Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests

About: Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests is a government organization based out in New Delhi, India. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Climate change. The organization has 3731 authors who have published 3782 publications receiving 85717 citations.

Effect of crop residue biochar on soil acidity amelioration in strongly acidic tea garden soils

Abstract: Strongly acidic soil (e.g. pH < 5.0) is detrimental to tea productivity and quality. Wheat, rice and peanut biochar produced at low temperature (max 300 °C) and differing in alkalinity content were incorporated into Xuan-cheng (Ultisol; initial pHsoil/water = 1/2.5 4.12) and Ying-tan soil (Ultisol; initial pH soil/water = 1/2.5 4.75) at 10 and 20 g/kg (w/w) to quantify their liming effect and evaluate their effectiveness for acidity amelioration of tea garden soils. After a 65-day incubation at 25 °C, biochar application significantly (P < 0.05) increased soil pH and exchangeable cations and reduced Al saturation of both tea soils. Association of H + ions with biochar and decarboxylation processes was likely to be the main factor neutralizing soil acidity. Further, biochar application reduced acidity production from the N cycle. Significant (P < 0.05) increases in exchangeable cations and reductions in exchangeable acidity and Al saturation were observed as the rate of biochar increased, but there were no further effects on soil pH. The lack of change in soil pH at the higher biochar rate may be due to the displacement of exchangeable acidity and the high buffering capacity of biochar, thereby retarding a further liming effect. Hence, a significant linear correlation between reduced exchangeable acidity and alkalinity balance was found in biochar-amended soils (P < 0.05). Low-temperature biochar of crop residues is suggested as a potential amendment to ameliorate acidic tea garden soils.

Biological Recover y from Lake Acidification: Zooplankton Communities as a Model of Patterns and Processes

Abstract: Knowledge of the recovery of aquatic communities from lake acidification is limited. Data from studies of crustacean zooplankton communities, however, do reveal some of the major mechanisms important in the biological recovery process. Important influences on recovery include factors related to habitat quality and the ability of organisms to colonize. During recovery, existing species and colonists from internal and external sources interact to form a new community. The relative roles of internal and external influences remain poorly understood. Four general community types can be identified as possible outcomes of the recovery process: the original community, a normal alternate community, a community limited by dispersal, and a community limited by biological resistance. Empirical data indicate that, given suitable water quality, about a decade is sufficient to permit substantial recovery of zooplankton communities if there are no severe physical or biological barriers to restructuring.

Impacts of the solar eclipse of 29 March 2006 on the surface ozone concentration, the solar ultraviolet radiation and the meteorological parameters at Athens, Greece

Abstract: In this study the variations in the surface ozone concentration, the solar ultraviolet radiation and the meteorological parameters at the ground before, during and after the total solar eclipse of 29 March 2006 have been examined. This analysis is based on the measurements performed at four stations located in the greater Athens basin in Greece. The experimental data demonstrated that the solar eclipse phenomenon affects the surface ozone concentration as well as the temperature, the relative humidity and the wind speed near the ground. The decrease in the surface ozone concentration that observed after the beginning of the eclipse event lasted almost two hours, probably due to the decreased efficiency of the photochemical ozone formation. The reduction of the solar ultraviolet radiation at 312 and 365 nm reached 97% and 93% respectively, while the air temperature dropped, the relative humidity increased and the wind speed decreased.

Environmental factors affecting the presence of Acidimicrobiaceae and ammonium removal under iron-reducing conditions in soil environments

Abstract: The oxidation of ammonium (NH4+) under iron reducing conditions, also referred to as Feammox, has been described in recent years by several investigators. The environmental characteristics in which the Feammox process occurs need to be understood in order to determine its contribution to the nitrogen cycle. In this study, through extensive field sampling at various locations in the US (mostly New Jersey) and South China, soil chemical analyses, serial incubation experiments, analysis of microbial communities, and using canonical correspondence analyses, it was determined that the soil pH, as well as its Fe(III) and NH4+ concentration were the most important factors controlling the distribution of Acidimicrobiaceae, which have been linked to the Feammox reaction. Under the conditions that favored the presence of Feammox bacteria and their oxidation of NH4+ under iron reducing conditions, denitrification bacteria were also abundant. However, the presence of known nitrous oxide (N2O) reducers was limited under these conditions, implying that at locations where the Feammox process is active, conditions might favor a higher N2O:N2 ratio for the nitrogen (N) end products. To determine the effect of dissolved oxygen (DO) on NH4+ oxidation under iron reducing conditions, incubations were conducted at two different DO levels. In incubations with DO