Southeast India Research Articles

Spatial and seasonal variations in coastal water characteristics at Kalpakkam, western Bay of Bengal, Southeast India: a multivariate statistical approach.

A study was carried out in the coastal waters of Kalpakkam with the objectives to evaluate the seasonality in hydrobiological parameters in surface and bottom waters, and assess the anthropogenic stress and monsoonal flux on a spatiotemporal scale. The study covered an area of approximately 100 km2 in the coastal environment. Relatively high values for pH, temperature, and TP were observed during the post-monsoon (POM) season. The monsoon (MON) season was linked with TN, ammonia, and DO concentrations as all these parameters have shown increased values during this season due to freshwater input. The summer (SUM) season was characterized by salinity, turbidity, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate, indicating a true marine environmental condition for plankton production. Principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) indicated the presence of distinct coastal water masses with respect to seasons and sampling regions. The spatial pattern indicated the distinctness of the coastal nearshore water (CNW) and coastal offshore water (COW) with respect to water quality. The CNW was more dynamic due to direct external influence as compared to the relatively stable COW environment. Similarly, the study region in the northern part, which is continuously exposed to the backwater inputs and tourism activities, was statistically different from the southern part.

Coral reef resilience differs among islands within the Gulf of Mannar, southeast India, following successive coral bleaching events

We used a 12-yr data set of benthic cover (2005–2017), spanning two bleaching events, to assess changes in benthic cover and coral community composition along 21 islands within Gulf of Mannar (GoM), southeast India. Overall, between 2005 and 2017 reefs had a simultaneous decrease in relative coral cover (avg. = − 36%) and increase in algal cover (avg. = + 45%). Changes in benthic cover were not consistent among islands, ranging from − 34 to + 5% for coral cover and from − 0.3 to + 50% for algae. There was a spatial gradient in coral mortality, which increased among islands from west to east. However, there was a disconnect between coral loss and subsequent increases in algae. Algal cover increased more on islands in west GoM where coral loss was minimal. Environmental co-factors (coral cover, percent bleaching, degree heating weeks, fish densities, Chl-a, pollution) explained > 50% of the benthic cover responses to successive bleaching. Coral survival was favored on islands with higher fish densities and chlorophyll-a levels, and increases in algal cover were associated with higher measures of pollution from terrestrial runoff. Coral morphotypes differed in their response following successive bleaching resulting in changes in the relative abundance of different coral morphotypes. Existing climate projections (RCP8.5) indicate a 22-yr gap in the onset of annual severe bleaching (ASB) for reefs in the east versus west GoM, and ASB was ameliorated for all reefs under the RCP4.5 projections. There is limited knowledge of the resilience of GoM reefs, and this study identifies coral morphotypes and reefs that are most likely to recover or decline from successive bleaching, in the context of forecasts of the frequency of future bleaching events in GoM.

First approach to the characterization of the ecological succession on perforated trapezoidal multi-purpose reef modules: Building climate resilience

The study reports the colonization and ecological succession of epibenthic communities on perforated trapezoidal Artificial Reef (AR) modules deployed in Vaan Island of Gulf of Mannar, southeast India. These AR communities assist in building climate resilience among the coastal ecosystems, which have faced severe climate change impacts during the last decade. Based on wave dynamics modeling studies, 10,600 modules were deployed in two layers to protect the Island from beach erosion and to enhance biodiversity. Randomly selected modules were subject to continuous monitoring from 2015 to 2020 to understand the ecological succession of the epibenthic communities. Hard corals turned out to be the dominant epibenthic category with 76.01 no.module−1(SE ± 2.16) by 2020. A total of 37 coral species belonging to 16 genera were found inhabiting the modules at the end of five years. The other major epibenthic categories were molluscs, hydroids, sponges, ascidians, octocorals and echinoderms with a total density of 40.44 no.module−1(SE ± 1.41) by 2020. A couple of years after the deployment, when hard corals started to flourish on the AR modules, the density of other epibenthic categories began to decline. A comparison of the numbers of epibenthic organisms on the inner and outer layers of AR modules reveals that the inner layer has a larger epibenthic community. After five years, the AR modules have started to act as coral refugia and are expected to create reef ecosystem analogous to natural reefs. The modules also provide the much needed topographic complexity for the fish to move in. This planned deployment not only helped in reef recovery and enhancement of associated biodiversity in Gulf of Mannar, which is severely impacted by global climate change, but also would serve to enhance the climate resilience of the coral ecosystems by increasing the coral biomass and thereby restoring the ecological services, which help to sustain the livelihood of the dependent small-scale fisher folk.

