Construction and Characterization of Transportable Calibration Pads for Calibration of Portable and Airborne Gamma Ray Spectrometers in India

Characterization of the Panandhro lignite deposits from western Indian state of Gujarat, based on the geochemical and palynological evidences, has been performed to assess the floral composition, maturity and hydrocarbon potential of the sequence. Elementally, the lignites consist of moderate carbon, low hydrogen and moderate sulfur contents. The samples are characterized by high TOC contents (lignite: av. 46.43 wt.%, resin: 62.47 wt.%). The average HI values for the lignite is 136 mg HC/g TOC, and that of the associated resin is 671 mg HC/g TOC. The highest T_max is recoded in lignite (422°C) and lowest in the resin (39°C) samples. The FTIR spectrum of lignite is characterized by highly intense OH stretching peak ~3350 cm^-1, aliphatic CH_x stretching peaks between 3000-2800 cm^-1, aromatic C=O stretching and an aromatic C=C stretching. The spectrum of resin shows strongest absorption due to aliphatic CHx stretching between 2940-2915 cm^-1 and 2870-2850 cm^-1, and deformation by the medium peak between 1450 and 1650 cm^-1. The recovered palynofloral assemblage indicates the dominance of angiosperm pollen grains with maximum abundance of Arecaceae family, and subdominant pteridophytic spores. Marine influence is indicated by the presence of abundant dinoflagellate cysts. The occurrence of flora from a variety of ecological niches suggests a luxuriant diverse vegetation pattern existed in the vicinity of depositional site under humid tropical conditions. The overall characteristics of the lignite deposits point towards their ability to generate (upon maturation) hydrocarbons as they have types III–II admixed kerogen (organic matters).     

Strange quark matter attached to string cloud in Bianchi type-III space time

We have obtained Bianchi type-III cosmological model with strange quark matter attached to the string cloud in general relativity. For solving the Einstein’s field equations the relation [C=A ⁿ ] between metric coefficients C and A is used. Also, some physical and kinematic properties of the model are discussed.The results are analogous to results obtained by Yilmaz (Gen. Rel. Grav. 38:1397–1406, 2006).     

LRS Bianchi type-I models with constant deceleration parameter in?creation field cosmology

We have studied Locally Rotationally Symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-I space-time having constant deceleration parameter and filled with perfect fluid in the Hoyle-Narlikar C-field cosmology. Here, the creation field C is a function of time t only. The geometrical and physical aspects for the models are also studied.     

Identification of Water Conservation Sites in a Watershed (WRJ-2) of Nagpur District, Maharashtra using Geographical Information System (GIS) Technique

The paper deals with the application of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) technique for a watershed development program. For this study, the WRJ-2 watershed falling under Narkhed and Katol Tahsils of Nagpur district, Maharashtra, India is investigated. Various thematic maps (i.e. drainage, geology, soil, geomorphology and land use/ land cover) have been prepared using the remote sensing and GIS techniques. Initially, differential weightage values are assigned to all the thematic maps as per their runoff characteristics. Subsequently, the maps are integrated in GIS environment to identify potential sites for water conservation measures like gully plugs, earthen check dams, continuous contour trenches, percolation tanks, cement bandhara, afforestration and farm ponds, etc. The study depicts that the GIS technique facilitates integration of thematic maps and thereby helps in an identification of micro-zones each with unique characters in-terms of hydrogeology, thus amenable to specific water conservation techniques. It is therefore concluded that, the GIS technique is suitable for an identification of water conservation structures.     

