Spatial and temporal variability in maximum,minimum and mean air temperatures at Madhya Pradesh in central India

In the present study, an investigation has been made to study the spatial and temporal variability in the maximum, the minimum and the mean air temperatures at Madhya Pradesh (MP), in central India on monthly, annual and seasonal time scale from 1901 to 2002. Further, impact of urbanization and cloud cover on air temperature has been studied. The annual mean, maximum and minimum temperatures are increased by 0.60, 0.60 and 0.62 °C over the past 102 years, respectively. Seasonally, the warming is more pronounced during winter than summer. The temperature decreased during the less urbanized period (from 1901 to 1951) and increased during the more urbanized period (1961 to 2001). It is also found that the minimum temperature increased at higher rate (0.42 °C) followed by the mean (0.36 °C) and the maximum (0.32 °C) temperature during the more urbanized period. Furthermore, cloud cover is significantly negatively related with air temperature in monsoon season and as a whole of the year.     

The stellar content of the young open cluster Trumpler 37

With an apparent cluster diameter of 1.5° and an age of 4 Myr, Trumpler 37 is an ideal target for photometric monitoring of young stars as well as for the search of planetary transits, eclipsing binaries and other sources of variability. The YETI consortium has monitored Trumpler 37 throughout 2010 and 2011 to obtain a comprehensive view of variable phenomena in this region. In this first paper we present the cluster properties and membership determination as derived from an extensive investigation of the literature. We also compared the coordinate list to some YETI images. For 1872 stars we found literature data. Among them 774 have high probability of being member and 125 a medium probability. Based on infrared data we re‐calculate a cluster extinction of 0.9–1.2 mag. We can confirm the age and distance to be 3–5 Myr and870 pc. Stellar masses are determined from theoretical models and the mass function is fitted with a power‐law index of α = 1.90 (0.1–0.4 M_⊙) and α = 1.12 (1–10 M_⊙). (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Analysing topographical changes in open cast coal-mining region of Patratu,Jharkhand using CARTOSAT-I Stereopair satellite images

This study provides an assessment of changes in the terrain topography due to opencast coal mining in the Patratu region of Jharkhand state during the period of 1962–2007. It demonstrated the potential of digital elevation model (DEM) differencing technique using Cartosat-I satellite (2007) derived DEM with reference to DEM derived from contours obtained from Survey of India topographical map (1962). The topographical changes through DEM differencing revealed positive relief changes (up to 49 m) due to coal-mining overburden dumps. The dumping of overburden near the banks of perennial Damodar River also caused positive topographic changes (up to 20 m) indicating adverse effects on its hydrological regime. Negative relief changes are represents by deep depressions (up to 66 m) created within coal mines due to the extraction of coal. These depression areas within the abundant mines generally become the zones of water accumulation causing wastage of surface and ground water resources.     

A Study of Early/Slow VLF Perturbations Observed at Agra,India

We present here the results of sub-ionospheric VLF perturbations observed on NWC (19.8 kHz) transmitter signal propagating in the Earth-ionosphere waveguide, monitored at our low latitude station Agra. During the period of observation (June-December 2011), we found 89 cases of VLF perturbation, while only 73 cases showing early character associated with strong lightning discharges. Out of 73 events, 64 (~84%) of the early VLF perturbations are found to be early/slow in nature; the remaining 9 events are early/fast. The onset duration of these early/slow VLF perturbations is up to ~ 5 s. A total of 54 observed early events show amplitude change lying between ± 3.0 dB, and phase change ± 12 degree, respectively, and found to occur mainly during nighttime. One of the interesting results we found is that the events with larger recovery time lie far away from the VLF propagation path, while events with smaller duration of recovery are within the ± 50–100 km of signal path. The World Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) data is analysed to find the location of causative lightning and temporal variation. The lightning discharge and associated processes that lead to early VLF events are discussed.     

Optical polarimetric study of open clusters: distribution of interstellar matter towards NGC 654

We present new B ,  V and R linear polarimetric observations for 61 stars towards the region of the young open cluster NGC 654. In this study we found evidence for the presence of at least two layers of dust along the line of sight to the cluster. The distances to the two dust layers are estimated to be ∼200 pc and ∼1 kpc which are located much closer to the Sun than the cluster (∼2.4 kpc). Both the dust layers have their local magnetic field orientation nearly parallel to the direction of the Galactic plane. The foreground dust layer is found to have a ring morphology with the central hole coinciding with the centre of the cluster. The foreground dust grains are suggested to be mainly responsible for both the observed differential reddening and the polarization towards the cluster.     

