Publications

Wildfires, Ecosystem Services, and Biodiversity in Tropical Dry Forest in India

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

This review is intended to contribute to the understanding of the interlinkage between wildfire in India’s tropical dry forest (TDF) and selected ecosystem services (ES), namely forest provisioning and water regulating services, as well as biodiversity. TDF covers approximately 146,000 km2 (4.4 %) of India, whereas according to the MODIS fire product about 2200 km2 (1.4 %) burns per year. As studies on wildfire effects upon ESs and biodiversity in Indian TDFs are rare we partly transferred findings from other (dry) forest areas to the environmental situation in India.

Nuclear energy and risk assessment by Indian courts: analysis of judicial intervention in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

Judicial intervention on nuclear energy safety discourse in India is very recent. The debate on the Civil Nuclear Liability for Damage Act 2010 in the Parliament and the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan provoked public apprehension about nuclear safety in India. The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in South India became the flash point. The localized agitation against the project consequently gained momentum and was taken up aggressively by civil society groups citing safety compromise on various technical parameters.

A comparison of different regression models for downscaling Landsat and MODIS land surface temperature images over heterogeneous landscape

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

The present study reports a natural variation in microRNA172 (MIR172) family members isolated from six species of genus Brassica. The analysis of nucleotide polymorphism across 44 Brassica MIR172 homologs revealed a higher conservation in the predicted precursors relative to flanking regions. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in miRNA and miRNA*. The 21-nt miRNA sequence was conserved in all MIR172 members except MIR172a. However, the miRNA* sequence was conserved only in MIR172a compared to A. thaliana.

A comparison of selected classification algorithms for mapping bamboo patches in lower Gangetic plains using very high resolution WorldView 2 imagery

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

Bamboo is used by different communities in India to develop indigenous products, maintain livelihood and sustain life. Indian National Bamboo Mission focuses on evaluation, monitoring and development of bamboo as an important plant resource. Knowledge of spatial distribution of bamboo therefore becomes necessary in this context. The present study attempts to map bamboo patches using very high resolution (VHR) WorldView 2 (WV 2) imagery in parts of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India using both pixel and object-based approaches.

A framework for mapping tree species combining hyperspectral and LiDAR data: Role of selected classifiers and sensor across three spatialscales

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

Knowledge of tree species distribution is important worldwide for sustainable forest management and resource evaluation. The accuracy and information content of species maps produced using remote sensing images vary with scale, sensor (optical, microwave, LiDAR), classification algorithm, verification design and natural conditions like tree age, forest structure and density. Imaging spectroscopy reduces the inaccuracies making use of the detailed spectral response. However, the scale effect still has a strong influence and cannot be neglected.

A Gateway to Sustainable Development through Knowledge Exchange: a TERI Case Study

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

Thy dynamic knowledge society demands that knowledge and informtion resources develop services to anticipate and serve the need of socity. There is a growing need for developing and disseminating knowledge resources pertaining to specific subject areas to enable easy access by focused user communities.

A new scenario framework for climate change research: background, process, and future directions.

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

This paper describes the scenario matrix architecture that underlies a framework for developing new scenarios for climate change research. The matrix architecture facilitates addressing key questions related to current climate research and policy-making: identifying the effectiveness of different adaptation and mitigation strategies (in terms of their costs, risks and other consequences) and the possible trade-offs and synergies.

A new scenario framework for Climate Change Research: scenario matrix architecture

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

This paper describes the scenario matrix architecture that underlies a framework for developing new scenarios for climate change research. The matrix architecture facilitates addressing key questions related to current climate research and policy-making: identifying the effectiveness of different adaptation and mitigation strategies (in terms of their costs, risks and other consequences) and the possible trade-offs and synergies.

A new scenario framework for climate change research: the concept of shared socioeconomic pathways

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

The new scenario framework for climate change research envisions combining pathways of future radiative forcing and their associated climate changes with alternative pathways of socioeconomic development in order to carry out research on climate change impacts, adaptation, and mitigation. Here we propose a conceptual framework for how to define and develop a set of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) for use within the scenario framework.

A novel in vitro whole plant system for analysis of polyphenolics and their antioxidant potential in cultivars of Ocimum basilicum

Research Paper
| January 11, 2018

Plants are an important source for medicinal compounds. Chemical screening and selection is critical for identification of compounds of interest. Ocimum basilicum (Basil) is a rich source of polyphenolics and exhibits high diversity, therefore bioprospecting of a suitable cultivar is a necessity. This study reports on the development of a true to type novel "in vitro system" and its comparison with a conventional system for screening and selection of cultivars for high total phenolics, individual polyphenolics, and antioxidant content.