Intralesional bleomycin in palmoplantar and periungual warts: a therapeutic study

<p class="abstract"><strong>Background:</strong> Warts are one of the most common benign growths of skin caused by human papilloma virus. No single treatment has proved to be completely effective and most therapies for palmo-plantar and periungual warts remain unsatisfactory. The present study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and safety of intralesional bleomycin injection in palmo-plantar and periungual warts in patients in region of south east India.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Methods:</strong> Ninety patients of multiple palmo-plantar and periungual warts were included in the study. They were infiltrated with bleomycin (1 mg/ml) till blanching. The treatment was repeated after paring of eschar at 2 weeks interval in cases with partial or no response. The patients were reviewed at monthly interval for 24 weeks to note cure, adverse effects, recurrence and outcome satisfaction levels. </p><p class="abstract"><strong>Results:</strong> Out of total 305 warts, 103 (34%) were cured after 1st injection and 249 (82%) were cured after 2nd injection. The number of warts requiring more than 2 sittings was 55 (18%). At the end of study, overall cure rate was 94.5% and 10 patients showed recurrence.</p><p class="abstract"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Intralesional bleomycin injection is an effective and safe treatment option in palmo-plantar and periungual warts.</p>

Validation of a modified FLEXPART model for short-range radiological dispersion and dose assessments in ONERS Decision Support System

Online Nuclear Emergency Response System (ONERS) is a GIS based Decision Support System developed for the management of Off-Site Nuclear Emergencies at Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) sites in India. As part of this development, the FLEXPART model is modified to compute atmospheric dispersion using observations from the local meteorological tower for the estimation of concentration and radiological dose over short-range range in realtime. In this work, the modified FLEXPART is validated for dose assessments using gamma dose rate measurements by Autonomous Gamma Dose Loggers installed around the Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) of Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam site in southeast India. The plume exposure dose is computed in two pathways i) cloudshine dose by incorporating a point kernel algorithm ii) submersion dose by semi-infinite plume method using FLEXPART. Comparison of model estimates with detector data for the 8-day period (01–08 December 2017) covering various atmospheric conditions indicates that the simulated cloud gamma dose rate is in good agreement with observed dose under stable, neutral, and unstable conditions with a coefficient of determination of 0.66, 0.73 and 0.49 respectively. The overestimation of dose under unstable conditions could be due to underestimation of mixed layer height (h) and convective velocity scale (w*) computed using the local similarity approach while using tower data, which needs further insights for improvements.

Statistical and dynamical based thunderstorm prediction over southeast India

Thunderstorms, associated with lightning and heavy rain, are a weather hazard causing human deaths, urban floods and damage to crops. Current work attempted to study the thunderstorms over Andhra Pradesh, coastal state in southeast India, using multiple satellite datasets, gridded rainfall, Doppler Radar Images and Advanced Research Weather Research and Forecasting (ARW) model simulations during the pre-monsoon seasons of 2017 and 2018. Thermodynamic stability indices computed using INSAT-3D/3DR satellite data were used to identify precursors and lead time of prediction. India Meteorological Department (IMD) daily gridded rainfall data were used to identify the thunderstorm occurrence days, and Doppler Radar Images and INSAT imagery were conjointly used to fix the location. Eight severe thunderstorm cases were analyzed to assess the precursors and the predictability. Further, ARW model predictions for two thunderstorm cases were performed and stability indices computed using model output were compared with satellite-based indices for evaluation. Statistical metrics had shown good agreement of ARW model-based stability indices with satellite-based stability indices. Model had simulated rainfall and cloud properties associated with thunderstorm activity. The results illustrated the predictability of the location and intensity of thunderstorms with 3–4 hrs lead time, which would find usefulness in the real-time prediction of thunderstorms.

