The rising unpredictability in the food supply chain in many parts of the world is related to soil loss and poor agricultural output. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), widely used for estimating soil loss, was applied in the western mid-hills in Nepal, with steep slopes and fragile geology. This region is at high risk for rapid soil erosion and mass wasting. To estimate soil loss, this study utilized the RUSLE model with experimental erosion plots in the Aadhikhola and Tinahukhola watersheds, capturing real-time erosion in the field. The annual soil loss for the Aadhikhola watershed is estimated at ∼41.4 tons ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. In contrast, in the Tinahukhola watershed, soil loss is low (∼24.1 tons ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). Although annual rainfall showed an increasing trend in both watersheds, the change in soil loss was statistically insignificant. The high erosion rates from the experimental plots in both watersheds support the model outputs. Results from the experimental plots recorded the rate of soil erosion for different land use as: irrigated agricultural land > rainfed agricultural land > forests. The trends highlight the role of human activities in enhancing soil erosion in these mountainous terrains in terms of medium to long-term perspectives. Therefore, sustainable agriculture practices in these terrains must investigate alternate ways to decrease soil erosion to support people's livelihoods.

For a long time, water hyacinth has been considered a very stubborn and troublesome weed. However, research has shown that it can be used to remove many pollutants from water. Among the different pollutants, potentially toxic elements (PTE) or their ions have been found to be very toxic for humans, animals, and plants. Among the many conventional methods for removing PTE from wastewaters, phytoremediation has several advantages. This method is highly eco-friendly, cost-effective, and can remove a wide range of metal pollutants and organic pollutants. Both, living and non-living water hyacinth plants, can be used for remediation - either entirely or their parts. Study on mechanisms and different factors involved in the process would help to effectively use water hyacinth for remediation. This review presents different studies conducted in the past thirty years for the removal of PTEs. Detailed analysis of the work done in this field showed that in spite of the main advantages provided by the plant, not much has been done to increase the efficiency of the remediation process and for reusing the water hyacinth biomass for other applications after desorption of the PTE. Hence, the section on scope for future work highlights these prospective ideas. Novelty statement: Water hyacinth, which is a very stubborn weed and has a negative impact on the environment, can be constructively used to remove potentially toxic elements (PTEs) along with other pollutants from wastewaters. Different parts of the water hyacinth plant like roots, leaves, and stems or the entire plant can be used. Further, either the live plant or its other forms, such as dried powder, biochar, or activated carbon can be used. This review focuses on different forms of water hyacinth plant used, the advantages and limitations associated with these methods and the scope for future work.

The Jazmurian Playa in southeast Iran is a sediment archive that has preserved a record of climate and environmental changes since the late Pleistocene. The late Pleistocene was dominated by sub-arid to arid climate interspersed with short periods of warm and humid conditions that impacted the vegetation cover and landscape. This study used sedimentological variations in a sediment core, supported by geochemical and mineralogical characteristics, to reconstruct climate change impacts and water-level fluctuations in the playa. These changes were inferred using grain-size data, magnetic susceptibility, total organic matter content, carbonate content, elemental concentrations, and mineralogical composition in a C-14-dated sediment core. Based on the inferred water level fluctuations in the playa, the core was divided into two major units. Unit 2 belonged to the late Pleistocene, characterized by a cold and dry climate. In contrast, Unit 1 was deposited during the Holocene, a time marked by prevailing warm and humid conditions, with short periods of intense dust storms. Since the late Holocene, the IOSM (Indian Ocean Summer Monsoon) has played a dominant role in regional climate. Water-level fluctuations related to humidity significantly influenced the sedimentological variables, including grain-size distribution, sorting, skewness, and roundness. During cold and arid conditions, the water level was low, and coarse sediments were deposited in the playa, with low organic matter content, low concentrations of Cu, Mn, P, and V, and evaporite minerals. In contrast, high organic matter content, presence of illite, and high concentrations of Cu, Mn, P, and V and low values of ICV (Index of Compositional Variability) imply a warm and humid climate during the Holocene. The paleoclimate reconstruction in the playa provides evidence about ongoing changes that are closely related to the paleohydrological conditions in this region.

