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Dr. Anil Kumar

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Dr. Anil Kumar

Dr. Anil Kumar

Designation : Scientist ‘D’

Phone : 9045179890

E-mail : akumar[at]wihg[dot]res[dot]in

  • Google Scholar Page

  • Research Group

    Sedimentology Group

  • Specialization

    Sedimentology, Quaternary Geology and Luminescence dating

  • Academic Qualification

    Ph.D.

  • Professional Experience

    • Indus River system, Ladakh Himalaya, India: Involved in the understanding of the landscape responses to the climate and tectonic processes. The climate-driven valley scale aggradation, and incision related to tectonic forces. Paleodischarge estimation was used to understand the megafloods and climatic conditions for catastrophic floods.

    • Sand ramps, Ladakh Himalaya, India: Produced the first-ever sedimentological record of aeolian sedimentation and the active dune building processes in Ladakh. From this study, an important conclusion emerges that magnetic minerals have more potential to unravel the climatic variability than the other minerals (such as clay minerals) in the drier Himalaya.

    • Brahmaputra river system, India: Involved in understanding the catastrophic floods and the sediment provenance in the Siang valley. The Brahmaputra foreland basin is focused on understanding (1) the landscape's evolutionary history when the sediment source and sink are close and (2) the role of sea-level changes in developing the landscape.

    • Arabian Sea sediment records: The transportation of coarse grain sediment fraction in the distal part of Indus Fan was controlled by sea-level changes during the last ~200 ka. Low sea stands during 200-130 ka caused incisions in the delta, canyon, and fan area

    • Large lake deltas: Reconstruction of lake level fluctuation history of the Pangong Tso that suggested the lake systems in Tibet Plateau have three major phases of high lake-level since ~ 3 ka. The sedimentary facies associations revealed deltaic depocenters drift landward/lakeward through multiple transgression/regression cycles.

  • Visiting Positions

    None

  • Awards/Fellowships/Honors/Memorial Lectures

    • Conferred with Indian Geophysical Union (IGU) Dr. J. G. Negi Young Scientist Award 2021

    • Participated as a shipboard scientist in International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 355 from March-May, 2015

    • DST International Travel Scheme- Aug 2013

    • Wadia National Fellowship from 2011 to 2014

    • University Gold medalist-2009 for getting 1st Rank in M.Sc. (Applied Geology), Kurukshetra University

  • Countries Visited

    France and Sri Lanka

  • National/International (outside WIHG)Collaboration

    None

  • List of Publications

    • Sagwal, S., Panda, S., Sengupta, D., Shahrukh, M., Kumar, S., Kumar, A., Dutt, S., 2025. Flash flood dynamics in the foothills of the NW Himalayas: insights into hydrological and morphological controls. Environ Monit Assess 197, 81.

    • Kapawar, M., Saha, S., Kumar, A., Mamilla, V., 2024. Magnetic mineral characterization of the easternmost Indus Molasse sedimentary succession, Ladakh Himalaya: Implications for depositional environment and provenance. Journal of Earth System Sciences, 133 (2), 88.

    • Penserini, B.D., Morell, K.D., Codilean, A.T., Fülöp, R-H., Wilcken, K.M., Yanites, B.J., Kumar, A., Fan, S., Mearce, T., 2023. Magnitude and timing of transient incision resulting from large‐scale drainage capture, Sutlej River, Northwest Himalaya. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, 49(1), 334-353.

    • Sagwal, S., *Kumar, A., Sharma, P.C., Srivastava, P., Agarwal, S., Bhushan, R., 2023. Late Holocene hydrological variability from NW Himalaya and southwestern Tibetan Plateau: Paleo-salinity records from Pangong Tso. The Holocene, 33 (7), 842-859.

    • Sagwal, S., Sengupta, D., *Kumar, A., Dutt, S., Srivastava, P., Agnihotri, R., Gahlaud, S.K.S., Jena, P.S., Shivam, A., Bhushan, R., 2023. Late Holocene wildfire record from the Stagmo peat section, Leh valley, NW Himalaya. The Holocene, 33 (6), 685-694.

