Late Pleistocene–Holocene hydrologic changes in the interfluve areas of the central Ganga Plain, India

Abandoned channel belts, ponds and point bar deposits of palaeochannels in the interfluve regions of the central Ganga Plain suggest changes in the morphohydrologic conditions during the Latest Pleistocene–Holocene. Stratigraphy of these ponds comprises channel sand at the base overlain by shell-bearing clayey silt. The contact of the two facies marks the phase when channels converted into standing water bodies. Point bar deposits of some palaeochannels are overlain by oxidised aeolian sand, indicating that the channel abandonment possibly occurred due to the desiccation and aridity in the region.Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) chronometry of the pond sediments suggests that the deposition of the basal channel sand started before 13 ka and continued up to 8 ka. The ponds formed around 8–6 ka when the channel activity ceased. Evidence from the point bar deposits also indicates that the fluvial activity in the region ended sometime during 7–5 ka. This was followed by aeolian aggradation. The present study thus suggests that the hydrologic conditions in the Gangetic plains, i.e. initiation of channels and their abandonment, formation of microgeomorphologic features such as ponds and their eventual siltation, were controlled largely by climatic changes (i.e. monsoon changes) supported by tectonic activity. For the past 2 ka, increasing human and related agricultural activity has substantially accentuated the natural siltation rate of ponds.     

Seasonal variation of the soil seed bank of grasses in central Argentina as related to grazing and shrub cover

The objectives of this research were to (a) study seasonal variation of the seed bank of grasses in two areas with different grazing history, (b) analyse the effect of the presence of shrubs on the seed bank and (c) study seed viability and dormancy in buried seeds of Piptochaetium napostaense and Stipa tenuis. The seed density of grasses was in general low and showed seasonal variation. Most of the grasses showed maximum seed density in December when seed dispersal occurs. Shrub cover did not show a marked influence in seed accumulation. The relatively high number of damaged seeds suggests that predation may be an important factor in seed bank dynamics in the Caldenal. Seeds of dominant perennial forage grasses showed dormancy that could explain, at least in part, persistence of these species in spite of periodical disturbance.     

TRANSPLANTING PILGRIMAGE TRADITIONS IN THE AMERICAS

ABSTRACT. Transplanting pilgrimage traditions, or the process of remaking the collective self in sacred places, requires new sacred places as worthy destinations. As people migrate from the lands where sacred places developed to those where such places may become only a distant memory, many communities attempt to recover their pilgrimage tradition by co‐opting sacred sites of host communities, maintaining links to their homeland, or re‐creating sacred sites in the lands of resettlement through replication, (re)recognition, creating movable rituals, celebrating sites of sacred embodiment, and ritual historicizing. Examples taken primarily from Catholic and Hindu experiences in the Western Hemisphere illustrate this preliminary typology. Transplanting pilgrimage traditions may be viewed as anchoring our individual, existential quests to fleeting ships of “collective selfhood.”     

中国东部苏鲁榴辉岩超基性岩褶皱带的演化及其与大别(中国)和柯切塔夫(哈萨克斯坦)杂岩的对比(英文)

苏鲁褶皱带形成于元古宙 (2 2 33～ 185 5Ma)典型优地槽构造环境 ,主要由石榴橄榄岩、石榴辉石岩、榴辉岩等侵入岩 (柯石英深度相地幔岩浆房中形成 )和它们的火山沉积建造围岩一起经褶皱、变质而形成。变质作用经历了先蓝片岩相 (前花岗岩 )后片麻岩混合岩相过程。由于变质作用的不规律性 ,苏鲁褶皱带可分为 2个构造带 :(1)东部构造带 (蓝片岩 )和 (2 )西部构造带 (片麻岩混合岩 )。根据A·都城秋穗所识别的变质带系统 ,可将其作为一个双变质带。东部构造带以出现许多块状、条带状榴辉岩辉石岩橄榄岩组合的残余岩块为特征 ,其中还残留着高压的矿物 (石榴石、绿辉石、柯石英 ) ,而且有被混合岩和各种交代岩替代的显著标志。在中生代 ,苏鲁元古褶皱带受造山作用的影响活化 ,导致许多花岗岩体的侵入 ,使交代岩广泛发育。     

Scaling effects on modeled surface energy-balance components using the NOAH-OSU land surface model

As surface exchange processes are highly non-linear and heterogeneous in space and time, it is important to know the appropriate scale for the reasonable prediction of these exchange processes. For example, the explicit representation of surface variability has been vital in predicting mesoscale weather events such as late-afternoon thunderstorms initiated by latent heat exchanges in mid-latitude regions of the continental United States. This study was undertaken to examine the effects of different spatial scales of input data on modeled fluxes, so as to better understand the resolution needed for accurate modeling. A statistical procedure was followed to select two cells from the Southern Great Plains 1997 hydrology experiment region, each 20 km×20 km, representing the most homogeneous and the most heterogeneous surface conditions (based on soil and vegetation) within the study region. The NOAH-OSU (Oregon State University) Land Surface Model (LSM) was employed to estimate surface energy fluxes. Three scales of study (200 m, 2 and 20 km) were considered in order to investigate the impacts of the aggregation of input data, especially soil and vegetation inputs, on the model output. Model results of net radiation and latent, sensible and ground heat fluxes were compared for the three scales. For the heterogeneous area, the model output at the 20-km resolution showed some differences when compared with the 200-m and 2-km resolutions. This was more pronounced in latent heat (12% decrease), sensible heat (22% increase), and ground heat flux (44% increase) estimation than in net radiation. The scaling effects were much less for the relatively homogeneous land area with 5% increase in sensible heat and 4% decrease in ground heat flux estimation. All of the model outputs for the 2- and 20-km resolutions were in close agreement. The results suggested that, for this study region, soils and vegetation input resolution of about 2 km should be chosen for realistic modeling of surface exchange processes. This resolution was sufficient to capture the effects of sub-grid scale heterogeneity, while avoiding the data and computational difficulties associated with higher spatial resolutions.     

Hydrogeological Zoning of the Central Minusinsk Basin by the Conditions of Formation of Fresh Groundwater Resources

A detailed hydrogeological zoning of the central part of the Minusinsk artesian basin is performed. Local basins confined to smaller plicated structures, as well as hydrogeological massifs of local scale, are recognized within large block structures. Direction of subsurface streams and their role in the formation of groundwater resources and composition are discussed. Forecast resources of fresh groundwater are estimated for every recognized structure.     

Water Quality of Small Rivers in the Zone of Influence of Gold-Mining Facilities in Krasnoyarsk Region

Environmental and sanitary estimation of small-river water quality is made in the zone of influence of gold-mining facilities in Krasnoyarsk Region. The estimates are based on data on the hydrochemical regime and the characteristics of phytoplankton, microphyto-periphyton, macrozoobenthos, and ichthyofauna collected during the vegetation period of 2000.     

Long-Term Prediction of Water Quality in Marine Water Areas

Random walk approach is used to develop a model for long-term prediction of water quality in shallow marine waters. The model allows one to simulate variations in hydrological situations, reactive solutes, interaction between solutes and liquid and solid boundaries. The model application is illustrated by calculations for Amur Bay. Calculations using the long-term prediction model has not found a stationary state in the pollution level. The velocities of seaward motion of pollution front and the rates of increase in the concentration of a nonreactive solute are given.