We present a multi-proxy record from a 5-m long sediment core from the Jazmurian playa in southeastern Iran to provide insights into globally-recognized major climatic events since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). In particular, we examined how variability in the Indian Ocean Summer Monsoon (IOSM) and Mid-Latitude Westerlies (MLW) contribute to distinct environmental changes in this arid to hyper-arid region in the interior of West Asia. While interior West Asia showed cold windy conditions during the LGM and post-LGM, southeast Iran experienced quiescent conditions similar to south Asia. The presence of fine-grained sediments, low magnetic susceptibility, and a decrease in aeolian inputs from ca. 21 to 14 cal kyr BP, suggests that effects of both wind and precipitation were minimal during these quiescent conditions. Increased fluvial inputs, coupled with a low abundance of evaporite minerals in Jazmurian sediments, indicated a greater influence of the IOSM between 14 and 13.2 cal kyr BP. In contrast, the Jazmurian playa was dry and dusty between 13.2 and 11.4 cal kyr BP, as reflected by an increase in aeolian sands, and the presence of evaporite minerals. This was followed by a period of strong IOSM activity during the early Holocene, coinciding with higher fluvial input ca. 11.4 cal kyr BP. The early Holocene in southeast Iran was wetter than other analogs in south Asia because of inputs from both IOSM and MWL. Several intense dry periods with sharp increases in aeolian inputs occurred after the early Holocene, due to the southward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. Precipitation sources changed from a monsoon-dominated regime to one influenced mainly by the MLW during the late-Holocene. These results show that palaeoenvironmental changes in the Jazmurian playa, located at the border of IOSM and MLW zones, were primarily governed by global and regional paleoclimatic changes.

Abstract Elevated levels of arsenic (As) in aquifers of South East Asia have caused diverse health problems affecting millions of people who drink As-rich groundwater and consume various contaminated agriculture products. The biogeochemical cycling and mobilization/immobilization of As from its mineral-bound phase is controlled by pH, oxic/anoxic conditions, and different microbial processes. The increased As flux generated from ongoing biogeochemical processes in the subsurface in turn affects the in situ microbial communities. This study analyzes how the indigenous arsenite-oxidizing bacteria combat As stress by various biophysical alterations and self-adaptation mechanisms. Fifteen arsenite-oxidizing bacterial strains were isolated and identified using a polyphasic approach. The bacterial strains isolated from these aquifers belong predominantly to arsenite-oxidizing bacterial groups. Of these, the membrane-bound phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) were characterized in seven selected bacterial isolates grown at different concentrations of As(III) in the medium. One of the significant findings of this study is how the increase in external stress can induce alteration of membrane PLFAs. The change in fatty acid saturation and alteration of their steric conformation suggests alteration of membrane fluidity due to change in As-related stress. However, different bacterial groups can have different degrees of alteration that can affect sustainability in As-rich aquifers of the Bengal Delta Plain.

To establish the environmental status of Rufiji coastal waters in Tanzania, it is necessary to document the different contaminants as major entry points into the lower estuarine areas. Because there is no data on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) contamination in this estuarine delta, the current study measured the concentrations of 19 PAHs in suspended particulate matter (SPM), surface sediments and marine organisms that are part of a telescoping food chain (gastropod Terebralia sp., clams Crassostrea cucullata, crabs Uca sp., panaeid shrimps Panaeus monodon, teleost Hilsa kelee, Trichiurus lepturus, and Arius thalassinus). Total PAH concentrations in SPM were low to moderate (18.7–223 ng/g) and varied between the sites; phenanthrene and chrysene were the dominant PAHs (2.40–47.2 and 4.20–28.1 ng/g, respectively). Significant variation between the sites indicates the influence of fuel spills and contribution from terrestrial sources resulting from different land use practices, such as agriculture, fishing, and harvesting firewood, charcoal, and mangroves poles. PAH concentrations in surface sediments were higher (127–376 ng/g) than SPM samples, and high molecular weight PAHs were the dominant fraction. Animal tissues indicated low PAH levels (9.20–158 ng/g). Only low molecular weight PAHs were dominant in the muscle tissues of pelagic and filter feeders (C. cucullata, P. monodon, and H. kelee). Bioaccumulation factor (BAF) ranged between 0.20 and 69.5 and it suggests 1) PAH accumulation in the marine organisms has so far been limited, and 2) distribution of PAHs in the Rufiji estuary poses limited risks.

