Shifting cultivation, a traditional agricultural practice, has long influenced forest cover dynamics across Southeast Asia. This cyclical process of vegetation clearance, burning, and regrowth carries substantial environmental and socio-economic consequences. In India, shifting cultivation—locally known as jhum—is prevalent in the northeastern states, including Tripura. Over time, socio-economic changes and policy interventions have altered traditional jhum cycles, influencing land use patterns. Continue Reading »

Authors- Shuchita Srivastava, Yogesh Kant and D. Mitra The Hayli Gubbi volcano in Ethiopia experienced its first confirmed eruption in approximately 12,000 years on 23 November 2025 at 14:00 IST, producing an ash column that reached an estimated altitude of 10–15 kilometers. The resulting plume was transported by upper-tropospheric winds toward India and China. Traveling at speeds of 100–120 km/h Continue Reading »

The Ramganga Dam Reservoir and Tehri Dam Reservoir are two important water storage systems in Uttarakhand that support hydropower generation, irrigation, flood control, and drinking water supply. Monitoring these reservoirs using SWOT (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) satellite data helps in understanding their hydrological behaviour, seasonal storage variability, and response to climatic conditions. The reservoirs were selected because they represent Continue Reading »

Uttarakhand experienced a noticeable escalation in forest fire activity during the first four months of 2026. Fire occurrence remained relatively moderate in January, with 200 MODIS active-fire detections recorded across the state. Activity then declined to 113 detections in February, representing a 43.5% decrease, likely due to the influence of residual winter moisture and comparatively lower fuel flammability. As temperatures Continue Reading »

Authors- Ashok Ghildiyal and Ashish Joshi, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, ISRO Dehradun NOAA weather satellites continuously transmit Automatic Picture Transmission (APT) signals that carry live images of the Earth’s surface. These signals can be received using a software-defined radio (SDR) such as an RTL-SDR dongle, paired with a suitable antenna and decoding software. The NOAA satellites, particularly NOAA-18 and Continue Reading »