Fate and transport of strontium in groundwater from a layered sedimentary aquifer system.

In this article, strontium distribution in sedimentary coastal aquifers of Eastern India was studied and its association with groundwater particles has been ascertained using hydrochemical and morphological tools. Groundwater contains Sr in the range of 0.08-4.

Isotopic signatures to address the groundwater recharge in coastal aquifers.

The dynamics of the coastal aquifers are well-expressed by geochemical and isotopic signatures. Coastal regions often exhibit complex groundwater recharge pattern due to the influence of depression in the Bay of Bengal, tidal variations on surface waters, saline water intrusion and agricultural return flows. In this research, groundwater recharge processes occurring in coastal Tamil Nadu, South India were evaluated using major ion chemistry and environmental isotopes.

Appraising the factors favouring uranium mobilization and associated health risk assessment in groundwaters of north-western India.

An attempt has been made in this study to evaluate the factors favoring the uranium mobilization into the groundwater of Northwest India using uranium isotope activity ratio (U/U), radon (Rn) and environmental isotopes of water (H, O and H). The values range from 23 - 597 µg/L for total uranium and 634-3210 Bq/m for radon and the corresponding annual effective dose is estimated to be 18.9-490 µSv/a and 6.

Arsenic distribution in sediments of multi-tier sedimentary formation of coastal Pondicherry, India - Implications on groundwater quality.

In this work, sediments collected from a 150-m deep litho-section of a coastal region and encompassing Quaternary, Tertiary and Cretaceous sedimentary formations were studied for arsenic distribution and other trace and redox sensitive elements. Arsenic concentration in the sediments is found to vary from <0.5 to 30 mg·kg and showed an increasing trend with the depth.

Unravelling 30 ka recharge history of an intensely exploited multi-tier aquifer system in North West India through isotopic tracers - Implications on deep groundwater sustainability.

Northwest part of India is an agriculturally active region experiencing rapid rise in food production and steep decline in groundwater levels. The freshwater requirement is mostly met by regional aquifers which are inherently heterogeneous and undergoing extensive human inducted perturbations. These factors pose great challenge in planning sustainable groundwater management.

Decision tree for estimating groundwater contaminant through proxies considering seasonality and soil saturation.

Chloride ion is an important indicator of water quality. Field measurement of chloride is difficult whereas laboratory measurement is both time-consuming and chemical intensive. The conservative nature of chloride and good correlation with electrical conductivity (EC) justifies its use as proxy for chloride estimations.

Isotope and hydrochemical systematics of groundwater from a multi-tiered aquifer in the central parts of Indo-Gangetic Plains, India - Implications for groundwater sustainability and security.

The Indo-Gangetic multi-aquifer system provides water supplies to the most populous regions of the Indian subcontinent, however precise knowledge on the sources and dynamics of groundwater is still missing. Environmental isotopes (H, O, C, H and C) and hydrochemical modeling tools were used in this study in the multi-tiered aquifers underlying the Middle Gangetic Plains (MGP) to investigate the source of recharge, aquifer dynamics and inter-connectivity among aquifers. Within a depth span of 300 m, three aquifers, with contrasting recharge sources and dynamics, were delineated in this Sone-Ganga-Punpun interfluve region, with limited cross-aquifer hydraulic interconnections.

Health Risk Implication and Spatial Distribution of Radon in Groundwater Along the Lithological Contact in South India.

The presence of radioactive elements in groundwater results in high health risks on surrounding populations. Hence, a study was conducted in central Tamil Nadu, South India, to measure the radon levels in groundwater and determine the associated health risk. The study was conducted along the lithological contact of hard rock and sedimentary formation.

Occurrence of Heavy Metals in Groundwater Along the Lithological Interface of K/T Boundary, Peninsular India: A Special Focus on Source, Geochemical Mobility and Health Risk.

Evaluation of the hydrogeochemical processes governing the heavy metal distribution and the associated health risk is important in managing and protecting the health of freshwater resources. This study mainly focused on the health impacts due to the heavy metals pollution in a known Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/T) contact region (Tiruchinopoly, Tamilnadu) of peninsular India, using various pollution indices, statistical, and geochemical analyses. A total of 63 samples were collected from the hard rock aquifers and sedimentary formations during southwest monsoon and analysed for heavy metals, such as Li, Be, Al, Rb, Sr, Cs, Ba, pb, Mn, Fe, Cr, Zn, Ga, Cu, As, Ni, and Co.