    • Bandyopadhyay, S., Sinha, S., *Kumar, A., Srivastava, P., Jana, N.C., 2023. Late Holocene river dynamics and sedimentation in the Lower Ganga plains, India. Geological Journal, 58, 1564-1586.

    • Sharma, C.P., Kumar, A., Chahal, P., Shukla, U.K., *Srivastava, P. 2023. Debris Flow Susceptibility Assessment of Leh Valley, Ladakh Based on Concepts of Connectivity, Propagation and Evidence Based Probability. Natural Hazard, 115, 1833-1859.

    • Panda, S., Kumar, A., *Srivastava, P., Das, S., Jayangondaperumal, R., Prakash, K., 2022. Deciphering the role of late Quaternary Sea level fluctuations in controlling the sedimentation in the Brahmaputra Plains. Sedimentary Geology, 442, 106289.

    • Sharma, C.P., Chahal, P., Kumar, A., Singhal, S., Sundriyal, Y.P., Ziegler, A.D., Agnihotri, R., Wasson, R.J., Shukla, U.K., *Srivastava, P. 2022. Late Pleistocene−Holocene flood history, flood-sediment provenance and human imprints from the upper Indus River catchment, Ladakh Himalaya. Geological Society of America, Bulletin, 134 (1-2), 275-292.

    • Kumar, V., Mehta, M., Shukla, A., Kumar, A., Garg, S., 2021. Late Quaternary glacial advances and equilibrium-line altitude changes in a semi-arid region, Suru Basin, western Himalaya. Quaternary Science Reviews, 267, p.107100.

    • Agnihotri, R., Patel, N., Srivastava, P., Ambekar, A., Arif M., Kumar A., Phartiyal, B., Kumar, A. 2021. A new chronology based on OSL and radiocarbon dating for the archaeological settlements of Vadnagar (western India) along with magnetic and isotopic imprints of cultural sediments. Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports v. 38, 103045.

    • Kumar, A., *Srivastava, P., Sen, K., Morell, K., Hazarika, D. 2020. Evidence for late Quaternary brittle deformation and back thrusting within the Indus suture zone, Ladakh Himalaya. Tectonophysics v. 792, 228597.

    • Panda, S., Kumar, A., Das, S., Devrani, R., Rai, S., Prakash, K., *Srivastava, P. 2020. Chronology and sediment provenance of extreme floods of Siang River (Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river valley), NE Himalaya. Earth Surface Processes and Landform v. 45 (11), 2495-2511.

    • Kumar, A., Srivastava, P., Devrani, R., 2020. Using clast geometries to establish paleoriver discharges: Testing records for aggradation and incision from the upper Indus River, Ladakh Himalaya. Geomorphology v. 362, 107202.

    • Srivastava, P., Kumar, A., Singh, R., Deepak, O., Kumar, A.M., Ray, Y., Jayangondaperumal, R., Phartiyal, B., Chahal, P., Sharma, P., Ghosh, R., Kumar, N., Agnihotri, R. 2020. Rapid lake level fall in Pangong Tso (lake) in Ladakh, NW Himalaya: a response of late Holocene aridity. Current Science v. 119(2), pp. 219-231.

    • Kumar, V., Shukla, T., Mishra, A., Kumar, A., Mehta, M. 2020. Chronology and climate sensitivity of the post-LGM glaciation in the Dunagiri valley, Dhauliganga basin, Central Himalaya, India. Boreas v. 49 (3), pp. 594-614.

    • Shukla, T., *Mehta, M., Dobhal, D.P., Bohra, A., Pratap, B., Kumar, A., 2020. Late-Holocene climate response and glacial fluctuations revealed by the sediment record of the monsoon-dominated Chorabari Lake, Central Himalaya. The Holocene v. 30 (7), pp. 953-965.

    • Chahal, P., Kumar, A., Sharma, P.C., Sundriyal, Y.P., *Srivastava, P. 2020. A preliminary assessment of the geological evidence of the mega floods in the upper Zanskar catchement, NW Himalaya. Journal of Paleontological Society of India v. 65 (1), pp. 64-72.
    • Kumar, A., Dutt, S., Saraswat, R., Gupta, A.K., Clift, P.D., Pandey, D.K., Yu, Z., Kulhanek, D.K. 2020. A Late Pleistocene Sedimentation in the Indus Fan, Arabian Sea, IODP Site U1457. Geological Magazine v. 157, pp. 920-928.

