Browsing by Author "Pramit Verma"

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Agricultural growth and land use land cover change in peri-urban India
(Springer International Publishing, 2019) Sanoj Kumar Patel; Pramit Verma; Gopal Shankar Singh
Varanasi district is comprised of eight administrative blocks. Owing to economic development, it has shown an increase in urban activities. Analysis of remotely sensed data for a period of two decades reveals that the built-up area increased by about 345% while vegetation decreased by 86% during 1993–2013. Contrary to other observations, land use changes, due to urban growth, increased not only the built area but also the agriculture class. Agricultural area increased by 39% in the two decades. Population density increased from 1217 to 1806 person/km2 and household density grew from 152 to 273 households/km2 during 1991–2011. Land absorption coefficient (LAC) and land consumption ratio (LCR) were calculated as demographic indices of land use land cover change (LULC). Vegetation delineation shows that sparse vegetation increased from 40.2 to 90.1 km2 while dense vegetation decreased from 28.4 to 1.7 km2 in 1993–2013. There was a distinct shift from agriculture, as a primary economic activity, towards non-agricultural pursuits. In order to frame better strategies for sustainable development and food security, this phenomenon of increasing urbanization around cities needs to be studied. This micro scale study can be helpful in formulating policy for urban areas in developing countries like India which heavily depend on agriculture to sustain their population and economy. © 2019, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Appraisal of kappa-based metrics and disagreement indices of accuracy assessment for parametric and nonparametric techniques used in LULC classification and change detection
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2020) Pramit Verma; Aditya Raghubanshi; Prashant K. Srivastava; A.S. Raghubanshi
In the face of rapid urbanization, monitoring urban expansion has gained importance to sustainably manage the land resources and minimize the impact on the environment. Monitoring urban growth using satellite data involves computing the state of land use–land cover and their change over time. A number of computing methods have been developed to process and interpret the satellite results for an urban environment. However, due to a large number of parametric and nonparametric algorithms used for land-use–land-cover classification, there is uncertainty regarding choosing the best algorithm to measure the urban processes. In this study, several parametric (maximum likelihood) and nonparametric (support vector machine, spectral angle mapper, artificial neural network and decision tree) algorithms were used. The study was aimed at finding out the best available classification technique for land-use–land-cover classification and change detection. Landsat 8, the latest in Landsat series, and Landsat 7 and 5 freely available satellite data were used. Due to the redundancy reported for the traditional kappa-based indices, we applied modern disagreement indices to assess the accuracy of the classification process. Artificial neural network for Landsat 8 image had the highest kappa coefficient, while spectral angle mapper had the highest overall agreement (97%) and least quantity allocation error (1%). Spectral Angle Mapper gave the highest accuracy, while maximum likelihood classification gave the least for allocation and spatial disagreement indices. We found that spectral angle mapper gave the best results for land-use–land-cover change analysis in terms of least omission and commission errors (2.5% each) and highest overall agreement, whereas artificial neural network performed better in land-use–land-cover classification studies. © 2020, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Are cities ready for low-carbon inclusive strategies? Household energy management under heterogeneous socioeconomic conditions
(John Wiley and Sons Ltd, 2024) Pramit Verma; Justyna Chodkowska-Miszczuk; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
Energy is an indispensable resource for economic development and the well-being of society. Due to heterogeneity in socioeconomic conditions, households consume direct energy and produce emissions differently. Analysing energy emissions from heterogeneous socioeconomic groups helps to identify foci for intervention and create policies for sustainable cities. This study aimed to measure household emissions in Varanasi city and investigate the impact of heterogeneous socioeconomic variables on household emissions. Varanasi represents a million-plus rapidly urbanising city. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and non-parametric regression revealed the relationship between end-use energy emissions and socioeconomic variables for five income classes. Biomass-based fuels constituted a significant proportion of energy (about 16%–20%) in low- to middle-income groups, however, electricity consumption dominated in upper-middle- and high-income groups. A fuel-stacking pattern was found, particularly in cooking activities. LPG was critical to replace solid biomass-based fuels. To meet the present needs and absorb the impact of a growing population, energy policies and infrastructure should focus on accessibility and efficiency. An inclusive low-carbon policy with a specialised focus on socioeconomic differences is needed for energy sustainability. © 2024 ERP Environment and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Challenges and opportunities at the crossroads of Environmental Sustainability and Economy research