EAST in Children with Allergic rhinitis: Experience from Indian Tertiary Centre.

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is recognized as a growing global health disease with considerable importance among children and adolescents. This study aims to study the clinical and sensitization profile of children with allergic rhinitis using EAST. All children presenting to pediatric ENT outpatient with a clinical diagnosis of AR were prospectively recruited. Detailed demographic and clinical history including self-reported allergens, predominant symptoms and associated comorbid conditions were obtained. Severity of symptoms was graded on a visual analogue scale. Specific Ig E antibodies to 20 inhalant allergens was measured using EAST (EUROIMMUN, Germany).The pattern of sensitization was analyzed with respect to age, symptoms, associated comorbid conditions and urbanization. We recruited 328 children with a clinical diagnosis of AR (Mean age 10.3year, IQR 8-13years) Nasal block was the predominant symptom across all age groups, sneezing became more troublesome during adolescence. In 191 children sera were tested for allergen specific IgE, 119 (62.3%) showed positive sensitization. The most common sensitization noted was for cockroach, followed by dust mite and pollens. Majority had polysensitization (73%). Those who were predominantly sneezers were more likely to be sensitized with indoor allergens (p < 0.05). Among the comorbid conditions, asthma and atopic dermatitis accounted for maximum non ENT physician visits. The pattern of sensitization did not vary with age, urbanization or comorbid condition. This study highlights the clinical and sensitization profile of children with AR in South East India. Various peculiarities of this community has been presented which needs further attention.

Climate hazard indices projections based on CORDEX-CORE, CMIP5 and CMIP6 ensemble

The CORDEX-CORE initiative was developed with the aim of producing homogeneous regional climate model (RCM) projections over domains world wide. In its first phase, two RCMs were run at 0.22° resolution downscaling 3 global climate models (GCMs) from the CMIP5 program for 9 CORDEX domains and two climate scenarios, the RCP2.6 and RCP8.5. The CORDEX-CORE simulations along with the CMIP5 GCM ensemble and the most recently produced CMIP6 GCM ensemble are analyzed, with focus on several temperature, heat, wet and dry hazard indicators for present day and mid-century and far future time slices. The CORDEX-CORE ensemble shows a better performance than the driving GCMs for several hazard indices due to its higher spatial resolution. For the far future time slice the 3 ensembles project an increase in all temperature and heat indices analyzed under the RCP8.5 scenario. The largest increases are always shown by the CMIP6 ensemble, except for Tx > 35 °C, for which the CORDEX-CORE projects higher warming. Extreme wet and flood prone maxima are projected to increase by the RCM ensemble over the la Plata basin in South America, the Congo basin in Africa, east North America, north east Europe, India and Indochina, regions where a better performance is obtained, whereas the GCM ensembles show small or negligible signals. Compound hazard hotspots based on heat, drought and wet indicators are detected in each continent worldwide in region like Central America, the Amazon, the Mediterranean, South Africa and Australia, where a linear relation is shown between the heatwave and drought change signal, and region like Arabian peninsula, the central and south east Africa region (SEAF), the north west America (NWN), south east Asia, India, China and central and northern European regions (WCE, NEU) where the same linear relation is found for extreme precipitation and HW increases. Although still limited, the CORDEX-CORE initiative was able to produce high resolution climate projections with almost global coverage and can provide an important resource for impact assessment and climate service activities.