The Jiroft valley, situated on banks of the Halil Rud developed as an important agricultural and trading center during the Early Bronze Age. Known for its famous steatite sculptures and clay pottery, the first settlement in Konar Sandal collapsed around 3rd millennium BCE. A second shorter, but major phase of occupation in the settlement occurred towards the end of 2nd millennium BCE. A 250-cm long peat sequence near the archaeological complex at Konar Sandal was investigated to reconstruct the human environment history using palynological, sedimentological and geochemical data. With a basal age of 4 ka, the core traces the hydroclimatic changes and human activities that started just after large scale abandonment of Konar Sandal and extends from the late Bronze Age to the Mongol invasion. The results show that Jiroft had an arid dry climate dominated by the Saharo-Sindian open pseudo-savanna vegetation. However, due to human clearance and intensified agro-sylvo-pastoral activities, and climatic factors, the land-cover shifted from open xeric scrublands to a more open degraded landscape. The principal human occupation was cereal cultivation and herding. However, it is likely that during the more arid periods, communities retreated and abandoned agriculture, facilitating successional processes. Such droughts occurred around 4.0-3.8 ka and 3.4-2.8 ka and are related to the Siberian Anticyclonic system. Declining Artemisia and shrubs indicate milder climates ca. 3.8-3.4 ka and 2.8-0.6 ka. The latter period that started with the rule of the Persian empires (550-650 BCE), and continued through the Islamic era, coincides with intensive human activities, and the highest degradation of vegetation. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High arsenic (As) content in the fertile delta plains of West Bengal has been widely reported since the 1990s. The shallow grey sand aquifers (GSA) deposited during the Holocene, are more commonly used as potable water sources, but they have high As levels. The release of As into groundwater is influenced by indigenous microbial communities metabolizing different organic carbon sources present in the GSA sediments. After pre-screening the groundwater for assessing their microbial phylogenetic diversity, two50-m deep boreholes were drilled in the GSAs, and 19 sediment samples were recovered from each core. In each of these samples, grain-size distribution, sequential extraction, and quantification of trace metals and total extractable lipids were analyzed. The aquifer sediments consisted of medium to fine micaceous sand with clay lenses in between them; a thick clay layer occurred on top of both boreholes. Arsenic concentration in these sediments varied from 1.80 to 41.0 mg/kg and was mostly associated with the oxide and silicate-rich crystalline minerals. Arsenic showed a significant correlation with Fe in all fractions, suggesting the presence of Fe-(oxy)-hydroxides bound As minerals. The diagnostic lipid biomarkers showed presence of compounds derived from higher plants (epicuticular waxes) and microbial inputs. The biomarkers were abundant in clay and silt-rich layers. The samples indicated preferential preservation of n-alkanes over other functional compounds (e.g. alcohols and fatty acids), that are more reactive, and hence subject to further degradation. Sediments recovered from the borehole indicated the presence of Eustigmatophytes and vascular plant waxes that are mostly surface-derived. The sedimentary lipids also indicated the presence of complex petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. These compounds provide organic substrates, and support the preferential survival of specific microbial communities in these sediments.

Southern Africa's unique global position has given rise to a dynamic climate influenced by large sea surface temperature gradients and seasonal fluctuations in the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone. Due to the semi-arid climate of the region, terrestrial palaeorecords are rare and our understanding of the long-term sensitivity of Southern African terrestrial ecosystems to climatic drivers is ambiguous. A 810 cm continuous peat core was extracted from the Mfabeni peatland with a ¹⁴C basal age of c. 47 thousand years calibrated before present (kcal yr BP), positioning it as one of the oldest known sub-tropical coastal peatlands in Southern Africa. This peat core provides an opportunity to investigate palaeoenvironmental changes in subtropical Southern Africa since the late Pleistocene. Biomarker (n-alkane, n-alkanoic acid and n-alkanol) analysis, in conjunction with previously published bulk geochemical data, was employed to reconstruct organic matter (OM) sources, rates of OM remineralisation and peatland hydrology. Our results showed that the principal OM source into the peatland was emergent and terrestrial plants with exception of shallow lake conditions when submerged macrophytes dominated (c. 44.5–42.6, 29.7, 26.1–23.1, 16.7–7.1 and 2.2 kcal yr BP). n-Alkane proxies suggest that local plant assemblages were predominantly influenced by peatland hydrology. By incorporating temperature sensitive n-alkanoic acid and n-alkanol proxies, it was possible to disentangle the local temperature and precipitation changes. We report large variations in precipitation intensities, but subdued temperature fluctuations during the late Pleistocene. The Holocene period was characterised by overall elevated temperatures and precipitation compared to the preceding glacial period, interspersed with a millennial scale cooling event. A close link between the Mfabeni archive and adjacent Indian Ocean marine core records was observed, suggesting the regional ocean surface temperatures to be the dominant climate driver in this region since the late Pleistocene.

Eutrophication is a major ecological crisis in water bodies. This is mainly driven by anthropogenic activities in the catchment that incorporate various nutrients. Input of nutrients can also be driven by atmospheric deposition, which has a large footprint that goes beyond local point source(s). In particular, black carbon (BC) can be a carrier of various nutrients and increase primary productivity in lakes. We need to monitor the input of BC in large water bodies to fully understand its role in driving primary productivity and change in trophic status.