A Comparison of Sea Surface Fluxes over Southern Indian Ocean Cruise Expedition Observation and NCEP Reanalysis

Surface layer atmospheric and ocean observations have been collected along the cruise track from a special scientific expedition to Antarctica. Bulk estimates of surface momentum flux, sensible heat flux and latent heat flux have been computed applying bulk algorithms from the data collected along cruise track during the time period January 27 to March 31, 2006, and compared the results with National Centre for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis. Underestimation of surface momentum flux in roaring forties (40°S–50°S) area of Indian Ocean is seen from NCEP reanalysis. Systemic differences in sensible and latent heat fluxes between observed and NCEP reanalysis have been found. Along the cruise track, the average sensible (latent) heat flux was 9.45 Wm^?2 (67.46 Wm^?2) and 3.75 Wm^?2 (64.45 Wm^?2) from the direct measurement and NCEP reanalysis, respectively. The NCEP reanalysis is being widely used in numerical modeling studies, and the discrepancies shown in the NCEP reanalysis in present study will be of immense use to the modeling community of the Indian Ocean in general and Southern Indian Ocean in particular.     

Interbasinal marker intervals—A case study from the Jurassic basins of Kachchh and Jaisalmer,western India

The Kachchh Basin and the Jaisalmer Basin are two neighboring Mesozoic sedimentary basins at the western margin of the Indian craton. The Jurassic succession of the Kachchh Basin is more complete and more fossiliferous than that of the Jaisalmer Basin. Consequently, intrabasinal correlation of the sedimentary units has been possible in the Kachchh Basin, but not in the Jaisalmer Basin. However, some marker beds existing in the Kachchh Basin can be recognized also in the Jaisalmer Basin. Ammonite evidence shows that they are time-equivalent. The following four units form marker intervals in both basins: (1) the pebbly rudstone unit with Isastrea bernardiana and Leptosphinctes of the Kaladongar Formation (Kachchh Basin) and the Isastrea bernardiana-bearing rudstone of the Jaisalmer Formation (Jaisalmer Basin) both represent transgressive systems tract deposits dated as Late Bajocian; (2) bioturbated micrites with anomalodesmatan bivalves within the Goradongar Yellow Flagstone Member (Kachchh Basin) and bioturbated units in the Fort Member (Jaisalmer Basin) represent maximum flooding zone deposits of the Middle to Late Bathonian; (3) trough-crossbedded, sandy pack- to grainstones of the Raimalro Limestone Member (Kachchh Basin) and the basal limestone-sandstone unit of the Kuldhar section of the Jaisalmer Formation (Jaisalmer Basin) correspond to Late Bathonain transgressive systems tract deposits; and (4) ferruginous ooid-bearing carbonates with hardgrounds of the Dhosa Oolite member (Kachchh Basin) and the middle part of the Jajiya Member (Jaisalmer Basin) are Oxfordian transgressive systems tract deposits. The fact that in both basins similar biofacies prevailed during certain time intervals demonstrates a common control of their depositional history. As the two basins represent different tectonic settings, the most likely controlling factors were the relative sea-level changes produced by eustatic processes, a common subsidence history of the northwestern margin of the Indian craton, and the paleoclimate.     

Area Change and Thickness Variation over Pensilungpa Glacier (J&;K) using Remote Sensing

Accurate representations of the Earth’s surface in the form of digital elevation models (DEMs) are essential for a variety of applications in glaciological and remote-sensing research. In the present study area change and thickness variation over Pensilungpa glacier was attempted using remote sensing approach. It can be remarked that a net loss of 9.23 sq. km. which is 38% of the glacier area mapped in 1962 indicate a drastic change over the glacier area during 1962–2007. Estimation of glacier thickness change on Pensilungpa glacier based on ASTER DEM (2003) and Survey of India (SOI) contour based DEM (1962) indicated increase in the glacier elevation in the accumulation zone mainly by 30 to 90 m and similar reduction by 30 to 90 m in the ablation zone.