Dambaru Ballab Kattel

A First-order Method to Identify Potentially Dangerous Glacial Lakes in a Region of the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau

Abstract Though glacial lake outburst floods have become an urgent issue on the Tibetan Plateau, no standardized methods have been proposed so far to identify and prioritize potentially dangerous glacial lakes (PDGLs). Here, we developed a first-order approach to identify PDGLs in the Boshula Mountain Range, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Five variables—mother glacier area, distance between lake and glacier terminus, slope between lake and glacier, mean slope of moraine dam, and mother glacier snout steepness—were selected to identify PDGLs on the basis of four criteria we suggested. A fuzzy consistent matrix method was then applied to determine the weight of variables, and characteristic statistical values were used as thresholds to classify each variable. Out of 78 moraine-dammed lakes studied, we identified 8 glacial lakes as potentially very highly dangerous. We also validated our approach with 6 drained glacial lakes inside and outside our study area. Successfully identifying them as potentially very highly and/or highly dangerous lakes demonstrates the validity of the method.

Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) in Soil: Occurrence, Fate, and Effects

Pharmaceuticals (VPs) are used in large amounts to protect human health and reduce diseases and promote growth for livestock and poultry in farms. Due to their use pattern, they possess a potential for reaching the soil environment where they develop resistance and can impact the soil ecosystem services. The environmental pollution and health risks caused by the antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have become urgent issues all over the world. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the occurence of antibiotics and ARGs in soil. The fate of antibiotics such as photodegradation, bioremediation, chemical treatments, etc., was discussed in detail. ARGs’ occurrence and their mechanism (horizontal and vertical) of transfer into soil ecosystem were reviewed. We review the impact that pollution by antibiotics or by antibiotic resistance genes may have for both human health and the evolution of environmental microbial populations. The chapter could be helpful to university teachers, students, and management authorities for the management and to develop the policy for the new emerging environmental contaminates.

Atmospheric Pollutants and Its Transport Mechanisms in Soil Along the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, and Its Surroundings: A Brief Note

The Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, and its surroundings (HTPs) have long been identified to be critical in regulating the Asian monsoon climate and hydrological cycle. Moreover, the transport of pollutants from highly urbanized areas could be a serious threat to the soil quality in the pristine regions of the HTP regions. This work focuses on the study of the effect of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) as organic pollutants and major ions and trace elements as inorganic pollutants in the HTPs. These pollutants get deposited in the Himalayan soils due to cold climatic conditions and atmospheric circulation mechanisms. Semi-volatile organic pollutants such as organ chlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), CPs, and toxic trace metals can be transported from the densely populated and intensely agricultural activities via monsoon and then cold-trapped by the mountain soil of the HTP region. The OCP concentrations increase with increasing altitude, but ionic and elemental concentrations decrease with increasing altitude in the HTP and its surroundings. Organic and inorganic pollutants in air could be deposited into the surface of soil which further leads to health hazard. The studies revealed that cold temp, low Ph, and meteorological factors such as rainfall and wind patterns of mountain favor the deposition of organic pollutants (PAH, OCP, PCB) in soil.