National Centre for Earth Science Studies

Education:

Professional career:

Training:

• Participated in Tier II training course on “Groundwater Resource Management” organized jointly by Ministry of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation and Central Ground Water Board held during 14-18 March 2016 at Thiruvananthapuram.
• Refresher Course on “Mountain Hydrology and Climate Change” organized by G B Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPUAT), Pantnagar, Uttarakhand from March 28–April 08, 2016.
• Training on “Basic techniques for the isolation and identification of health indicator bacteria from marine environment” organized by Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) during 22-26th August 2016 at National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Kochi.

Research Interest:

Broad Research Areas: Stable isotopic composition of water and water vapor (δ² H and δ¹⁸O).

1. Understanding different physical processes influencing variation of stable isotopes in precipitation.
2. Understanding moisture source variations and associated water cycle dynamics in river basins.
3. Understanding the process of water circulation and governing factors in river basins using stable isotopic tracer.
4. Understand the land-atmosphere feedback and precipitation recycling using isotope proxies.
5. Understanding the processes of “two water” world hypothesis.
6. Solute dynamics in river basins and changes during estuarine mixing.

Projects:

1. Antimicrobial & chromatographic studies on selected medicinal plants (Kannur University).
2. An assessment of soil quality under different land uses of Kannur district (Kannur University).
3. Factors influences organic removal in the treatment process of distillery wastewater using Membrane Bio-reactor (TERI, New Delhi).
4. Monitoring global change impacts in Western Ghats (Sahyadri) (NCESS, Thiruvananthapuram).
5. Environmental studies of Kollam-Neendakara wetlands and associated inlands (NCESS, Thiruvananthapuram).

Achievements & Awards:

1. First position for poster presentation at the 7th International Groundwater Conference held at ICAR-NASC complex, New Delhi during December 11-13, 2017.
2. Kerala State Council for Science and Technology (KSCSTE) Research Fellowship, 2014
3. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)- Senior Research Fellowship (Direct), April 2019

Membership in Professional Bodies:

1. European Association of Geochemistry (EAG) (Member No. 2016-0235)
2. International Water Resources Association (IWRA)
3. International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS)
4. Indian Association of Hydrologists (IAH)- Life Member
5. American Geophysical Union (AGU)

Publications:

1. Saranya. P , Krishna Kumar, Sudhir Kumar and Anoop Krishnan (2020). Isotopic study on the effect of reservoirs and drought on water cycle dynamics in the tropical Periyar basin draining the slopes of Western Ghats. Journal of Hydrology. 581, 124421.
2. P. Saranya, Gopal Krishnan, M.S. Rao, Sudhir Kumar and Bhishm Kumar (2018). Controls on water vapor isotopes over Roorkee, India: impact of convective activities and depression systems. Journal of Hydrology, 557, 679-687.
3. A Krishnakumar, P Saranya, P Geethu Prasad and C Rakhi (2015). Holocene records of human driven geological impacts in a Ramsar wetland of India. Aquatic Procedia, 4, 373-380.
4. Subhankar Basu, Ankita Kaushik, P Saranya, Vidya S. Batra, Malini Balakrishnan (2016). High strength distillery wastewater treatment by a PAC-MBR with low PAC dosage. Water Science and Technology. 73(5), 1104-11.
5. A Krishnakumar, Revathy Das and Saranya Puthalath (2017). Assessment of the quality of water resources in coastal urban lands of two small catchment rivers, Southwest India. Management of Environmental Quality. 28(3), 444-459.

In Books:

1. A Krishnakumar, P Saranya, Revathy Das, K G Prijilal. ‘Hydrogeochemistry and Environmental Issues of the Wetlands of Kerala, southwestern India’- In: Wetland Science, Perspectives from South Asia (Eds. B. Anjan Kumar Prusty, Rachna Chandra, P. A. Azeez). Springer, India.