(Elsevier, 2021) Daniela Perrotti; Pramit Verma; K.K. Srivastava; Pardeep Singh
Cities occupy only nearly 3% of the world’s land surface. However, they account for over 75% of global natural resource consumption and contribute to about 70% of greenhouse gas emissions (UNEP International Resource Panel). Thus, human activities in cities are drivers of multiple environmental challenges, which are likely to increase with an expected rise of the global urban population by 70%-80% by 2050, and their effects extend over all the ecosystems of the world. Cities are human ecosystems where social, economic, biological, and ecological components work together forming a system of feedback loops and interactions. These interactions in urban ecosystems are guided through human values, agency, and perceptions. An ecological understanding of cities can help conceptualize them as key socioeconomic and environmental “nodes” where great potential exists for sustainability-oriented innovations in resource management and the mitigation of pollutant emissions, climate change, and other negative externalities of resource consumption. For several decades now, the need for sustainable development has emerged across different systems working in human societies on a global level. However, the challenge remains to integrate the environmental, social, and economic dimensions of sustainability. The focus of this chapter is to read environmental sustainability through a socioeconomic lens. In this context, the transition to innovative socioeconomic models and “metabolic” approaches has been explored here, learning from main insights from the chapters in this book. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Compatible package-based agriculture systems: an urgent need for agro-ecological balance and climate change adaptation
(Higher Education Press Limited Company, 2022) Rishikesh Singh; Tanu Kumari; Pramit Verma; Bhupinder Pal Singh; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
Besides contributing majorly in the growth of a country, agriculture is one of the severely affected sectors at present. Several modifications and adaptations are being made in agricultural practices to cope-up with the declining soil fertility and changing climate scenarios across the world. However, the development and adoption of a single agricultural practice may not help in the holistic mitigation of the impacts of climate change and may result in economic vulnerability to farmers. Therefore, it is high time to develop and recommend a group of agricultural practices i.e., package-based agriculture system having some compatibility for one another in the long term. In this article, a viewpoint has been given on some emergent agronomic practices adopted in the tropical agro-ecosystems which have potential to be developed as compatible agricultural package in combination. Moreover, we also emphasized on exploring some key indicators/environmental factors to assess the compatibility of different agronomic practices. For identifying the research transition from single to combined agricultural practices, a bibliometric analysis was performed by using conservation agriculture (CA), the system of rice intensification (SRI), organic agriculture and soil (biochar) amendment as the major agronomic practices being used for improving agro-ecological services such as improving nutrient cycling, soil fertility and crop productivity as well as climate change mitigation. The results revealed that scientific communities are now paying attention to exploring the role of combined agricultural practices for agro-ecological balance and climate change adaptation. Moreover, the limitations of the adoption of agronomic packages under different agro-climatic zones have also been highlighted. The recommendations of the study would further help the environmental decision-makers to develop potential measures for climate change mitigation without compromising the agro-ecological balance. [Figure not available: see fulltext.] © 2021, Higher Education Press.
Critical assessment and future dimensions for the urban ecological systems
(Elsevier, 2020) Pramit Verma; Rishikesh Singh; Pardeep Singh; A.S. Raghubanshi
This chapter indicates that there is a dire need for a comprehensive book on urban ecological studies, which holistically addresses emerging concepts of urbanization and compiles an all-inclusive account of development in its various themes. In this chapter, we have applied bibliometric analysis to assess the state of research in the past 10 years. Furthermore, the conceptual structure, density and centrality of the major themes were explored, which revealed that the current research may be organized into Ecology of Cities, Ecology in Cities and Management and Sustainability. The major challenges faced in these broad categories were described based on the review of literature, and their possible solutions were also highlighted. It was found that transdisciplinary approach with coproduction of research activities is the essential requirement for the Urban Ecology at present time. © 2020 Elsevier Inc.
