Deglaciation and landscape history around Annapurna,Nepal, based on 10Be surface exposure dating

The High Himalaya is a key area for tectonic, geomorphological and climate studies, because of its extreme relief and location at the transition zone between areas with abundant monsoonal precipitation and the arid/semiarid Tibetan Plateau. We present ¹⁰Be surface exposure ages on 22 boulders from the Annapurna area in Nepal. The ages improve understanding of the Late Quaternary landscape history and the geomorphological processes operating in this part of the Himalaya.Although our study is reconnaissance in nature, it highlights the importance of catastrophic events, such as landslides and debris flows, for denudation of high mountains. Holocene exposure ages for the Dhampu–Chooya landslide (～4.1 ± 0.6 ka) and for 600 m of alluviation in Kali Gandaki Valley (～2.1 ± 0.6 ka), for example, indicate the frequent occurrence and extent of catastrophic events and their implications for natural hazards. We also offer an explanation for the differences in Late Quaternary glacial chronologies at closely spaced study sites in the Nepal Himalaya. Topographically controlled and spatially variable precipitation in the Himalaya determines the sensitivity of glaciers to changes in temperature and precipitation. Accordingly, some glaciers advanced in-phase with Northern Hemisphere ice sheets, whereas others reached their maximum extent at times of increased monsoonal precipitation during Marine Isotope Stage 3 and the early Holocene.     

Algal blooms: a perspective from the coasts of India

Algal blooms have been documented along the west and east coasts of India. A review of bloom occurrences in Indian waters from 1908 to 2009 points out that a total of 101 cases have been reported. A comparison of the bloom cases reported before and after the 1950s reveals that there is an increase in the number of bloom occurrences. The reports of algal blooms indicate their predominance along the west coast of India especially the southern part. Majority of the blooms reported along the west coast of India are caused by dinoflagellates, whereas diatom blooms prevail along the east coast. There have been 39 causative species responsible for blooms, of which Noctiluca scintillans and Trichodesmium erythraeum are the most common. Reporting of massive fish mortality in Indian waters has been associated with the blooming of Cochlodinium polykrikoides, Karenia brevis, Karenia mikimotoi, N. scintillans, T. erythraeum, Trichodesmium thiebautii and Chattonella marina. Most of the blooms occurred during withdrawal of the south-west monsoon and pre-monsoon period. In Indian waters, this process is mainly influenced by seasonal upwelling and monsoonal forcing that causes high riverine discharge resulting in nutrient-enriched waters that provides a competitive edge for blooming of phytoplankton species.     

Interactions of mercury with different molecular weight fractions of humic substances in aquatic systems

Interactions of mercury (Hg) with different molecular weight fractions of humic substances (HS) play an important role in controlling distribution, diffusion, speciation, and bioavailability of Hg in natural systems. This study suggests that Hg prefers to associate with higher molecular weight fractions of HS and this association particularly predominates at low pH and high ionic strengths of the medium. The concentrations of aggregated HS (with higher molecular weight) become high at lower pH (acidic condition) and high ionic strength. Molecular weight of HS gradually decreases with the increasing pH (basic condition) and low ionic strength of the medium. The disaggregation property of HS which involves the release of monomers from the surface of the aggregates produces HSs of different intermediate molecular weight with different Hg complexing capacity. Distribution of Hg in different molecular weight fractions of HS is dependent on aggregational and disaggregational properties of HS in aquatic medium. Association of Hg with high molecular weight fraction of HS may alter distribution and bioavailability of Hg in a system as the bioreactivity of organic matter decrease along a continuum of size in aquatic medium.     

Geochemical investigation of a semi-continuous extrusive basaltic section from the Deccan Volcanic Province, India: implications for the mantle and magma chamber processes

Spatial and temporal variations in the geochemistry of an extrusive basaltic section of Deccan traps record progressive changes in mantle melting and crustal filtration and are relevant to understand continental flood basalt (CFB) magmatism. In the present work we have carried out detailed field, petrographic, density and magnetic susceptibility, and geochemical investigations on a small, semi-continuous extrusive section in the eastern Deccan Volcanic Province (DVP) to understand the role of shallow magma chambers in CFB magmatism. Four formations, Ajanta, Chikhli, Buldhana and Karanja crop out in the Gangakhed–Ambajogai area with increasing elevation. Our studies indicate that: (1) the Karanja Formation represents a major magma addition, as indicated by abrupt change in texture, increases in MgO, CaO, Ni, Cr, and Sr, and drastic decreases in Al₂O₃, Na₂O, K₂O, Rb, Ba, REE, bulk-rock density and magnetic susceptibility; (2) assimilation fractional crystallization, crystal-laden magmas, and accessory cumulus phases influence the trace element chemistry of Deccan basalts; (3) the predicted cumulate sequence of olivine gabbro–leucogabbro–oxide-apatite gabbro is supported by the observed layered series in a shallow magma chamber within the DVP; (4) the initial magma was saturated with olivine, plagioclase, and augite, and final the pressure of equilibration for the Gangakhed–Ambajogai section basalts is ~2 kbar (~6 km depth); (5) petrophysical parameters act as proxies for magmatic processes; (6) a small layer of oxide-rich basalts may represent the latest erupted pulse in a given magmatic cycle in the DVP; (7) parental basalts to some of the red boles, considered as formation boundaries, might represent small degree partial melts of the mantle; (8) SW Deccan basaltic-types continue into the eastern DVP; and (9) in addition to the magma chamber processes, dynamic melting of the mantle may have controlled DVP geochemistry. The present study underscores the importance of mapping specific stratigraphic intervals in limited areas to understand mantle and magma chamber processes relevant to CFB magmatism.     