Evolution of anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions of air pollutants at global and regional scales during the 1980�C2010 period

Several different inventories of global and regional anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions are assessed for the 1980?C2010 period. The species considered in this study are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and black carbon. The inventories considered include the ACCMIP historical emissions developed in support of the simulations for the IPCC AR5 assessment. Emissions for 2005 and 2010 from the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) are also included. Large discrepancies between the global and regional emissions are identified, which shows that there is still no consensus on the best estimates for surface emissions of atmospheric compounds. At the global scale, anthropogenic emissions of CO, NO_x and SO₂ show the best agreement for most years, although agreement does not necessarily mean that uncertainty is low. The agreement is low for BC emissions, particularly in the period prior to 2000. The best consensus is for NO_x emissions for all periods and all regions, except for China, where emissions in 1980 and 1990 need to be better defined. Emissions of CO need better quantification in the USA and India for all periods; in Central Europe, the evolution of emissions during the past two decades needs to be better determined. The agreement between the different SO₂ emissions datasets is rather good for the USA, but better quantification is needed elsewhere, particularly for Central Europe, India and China. The comparisons performed in this study show that the use of RCP8.5 for the extension of the ACCMIP inventory beyond 2000 is reasonable, until more global or regional estimates become available. Concerning biomass burning emissions, most inventories agree within 50?C80%, depending on the year and season. The large differences between biomass burning inventories are due to differences in the estimates of burned areas from the different available products, as well as in the amount of biomass burned.     

Macrobenthos of Kakinada Bay in the Godavari delta, East coast of India: comparing decadal changes

A one-year study (1995–1996) on the macrobenthos over a spread of (37) hydrographically differing GPS-fixed sites in Kakinada Bay (mean salinity 27.16±0.4) and adjacent mangrove channels (14.78±0.55) in the Godavari delta, one of India's largest estuarine systems, revealed a great preponderance of benthic life. There were 11 diverse taxa represented by 95 species collected through several (303) grab and dredge hauls. Based on Bray-Curtis similarity through hierarchical clustering implemented in PRIMER, it was possible to distinguish the benthos into four assemblages each of which represented sites in the Central and North bay (Paphia textrix – Typhlocarcinus sp. Assemblage), South-East bay (Protankyra similis – Paphia malabarica Assemblage), Mangrove Outlets (Cerithidea cingulata Assemblage) and Mangrove channels (Diopatra neapolitana Assemblage). Benthos densities (mean nos. dredge haul⁻¹) were highest (299 individuals) at sites close to mangrove outlets. Species diversity (Margalef, d; Shannon-Wiener, H′) was low in general (d 1.244 to 2.251 and H′ 0.038 to 1.502). Sediments were mostly clayey-silt in nature except in southeast bay where they are silt-sand. Organic matter (mean) was at or near 1.3%. The observations have revealed marked changes in benthic community structure relative to an earlier investigation held in 1958–1963 in this area. Over the years, species such as Turritella duplicata, Tonna dolium and Placuna placenta found in considerable numbers previously have dwindled. Anomia, Bursa and Atrina and echinoderms, Astropecten indica, Echinodiscus auritus and Temnopleurus toreumaticus and the brachiopod, Lingula sp. of common occurrence in early 60s are absent altogether attributable to long-term natural trends during the intervening years and/or events accompanying human impingement (e.g. industrial and urban growth, port expansion measures, aquaculture, mangrove denudation etc.). Despite such large-scale alterations in benthos community structure, there were no significant changes in “biodiversity” measured through Average Taxonomic Distinctness (AvTD) and Variation in Taxonomic Distinctness (VarTD). The investigation revealed that AvTD (Δ⁺) and VarTD (Λ⁺) for previous years and the present study remained well within the 95% confidence funnel implying taxonomic stability. It was found that species, which had replaced the earlier forms, were drawn from comparable (Linnean) hierarchy i.e. same phylum/class.     

Evaluation of the Weather Research and Forecast/Urban Model Over Greater Paris

Meteorological modelling in the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over Greater Paris is performed using the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) numerical model. The simulated meteorological fields are evaluated by comparison with mean diurnal observational data or mean vertical profiles of temperature, wind speed, humidity and boundary-layer height from 6 to 27 May 2005. Different PBL schemes, which parametrize the atmospheric turbulence in the PBL using different turbulence closure schemes, may be used in the WRF model. The sensitivity of the results to four PBL schemes (two non-local closure schemes and two local closure schemes) is estimated. Uncertainties in the PBL schemes are compared to the influence of the urban canopy model (UCM) and the updated Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) land-use data. Using the UCM and the CORINE land-use data produces more realistic modelled meteorological fields. The wind speed, which is overestimated in the simulations without the UCM, is improved below 1,000 m height. Furthermore, the modelled PBL heights during nighttime are strongly modified, with an increase that may be as high as 200 %. At night, the impact of changing the PBL scheme is lower than the impact of using the UCM and the CORINE land-use data.     

