R.D. Deshpande

Present Position: Senior Professor and Registrar, PRL

Email: [email protected]

Telephone: +91-79-26314256

___________________________________________________________________________________

 

Research Focus

Application of stable and radioactive isotopes to understand Hydro-geological and hydro-meteorological processes

Current Research Activities

Oxygen and hydrogen isotope fingerprinting of Indian hydrological cycle to understand:

1.      Atmospheric, surface and sub-surface processes within hydrological cycle

2.      Vapor source identification

3.      Study of hydro-meteorological processes using isotope characteristics of rain and vapor

4.      Spatio-temporal variation in vapor source for precipitation in Himalayan region

5.      Estimating evaporation from falling raindrops

6.      Cloud processes (degree of supersaturation, open-close system, convective vs. stratiform clouds)

7.      Vapor dynamics (lateral and vertical variation in vapor content and its isotopic composition)

8.      Identification of groundwater zones with different recharge characteristics

9.      Study of surface water-groundwater interaction

10.  Study of river dynamics and contribution of various constituent components

Past Research Activities

To evolve detailed understanding about:

1.      Regional aquifer system analyses in Gujarat

2.      Role of tectonic fabric on groundwater scenario in Gujarat

3.      Groundwater dating in Gujarat

4.      Helium and Temperature anomalies in groundwater

5.      Use of noble gases in groundwater to study paleotemperature variation

Isotope Hydrology Laboratory

At present the laboratory is equipped with:

1.      Delta V plus IRMS with GasBench II for water isotope analyses in continuous flow mode

2.      Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy

3.      UV/VIS Spectrophotometer, Fluoride Colorimeter, water analyses kit

Awards and Honors

1.      Fellow, Geological Society of India

2.      Fellow, Gujarat Science Academy

3.      K.V. Kulkarni Gold Medal, The M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara

Review and Advisory Positions (present and past)

1.      Programme Advisory Committee (PAC) Earth & Atmospheric Sciences (E&AS), SERB, Govt. of India, New Delhi.

2.      Expert, Training Mission in Isotope Hydrology, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA-Vienna), United Nations, Austria

3.      Member, Expert Committee in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, for Early Career Research Award and National Post Doctoral Fellowship, DST-SERB, Govt. of India, New Delhi

4.      Member, Expert Committee in Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, for Women Scientist Scheme-A (WOS-A), DST, Govt. of India, New Delhi

5.      Member, Working Group, National Institute of Hydrology (NIH), Ministry of Water Resources, River Rejuvenation and Ganga Development, Govt. of India, Roorkee

6.      Member, Board of Studies in Geology, The M.S. University of Baroda, Vadodara

7.      Member, Research Development Committee, M.G. Science Institute, Ahmedabad

Other Activities

Science popularization and dissemination of scientific knowledge through mass communication

Selected Publications

1.      Extreme local recycling of moisture via wetlands and forests in North‑East Indian subcontinent: a Mini‑Amazon. Akash Ganguly, Harsh Oza, Virendra Padhya, Amit Pandey, Swagatika Chakra, R.D. Deshpande. Scientific Reports, 13:521, (2023).

2.      Groundwater recharge in Central India and its spatio-temporal variation: Insights and implications from oxygen and hydrogen isotopes. Amit Pandey, Virendra Padhya, Swagatika Chakra, Akash Ganguly, R.D. Deshpande. Journal of Hydrology, 617, 129040, (2023).

3.      Surface water groundwater interaction in water-stressed semi-arid western India: Insights from environmental isotopes. Amit Pandey, Virendra Padhya, Akash Ganguly, Swagatika Chakra, R.D. Deshpande. Journal of Arid Environments, 208, 104879, (2023).

  1. Investigating hydrometeorology of the Western Himalayas: Insights from stable isotopes of water and meteorological parameters. Oza,� H.,� Ganguly,� A.,� Padhya,� V.,� Deshpande,� R.D. Atmospheric Research, 268, 105997, DOI: 10.1016/j.atmosres.2021.105997 (2022).
  2. Identifying and estimating the sources of river flow in the cold arid desert environment of Upper Indus River Basin (UIRB), western Himalayas. Suhail A. Lone, Ghulam Jeelani, Virendra Padhya, R.D. Deshpande. Science of The Total Environment, 832, 154964 (2022). DOI:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.154964.