Effect of rainfall variability on tree phenology in moist tropical deciduous forests
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2022) Pramit Verma; Priyanshi Tiwari; Rishikesh Singh; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
Plants in their life cycle go through a series of life processes. These phenological changes are influenced by different climatic conditions. Abiotic factors like temperature, precipitation, and photoperiodism affect the onset and offset of particular phenophase in the plant periodic cycle. In this study, we tested the influence of precipitation on the forest phenology at two sites of Dudhwa National Park (DNP), Uttar Pradesh and Simlipal National Park (SNP), Odisha, India. DNP and SNP receive an annual average rainfall of 1093.5 mm and 1500 mm, respectively, of which most rainfall (~ 90%) occurs during June–September. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was measured for 2 years 2015 and 2018, with 2015 being a drought year and 2018 being a normal rainfall year. NDVI was analyzed at different temporal scales of months, season, and years using the t test (Welch’s two-tailed) and General Linear Mixed Model (GLMM). Effect of drought (2015) and normal (2018) rainfall year was not significant at both the sites, whereas season, year*season interaction, season*rainfall interaction, and year*season*rainfall interaction were found significant at DNP (P < 0.05, ICC = 0.68, marginal R2 = 0.81; conditional R2 = 0.94). At SNP, rainfall, year, season, and their interaction were non-significant, whereas several months showed a significant effect on the NDVI values for both sites. Winter and monsoon season in DNP, and post-monsoon season in SNP, showed a significant effect on the NDVI patterns. Thus, the effect of precipitation stress in the deciduous forests was evident at small intervals of observation. Tree phenology compensated for differences when observed from a higher temporal scale of a year. There existed a mechanism in trees to tide over adverse conditions and maintain the phenology over longer intervals of time. The resilience and vulnerability of such forest ecosystems against abiotic factors and extreme events would be instrumental in climate change adaptation strategies. Tree phenology can be used as an indicator of forest health and resilience. © 2022, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Effects of grass competition on tree seedlings growth under different light and nutrient availability conditions in tropical dry forests in India
(John Wiley and Sons Inc, 2020) Rahul Bhadouria; Pratap Srivastava; Rishikesh Singh; Sachchidanand Tripathi; Pramit Verma; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
The interactive effects of light, nutrient availability and grass competition on seedlings of four tropical dry forest tree species, namely, Indian jujube (Ziziphus mauritiana), arjun (Terminalia arjuna), gum arabic (Acacia nilotica) and catechu (Acacia catechu), were evaluated in an experimental study at Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India. Full- and reduced- (20% of the full) sunlight, no-nutrient and nutrient supplementation, and presence of grass and no-grass conditions were taken in a split-plot design to observe the effects on the plant growth and leaf nutrient parameters. We observed a significant interaction between light and nutrient availability on total dry weight and relative growth rate for the tree seedlings of all the species. Seedling growth was lower in presence of grass under full sunlight condition with/without nutrient addition, and also under reduced sunlight condition with nutrient addition. However, leaf-N and -P concentration showed slight increase following nutrient addition across the species and light conditions. All the species responded positively to nutrient addition irrespective of light and grass conditions. Our study further indicates that nutrient addition under reduced light condition in tropical dry forests may be a possible strategy to ameliorate the negative impact of grasses on tree seedling growth. Overall, a better understanding of tree seedling establishment in the presence of grasses is of utmost importance for the development of management plans that may improve the diversity of tree species in tropical dry forests. © 2020 The Ecological Society of Japan
Energy emissions, consumption and impact of urban households: A review
(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Pramit Verma; Tanu Kumari; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
About 3 billion people still rely on traditional sources of fuel. Biomass-based fuels were responsible for more than 4 million deaths in 2012. Household energy consumption is steadily increasing across cities due to the urbanization of rural areas, more economic and travel activities. In this review, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) and other bibliometric tools were applied to determine the conceptual structure and typological thematic areas of household emissions in urban areas. The current state of knowledge and opportunities towards creating carbon-neutral cities indicated that while most of the research was focussed on cities and regions of developed countries and China, the mitigation activities grouped under three broad heads - reducing emissions, consumption and impact of household emissions. Strong heterogeneity between the urban and rural areas, fuel options and human choices gave rise to fuel-stacking in developing countries. Integrated modelling and inclusion of environmental and human behavioural components into economic models were recognised as emerging fields oriented towards a systems approach. Accessibility and availability of clean energy and clean energy appliances were identified as the biggest challenges. To create carbon-neutral urban areas, integrated modelling should include categorization of carbon policy according to local conditions, analysis of feedback loops, embedded emissions, the global and regional impact of household consumption patterns, and uncertainty associated with mitigation measures. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Environmental and health impacts of contaminants of emerging concerns: Recent treatment challenges and approaches
