Seamounts in the Central Indian Ocean Basin: indicators of the Indian plate movement

The study of seamount parameters in the tectonically most-complicated and least-understood Indian Ocean assumes importance since their properties vary as a function of tectonic setting, physics of lithosphere, conduit geometry and chemical composition of magma. More than 100 such seamounts ranging in summit height (h) from 300 to 2870 m, are indentified in the oceanic crust between Indian continent and Mid-Indian Ridge (MIR) and South-East Indian Ridge (SEIR). Most of the minor seamounts (h > 1000) are found in the southern part of the study area. Major seamounts (h < 1000 m) are roughly distributed in two groups—the northern group on Cretaceous Oceanic Crust and southern group on Pliocene-Miocene Oceanic Crust. On an average northern group seamounts (SM 1 to 6) are taller, wider and flatter than those from the southern group. These seamounts appear to be the result of continuous growth from tapped, moving magma chamber while stress depleted magma and inconsistent Indian Plate movement during Mid-Tertiary are attributed to the origin of southern group of smaller seamounts. Distribution and morphology of seamounts as a whole indicate their formation either from Reunion hotspot or from two separate hotspots in the geological past.     

Contesting expertise: The politics of environmental knowledge in northern Indian groundwater practices

The world is facing a severe water crisis. According to the UN, by 2025 50% of the world’s population will face water scarcity. In India, where 70% of irrigation and 80% of domestic needs are met with groundwater, demand for this resource is expected to exceed supply by 2020. This has led to recent calls for groundwater governance reforms within India, and specifically within the state of Rajasthan, where no regulation exists today. The success of these reforms hinges on the interaction of the state and its agents with local users and managers of groundwater resources. Underpinning these encounters, though, are tensions between local and state forms of groundwater knowledges. The question analyzed here is in what ways do conflicting environmental knowledges adversely affect the management of overexploited groundwater resources in water-scarce India? To address this question, I examine the coevolution of pre-colonial, colonial, and post-independence groundwater and irrigation knowledges and technologies in Rajasthan, India to expose the ways that they are produced, contested, legitimated, and hybridized. The paper argues the following three claims. First, the relationship between the state and local producers of groundwater knowledge practices is non-linear and porous. For instance, the way that state subjects experience the state is uneven because within and in-between historical moments the state may attempt to assimilate, reorganize, plagiarize, or disparage local knowledge. Second, these attempts produce or exacerbate existing historically rooted tensions between farmers and state groundwater engineers. But in response, farmers often seek out non-state avenues of expertise, such as tubewell drilling firms. This results in the further hybridization of knowledge practices and also in the present-day marginalization of the state. Third, the relationship between farmers and the state is further strained because of a current lack of state visibility in the study area and also because the state continues to “see like a state”. These shifting meanings and power relations around groundwater and irrigation knowledges produce tensions that will undoubtedly negatively impact future groundwater governance strategies.     

Incursion of the Pacific Ocean Water into the Indian Ocean

Using the data collected during the International Indian Ocean Expedition, maps showing the distribution of depth, acceleration potential, salinity and oxyty were prepared for the northeast monsoon for the four potential thermosteric anomaly surfaces: 160, 120, 80 and 60 cl/t. Zonal components of current along 84°E were computed from the geopotential dynamic heights. From such an analysis, it became clear that low-salinity water from the Pacific intrudes into the western Indian Ocean through the Banda and Timor seas in the upper layers above 100 cl/t surface, while the North Indian Ocean Water penetrates towards the Eastern Archipelago below 100 cl/t surface. The South Equatorial Countercurrent and the Tropical Countercurrent are well depicted on the vertical section of zonal components as well as on the distribution of acceleration potential.     

Ocean sea-ice modelling in the Southern Ocean around Indian Antarctic stations

An eddy-resolving coupled ocean sea-ice modelling is carried out in the Southern Ocean region (9\(^{\circ }\)–78\(^{\circ }\)E; 51\(^{\circ }\)–71\(^{\circ }\)S) using the MITgcm. The model domain incorporates the Indian Antarctic stations, Maitri (11.7\({^{\circ }}\)E; 70.7\({^{\circ }}\)S) and Bharati (76.1\({^{\circ }}\)E; 69.4\({^{\circ }}\)S). The realistic simulation of the surface variables, namely, sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface salinity (SSS), surface currents, sea ice concentration (SIC) and sea ice thickness (SIT) is presented for the period of 1997–2012. The horizontal resolution of the model varies between 6 and 10 km. The highest vertical resolution of 5 m is taken near the surface, which gradually increases with increasing depths. The seasonal variability of the SST, SSS, SIC and currents is compared with the available observations in the region of study. It is found that the SIC of the model domain is increasing at a rate of 0.09% per month (nearly 1% per year), whereas, the SIC near Maitri and Bharati regions is increasing at a rate of 0.14 and 0.03% per month, respectively. The variability of the drift of the sea-ice is also estimated over the period of simulation. It is also found that the sea ice volume of the region increases at the rate of 0.0004 \(\hbox {km}^{3}\) per month (nearly 0.005 \(\hbox {km}^{3}\) per year). Further, it is revealed that the accumulation of sea ice around Bharati station is more as compared to Maitri station.     