Decadal prediction skill for spring and summer surface air-temperature over India and its association with SST patterns in CFSv2 and CNRM coupled models

In this study, we have assessed the skill of decadal prediction of boreal spring (March–May) and summer (June–September) Surface Air Temperature (SAT) over India and its relation with Sea Surface Temperature (SST) in the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Climate Forecast System Version 2 (CFSv2) coupled model. The skill of CFSv2 is compared with CNRM (Centre National de Recherches Meteorologiques) coupled model, which is the best among the selected CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 5) models for long-lead forecasts (6–9 years) of global SSTs (with high skill). It is found that both models show significant skill in predicting 4-year mean SAT over central and southern peninsular India at 1–5 year leads in spring. During summer, significant skills for SAT over the northwest and southeast India are seen in CFSv2, whereas CNRM displayed significant skills over the north and central India at 1–5 years lead. The first Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) mode of SAT variability over India indicates a country-wide warming/cooling pattern in both observations and models for spring and summer. The analysis reveals that the decadal variability of SAT (EOF-1) over India is highly related to SST variations over the Indo-Pacific and North Atlantic regions. The strong convergence of low-level winds over the equatorial Indian Ocean and maritime continent accompanied by warm SST anomalies drive the northerly dry winds over India and favour warm SAT in both spring and summer. Further, changes in shortwave radiation also contributed to SAT variability over India. In general, the SAT relationship with SST in different parts of tropical and sub-tropical regions is underestimated in CFSv2 compared to the observations and CNRM in both boreal spring and summer. The models are able to represent the changes in the atmospheric circulation and related Indo-Western Pacific SST patterns reasonably well at the 1–5 years lead with some discrepancy. However, both models showed relatively low skills in capturing the relationship between SAT over India and equatorial Pacific SSTs. This might limit the skills of models in predicting decadal variations of SAT over India.

Currently circulating genotypes of Hepatitis A virus in South West, East and North East India, 2017–2018

BackgroundThis study was carried out to understand the circulating genotypes of Hepatitis A virus (HAV) in South West, East and North East India during the period 2017–2018 as a part of acute febrile illness surveillance at the Manipal Institute of Virology. MethodsArchived serum samples of 48 Hepatitis A confirmed cases were subjected to RNA extraction using QIAamp® Viral RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Germany). The samples with molecular confirmation for HAV by reverse transcriptase real-Time PCR (Real Star® HAV RT-PCR Kit 2.0, Altona Diagnostics, GmbH, Hamburg, Germany) were further subjected to nested conventional PCR targeting the 5′ UTR region. The purified PCR products were sequenced using Big Dye Terminator Kit (Applied Biosystems, USA), in a 3500 XL genetic analyzer (Applied Biosystems, USA). The edited sequences by means of MEGA X (MEGA version 10.1) were compared with reference sequences in the NCBI nucleotide database. ResultsFrom states of Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and Tripura, 139 Hepatitis A and 33 Hepatitis E cases were reported during the study period. The median age of the acute Hepatitis A cases was 19 years (IQR 12.8–24) and most of the affected individuals were students between 10 and 19 years (52.5%). In the present study, 14 samples from Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Odisha, Kerala, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were genotyped as genotype IIIA by nested conventional polymerase chain reaction. ConclusionThe circulating HAV genotype in South West, North East and East India between 2017 and 2018 was IIIA.

SINO-ASEAN COOPERATION: PERCEPTIONS AND COUNTER STRATEGIES OF USA, JAPAN AND INDIA

China and ASEAN have established cooperation since 1990 for the pursuit of their respective strategic and economic interests. They have achieved unprecendented heights in their cooperation covering various fields. As a result of the strong relations between China and ASEAN the influence and presence of China in the region has increased manifold. As a consequence of China’s growing influence and presence in the South East Asian region, the US, Japan and India appear worried as their strategic and economic interests in the region seem to be threatened by China. They perceive China as an emerging threat to their interests in the region. Thus, the US, Japan and India have designed counter strategies to check the influence of China and protect their interests in the region. This paper attempts to summarise the findings of a doctoral study by Behan, which studies the relations between China and ASEAN and the perpection and counter strategies of the US, Japan, and India.

Tailoring Body Mass Index for Prediction of Obesity in Young Adults: A Multi-Centric Study on MBBS Students of Southeast India.