(Elsevier Ltd, 2021) Deepak Yadav; S. Rangabhashiyam; Pramit Verma; Pardeep Singh; Pooja Devi; Pradeep Kumar; Chaudhery Mustansar Hussain; Gajendra Kumar Gaurav; Kuppusamy Sathish Kumar
In the past few decades, new contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in the air, water, and soil have gained significant attention due to their adverse impact on human health and the environment. The sources of CECs have been identified in different forms from domestic and industrial activities such as personal care products and pharmaceuticals. It has been established that aqueous medium plays a major role in the dissemination of various contaminants, like drinking water, reservoirs, lakes, rivers and waste with water medium. There remains inadequate technology for the treatment of CECs in the wastewater systems. Though different techniques have advanced for the treatment of CECs, they still pose a severe threat to human health and disturb the ecological balance. In this review, the characteristics, recent technologies, risk assessment and management of CECs have been discussed. The primary aim is to highlight the new innovative and cost-effective technologies for the remediations of CECs in all forms. Biochar is readily and economically available in abundance and an economical adsorbent with 100% adsorptive removal for H2PO4−. The bibliometric analysis also performed to understand the emerging research trends on the treatment techniques, which can help in developing a guiding pathway to modern research in academia and industry. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd
Environmental Sustainability and Economy
(Elsevier, 2021) Pardeep Singh; Pramit Verma; Daniela Perrotti; K.K. Srivastava
Environmental Sustainability and Economy contains the latest practical and theoretical concepts of sustainability science and economic growth. It includes the latest research on sustainable development, the impact of pollution due to economic activities, energy policies and consumption influencing growth and environment, waste management and recycling, circular economy, and climate change impacts on both the environment and the economy. The 21st century has seen the rise of complex and multi-dimensional pathways between different aspects of sustainability. Due to globalization, these relationships now work at varying spatiotemporal scales resulting in global and regional dynamics. This book explores the complex relationship between sustainable development and economic growth, linking the environmental and social aspects with the economic pillar of sustainable development. Utilizing global case studies and interdisciplinary perspectives, Environmental Sustainability and Economy provides a comprehensive account of sustainable development and the economics of environmental protection studies with a focus on the environmental, geographical, economic, anthropogenic and social-ecological environment. © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Exploring soil responses to various organic amendments under dry tropical agroecosystems
(Elsevier, 2020) Rishikesh Singh; Pratap Srivastava; Pramit Verma; Pardeep Singh; Rahul Bhadouria; Vipin Kumar Singh; Hema Singh; A.S. Raghubanshi
External input-based intensive agriculture practices have resulted in increasing food supply at the cost of considerable deterioration in soil quality and health. In addition, the release of various greenhouse gas emissions has also increased in recent years. For restoring soil health and productivity, and climate change mitigation, various organic amendments have been recommended for application in the soil. Depending upon the climatic variability, the soil responds differently to different amendments. Tropical agroecosystems are one of the extensively cultivated areas, and therefore, several studies dealing with agroecosystem responses have been performed under the present climate change scenario. In this chapter, we have explored the responses of the soil ameliorated with various organic amendments such as organic manure/compost, microbial fertilizers, vermicompost and biochar; and the impact of various amendments on soil physicochemical and biological properties. Moreover, soil respiration and microbial biomass under soils receiving these amendments have also been explored as the key indicators of soil viability. Overall, the chapter would provide a thorough understanding of the soil responses under different organic amendments in the present climate change scenario. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Forest phenology as an indicator of climate change: Impact and mitigation strategies in India
(Springer Science and Business Media B.V., 2021) Priyanshi Tiwari; Pramit Verma; A.S. Raghubanshi
Forests are an integral part of the terrestrial ecosystem, maintaining the biodiversity, carbon flux, and ecosystem services and even supporting livelihoods. Rampant exploitation of forest resources has resulted in deforestation and the loss of associated benefits. It is estimated that deforestation accounts for 11% of global carbon emissions. Their role in carbon sequestration has helped international bodies to create programmes such as reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+). The phenomena of climate change adversely affect the functioning of forest species: it changes the timing of their flowering and fruiting habits, and brings about changes in the ecophysiology of the species. However, such changes depend on the species and the climatic conditions to a large extent. Phenology, the temporal order of the annual cycle of plant functions, is quite sensitive to the changes in climate. In this chapter we have explored the relationships between climate change and its impact on tree phenology, and mitigation and adaptation strategies. Some species may tend to exhibit a certain amount of resilience against climate change. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021.