Synthesis of hydrogen peroxide in water ice by ion irradiation

We present infrared absorption studies on the effects of 50-100 keV Ar⁺ and 100 keV H⁺ ion irradiation of water ice films at 20-120 K. The results support the view that energetic ions can produce hydrogen peroxide on the surface of icy satellites and rings in the outer Solar System, and on ice mantles on interstellar grains. The ion energies are characteristic of magnetospheric ions at Jupiter, and therefore the results support the idea that radiolysis by ion impact is the source of the H₂O₂ detected on Europa by the Galileo infrared spectrometer. We found that Ar⁺ ions, used to mimic S⁺ impacts, are roughly as efficient as H⁺ ions in producing H₂O₂, and that 100 keV H⁺ ions can produce hydrogen peroxide at 120 K. The synthesized hydrogen peroxide remained stable while warming the ice film after irradiation; the column density of the formed H₂O₂ is constant until the ice film begins to desorb, but the concentration of H₂O₂ increases with time during desorption because the water sublimes at a faster rate. Comparing the shape of the 3.5-μm absorption feature of H₂O₂ to the one measured on Europa shows excellent agreement in both shape and position, further indicating that the H₂O₂ detected on Europa is likely caused by radiolysis of water ice.     

Particulate contribution to extinction of visible radiation: Pollution, haze, and fog

A data set acquired by eight particle-dedicated instruments set up on the SIRTA (Site Instrumental de Recherche par Télédétection Atmosphérique, which is French for Instrumented Site for Atmospheric Remote Sensing Research) during the ParisFog field campaign are exploited to document microphysical properties of particles contributing to extinction of visible radiation in variable situations. The study focuses on a 48-hour period when atmospheric conditions are highly variable: relative humidity changes between 50 and 100%, visibility ranges between 65 and 35 000 m, the site is either downwind the Paris area either under maritime influence. A dense and homogeneous fog formed during the night by radiative cooling. In 6 h, visibility decreased down from 30 000 m in the clear-sky regime to 65 m within the fog, because of advected urban pollution (factor 3 to 4 in visibility reduction), aerosol hydration (factor 20) and aerosol activation (factor 6). Computations of aerosol optical properties, based on Mie theory, show that extinction in clear-sky regime is due equally to the ultrafine modes and to the accumulation mode. Extinction by haze is due to hydrated aerosol particles distributed in the accumulation mode, defined by a geometric mean diameter of 0.6 μm and a geometric standard deviation of 1.4. These hydrated aerosol particles still contribute by 20 ± 10% to extinction in the fog. The complementary extinction is due to fog droplets distributed around the geometric mean diameter of 3.2 μm with a geometric standard deviation of 1.5 during the first fog development stage. The study also shows that the experimental set-up could not count all fog droplets during the second and third fog development stages.     

Evaluation of irrigation management in a Canal Command area based on Agrometeorology and Remote Sensing

Efficacy of irrigation management of wheat and mustard crops grown in Western Yamuna Canal Command area was determined in the present study from agro-climatic data merged with Maximum Likelihood Classified (MXL) satellite image and from irrigation scheduling efficiencies obtained through FAO model CROPWAT. For computing irrigation scheduling efficiencies, amount of water supplied at different growth stages, soil water depletion and crop water need have been taken into account. Agro-meteorological data in combination with MXL classified crop map approximated the deficiency of applied irrigation amount compared to requirement. Irrigations at 35-80 Days After Sowing (DAS) for two times of applications, 30-60-90 DAS for three, 21-50-80-110 DAS in case of four and 20-45-70-90-120 DAS in case of five irrigations have yielded better scheduling efficiencies for wheat than other times of applications in all soil associations.