Introduction: Body mass index (BMI) has been used for a long period as a surrogative measure for obesity. But BMI does not differentiate between fat and nonfat tissue (blood, bone, and muscle) due to which it is not considered accurate anymore. But since BMI is easier to estimate and used widely for assessment of obesity, it is better if it is re-standardized according to the body fat percentage (BFP) of a specific population, community, and their ethnicity.Objective: To estimate and propose the BMI cut-off values in young Indian population especially MBBS students taking BFP as a standard.Design: This is a cross-sectional study. Anthropometric data (age, gender, height, weight, waist circumference, and hip circumference) were collected from the participants after taking consent. BMI was calculated using Quetelet’s Rule. BFP was estimated using Omron Body fat Monitor (HBF 385). It measures the BFP by the bioelectrical impedance (BI) method. Data were analyzed with appropriate statistical tests and receiver operating curve (ROC) curves were drawn to find the cut-off values of BMI to determine obesity.Setting: The present study is a multi-centric study conducted in four medical colleges (two in each state; Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, India).Participants: Apparently healthy MBBS students aged 18-24 years were included in this study. Students having any chronic or acute illnesses were excluded from the study. Out of 904 students contacted from four medical colleges, 863 (430 males and 433 females) consented and participated.Results: Some 863 MBBS students have participated in this study. After adjusting for age, BMI was found to be higher in males. BMI was found to be 29.33 for males and in females it was 29.06. BFP was higher in females (34.23) as compared to males (20.77). Waist hip ratio was found to be higher in females (0.92) than in males (0.84). Whereas, fat free mass (FFM) and fat free mass index (FFMI) are higher in males, i.e., 56.24 and 18.48 respectively. Most appropriate cut-off value for obesity on ROC curve was found to be 22.09 (sensitivity 84.5%, specificity 83.46%) in males and that of females was 23.73 (sensitivity 85.26, specificity 81.23). Whereas, the conventional cut-off of 25 for males had sensitivity of only 46% and that of females was 70.5%. For total population BMI cut-off value was found to be 22.2 with 81% sensitivity and 74% specificity. Conclusion: We propose the cut-off value for overweight/obesity in males to be 22.09 kg/m2 and for females to be 23.73 kg/m2 in young adult Indian population. These values were found to have more sensitivity and specificity than current BMI cut-off value.

Spear-fishing with surface supplied diving disturbs the ecological balance in Gulf of Mannar, southeast India

Gulf of Mannar in southeast coast of India is considered an important biodiversity hotspot providing a variety of fishery resources. Spear-fishing, involving surface-supplied diving has become a significant threat in the Tuticorin region of Gulf of Mannar and was documented in August 2018. It is understood from the fishermen that spear-fishing is used as an opportunistic fishing method when the visibility is good. Using an iron rod of about 1.5 m, they catch commercially important fin- and shell-fishes including groupers, cat fishes, parrot fishes, rays, squids, trigger fishes, lobsters, crabs, etc. The practitioners of this harmful method target the ecologically important fishes such as parrot fishes, and this targeted collection adversely impacts the ecosystem by disturbing the ecological balance. This study makes a strong case for banning this activity before it spreads to other regions.

Use of benthic foraminifera as a proxy for monitoring heavy metal pollution in the Swarnamukhi estuary, southeast coast of India

Benthic foraminiferal assemblages were surveyed as potential indicators of heavy metal pollution of sediments from Swarnamukhi estuary, southeast India. Grain size analysis indicated that the sediments were deposited under low energy conditions. Results of assessment by factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis showed relations among the heavy metals. The sediment pollution assessment was carried out using the Enrichment Factor (EF), and Pollution Load Index (PLI). The results showed significant seasonal variation in heavy metal concentrations, and several metals (e.g. Fe, Cr, Zn, Pb and Cd) had high abundance in the sediments. A total of 53 benthic foraminiferal species belonging to 20 genera and 3 suborders were recorded in the sediments. The effect of heavy metal pollution on foraminifera's species diversity was assessed. The assemblage changes and test abnormalities in foraminiferal species appeared to be proxies for evaluating environmental stresses. • Distribution and mobility of heavy metals in sediments collected from Swarnamukhi estuary were assessed. • A total of 53 species, 20 genera and 3 suborders according to their distribution was summarized. • Benthic foraminifera was used as a bio-indicator to evaluate the heavy metal pollution from the study area. • Benthic foraminiferal species and shell abnormalities were identified.

