Feature Article

New studies confirm that fish ladders at dams in the tropics fail to meet their objective of guaranteeing the survival of migratory fish, and in fact, could hasten the extinction of some species. Brazilian scientists found that ladders act as an "ecological trap" attracting schools of fish to poorer environments, and making it even more difficult for them to reproduce.

Data generated by CPCB of ambient air quality in various cities and towns of India under National Air Quality Monitoring Programme (NAMP) have been analyzed. A decreasing trends has been obseved in ambient sulphur dioxide levels in many cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, Mumbai etc. This may be due to various interventions like reduction of sulphur in diesel, use of CNG as the vehicular fuel in Delhi and Mumbai etc.

Water wars in the arid western US are nothing new, but the rules of engagement have changed. The Klamath River basin on the California-Oregon border has seen the stage for a decades-long epic battle between farmers, fisherman, government agencies, utilities and tribes with treaty rights to dwindling salmon populations. More than 26 diverse groups have worked together to negotiate solutions to the most pressing problems the river facese, and are now close to a breakthrough that may breathe new life into the struggling river and its people.

During recent years a number of different species of lichens have been found (species richness) and the presence of indicator species has been studied to characterize regional air quality impact on lichen populations. The following review describes some of the pollutants affecting lichens, mechanisms of pollutant accumulation by lichens, physiological responses to pollution, and methods of study utilizing lichens.

Ultrafine particles (UFP) may contribute to the cardiovascular effects of exposure to particulate air pollution, partly because of their relatively efficient alveolar deposition and potential to enter the pulmonary vascular space. This study tested the hypothesis that inhalation of elemental carbon UFP alters systemic vascular function. March 2008

The Western Ghats constitute one of the three biodiversity hotspots in India, which is under constant threat from various quarters. Among the several anthropogenic factor, which plays a pivotal role in vegetation succession and ecosystem processes. It is very important to understand the ecological changes due to fire and other anthropogenic factors for conservation and management of biodiversity.

Benzene is a human carcinogen. Exposure to benzene occurs in occupational and environmental settings. The researcher evaluated data from a cohort of 1,845 rubber hydrochloride workers. Benzene exposure

Over the past decade there has been mounting evidence that ambient air pollution during pregnancy influences fetal growth. This study was designed to examine possible associations between fetal ultrasonic measurements collected from 15,623 scans (13

An assessment of land quality was carried out for coffee growing areas of Karnataka using satellite image, toposheets and soil studies.

Low-level developmental lead exposure is linked to cognitive and neurological disorders in children. However, the long-term effects of gestational lead exposure (GLE) have received little attention. The goal of the research was to establish a murine model of human equivalent GLE and to determine dose