Fluoride Geochemistry and Exposure Risk Through Groundwater Sources in Northeastern Parts of Rajasthan, India.

Exposure to fluoride concentrations above a threshold of 1.5 mg/L can cause joint pains, restricted mobility, skeletal and dental fluorosis. This study aims to determine the hydrochemical evolution of the fluoride-rich groundwater and estimate the risk of fluoride exposure to the residents of semi-arid northeastern part of Rajasthan, India.

Fluoride contamination in and around selected geothermal sites in Odisha, Eastern India: assessment of ionic relations, fluoride exposure and remediation.

Fluoride contamination in groundwater is a major problem throughout the world as well as in India. High-fluoride content was reported in the hot springs of Atri and Tarbalo sites in Odisha, India, and residents of nearby villages showed the manifestations of fluorosis. Around 39% of the groundwater samples showed fluoride concentration > 1 mg/l, higher than the desirable limit specified by the WHO.

Distribution and correlation of radon and uranium and associated hydrogeochemical processes in alluvial aquifers of northwest India.

The spatial and vertical distributions of radon and uranium are evaluated in relation to the hydrogeology, geomorphology, and hydrochemistry of southwest Punjab. Radon activity of the groundwater ranges from 580 to 3633 Bq/m (shallow groundwater 580 to 2438 Bq/m and deep groundwater 964 to 3633 Bq/m), and uranium concentration varies from 24.4 to 253 μg/L (shallow groundwater 24.

Groundwater salinization processes: pitfalls of inferences from Na/Cl versus Cl correlation plots.

Despite some researches indicating the possibility of correlation being induced by the common variable effect, correlation plots of ionic ratio (Na/Cl) versus ionic concentration (Cl) still remain popular for interpreting the causes of groundwater salinization. There were doubts about relevance of spurious correlation in groundwater and its detection using the randomization process, owing to the fact that groundwater is charge-balanced and randomization would result in abnormal ionic ratios. In this context, the relevance of spurious correlation and its detection using randomization of common variable was established in this study, which was missing from the literature.

Seasonal changes in groundwater quality deterioration and chemometric analysis of pollution source identification in South India.

Hydrogeochemical understanding of groundwater is essential for the effective management of groundwater. This study has been carried out to have concrete data for the seasonal variations in hydrogeochemistry of groundwater in central Tamilnadu forming a complex geological terrain with a varied lithology. A total of 244 groundwater samples were collected during four different seasons, viz, southwest monsoon (SWM), summer (SUM), postmonsoon (POM), and northeast monsoon (NEM) from bore wells.

Influence of variations in rainfall pattern on the hydrogeochemistry of coastal groundwater-an outcome of periodic observation.

This study considered the temporal variations in rainfall and water level patterns as governing factors, which influence the geochemical process of coastal aquifer around Pondicherry, South India. Rainfall and water level data were collected from 2006 to 2016, which showed that the amount of rainfall from 2006 to 2011 was higher than that of 2011 to 2016. To understand the geochemical process governing groundwater, samples were collected during 2006 (n = 54), followed by 2011 (n = 93), and during 2016 (n = 63) as part of continuous observation.

A study on the role of hydrogeology on the distribution of uranium in alluvial aquifers of northwest India.

A study was undertaken to decipher the uranium distribution in relation to a number of hydrogeological factors in groundwater of southwest Punjab. Existing geological information for the region suggests that the shallow alluvial aquifer extends up to 50-70 m below ground level (bgl) and is in turn underlain by a deeper aquifer which extends to a depth of 250 m bgl. The presence of clayey units limits the vertical mixing of groundwater between the shallow and deep aquifers.

Isotope investigation on groundwater recharge and dynamics in shallow and deep alluvial aquifers of southwest Punjab.

Groundwater samples collected from the alluvial aquifers of southwest Punjab, both shallow and deep zones were measured for environmental tritium (H) and stable isotopes (H and O) to evaluate the source of recharge and aquifer dynamics. The shallow groundwater shows wide variation in isotopic signature (δO: -11.3 to -5.

Lithological and hydrochemical controls on distribution and speciation of uranium in groundwaters of hard-rock granitic aquifers of Madurai District, Tamil Nadu (India).

Uranium is a radioactive element normally present in hexavalent form as U(VI) in solution and elevated levels in drinking water cause health hazards. Representative groundwater samples were collected from different litho-units in this region and were analyzed for total U and major and minor ions. Results indicate that the highest U concentration (113 µg l(-1)) was found in granitic terrains of this region and about 10 % of the samples exceed the permissible limit for drinking water.