Organising Home-based Palliative Care Services: A Quality Improvement project at the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Vishakhapatnam.

Objectives:The key component of a comprehensive palliative care (PC) unit is provision of a regular and sustainable home-based PC (HBPC) service. This quality improvement project aimed to plan, organise and sustain a regular HBPC service in a government cancer centre in Southeast India. The aim was to regularise and increase the number of home care visits among the patients identified for HBPC services through sustainable interventions.Materials and Methods:The A3 methodology with its team-based, structured problem-solving approach was the tool used. The situational process map at baseline was followed up with a sequential cause and effect analysis and team discussions to create sustainable and reliable interventions. These included creating the electronic data system for data collection in PC, allocation of resources and implementation of systems to coordinate HBPC services. The roles and ownership to maintain improvement were established by designation and this requirement has been included in the job description to ensure reliability and sustainability.Results:The regularisation of home care services with a consistent increase in the number of home visits from 2/week to over 6/week helped achieve the Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time bound goal. Better documentation, coordination and accountability were also positive outcomes. Working with different departments and teams along the project helped build trust and understanding along with a sound base for collaborative research.Conclusion:The A3 way of problem solving through dialogue and consensus helped to organise HBPC services and this methodology can be extended to other areas in future.

Spatial and statistical characteristics of heat waves impacting India

<abstract> The climate of a place has a decisive role in human adaptations. Man's health, adaptability, behavioural patterns, food, shelter, and clothing are mainly influenced by the temperatures of the area. Hence, a study is undertaken to analyse the spatial distribution, frequency, and trend in the heat waves over the country. The statistical characteristics of heat waves over India are addressed in this study. Gridded daily temperature data sets for the period 1951–2019 were used to compute the arithmetic mean (AM), standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and trends of monthly maximum temperature. The number of heat wave days were identified using the criteria given by India Meteorological Department (IMD) i.e., a heat wave is recognized when the daily normal maximum temperature of a station is less than or equal to (greater than) 40 ℃ than it will be considered as a heat wave if the daily maximum temperature exceeds the daily normal maximum temperature by 5 ℃ (4 ℃). The analysis was confined to the two summer months of April and May only. The spatial distribution of the AM shows higher values during May, and the core hot region with temperatures exceeding 40 ℃ lies over central India extending towards the northwest. The SD distribution shows higher values over the northeast of central India decreasing towards the southwest. The CV distribution shows higher values over the north decreasing toward the south. Higher numbers of heat waves are observed during May and the number is higher over Andhra Pradesh and south Telangana regions of southeast India. This study concludes that a moderate hot region experiences a higher number of heat wave days over India. </abstract>

Effect of offshore troughs on the South India erratic summer monsoon rainfall in June 2017

The onset and advance of southwest monsoon are accompanied by the appearance of the offshore trough along the southwest coast of India. This offshore trough escorts a deluge of rainfall to the southwest coast, and sometimes rainfall band moves eastward further into south India. These broad observations were noticed during the summer monsoon of June 2017. Meteorological agencies and media had reported a huge amount of rainfall over the southwest coast of India during the month. But, in the far interior of south India, rainfall was less. Due to the less rainfall, water resources depleted, which affected local farmers and common man of south India. The confused views of the common man on southwest coast rainfall could be due to lack of understanding related to various factors affecting rainfall over the same region. This article is an endeavor to address the preliminary understanding of the southwest coast rainfall during June 2017, with more stress on offshore troughs. The study begins with area-averaged rainfall statistics over south, southwest, and southeast India by employing satellite and rain gauge merged rainfall datasets. Area averaged analysis revealed offshore trough contributed 80 % of rainfall over the South West India, 68 % over South East India, contributing to an overall 75 % over south India in 2017. To identify offshore trough position and strength in the reanalysis and model simulations, a new method called VSV (Vertical Shear of Vorticity) method was introduced. The computed offshore troughs were categorized into Active, Normal, and Feeble based on the strength of meridional gradient of mean sea level pressure and 850 hPa horizontal winds. The contribution due to each category of the offshore trough over different sub-regions was investigated to find out the effect of the offshore trough to total rainfall. Dynamic and thermodynamic features of these categories of the offshore trough were investigated by using proxies like equivalent potential temperature and moisture flux convergence. We found that during active offshore trough an eastward propagation of rain bands persists, which was explained by using moisture flux convergence and equivalent potential temperature at different levels of the atmosphere.