6.      High resolution morphometric studies with special reference to hydrological setup of Khapri watershed, Dangs district, Gujarat, Western India. Chinmay U. Dongare, Bhushan S. Deota & Rajendrakumar D. Deshpande. Geocarto International, DOI: 10.1080/10106049.2022.2066205. (2022).

  1. Use of stable water isotopes to identify and estimate the sources of groundwater recharge in an alluvial aquifer of Upper Jhelum Basin (UJB), western Himalayas. Gh. Jeelani, S.A. Lone, AU Nisa, R.D. Deshpande, V. Padhya. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 66 (16), 2330-2339, DOI: 10.1080/02626667.2021.1985126 (2021).
  2. Impact of Indian summer monsoon in westerly dominated water resources of western Himalayas. A. Lone, G Jeelani, R.D. Deshpande, V. Padhya. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, 1-26, (2021). DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2021.2011725
  3. Isotopic analysis to quantify the role of the Indian monsoon on water resources of selected river basins in the Himalayas. Ghulam Jeelani, Rouf Ahmad Shah, Rajendrakumar D. Deshpande, Ashok P. Dimri, Suraj Mal, Anupam Sharma. Hydrological Processes, 35, (2021). DOI: 10.1002/hyp.14406.
  4. Groundwater resource protection and spring restoration in Upper Jhelum Basin (UJB), western Himalayas. Ghulam Jeelani Suhail A. Lone, Altaf Lone, R.D. Deshpande. Groundwater for Sustainable Development, 15, 100685, DOI: 10.1016/ j.gsd.2021. 100685 (2021).
  5. Sources, controls, and probabilistic health risk assessment of fluoride contamination in groundwater from a semi-arid region in Gujarat, Western India: An isotope� hydrogeochemical perspective. Reema Mandal . Anirban Das . A. K. Sudheer . Sanjeev Kumar . Sangeeta Verma . Mahesh Gaddam. R. D. Deshpande. Environ Geochem Health, 43, 4043�4059. (2021). DOI: 10.1007/s10653-021-00894-2.
  6. Meltwaters dominate groundwater recharge in cold arid desert of Upper Indus River Basin (UIRB), western Himalayas. Suhail A. Lone, Ghulam Jeelani, R.D.Deshpande, Abhijit Mukherjee, Scott Jasechko, Altaf Lone. Science of The Total Environment, 786, 147514, (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147514.
  7. Estimating the sources of stream water in snow dominated catchments of western Himalayas. Altaf Lone, Ghulam Jeelani, R.D.Deshpande, Virendra Padhya. Advances in Water Resources, 155, 103995, (2021). DOI: 10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.103995.
  8. Isotopic differentiation of groundwater recharge processes in a semi‑arid region of southern India. Girish Gopinath, T. R. Resmi, M. Pragath, N. P. Jesiya, A. Shahul Hameed, R. D. Deshpande. Environmental Earth Sciences, 80:522, (2021). DOI:10.1007/s12665-021-09816-y.
  9. Paleotemperature Records of the Last Glacial Maximum from Noble Gases in Groundwater. Seltzer, Alan; Ng, Jessica; Aeschbach, Werner; Kipfer, Rolf; Kulongoski, Justin T; Severinghaus, Jeffrey P; Stute, Martin; Wieser, Martin; Deshpande, RD; Van Khoi, Le; Schlosser, Peter; Love, Andy; Herczeg, Andrew; Clark, Jordan F; Simpson, Jim. PANGAEA, (2021). DOI: 10.1594/PANGAEA. 929176.
  10. Hydrometeorological� processes and� evaporation� from� falling� rain� in� Indian� sub-continent:� Insights� from� stable� isotopes� and� meteorological parameters. Oza,� H.,� Ganguly,� A.,� Padhya,� V.,� Deshpande,� R.D.� Journal of Hydrology, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2020.125601, (2020).
  11. Hydrometeorological processes in semi-arid western India: Insights from long term isotope record of daily precipitation. Harsh Oza, Virendra Padhya, Akash Ganguly, K. Saikranthi, T.N. Rao and R.D. Deshpande. Climate Dynamics, 54, 2745-2757, (2020).
