Agricultural groundwater with high nitrates and dissolved salts given to pregnant mice alters brain development in the offspring

This new paper, at the interface between environment and health, shows that groundwater contaminated by agricultural inputs from the Indian site of Berambadi (M-TROPICS observatory), significantly impacts the brain development of mice when given to pregnant or lactating mice: fewer neurons, fewer astrocytes (white blood cells in the brain), and more dead cells in the […]

Decay Rate of Escherichia coli in a Mountainous Tropical Headwater Wetland

Fecal indicator bacteria like Escherichia coli (E. coli) are widely used to assess water contamination, but their behavior in tropical ecosystems is poorly documented. The main objectives of this study led by Paty Nakhle, PhD student at GET in collaboration with iEES Paris, were to: (i) evaluate decay rates (k) of the total, particle-attached and […]

The M-TROPICS CZO releases long-term meteorological, hydrological, sedimentary geochemical, and land use datasets in Cameroon, Lao PDR, and India

The CZO M-TROPICS (Multiscale TROPIcal CatchmentS) investigates the response of tropical catchments to global change based on long-term collection of meteorological, hydrological, sedimentary, geochemical, and land use data in partnership with academic and governmental institutions in various tropical countries. M-TROPICS includes in particular the experimental watersheds of Nyong in Cameroon (1994-), Houay Pano in Lao […]

Experimental and modelling evidence of splash effects on manure borne Escherichia coli washoff

In tropical montane South-East Asia, recent changes in land use have induced increased runoff, soil erosion and instream suspended sediment loads. Land use change is also contributing to increased microbial pathogen dissemination and contamination of stream waters. Escherichia coli (E. coli) is frequently used as an indicator of faecal contamination. Field rain simulations were conducted […]

Special Issue “Multiscale Impacts of Anthropogenic and Climate Changes on Tropical and Mediterranean Hydrology”

This Special Issue published in the Water journal and co-authored by Olivier Ribolzi (IRD-GET) shows the great interest of the scientific community in investigating how to characterize the environmental impact of anthropogenic and climatic changes on Tropical and Mediterranean hydrology, and also in determining which is the main source of changes depending on the regional […]

Effects of hydrological regime and land use on in-stream Escherichia coli concentration in the Mekong basin, Lao PDR

In the basin of Mekong, over 70 million people rely on unimproved surface water for their domestic requirements. Surface water is often contaminated with fecal matter and yet little information exists on the underlying mechanisms of fecal contamination in tropical conditions at large watershed scales. The objectives of this paper were to (1) investigate the […]

Quantifying the effect of overland flow on Escherichia coli pulses during floods: use of a tracer-based approach in an erosion-prone tropical catchment

Understory limits surface runoff and soil loss in teak tree plantations of northern Lao PDR

Many mountainous regions of the humid tropics experience serious soil erosion following rapid changes in land use. In northern Lao PDR, the replacement of traditional crops by tree plantations, such as teak trees, has led to a dramatic increase in floods and soil loss and to the degradation of basic soil ecosystem services. In this […]