Contested Landscapes

Colonial and postcolonial imaginaries of the Andaman Islands have represented the islands as a natural prison, a terra nullius, a site of nationalist martyrdom in the Indian anti-colonial struggle, and a repository of indigenous “exotica.” The islands are both a “melting pot” and a “frontier.” Successive waves of migration since 1858 have created a multiethnic and multilingual mosaic referred to as “Southeast India” and “Mini-India.” Convicts incarcerated by the British were joined by partition refugees from eastern Bengal, Adivasis from Chota Nagpur, and Telugu- and Tamil- speaking migrants from southern India. The 500-odd remaining indigenous people of tribal ethnicity are confined to reserved territories, depend on government support, or refuse contact. Strategically located at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea, the islands play a crucial role in India’s current military expansion with its aim of countering the Chinese naval presence in the Indo-Pacific. Once the site of British “civilizing” missions, a coercive penal system, violent Japanese occupation during WWII, and a formerly thriving but now outlawed timber industry, the Andamans are the location of conflicting postcolonial imaginaries. From environmentalists’ pleas to “save” the “fragile” islands, to marketing for tourists portraying them as a tropical paradise holiday destination, the Andamans are a poly-semiotic place at the friction point of center-periphery tensions.&#x0D; I focus on three questions in this article: Firstly, how does the Indian mainland/center see the islands? Secondly, how do different islanders see, on the one hand, the mainland—both as it is today and in terms of memorialized places of family origin—and, on the other, “their” own islands and their internal divisions? Thirdly, how do marginalized subaltern islanders conceive of their position on the islands’ periphery—on the one hand vis-.-vis the political centers of Port Blair and Delhi, and, on the other, the politically dominant groups on the islands?

Low oxygen levels caused by Noctiluca scintillans bloom kills corals in Gulf of Mannar, India

Coral reefs around the world are undergoing severe decline in the past few decades. Mass coral mortalities have predominantly been reported to be caused by coral bleaching or disease outbreaks. Temporary hypoxic conditions caused by algal blooms can trigger mass coral mortalities though are reported rarely. In this study in Gulf of Mannar (GoM), southeast India, we report a significant coral mortality caused by a bloom of the ciguatoxic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans during September–October 2019. Dissolved oxygen levels declined below 2 mg l−1 during the bloom causing temporary hypoxia and mortality (up to 71.23%) in the fast growing coral genera Acropora, Montipora and Pocillopora. Due to global climate change, more frequent and larger algal blooms are likely in the future. Hence, it is likely that shallow water coral reefs will be affected more frequently by episodic hypoxic conditions driven by algal blooms. More studies are, however, required to understand the mechanism of coral mortality due to algal blooms, impacts on community composition and the potential for subsequent recovery.

Risk assessment of organochlorine pesticides in seaweeds along the Gulf of Mannar, Southeast India

Bioaccumulation of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in red, green, and brown seaweeds from the Gulf of Mannar was investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The concentration of OCPs in all the seaweeds was in the order of endosulfan > endrin > HCH > DDT > aldrin > heptachlor > methoxychlor. The concentrations of HCH, endrin, endosulfan, and DDT in Sargassum wightii and Gelidiella acerosa, and HCH and endosulfan in Gracilaria verrucosa were above the limits prescribed by the European Commission. However, in Ulva lactuca, except for endosulfan, all other OCPs were below the permissible level. The bioaccumulation of OCPs in seaweeds was in the order of S. wightii > G. acerosa > Gracilaria verrucosa > U. lactuca. The results of comparative analysis of the levels of the investigated pesticides against the standard human health risk assessment revealed that pesticide exposure from seaweeds is hazardous to human health and the marine environment of the Gulf of Mannar.