    • Khim, B-K., Lee, J., Ha, S., Park, J., Pandey, D.K., Clift, P.D., Kulhanek, D.K., Steinke, S., Griffith, E.M., Suzuki, K., Xu, Z., and IODP Expedition 355 Scientists. Variations in δ13C values of sedimentary organic matter since late Miocene time in the Indus Fan (IODP Site 1457) of the eastern Arabian Sea. Geological Magazine v. 157, pp. 1012-1021.

    • Sharma, C.P., Rawat, S.L., *Srivastava, P., Meena, N.K., Agnihotri, R., Kumar, A., Chahal, P., Gahlaud, S.K., Shukla, U. 2020. High-resolution climatic (monsoonal) variability reconstructed from a continuous ~2700-year sediment record from Northwest Himalaya (Ladakh). The Holocene v. 30, pp. 441-457.

    • Kumar, A., Ray, Y., Ghosh, R., Bandyopadhyay, S., Singh, V., *Srivastava, P. 2020. Late Quaternary sedimentation history of the Himalaya and its foreland. Episodes, v. 43 (1), pp. 498-510.

    • Kar, A., Kumar, A. 2020. Evolution of arid landscape in India and likely impact of future climate change. Episodes, v. 43 (1), pp. 511-523.

    • Dailey, S., *Clift, P.D., Kulhanek, D.K., Blusztajn, J., Routledge, C., Calvès, G., O'Sullivan, P., Jonell, T.N., Pandey, D.K., Ando, S., Coletti, G., Zhou, P., Li, Y., Neubeck, N., Bendle, J., Bratenkov, S., Griffith, G., Gurumurthy, G.P., Hahn, A., Iwai, M., Khim, B-K., Kumar, A., Kumar, A.G., Liddy, H., Lu, H., Lyle, M., Mishra, R., Radhakrishna, T., Saraswat, R., Saxena, R., Scardia, G., Sharma, G., Singh, A.D., Steinke, S., Suzuki, K., Tauxe, L., Tiwari, M., Xu, Z., Yu, Z. 2020. Large-scale Mass Wasting on the Miocene Continental Margin of Western India. Geological Society of America, Bulletin, v. 132, pp. 85-112.

    • Chahal, P., Kumar, A., Sharma, P.C., Singhal, S., Sundriyal, Y.P., *Srivastava, P. 2019. Late Pleistocene history of aggradation and incision, provenance and channel connectivity of the Zanskar River, NW Himalaya. Global Planetary Changes, v. 178, pp. 110-128.

    • Yu, Z., Colin, C., Wan, S., Saraswat, R., Song, L., Xu, Z., Clift, P., Lu, H., Lyle, M., Kulhanek, D., Hahn, A., Tiwari, M., Mishra, R., Miska, S., Kumar, A. 2019. Sea level-controlled sediment transport to the eastern Arabian Sea over the past 600 kyr: Clay minerals and Sr-Nd isotopic evidence from IODP site U1457. Quaternary Science Reviews, v. 205, pp.22-34.

    • Kumar, A., Srivastava, P., Meena, N.K. 2017. Late Pleistocene aeolian activity in the cold desert of Ladakh: a record from sand ramps. Quaternary International, v. 443, pp. 13-28.

    • Kumar, A., *Srivastava, P. 2017. Late Pleistocene-Holocene record of aggradation and incision of Indus River, Ladakh, NW Himalaya: Role of paleoclimate and tectonics. Quaternary Research, v. 87, pp. 363-385.

    • Srivastava, P., Kumar, A., Chaudhary, S., Meena, N., Sundriyal, Y.P., Rawat, S., Rana, N., Perumal, R.J., Bisht, P., Sharma, D. and Agnihotri, R. 2017. Paleofloods records in Himalaya. Geomorphology, v. 284, pp.17-30. .