Green space indicators in a social-ecological system: A case study of Varanasi, India
(Elsevier Ltd, 2020) Pramit Verma; Rishikesh Singh; Christopher Bryant; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
From an ecological perspective, quantification indicators of urban green space distribution and accessibility have been the focus of only a few studies. To determine the thresholds of various urban drivers influencing the extent of green spaces was the major objective of this study. We selected Varanasi, a typical city having transition-features of a rapidly growing million-plus city, as a model using a multivariate approach. The ward level differences with literates, workers, population density, household density, per-capita green space, open spaces, built area and green spaces were found to be non-linearly distributed. Indicators for green spaces were identified using the Generalized Additive Model (GAM). Varanasi showed a variation of per capita green-spaces from 0 to 59.95 m2 at the ward level. Green-spaces showed a large negative correlation with population density (τ = −0.5), household density (τ = −0.5) and built area (τ = −0.7). Sustainability thresholds for built land use and open spaces were identified as 49–76 % and 5.6 %, respectively. Provision of greenspaces even in very small amounts and education based on a local environmental perspective is essential in creating a sustainable urban landscape. The threshold values of identified indicators can help in devising a “safe operating space” for sustainable and healthy urban landscape planning, worldwide. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd
Impact of anthropogenic stresses on riparian ecosystem and their management perspectives
(Elsevier, 2022) Saumya Pandey; Tanu Kumari; Pramit Verma; Rishikesh Singh; A.S. Raghubanshi
Riparian ecosystems represent the interface zone between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystem which serves as semi-permeable membrane and help in nutrient filtration, material flow, erosion control and support floral and faunal biodiversity. These ecosystems are heterogeneous in nature, and are dynamic systems having distinct properties from the adjacent aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The riparian ecosystems are characterized by the interplay of soil, water and vegetation components which determine their ecological significance. These ecosystems provide several ecosystem services to the human beings, and therefore, have been highly explored and exploited in different ways. The unique and dynamic properties of these ecosystems make them highly susceptible to climate change. These ecosystems are one of the most vulnerable ecosystems of the world due to anthropogenic activities in the form of habitat transformation, vegetation clearing for agriculture and developmental activity, urbanization, damming, grazing, mining and invasive species, etc. In this chapter, a brief account has been given on the ecological characteristics and ecosystem services of riparian ecosystems, followed by major anthropogenic stresses to these ecosystems, and some ecological engineering-based management plans have been suggested at the end. We conclude that the construction and/or restoration of riparian buffer zones by using particular ecological engineering tools may help in restoring the ecosystem services of these ecosystems and also help in soil C sequestration in addition to the riverbank stabilization. © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Is the future sustainable? Analysis of Generation Z’s social awareness of sustainable development in Poland
(Sciendo, 2023) Tomasz Starczewski; Ewelina Lopata; Mateusz Kowalski; Krzysztof Rogatka; Aleksandra Lewandowska; Pramit Verma
Nowadays, the pace of social and economic development is constantly growing, which has led to many negative effects. In order to stop this negative impact, reference should be made to the assumptions of sustainable development (SD), and young people – Generation Z – should be considered its main promoters. The main objective of this article is to present Generation Z’s perception of sustainable development in Poland. A Computer-assisted web interviewing survey (CAWI, N=1172) was conducted to understand the basic demographics, general issues, SD in a daily context, and SD-related knowledge in 936 cities of Poland. The results have shown that Generation Z in Poland recognises the social and inclusive role of SD. Cost of commodities, social disparities and conflict, and disrupted economic growth were identified as the emerging challenges for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Polish cities. © 2023 Authors, published by Sciendo.