  12. Sources and processes of groundwater arsenic mobilization in upper Jhelum basin, western Himalayas. G Jeelani, SA Lone, AU Nisa, A Mukherjee, RD Deshpande. Journal of Hydrology 591, 125292, (2020).
  13. Stable isotope (δ18O and δD) dynamics of precipitation in a high altitude Himalayan cold desert and its surroundings in Indus river basin, Ladakh. S.A. Lone, G. Jeelani, R.D. Deshpande, A. Mukherjee. Atmospheric Research, 221, 46-57, (2019).
  14. Hydrochemical assessment (major ions and Hg) of meltwater in high altitude glacierized Himalayan catchment. S.A. Lone, G. Jeelani, R.D. Deshpande, S. Kang, J. Huang. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 191 (4), 213, (2019).
  15. Isotopic composition of daily precipitation along the southern foothills of the Himalayas: impact of marine and continental sources of atmospheric moisture. Jeelani, G., R. D. Deshpande, M. Galkowski and K. Rozanski. Atmos. Chem. Phys., 18: 8789-8805, (2018).
  16. Isotope fingerprinting of precipitation associated with western disturbances and Indian Summer Monsoons across the Himalayas. Jeelani, G. and Deshpande, R.D. Journal of Earth System Sciences, 126:108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12040-017-0894-z. (2017).
  17. Distinguishing and estimating recharge to karst springs in snow and glacier dominated mountainous basins of the western Himalaya, India. Jeelani, G., R. A. Shah, R. D. Deshpande, A. E. Fryar, J. Perrin and A. Mukherjee. Journal of Hydrology, 550: 239-252, (2017).
  18. Evaluating the sensitivity of glacier to climate by using stable water isotopes and remote sensing. Lone, S. A., G. Jeelani, R. D. Deshpande and R. A. Shah. Environ Earth Sci. 76: 598, (2017).
  19. Influence of southwest monsoons in the Kashmir Valley, western Himalayas. Jeelani, G., R. D. Deshpande, R. A. Shah and W. Hassan. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies: DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2016.1273224, (2017).
  20. Oxygen isotope in archaeological bioapatites from India: Implications to climate change and decline of Bronze Age Harappan civilization. Anindya Sarkar, Arati Deshpande Mukherjee, M. K. Bera, B. Das, Navin Juyal, P. Morthekai, R. D. Deshpande, V. S. Shinde & L. S. Rao. Sci. Rep. (Nature), 6, 26555; doi: 10.1038/srep26555, (2016).
  21. Estimation of snow and glacier melt contribution to Liddar stream in a mountainous catchment, western Himalaya: an isotopic approach. Gh Jeelani, Rouf A. Shah, Noble Jacob & Rajendrakumar D. Deshpande. (2016):, Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2016.1186671, (2016).
  22. Water Vapor source identification for daily rain events at Ahmedabad in semi-arid western India: wind trajectory analyses. R.D. Deshpande, Medha Dave, Virendra Padhya, Hrishikesh Kumar and S.K. Gupta. Meteorological Applications, 22, 754-762 (2015).
  23. Isotopic characterization and mass balance reveals groundwater recharge pattern in Chaliyar river basin, Kerala, India. Shahul Hameed, A., T. R. Resmi, S. Suraj, C. U. Warrier, M. Sudheesh, and R. D. Deshpande. Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, DOI: 10.1016/j.ejrh.2015.01.003. Volume 4, Part A, Pages 48-58, (2015).
  24. Studies on stable isotopic composition of daily rainfall from kozhikode, Kerala, India. C. Unnikrishnan Warrier, M. Praveen Babu, M. Sudheesh and R. D. Deshpande. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, DOI: 10.1080/10256016.2016.1103238 (2015).
  25. Spatio-temporal distributions of δ18O, δD and salinity in the Arabian Sea: Identifying processes and controls. R.D. Deshpande, P.M. Muraleedharan, Raj Laxmi Singh, Bhishm Kumar, M. Someshwar Rao, Medha Dave, K.U. Sivakumar, S.K. Gupta. Marine Chemistry, 157, 144-161, (2013).
