Model simulations to determine optimal fishing effort and season duration for a tropical shrimp fishery

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Kuwait’s shrimp fishery presents typical tropical shrimp fishery characteristics with highly variable recruitment, fast growth and strong seasonal...     

Occurrence of Nummulitic coralline limestone from offshore Palar Basin,Bay of Bengal,India

Abstract

Palar basin is located between Pennar and Cauvery sedimentary basins of East coast of India in Bay of Bengal, northeast Indian Ocean. Sea floor drill (Wire-line Autonomous Coring System – WACS) with operational capability of up to 3000?m water depth was developed to collect long cores from deep sea floor for geotechnical and ocean resource assessment studies. During the drilling operation it encountered Nummulitic coralline limestone of Lower Eocene age at 18 meters below the seafloor (mbsf) at 850?m water depth indicating carbonated platform presence for the first time at the study region. Bathymetry contour from Naval Hydrography Chart and General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) has revealed the presence of shallow mounds from 50 to 200?m depth closure contour near the sampling site at 850?m water depth which might be a submerged carbonated structure. Since, Nummulites are shallow water dwelling fauna (<20?m depth) but its occurrence at 18 mbsf in 850?m water depth is recorded because of the advancement in technology tool for long core sampling by means of sea floor drill.     

Stability of waterfront retaining wall subjected to pseudo-static earthquake forces

Waterfront retaining walls supporting dry backfill are subjected to hydrostatic pressure on upstream face and earth pressure on the downstream face. Under seismic conditions, if such a wall retains a submerged backfill, additional hydrodynamic pressures are generated. This paper pertains to a study in which the effect of earthquakes along with the hydrodynamic pressure including inertial forces on such a retaining wall is observed. The hydrodynamic pressure is calculated using Westergaard's approach, while the earth pressure is calculated using Mononobe-Okabe's pseudo-static analysis. It is observed that when the horizontal seismic acceleration coefficient is increased from 0 to 0.2, there is a 57% decrease in the factor of safety of the retaining wall in sliding mode. For investigating the effect of different parameters, a parametric study is also done. It is observed that if φ is increased from 30° to 35°, there is an increase in the factor of safety in the sliding mode by 20.4%. Similar observations were made for other parameters as well. Comparison of results obtained from the present approach with [Ebeling, R.M., Morrison Jr, E.E., 1992. The seismic design of waterfront retaining structures. US Army Technical Report ITL-92-11. Washington DC] reveal that the factor of safety for static condition (k_h=0), calculated by both the approaches, is 1.60 while for an earthquake with k_h=0.2, they differ by 22.5% due to the consideration of wall inertia in the present study.     

Present environment and historic changes from the record of lake sediments, Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Changes in the urban environment of Dhaka City have been evaluated from the geochemical compositions of bottom sediments from two lakes, Gulshan-1 and –2. Abundances of Pb, Zn, Fe₂O₃ and total sulfur in a Gulshan-1 core gradually increase toward the sediment–water interface. Three stages of condition change can be recognized in Gulshan-1, based on trace metal concentration patterns. The basal Stage I corresponds to background Dhaka sedimentation, whereas gradual increase in Stage II represents the beginning of pollution. Marked increases in Pb and Zn in Stage III reflect rapid urban development and increased emissions to the atmosphere. The condition of the Dhaka environment is compared to that of Japan based on Zn–Fe₂O₃ and Pb–Fe₂O₃ relations. Zn–Fe₂O₃ ratios in Stage I Dhaka sediments are similar to normal Japanese sediments, whereas Stage II data lie on the same trend as Japan urban sediments. Dhaka Stage III samples have greater Zn:Fe₂O₃ ratios than Japanese urban sediments, suggesting Zn pollution from poorly-controlled industrial sources. In contrast, the Dhaka Pb–Fe₂O₃ trend lies between normal and urban Japanese sediments. Although vehicle emissions in Dhaka are now significant, the data suggest that Pb pollution from this source remains in its early stages.     

Spatial pattern of variation in populations of Acacia nilotica in semi-arid environment

Variability among populations was analyzed in five provenances of Acacia nilotica from spatially variable habitats. Populations of A. nilotica developed in response to their habitat conditions. The level of variability was significantly high among the populations. Phenotypic variability was extremely high for leaf and stipular spine characteristics. The nature of morphological variability for vegetative traits appeared environmentally controlled. The differentiation of leaf and stipular spine expression seems to have an adaptive significance for the species in terms of water economy. Although, seed and pod characteristics are genetically controlled showing a lower proportion of variability but these traits supported r and k-selection that may allow the species to survive under a wide array of contrasting habitats. The study suggested that populations of A. nilotica are differentiated in relation to the heterogeneity of environment. These populations became adapted to their habitat through the variability of morphological expressions. The morphologically differentiated populations of the species had allowed them to maintain themselves in a wide array of environmental situations enabling A. nilotica to occupy ample ecological ranges.     