The warm pool in the Indian Ocean

The structure of the warm pool (region with temperature greater than 28°C) in the equatorial Indian Ocean is examined and compared with its counterpart in the Pacific Ocean using the climatology of Levitus. Though the Pacific warm pool is larger and warmer, a peculiarity of the pool in the Indian Ocean is its seasonal variation. The surface area of the pool changes from 24 × 10⁶ km² in April to 8 × 10⁶ km² in September due to interaction with the southwest monsoon. The annual cycles of sea surface temperature at locations covered by the pool during at least a part of the year show the following modes: (i) a cycle with no significant variation (observed in the western equatorial Pacific and central and eastern equatorial Indian Ocean), (ii) a single maximum/minimum (northern and southern part of the Pacific warm pool and the south Indian Ocean), (iii) two maxima/minima (Arabian Sea, western equatorial Indian Ocean and southern Bay of Bengal), and (iv) a rapid rise, a steady phase and a rapid fall (northern Bay of Bengal).     

南印度洋海区营养盐的分布特征

探讨了南印度洋海区总有机磷(TOP)、总有机氮(TON)以及溶解无机营养盐的分布规律。分析结果表明：研究海区内溶解无机营养盐受水体中生物活动和物理过程的综合影响,表层水体由于生物活动的消耗,其磷酸盐等无机营养元素的含量一般是采样水深范围内最低的;中深层水体由于生物活动的降低以及有机质矿化作用的影响,无机营养元素的变化范围较小。表层水体中TOP和TON含量占TP和TN的主要部分,说明表层水体中的氮和磷主要以有机态形式存在,且沿着37.8°S从西向东,TOP和TON的含量以及TOP/TP和TON/TN的比值呈降低的趋势。研究海区叶绿素a的分析结果表明,初级生产力的变化可能是控制研究海区TON和TOP空间分布的主要因素。不同形态氮、磷营养元素的相关分析表明,有机营养盐和无机营养盐之间互为补充,且表层水体中有机氮和磷是水体初级生产所需营养盐的重要来源,总氮、总磷的关系表明研究区初级生产力并不受氮、磷的限制。     

Fragments of continental structures in the Indian Ocean

Fragments of continental structures (microcontinents) composed of sialic rocks are widespread in the Indian Ocean, where they are located in its African, Australian, and Indian margins. The origin of these fragments is related to splitting off from continent margins along faults and further seaward motion driven by the tectonic flow of mantle masses.     

链接热带东印度洋环流的海洋波动桥梁

热带印度洋环流动力研究对认识海盆尺度物质和水体交换、区域乃至全球气候变化具有重要意义,亦服务于人类的生产生活。回顾了近年来基于中国科学院南海海洋研究所热带印度洋观测取得的环流动力方面的研究进展,探讨提出海洋波动桥梁概念,即：赤道波通过水平传播、垂向传播和东边界反射,在赤道上混合层、次表层和中深层调制着赤道流系的生成与变化;随着波动能量在东边界以沿岸开尔文波和反射罗斯贝波的形式往外赤道传输,赤道动力过程亦调节着外赤道的环流结构变化。作为能量传输的十字路口,海洋东边界是环流变化的动力支点。在其支撑下,海洋波动成为环流间重要的能量纽带,贡献于环流的动力联系,是东印度洋环流多尺度变化的重要内因。基于观测,初步探讨了大尺度气候模态等外因对热带东印度洋环流的影响。凝练的海洋波动桥梁动力学框架,为进一步研究热带印度洋的环流的特征、变化及影响提供科学启示。     

Improvement in predictability of waves over the Indian Ocean

Accurate prediction of ocean surface waves is a challenging task with many associated difficulties. Availability of good quality wind and wave information from satellite platforms inspired the scientific community to assimilate such data in various spectral wave models for enhancing the accuracy of prediction. Over the Indian Ocean, which is the region of interest for the present study, wave heights in extreme situation can go up to 12–14 m, thereby increasing the probability of coastal hazards. This region is further governed by the southern ocean swells that propagate thousands of kilometers. These are, in general, not well captured by the spectral wave models. Therefore, assimilation of altimeter data in open ocean wave model WAM has been attempted with the aim of enhancing the quality of prediction of significant wave height. Further, simulated wave spectra have been assimilated in a coastal wave model SWAN. This assimilation has been found to significantly improve the prediction of the height of wind waves as well as swell waves. V. Bhatt and S. Surendran are former students of Meteorology and Oceanography Group, Space Applications Centre, ISRO, Ahmedabad.     