  26. Groundwater helium: An indicator of active tectonic regions along Narmada River, central India. R.D. Deshpande and S.K. Gupta. Chemical Geology, 344, 42-49, (2013).
  27. Recent falls of Megacryometeors in Western India: Isotopic Investigations. R.D. Deshpande, A.S. Maurya, R.C. Angasaria, Medha Dave, A.D. Shukla, N. Bhandari and S.K. Gupta. Current Science, 104 (6), 728-737, (2013).
  28. Spatio-temporal mixing inferred from water isotopes and salinity of surface waters in the Bay of Bengal. H. Achyuthan, R.D. Deshpande, M.S. Rao, Bhishm Kumar, T. Nallathambi, K. Shashi Kumar, R. Ramesh, P. Ramachandran, A.S. Maurya and S.K. Gupta. Marine Chemistry, 149, 51-62, (2013).
  29. Kinetic Fractionation of Water Isotopes during Liquid Condensation under Super-saturated Condition.R.D. Deshpande, A.S. Maurya, B. Kumar, A. Sarkar, and S.K. Gupta. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 100, 60-72, (2013).
  30. Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotopes in Hydrological Cycle: New Data from IWIN National Programme. R.D. Deshpande and S.K. Gupta. Proc. Indian Natn. Sci. Acad, 78 (3), 321-331, (2012).
  31. Hydrograph separation and precipitation source identification using stable water isotopes and conductivity: River Ganga at Himalayan foothills. A.S. Maurya, Miral Shah, R.D. Deshpande, R.M. Bhardwaj, A. Prasad and S.K. Gupta. Hydrological Processes, 25, 1521-1530, (2011).
  32. Rain-Vapor Interaction and Vapor Source Identification using Stable Isotopes from Semi-Arid Western India. R.D. Deshpande, A.S. Maurya, B. Kumar, A. Sarkar, and S.K. Gupta. Journal of Geophysical Research, 115, D23311, doi:10.1029/2010JD014458.(2010).
  33. Helium, radon and radiocarbon studies on a regional aquifer system of North Gujarat-Cambay region, India. Meetu Agarwal, S.K. Gupta, R.D. Deshpande and M. G. Yadava. Chemical Geology, 228: 209-232, (2006).
  34. Groundwater d18O and dD from Central Indian Peninsula: Influence of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal branches of summer monsoon. S.K. Gupta, R.D. Deshpande, S.K. Bhattacharya and R.A. Jani. Journal of Hydrology, 303, 38-55, (2005).
  35. Origin of high fluoride in groundwater of North Gujarat-Cambay region, India. S.K. Gupta, R.D. Deshpande, Meetu Agarwal and B.R. Rawal. Hydrogeology Journal, 13, 596-605, (2005).
  36. Groundwater Isotopic Investigations in India: What has been learned? S.K. Gupta, R.D. Deshpande. Current Science, 89(5), 825-835, (2005).
  37. Isotopes for Water Resource Management in India. S.K. Gupta and R.D. Deshpande. Himalayan Geology, 26(1): 211-222, (2005).
  38. An insight into the dynamics of Lake Nainital (Kumaun Himalaya, India) using stable isotope data.S.K. Gupta and R.D. Deshpande. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 49(6), 1099-1113, (2004).
  39. Water for India in 2050 - First Order Assessment of Available Options. S.K. Gupta, R.D. Deshpande. Current Science, 86(9), 1216-1224, (2004).
  40. Distribution of oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in shallow groundwater from southern India: influence of a dual monsoon system. R.D. Deshpande, S.K. Bhattacharya, R.A. Jani and S.K. Gupta. Journal of Hydrology, 271, 226-239, (2003).
  41. Origin of groundwater helium and temperature anomalies in the Cambay region of Gujarat, India. S.K. Gupta and R.D. Deshpande. Chemical Geology, 198, 33-46, (2003).
  42. Synoptic hydrology of India from the data of isotopes in precipitation. S.K. Gupta and R.D. Deshpande. Current Science, 85(11), 1591-1595, (2003).