Controls of DSi in streams and reservoirs along the Kaveri River, South India.

There is an increasing body of evidence showing that land use may affect the concentration and flux of dissolved silica (DSi) and amorphous, biogenic Si particles (ASi/BSi) in surface waters. Here, we present a study of riverine waters collected within the Kaveri River Basin, which has a long history of land occupation with +43% population increase in the watershed during the last 30 years associated with agricultural practices including canal irrigation from reservoirs and, more recently, bore well pumping. We report total dissolved solids (TDS) and suspended material (TSM) for 15 river stations and 5 reservoirs along the Kaveri itself and its main tributaries sampled during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon periods in 2006 and 2007. The TDS in the Kaveri River globally increases from the upper reaches (humid to sub-humid climate) to the lower reaches (semi-arid climate), and at a given station from monsoon (M) to hot season (HS). The DSi concentrations range from 129 µmol L(-1) (M) to 390 µmol L(-1) (HS) in the main Kaveri stream and reaches up to 686 µmol L(-1) in the Shimsha River (HS). Our results indicate that DSi and the main solutes of the Kaveri River have not drastically changed since the last 30 years despite the population increase. The pollution index of Van der Weijden and Pacheco (2006) ranges from 13% to 54% but DSi does not seem to be affected by domestic wastewater. ASi is mostly composed of diatoms and phytoliths that both play roles in controlling DSi. We suggest that DSi and ASi delivered to the cultivated areas through irrigation from reservoir may have two important consequences: increasing Si bioavailability for crops and limiting Si flux to the ocean.

Precipitation signal in pollen rain from tropical forests, South India.

We have analyzed the pollen content of 51 surface soil samples collected in tropical evergreen and deciduous forests from the Western Ghats of South India sampled along a west to east gradient of decreasing rainfall (between 11 degrees 30-13 degrees 20'N and 75 degrees 30-76 degrees 30'E). Values of mean annual precipitation (Pann, mm/yr) have been calculated at each of the 51 sampling sites from a great number of meteorological stations in South India, using a method of data interpolation based on artificial neural network. Interpolated values at the pollen sites of Pann range from 1200 to 5555mm/yr, while mean temperature of the coldest month (MTCO) remains >15 degrees C and humidity factor (AET/PET, the actual evapotranspiration to potential evapotranspiration ratio) remains also included between 65 and 72%.Results are presented in the form of percentage pollen diagrams where samples are arranged according to increasing values of annual precipitation. They indicate that the climatic signal of rainfall is clearly evidenced by distinct pollen associations. Numerical analyses show that annual precipitation is an important parameter explaining the modern distribution of pollen taxa in this region. Pollen taxa markers of high rainfall (Pann >2500mm/yr) are Mallotus type, Elaeocarpus, Syzygium type, Olea dioica, Gnetum ula, and Hopea type, associated with Ixora type and Caryota. Pollen taxa markers of low rainfall (Pann <2500mm/yr) are Melastomataceae/Combretaceae, Maytenus type, Lagerstroemia and Grewia. The proportions of evergreen taxa and of arboreal taxa vary according to rainfall values. Indeed, when rainfall is <2500mm/yr, percentage of arboreal pollen (AP) is <50% and proportion of evergreen taxa is <20%. When rainfall exceeds 2500mm/yr, AP values average 70%, and proportion of evergreen taxa increases from 60 to 90%. Moreover, a good correlation between precipitation and proportion of evergreen taxa (0.85) presumes that precipitation can be estimated from pollen data.