Tectonic types of deepwater basins in the Indian Ocean

Among 16 deepwater basins located in the central Indian Ocean and along its western, eastern, and southern margins, the central, perioceanic, and perispreading tectonic types are recognized. The Central, Cocos, Wharton, and Crozet basins belong to the first type. The second type comprises the Somalia, Mascarene, Madagascar, Mozambique, and Agulhas basins localized along the western margin of the ocean; the Argo, Gascoyne, Cuvier, and Perth basins that are situated along its eastern periphery; and the African-Antarctic Basin in the southern periphery. The South Australian and Australian-Antarctic basins pertain to the third type. Spatially and tectonically, the pericontinental basins are conjugated with continental blocks in the ocean (rises, plateaus, microcontinents). Together, they make up specific tectonic systems that extend parallel to the continents. The formation of such systems is controlled by horizontal movement of continental blocks and tectonic subsidence of the oceanic bottom.     

印度洋偶极子研究进展回顾

印度洋偶极子是热带印度洋中重要的年际变率之一,对印度洋周边国家乃至全球的气候有着重要的影响,关于其形成机制及气候影响的研究对于气候预测具有重要意义.主要回顾了近10年印度洋偶极子的相关研究进展,包括印度洋偶极子的基本特征、与热带太平洋中厄尔尼诺—南方涛动之间的关系、与亚洲夏季风之间的关系、对全球气候的影响以及全球变暖背景下的变化等.印度洋偶极子与热带太平洋中厄尔尼诺—南方涛动之间的关系体现为二者之间是相互影响的,但不同类型的印度洋偶极子对热带太平洋中厄尔尼诺—南方涛动的影响机制尚不明确,还需进一步的研究.印度洋偶极子与亚洲夏季风之间的关系体现为二者之间存在强烈的相互作用,印度洋偶极子与印度洋东部夏季风环流之间存在相互促进作用,而印度洋偶极子与印度夏季风环流之间的相互作用尚需进一步研究.此外,研究表明全球变暖背景下极端正印度洋偶极子的发生将增多,同时极端印度洋偶极子对我国极端气候事件的发生有着重要影响.以往的研究主要集中于单独的印度洋偶极子或印度洋偶极子和热带太平洋中厄尔尼诺—南方涛动的结合对我国极端气候的影响,而印度洋偶极子与中高纬环流系统或泛热带海洋之间的协同作用对我国极端气候事件的影响还亟需相关研究.对印度洋偶极子的系统性回顾可为未来印度洋偶极子的研究提供一定的科学基础.     

The biogeochemical distribution of trace elements in the Indian Ocean

The present review deals with the distributions of dissolved trace metals in the Indian Ocean in relation with biological, chemical and hydrographic processes. The literature data-base is extremely limited and almost no information is available on particle processes and input and output processes of trace metals in the Indian Ocean basin and therefore much research is needed to expand our understanding of the marine chemistries of most trace metals. An area of special interest for future research is the Arabian Sea. The local conditions (upwelling induced productivity, restricted bottom water circulation and suboxic intermediate waters) create a natural laboratory for studying trace metal chemistry.     

Investigations of earthquake probabilities in the Indian Ocean seismic belts

Gumbel's extreme-value theory is used to estimate the probability of occurrence and average return periods for earthquakes in the Indian Ocean seismic belts. The nature of seismic activity, and annual and 50 year maximum magnitudes of earthquakes are also discussed. The earthquake occurrence model of autocorrelation lends support for the periodicity of the most probable earthquake in these belts. The percentage probability of recurrence of earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above has been estimated for the region mentioned.     

Imprints of ancient recycled oceanic lithosphere in heterogeneous Indian Ocean mantle: Evidence from petrogenesis of Carlsberg ridge basalts from Northwest Indian Ocean

