will be put into orbit at dawn on Thursday. Its specialty is the SAR or synthetic aperture radar which can see through …
The Government has launched an integrated centre which will provide estimates of crop output and assess the drought situation in the country through latest technologies. The Agriculture Minister, Mr Sharad Pawar, today launched the National Crop Forecast Centre, which will prepare in-season forecasts for major crops such as rice, wheat, …
London: Some glaciers in the Himalayas mountain range have gained a small amount of mass between 1999 and 2008, new research shows, bucking the global trend of glacial decline. The study published in the Nature Geoscience journal also said the Karakoram mountain range in the Himalayas has contributed less to …
PARIS: The European Space Agency said on Thursday it had lost contact with Envisat, the biggest Earth-monitoring satellite in history. Designed to operate for only five years, Envisat was launched in March 2002, carrying 10 instruments to monitor the planet's oceans, ice, land and atmosphere. The giant 8.2-tonne, 10.5-metre (34.1-foot) …
The Delhi Government's 30 departments and agencies will have to mandatorily use geo-spatial data of overground and underground assets before planning infrastructure projects. This has to be followed after an ambitious legislation comes into force in the city next month. The IT Department has already completed a three-year project under …
Efforts to protect the North Atlantic right whale have gone high-tech with the creation of an iPad/iPhone application that can warn mariners when they approach an area where the highly endangered mammals are congregating. The Whale Alert app, available for free download, uses global positioning system and other technology to …
With the health of the world’s highest glaciers in dispute, an international team is planning a long-term campaign to measure the vital signs of the ice atop Tibet and its surrounding mountains.
Efforts to protect the North Atlantic right whale have gone high-tech with the creation of an iPad/iPhone application that can warn mariners when they approach an area where the highly endangered mammals are congregating. The Whale Alert app, available for free download, uses global positioning system and other technology to …
Indian Space Research Organisation has signed a deal, believed to be valued at around Rs 100 crore, to launch an 800 kg satellite of ASTRIUM SAS, a Company under EADS, France. ISRO said in a statement a commercial launch services agreement between Antrix Corporation Limited (ANTRIX), its commercial arm, and …
After its launch was put off apparently due to ISRO row, India’s indigenously designed and developed all-weather satellite that has the unique capability of imaging during day and night may be launched on April 20, a “lucky” day for the space agency. As preparations were underway for the blast-off from …
Bent Svensson, Mauricio O. Rios explain how a World Bank-led partnership between oil-producing countries and companies is harnessing potential opportunities for reducing the waste of a valuable resource.