    • Jayangondaperumal, R., Kumahara, Y., Thakur, V.C., Kumar, A., Srivastava, P., Dubey, S., Joevivek, V., Dubey, A.K. 2017. Great earthquake surface ruptures along backthrust of the Janauri anticline, NW Himalaya. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences, v. 133, pp.89-101.

    • Tripathi, S., *Tiwari, M., Lee, J., Khim, B-K, Pandey, D.K., Clift, P.D., Kulhanek, D., Ando, S., Bendle, J.A.P., Bratenkov, S., Griffith, E.M., Grumurthy, G.P., Hahn, A., Iwai, M., Kumar, A., Kumar, A.G., Liddy, H.M., Lu, H., Lyle, M.W., Mishra, R., Radhakrishna, T., Routledge, C.M., Saraswat, R., Saxena, R., Scardia, G., Sharma, G.K., Singh, A.D., Steinke, S., Suzuki, K., Tauxe, L., Xu, Z., Yu, Z. 2017. First evidence of OMZ evolution versus monsoon in Eastern Arabian Sea since late Miocene. Scientific Reports, v. 7, 43056.

    • Basak, B., Srivastava, P., Dasgupta, S., Kumar, A., Rajaguru, N. 2014. Earliest Dates and implications of Microlithic industries of Late Pleistocene from Mahadebbera and Kana, Purulia District, West Bengal. Current Science, v. 107, pp. 1167-1171.

    • rivastava, P., Kumar, A., Mishra, A., Meena, N.K., Tripathi, J.K., Sundriyal, Y.P., Agnihotri, R., Gupta, A.K. 2013. Early Holocene monsoonal fluctuations in the Garhwal higher Himalaya as inferred from multi-proxy data from the Malari paleolake. Quaternary Research, v. 80, pp. 447-458.

    State-of-the Art Reports prepared
    • Sekar, K.C., Padalia, H., Sen, S., Kumar, A., Mondal, K., Kaistha, M.L., Singh, S., Gupta, V. 2024. Joint Committee report in the matter of original application No. 720/2023 article published in Current Science journal dated 25.10.2023 titled “Need to declare the Higher Himalaya an eco-sensitive zone” submitted before Hon’ble National Green Tribunal (Principal Bench)
    • Ansari, T.A., Saha, S., Kumar, A., 2024. A preliminary report on the landslides and land subsidence across the Solan District, Himachal Pradesh during the monsoon season 2023. Submitted to Department of Revenue (DM Cell) Government of Himachal Pradesh, no. Rev (DMC) (F) 11-09/2021-LM, Department of Revenue (DM Cell) Government of state of Himachal Pradesh.
    • Sekar, K.C., Mondal, K., Padalia, H., Singh G., Kumar, A., 2024. A preliminary Joint Committee Report in the matter of original Application No. 720/2023 on the news item appearing in Current Science dated 25.10.2023 titled “Need to declare the Higher Himalaya an eco-sensitive zone”, submitted before Hon’ble National Green Tribunal (Principal Bench).
    • Tiwari, S.K. and *Kumar, A., 2022. A report on 6th National Geo-Research Scholars Meet-2022 emphasis on “Geoscience in Ladakh” held at Leh Union Territory of Ladakh. Himalayan Geology 43 (2), 505-507.
    • Kumar, A and Bisht, P., 2022. 1st Indian Quaternary Congress (IQC) – 2022 Organized by the Association of Quaternary Researchers (AoQR). Journal of Palaeosciences 71 (1), 113-115.
    • Kumar, A and Bisht, P., 2021. E-workshop on ‘Luminescence Dating Technique and New Applications’: A Report. Journal of the Geological Society of India v. 97 (3), 328-328.
    • Pandey, D., Clift, P.D., Kulhanek, D., Ando, S., Bendle, J.A.P., Bratenkov, S., Griffith, E.M., Grumurthy, G.P., Hahn, A., Iwai, M., Khim, B.K., Kumar, A., Kumar, A.G., Liddy, H.M., Lu, H., Lyle, M.W., Mishra, R., Radhakrishna, T., Routledge, C.M., Saraswat, R., Saxena, R., Scardia, G., Sharma, G.K., Singh, A.D., Steinke, S., Suzuki, K., Tauxe, L., Tiwari, M., Xu, Z., and Yu, Z. 2016. Expedition 355 Arabian Sea Monsoon. Proceedings of the International Ocean Discovery Program, 355: College Station, TX (International Ocean Discovery Program).