This paper reports new petrological, geochemical and isotopic data for Carlsberg Ridge Basalts (CRB) of northwest Indian Ocean and evaluates their petrogenetic aspects in the context of the geochemical and tectonic evolution of the Indian Ocean mantle. The CRB samples exhibit tholeiitic to transitional composition of precursor melts derived by high degree, shallow level partial melting of a spinel peridotite mantle source. CRB reflects distinct E-MORB affinity with selective enrichment in incompatible trace elements. Higher values of Zr/Hf (33.8–47.3) and Zr/Sm (24.9–36.4) in conjunction with lower Nb/Ta (1.7–7.3) ratio corroborate their origin from an enriched mantle source. Negative Nb anomalies with lower Nb/Y (0.04–0.11) and Zr/Y (2.5–3.5) conform to a non-plume origin of these basalts. Higher Zr/Nb (25.5–71.5) and Th/Nb (0.6–0.42) compared to OIB substantiate contributions from recycled subduction-processed components in the source mantle. Lower Nb/U (6.2–37.9) values with higher Ba/Nb (6.1–21.9), Ba/Th (27.7–147.5), Zr/Nb (25.5–71.5) and Th/Nb (0.6–0.42) compared to OIB and N-MORB attest to role of a metasomatized oceanic lithosphere that recycled into the depleted upper mantle attributing to the source heterogeneity. Sr-Nd isotopic signatures (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr: 0.702668 to 0.702841 and ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd: 0.512972 to 0.513068) of CRB suggest a HIMU source component preserved in the northwest Indian Ocean Ridge mantle. The compositional diversity of the Indian Ocean mantle can be translated in terms of periodic refertilization of depleted N-MORB type mantle through delamination and recycling of oceanic (HIMU component) and continental lithosphere (EM I component) concurrent with Neoproterozoic-Palaeozoic amalgamation and Jurassic dispersal of Gondwana Supercontinent respectively. This study complies with the derivation of CRB from a geochemically heterogeneous Indian Ocean mantle that experienced a protracted residence beneath the Gondwana Supercontinent prior to the opening of Indian Ocean and trapped recycled metasomatized oceanic lithosphere genetically linked with multiple stages of paleo-ocean closure and continental convergence during Gondwana assembly.     

A coupled physical-biological-chemical model for the Indian Ocean

A coupled physical-biological-chemical model has been developed at C-MMACS. for studying the time-variation of primary productivity and air-sea carbon-dioxide exchange in the Indian Ocean. The physical model is based on the Modular Ocean Model, Version 2 (MOM2) and the biological model describes the nonlinear dynamics of a 7-component marine ecosystem. The chemical model includes dynamical equation for the evolution of dissolved inorganic carbon and total alkalinity. The interaction between the biological and chemical model is through the Redfield ratio. The partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO₂) of the surface layer is obtained from the chemical equilibrium equations of Penget al 1987. Transfer coefficients for air-sea exchange of CO₂ are computed dynamically based on the wind speeds. The coupled model reproduces the high productivity observed in the Arabian Sea off the Somali and Omani coasts during the Southwest (SW) monsoon. The entire Arabian Sea is an outgassing region for CO₂ in spite of high productivity with transfer rates as high as 80 m-mol C/m² /day during SW monsoon near the Somali Coast on account of strong winds.     

Neogene deep sea benthic foraminiferal diversity in the Indian Ocean: Paleoceanographic implications

The species diversity indices, as defined by the number of species,S; Shannon-Wiener index,H(S) and Buzas-Gibson index,É, of DSDP sites 219, 220, 237 and 238 were measured to determine the benthic foraminiferal diversity patterns in the Indian Ocean deep sea sequences during the Neogene. The Time-Stability hypothesis could satisfactorily explain the observed diversity patterns. The general patterns of diversity suggest environmental stability during the Neogene. However, few small fluctuations in diversity during the Middle Miocene (c.14·8 Ma), Late Miocene (c.6·0 Ma) and Late Pliocene (c.2·0 Ma) may possibly be the effects of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) activity in this region. The benthic foraminiferal diversity in the tropical Indian Ocean is more than the high latitudinal areas with comparable depths.     

Neotectonics of Africa and the Indian Ocean: Development of the geoidal low

The western, trans-Africa lobe of the Indian Ocean geoidal low correlates with Neogene tectonic features, such as the east Africa rift system and the Congo river basin. The opposite, eastern flank of the Indocean geoidal low is indented westward by the geoidal high associated with Sundaland (Indonesia), believed to have been displaced westward into its present location since mid-Tertiary times. The Indocean low thus seems to be slowly mobile, and to have acquired its present shape, elbowed at the Equator pointing west, as a result of tectonic processes continuing at present.We have sought lithosphere motion accounting for the large-scale tectonics and for the changes in the geoidal low. The constraints suggest that Africa and the western part of the Indian Ocean basin have been experiencing slow westward drift in Neogene times. This has resulted in the development of the mass-deficiency to the east, expressed as the Indian Ocean geoidal low, in the Africa meridional rifting, and in seafloor spreading as material upwells from the asthenosphere in response to the developing hydrostatic deficiency. The motion is consistent with the seafloor magnetic record, and would explain the dextral displacement at the south boundary of the Eurasian lithosphere segment.