Optimal site selection for an optical-astronomical observatory in Pakistan using Multicriteria Decision Analysis

An astronomical observatory is the core component of any astronomical research facility that connects astronomers with their lab: the Cosmos. The research quality of an astronomical facility is rooted in the precision of data, collected by its observatory. For optimal performance, an observatory is sited while considering certain astronomical, environmental, geological and social parameters. This study aims to identify the potential sites in Pakistan for locating an optical-astronomical observatory using the Multicriteria Decision Analysis(MCDA) technique. The study uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process(AHP) for deriving the influence weights of nine evaluation criteria: Photometric Night Fraction; Night-time Sky Brightness;Sky Transparency; Aerosol Concentration; Altitude; Terrain Slope; Accessibility; Seismic Vulnerability;and Landuse/Land Cover. On the basis of experts' opinions and previous studies, the evaluation criteria have been ordered in two possible preference sequences for identifying their influence weights with respect to each other for taking part in MCDA. Consequently, the process of MCDA identified certain areas with respect to each preference sequence, whereas some areas were found to be suitable according to both preference sequences. The study synchronizes the required eclectic data into an evaluation matrix that augments the process of astronomical site selection. In the future, this study will be useful for astronomical societies and for furthering astronomical research in the country.     

A Major Geoeffective CME from NOAA 12371: Initiation,CME–CME Interactions,and Interplanetary Consequences

In this article, we present a multi-wavelength and multi-instrument investigation of a halo coronal mass ejection (CME) from active region NOAA 12371 on 21 June 2015 that led to a major geomagnetic storm of minimum \(\mathrm{Dst} = -204\) nT. The observations from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory in the hot EUV channel of 94 Å confirm the CME to be associated with a coronal sigmoid that displayed an intense emission (\(T \sim6\) MK) from its core before the onset of the eruption. Multi-wavelength observations of the source active region suggest tether-cutting reconnection to be the primary triggering mechanism of the flux rope eruption. Interestingly, the flux rope eruption exhibited a two-phase evolution during which the “standard” large-scale flare reconnection process originated two composite M-class flares. The eruption of the flux rope is followed by the coronagraphic observation of a fast, halo CME with linear projected speed of 1366 km?s^?1. The dynamic radio spectrum in the decameter-hectometer frequency range reveals multiple continuum-like enhancements in type II radio emission which imply the interaction of the CME with other preceding slow speed CMEs in the corona within \(\approx10\)?–?\(90~\mbox{R} _{\odot}\). The scenario of CME–CME interaction in the corona and interplanetary medium is further confirmed by the height–time plots of the CMEs occurring during 19?–?21 June. In situ measurements of solar wind magnetic field and plasma parameters at 1 AU exhibit two distinct magnetic clouds, separated by a magnetic hole. Synthesis of near-Sun observations, interplanetary radio emissions, and in situ measurements at 1 AU reveal complex processes of CME–CME interactions right from the source active region to the corona and interplanetary medium that have played a crucial role towards the large enhancement of the geoeffectiveness of the halo CME on 21 June 2015.     

An analytical solution for deforming twin‐parallel tunnels in an elastic half plane

The interaction between twin‐parallel tunnels affects the tunnelling‐induced ground deformation, which may endanger the nearby structures. In this paper, an analytical solution is presented for problems in determining displacements and stresses around deforming twin‐parallel tunnels in an elastic half plane, on the basis of complex variable theory. As an example, a uniform radial displacement was assumed as the boundary condition for each of the two tunnels. Special attention was paid to the effects of tunnel depth and spacing between the two tunnels on the surface movement to gain deep insight into the effect of the interaction between twin‐parallel tunnels using the proposed analytical approach. It is revealed that the influence of twin tunnel interaction on surface movements diminishes with both the increase of the tunnel depth and the spacing between the two tunnels. The presented analytical solution manifests that, similar to most of the existing numerical results, the principle of superposition can be applied to determine ground deformation of twin‐parallel tunnels with a certain large depth and spacing; otherwise, the interaction effect between the two tunnels should be taken into account for predicting reliable ground movement. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Anomalous optical variations in the grossular garnet from the Eden Mills,Belvidere Mountain (Vermont,USA)

The optical anomalies, and surface and lamellar textures of a birefringent grossular garnet crystal from the Eden Mills, Belvidere Mountain, Vermont, USA, have been investigated by optical polarizing microscope, electron-probe micro-analyzer, back-scattered electron imaging, infrared spectroscopy, and single-crystal X-ray diffractometer from the standpoint of crystal growth. This grossular shows one-to-one correlation between natural surface features and its internal textures under crossed polarizers. Electron-probe micro-analyzer (EPMA) gave average chemical composition in (110) thin section, of bright lamella {Ca_2.97Mn_0.06}_∑3.03 [Al_1.59Fe_0.37Ti_0.01]_∑1.97(Si_3.00)_∑3.00 (Gros_79.5And_18.9Sps_1.6) and of dark host {Ca_2.99Mn _0.06}_∑3.05 [Al_1.73Fe_0.26 Ti_0.01]_∑2.00(Si_2.97OH_0.03)_∑3.00 (Gros_85.4And₁₃Sps_1.6). The correspondence of surface features and the internal textures with spiral or pyramidal growth mechanism suggest that the internal textures of the Eden Mills grossular are formed during growth process. The optical vibrational orientations and the growth steps inclination along [001] and \( \left[\overset{-}{1}10\right] \) directions predict monoclinic symmetry. With X-ray diffractometer (XRD) method, pseudocubic parameters are a = 11.839(2) Å, b = 11.855(1) Å, and c = 11.868(2) Å with interaxial angles α = 90.00(1)°, β = 89.99(1)°, and γ = 90.02(2)° that show orthorhombic symmetry of this crystal. Lamellar texture of Al³⁺-rich host with Fe³⁺-rich lamella infers cation ordering at octahedral site of the garnet structure. IR data favors the non-cubic orientation of [(OH) ₄] at tetrahedral position in this grossular structure.