The physics of E × B-drifting jets

E × B-drifting jets have been generally ignored for the past 25 years even though they may well describe all the astrophysical jet sources, both on galactic and stellar scales. Here we present closed-form solutions for their joint field-and-particle distribution, argue that the observed jets are near equipartition, with extremely relativistic, monoenergetic e^±-pairs of bulk Lorentz factor γ ≲ 10⁴, and are first-order stable. We describe plausible mechanisms for the jets’ (i) formation, (ii) propagation, and (iii) termination. Wherever a beam meets with resistance, its frozen-in Poynting flux transforms the delta-shaped energy distribution of the pairs into an almost white power law,E ² N _E ∼E ^−∫ with ∫ ≳ 0, via single-step falls through the huge convected potential.     

Vertical profiles of aerosol black carbon in the atmospheric boundary layer over a tropical coastal station: Perturbations during an annular solar eclipse

Altitude profiles of aerosol black carbon (BC) in the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) over a tropical coastal station, Trivandrum have been examined on two days using an aethalometer attached to a tethered balloon. One of these days (15th January, 2010) coincided with a (annular) solar eclipse, the longest of this century at this location, commenced at 11:05 local time and ended by 15:05, lasting for 7 min and 15 s (from 13:10:42), with its maximum contact occurring at ~ 13:14 IST with ~ 92% annularity, thereby providing an opportunity to understand the eclipse induced perturbations. Concurrent measurements of the ABL parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity and pressure were also made on these days to describe the response of the ABL to the eclipse. BC profiles, in general, depicted similar features up to an altitude of ~ 200 m on the eclipse day and control day, above which it differed conspicuously with profiles on eclipse day showing increasingly lower concentration as we moved to higher altitudes. Examination of the meteorological profiles showed that the altitude of maximum convection rapidly fell down during the eclipse period compared to that on control day indicating a rather shallow convection on eclipse day. Comparison of diurnal variations of BC at the surface level showed that the rate of decrease in BC during daytime on the eclipse day was smaller than that on the control day due to the reduced convection, shallow ABL and consequent reduction in the ventilation coefficient. Moreover the time of the nocturnal increase has advanced by ~ 1:30 h on the eclipse day, occurred at around 19:30 IST in contrast to all the other days of January 2010, where this increase usually occur well after 20:30 IST, with a mean value of 21:00 IST. This is attributed to the weak sea-breeze penetration during the eclipse day, which led to an early onset of the land breeze.     

Geomorphological Impact Assessment on Groundwater Quality and Fluoride Genesis along the Bay of Bengal of Visakhapatnam District,Andhra Pradesh,India

Geomorphological effects might not be the mere natural topographical changes but, their impact on groundwater quantity/quality would be an aspect of great concern. Especially the qualitative fluctuations in coastal region would suffer more than those observed in the elevated or the plains. The ease and severity would magnify from the anthropogenic activities and from the effects carried over from the uplands. To evaluate this, a study was conducted by collecting 44 water samples of bore and open well origin along the Bay of Bengal coast of Visakhapatnam district. Geochemical assessment was carried from the results of all major chemical constituents and geological data of the sampling stations. The expansive and correlative interpretation of the results yielded the mechanisms control the genesis of principle chemical species, present status, reserves, drainage pattern and the recent intrusion zones in the study area. The genesis and spatial distribution of fluoride was assessed due to sporadic reports of fluorosis in the district. Upon receiving the findings with suitable recommendations, the Groundwater Board and the civil society organizations widely published and the displayed the results for further action made the study a purposeful.     

The once and future pulse of Indian monsoonal climate

We present a comprehensive assessment of the present and expected future pulse of the Indian monsoon climate based on observational and global climate model projections. The analysis supports the view that seasonal Indian monsoon rains in the latter half of the 21th century may not be materially different in abundance to that experienced today although their intensity and duration of wet and dry spells may change appreciably. Such an assessment comes with considerable uncertainty. With regard to temperature, however, we find that the Indian temperatures during the late 21st Century will very likely exceed the highest values experienced in the 130-year instrumental record of Indian data. This assessment comes with higher confidence than for rainfall because of the large spatial scale driving the thermal response of climate to greenhouse gas forcing. We also find that monsoon climate changes, especially temperature, could heighten human and crop mortality posing a socio-economic threat to the Indian subcontinent.     

Study of thermodynamic indices in forecasting pre-monsoon thunderstorms over Kolkata during STORM pilot phase 2006–2008

The pre-monsoon convective atmosphere over Kolkata (22.52°N, 88.37°E) during STORM field phase 2006–2008 is investigated using 12 UTC radiosonde data and thermodynamic indices. In the present study, an attempt has been made to assess the skill of various indices and parameters and to propose suitable threshold values in forecasting the occurrence of thunderstorm activity at Kolkata. The thermodynamic indices and parameters used in the present study are lifted index (LI), K index (KI), severe weather threat index (SWEAT), total totals index (TTI), convective available potential energy (CAPE), deep convection index (DCI), humidity index (HI), Boyden index (BI), dew point temperature at 850 hpa (DEW), relative humidity at 700 hpa (RH), and bulk Richardson number (BRN). Validation of the suggested threshold values of indices was conducted on the days of thunderstorm activity. It was found that one index alone cannot predict the occurrence of thunderstorm over Kolkata region. The present study suggests that the indices with highest skill for thunderstorm prediction are KI, DCI, SWEAT, DEW, HI, RH, LI, TTI, while the prediction efficiency is poor for CAPE, BRN, and BI. Observed values of these indices also reveal that scattered, multi-cellular thunderstorms are possible over Kolkata during pre-monsoon months.