Conference presentations/Paper presentations :

1. A Krishnakumar, P Saranya , P Geethu Prasad and C Rakhi (2015). “Holocene records of human driven geological impacts in a Ramsar wetland of India. Presented in International Conference on Water Resources, Coastal and Ocean Engineering (ICWRCOE)” held at NIT, Surathkal (12-14 March, 2015).
2. A Krishnakumar, P Saranya , Anoop Krishnan and V Vinduja (2015). “Evaluation of Seasonal Fluctuation of water quality in Ashtamudi Wetland System, India”. National Seminar on Recent and Emerging Advances in Chemical Science (REACS-2015).
3. A Krishnakumar and P Saranya (2015). “Studies on soil texture, soil erosion status and land-use practices in Neyyar-Karamana basins”, Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala. National seminar on “Emerging approaches in land use planning, 2015.
4. P Saranya , A Krishnakumar, K Anoop Krishnan and Reji Srinivas (2016). “Heavy metal accumulation and biological risk assessment in a protected wetland, Southwest coast of India”. Presented in International Conference on Geosciences and Environment and 32nd annual convention of Indian Association of Sedimentologists held at Annamalai University (7-10 January, 2016).
5. P Saranya and A. Krishnakumar (2016). “Delineation of groundwater potential and drought prone zones in Periyar river basin, Southern Western Ghats, India. Presented in National conference on Groundwater resources of Kerala: New perspectives and management strategies” held at IIUCNRM, University of Kerala (4-5 February, 2016).
6. A Krishnakumar, Saranya P and Revathy Das (2016). “Studies on soil texture, soil erosion status and Land-use practices in Neyyar-Karamana basins, Thiruvananthapuram district, Kerala” presented in National Seminar on “Emerging approaches in Land Use Plannning” held at Kanakakunnu Place, Thiruvananthapuram.
7. P Saranya and A. Krishnakumar (2016). “Spatio-temporal changes of forest cover in Thiruvananthapuram district, SW India: a GIS based approach”. Presented in “National Seminar on Geospatial Information Systems: Emerging Trends and Utilities” held at International and Inter University Centre for Natural Resources Management (IIUCNRM).
8. P Saranya , A. Krishnakumar and A K Taxak (2016). “A Comprehensive Evaluation of Drought in Periyar River basin, Southern Western Ghats, India- a Geo-spatial approach” presented in National Geo-research Scholars Meet, 2016, held at Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology.
9. Saranya. P , Krishnakumar. A, Sudhir Kumar and Anoop Krishnan (2016). “River- precipitation interaction- evidence of marine inputs in the first showers of ISM, an insight from Periyar river basin, Southern Western Ghats”. Presented in “National Conference on Water Resources Management in Coastal Regions” held at National Institute of Hydrology, Kakinada.
10. Saranya. P , Krishnakumar. A, Anoop Krishnan K (2016). “Assessment of Climate Change in terms of rainfall trends in twentieth century (1916-2005): A case study from Munnar in Western Ghats”. Presented in “National Conference and 33rd convention of Indian Association of Sedimentologists with emphasis on Energy Resources and Climate Change” held at Banaras Hindu University (BHU).
11. Saranya. P, A Krishnakumar, Sudhir Kumar, Anoop Krishnan (2019). Effect of drought and reservoirs on water circulation mechanism in Periyar basin, Southern Western Ghats: a stable isotope approach. Presented in “American Geophysical Union -2019” held at San Francisco, California.
12. Saranya Puthalath, Krishnakumar Appkuttanpillai, Sudhir Kumar and Anoop Krishnan (2018). Dual monsoon influenced water circulation in a Western Ghat river debouching into the Arabian Sea: A case study from Periyar river basin. Presented in “European Geosciences Union -2018” held at Vienna, Austria.

Poster presentations:

1. P Saranya , A Krishnakumar, Sudhir Kumar and Anoop Krishnan (2017). “Seasonal Patterns of surfacewater and groundwater interaction in Periyar river basin, Kerala, India”. Presented in ‘7th International Groundwater Conference’ held at ICAR-NASC complex, New Delhi during December 11-13, 2017.
2. P Saranya , A Krishnakumar and R Ajayakumar Varma (2016). “Assessing rainfall trends in twentieth century (1916-2005) over Munnar, an ecologically sensitive high altitudinal area of Western Ghats”. Presented in ‘National workshop on Western Ghats evolution and environmental issues’ held at NCESS, Thiruvananthapuram (1-2 January, 2016).