Monsoon-phase regulates the decoupling of auto- and heterotrophic respiration by mediating soil nutrient availability and root biomass in tropical grassland
(Elsevier B.V., 2022) Tanu Kumari; Rishikesh Singh; Pramit Verma; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
Soil respiration is considered as one of the most sensitive parameters regulated by the interplay of different soil biophysical parameters, ground cover and climatic conditions. As per the global predictions, monsoon variability in South Asian countries can affect various soil processes. However, studies exploring the interactive role of vegetation and precipitation conditions on soil respiration and its components (viz., auto- and heterotrophic) are lacking. A mini-trenching method was performed to explore the alterations in auto- and heterotrophic components of soil respiration as well as their regulatory variables in grassland vegetation under different summer monsoonal phases. Three vegetation densities (viz. low, medium and high) based on herbaceous cover, and three monsoon phases (viz. onset, active and end) of the tropical summer monsoon were considered. The findings revealed that heterotrophic respiration was the major contributor to the total soil respiration under medium- and high-density vegetation with percent contribution of 62–80% and 53–88% respectively. Contrastingly, autotrophic respiration was the major contributor (54–56%) to soil respiration in low-density vegetation during active- and monsoon-end phases. Amongst the three monsoon phases, variation in soil respiration components was most pronounced during the active-monsoon phase. Structural Equation Modelling results revealed microbial biomass and root biomass as key regulators of auto- and heterotrophic respiration. Remarkably, a partitioning of root biomass parallel to the soil respiration was observed during monsoon-end phase where coarse root biomass and fine root biomass emerged as regulators of auto- and heterotrophic respiration, respectively. Moreover, for monsoon-onset and -end phases, a completely different set of variables involved in regulation of soil respiration components were identified. Our results revealed that the monsoon-phase mediates the root and nutrient dynamics which led to the differential decoupling of the components of soil respiration. Thus, inclusion of (below)-ground cover and monsoon-phase wise variation in soil biophysical parameters in the global biogeochemical models would be more helpful for better prediction of carbon balance in different ecosystems. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Preface
(Springer Nature, 2021) Pardeep Singh; Rishikesh Singh; Pramit Verma; Rahul Bhadouria; Ajay Kumar; Mahima Kaushik
[No abstract available]
Rural development and land use land cover change in a rapidly developing agrarian South Asian landscape
(Elsevier B.V., 2019) Pramit Verma; A.S. Raghubanshi
It is a general belief that agricultural area, particularly in developing countries, is decreasing with rapid urbanization. This is an important phenomenon in the form of land use land cover change (LULCC) as these countries depend on agriculture to a great extent for food and economic growth. Using Landsat data our investigation in the rural area of Varanasi district revealed that agricultural area, which constituted about 50% of land cover, increased by 37% in the 1993–2013 period and built area increased by 236%. A Relative Rural Development Index (RRDI) was formulated to find out the comparative development in rural blocks of the district. RRDI was based on built, green and agriculture land use, and the number of agricultural workers, LAC and LCR. Kashi Vidyapeeth (KV) and Chiragaon (CG) rural blocks present in close proximity of the urban core had the highest RRDI score and change in Land Absorption Coefficient (LAC) and Land Consumption Ratio (LCR). Proximity to the urban area influenced rural development in the form of agricultural and built area increase. The study can be helpful for focussing development and policymaking efforts to a rural area according to its RRDI score. © 2019 Elsevier B.V.
Spatio-temporal variability in soil CO2 efflux and regulatory physicochemical parameters from the tropical urban natural and anthropogenic land use classes
(Academic Press, 2021) Shweta Upadhyay; Rishikesh Singh; Pramit Verma; Akhilesh Singh Raghubanshi
Urban ecosystems, the heterogeneous and rapidly changing landscape, showed a considerable impact on the global C cycle. However, studies encompassing the spatial differences in urban land uses on soil C dynamics are limited in tropical ecosystems. In this study, seasonal and temporal variability in soil CO2 efflux (SCE) and its regulatory physicochemical variables under five urban land use classes viz., Bare (BAR), Agriculture (AGR), Plantation (PLT), Grassland (GRA) and Lawns (LAW) were assessed from 2014 to 2016. Bare land use was considered as the reference for observing the variation for different land uses. Seasonal measurements of SCE, soil temperature, moisture content, pH, ammonium-N, nitrate-N and microbial biomass C (MBC) were performed whereas soil organic C (SOC), soil N, and soil physical properties were measured annually. Our results showed a significant (P < 0.01) increase in SCE by 89%, 117%, 132% and 166% for land use types from BAR to AGR, PLT, GRA and LAW, respectively. The results revealed a two-fold increase in SCE from anthropogenically managed urban lawns as compared to bare soil. PLT and LAW land use classes showed higher SOC and N contents. SCE was found positively correlated with temperature, moisture, SOC, soil N and MBC whereas negatively correlated with ammonium-N and nitrate-N (at P < 0.05) for the overall dataset. Soil moisture, temperature, SOC, porosity and pH were identified as the major determinant of urban SCE by explaining 63% of the variability in overall SCE. Further, temperature for BAR and LAW; moisture for PLT; ammonium-N for GRA; and nitrate-N for AGR were identified as the major regulators of SCE for different land use classes. The findings revealed that the interaction of soil temperature and moisture with nutrient availability regulates overall and seasonal variability in SCE in an urban ecosystem. Since these variables are highly affected by climate change, thus, the soil C source-sink relationships in tropical urban ecosystems may further change and induce a positive global warming potential from urban ecosystems. © 2021 Elsevier Ltd