    • Pandey, D.K., Clift, P.D., Kulhanek, D.K., Andò, S., Bendle, J.A.P., Bratenkov, S., Griffith, E.M., Gurumurthy, G.P., Hahn, A., Iwai, M., Khim, B.K., Kumar, A., Kumar, A.G., Liddy, H.M., Lu, H., Lyle, M.W., Mishra, R., Radhakrishna, T., Routledge, C.M., Saraswat, R., Saxena, R., Scardia, G., Sharma, G.K., Singh, A.D., Steinke, S., Suzuki, K., Tauxe, L., Tiwari, M., Xu, Z., Yu, Z., 2015. Expedition 355 Preliminary Report: Arabian Sea Monsoon. International Ocean Discovery Program.

    Non-SCI Book chapter
    • Kumar, R., Devrani, R., Pundir, S., Lone, I.U., Adlakha, V., Sathunuri, K., Deshmukh, B. and Kumar, A., 2023. Soil Loss Rates in Trans‐Himalayan Region: Case Study of Shyok Suture Zone, Ladakh, India. In ‘Weathering and Erosion Processes in the Natural Environment’, Ed. Virendra Bahadur Singh, Sughosh Madhav, Naresh Chandra Pant, Ravi Shekhar, pp. 243-263.
    • Kumar, A., Devrani, R., Srivastava, P. 2022. Landscapes and Paleoclimate of the Ladakh Himalaya. In ‘Advances in Remote Sensing Technology and the Three Poles’, Ed. Pandey, Manish, Prem C. Pandey, Yogesh Ray, Aman Arora, Shridhar Digambar Jawak, and Uma Kant Shukla, pp 308-320.
    • Ahmad, T., Kumar, S., Jayananda, M., Jayangondaperumal, R., Sachan, H.K., Kumar, A., 2022. Excursion Guide: Two NS transects across Trans-Himalaya, Ladakh. Special Publication 5 Himalayan Geology.
    • Kumar, A. and Srivastava, P. 2018. Landscape of the Indus River. The Indian Rivers (pp. 47-59). Ed. Dhruv Sen Singh. Springer, Singapore.

  • Photograph

  • Additional Information

    Invited Lecture
    • Delivered a lecture entitled “Flood records from the Himalaya: issues and challenges” in an online training program on the theme “Flood Risk Reduction and Resilience Strategies: A Trans-disciplinary Approach” Organized by the National Institute of Disaster Management, MHA, GoI with Innovation, Incubation & Entrepreneurship (IIE) Cell, Kazi Nazrul University, Asansol, West Bengal date: 17th - 19th October 2022.
    • Delivered a lecture entitled “Late Quaternary landscape evolution of the Indus River, Ladakh Himalaya: Climate-Tectonic interaction” at the 6th National Geo-Research Scholars' Meet held at the University of Ladakh, Leh in association with Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun from 7th – 10th June 2022.
    • Keynote lecture on ‘Luminescence dating: developments in protocols, age models, and applications’, in an International Training Workshop on "Use of Analytical Modeling Tools Tailored to Country Needs" organized by NAM S&T Centre and the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT) of Egypt from 6-7 April 2022
    • Aggradation, incision, and paleohydrology from the Indus River, Ladakh Himalaya, in 58th Annual Convention of Indian Geophysical Union (IGU) on "Recent Advances in Earth Sciences with Special Emphasis - Natural Hazards" jointly organized by Indian Geophysical Union and North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong between 2-4 February 2022.
    • Luminescence dating and its application in Archaeology: Case study from Vadnagar excavation site, in a workshop on ‘the excavation at Vadnagar: scientific investigations and new dimensions in the history of western India vis-a-vis the sub-continent’ from 6th- 7th July 2021.
    • Luminescence dating and its application in Geoscience. Archaeological Survey of India, Dehradun during a short-term training course on 21-08-2018.

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