Provenance and depositional environment of epi-shelf lake sediment from Schirmacher Oasis,East Antarctica,vis-à-vis scanning electron microscopy of quartz grain,size distribution and chemical parameters

The scientific study of quartz grains is a powerful tool in deciphering the depositional environment and mode of transportation of sediments, and ultimately the origin and classification of sediments. Surface microfeatures, angularity, chemical features, and grain-size analysis of quartz grains, collectively reveal the sedimentary and physicochemical processes that acted on the grains during different stages of their geological history. Here, we apply scanning electron microscopic (SEM) analysis to evaluating the sedimentary provenance, modes of transport, weathering characteristics, alteration, and sedimentary environment of selected detrital quartz grains from the peripheral part of two epi-shelf lakes (ESL-1 and ESL-2) of the Schirmacher Oasis of East Antarctica. Our study reveals that different styles of physical weathering, erosive signatures, and chemical precipitation variably affected these quartz grains before final deposition as lake sediments. Statistical analysis (central tendencies, sorting, skewness, and kurtosis) indicates that these quartz-bearing sediments are poorly sorted glaciofluvial sediments. Saltation and suspension seem to have been the two dominant modes of transportation, and chemical analysis of these sediments indicates a gneissic provenance.     

Identification and analysis of groundwater potential zones in Ken–Betwa river linking area using remote sensing and geographic information system

The use of remote sensing data with other ancillary data in a geographic information system (GIS) environment is useful to delineate groundwater potential zonation map of Ken–Betwa river linking area of Bundelkhand. Various themes of information such as geomorphology, land use/land cover, lineament extracted from digital processing of Landsat (ETM+) satellite data of the year 2005 and drainage map were extracted from survey of India topographic sheets, and elevation, slope data were generated from shuttle radar topography mission (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM). These themes were overlaid to generate groundwater potential zonation (GWPZ) map of the area. The final map of the area shows different zones of groundwater prospects, viz., good (5.22% of the area), moderate (65.83% of the area) poor (15.31% of the area) and very poor (13.64% of area).     

Effectiveness and efficiency of climate change mitigation in a technologically uncertain World

Following a multi-scenario framework based on the technology assumptions proposed by the 27th Energy Modeling Forum (EMF-27), our analysis focuses on analyzing the impacts of key technology assumptions on climate policies, including the interdependencies of different technological options. Each scenario may be considered as either a possible state of nature upon which one has no influence, each scenario thus dictating the availability (or non availability) of some subset of the technology groups, or as an opportunity for society, by its own actions and policies, to influence the availability of said technology group. The main insights obtained from the assessment show the prominent role of bioenergy as a means to abate greenhouse gas emissions, irrespective of other technological developments, while the role of the other technologies (wind and solar, carbon capture and sequestration, nuclear) are more dependent of one another. It appears that CCS may play a sort of “backstop” role: it compensates for a lower contribution of solar and wind, or of nuclear. This means that an increased social acceptability of one (or all) of these three sets of technology should be at the heart of future climate policies. The costs caused by the adaptation of electricity networks to accommodate a high fraction of intermittent sources would deserve more attention in future research.     

The development of a physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model using the distribution of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in the tissues of the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica)

A physiologically-based pharmacokinetic model (PBPK) was developed to describe the kinetics of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in the eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica). The estimated t(1/2) of elimination for a bolus dose of TCDD in C. virginica is approximately 14-24 days based on both the experimental data and the PBPK model. The highest dioxin concentration reached during 28-days was in the digestive gland followed by the mantle, gonad, hemolymph, gill, adductor muscle, and the kidney/heart. A binding protein for 2,3,7,8-TCDD had been reported in the literature for both the digestive gland and gonad. Incorporating a binding component in the model resulted in a better fit for the data. The PBPK model predicted the distribution and the elimination concentrations for 2,3,7,8-TCDD within each of the tissue compartments. This model will serve as a useful tool for predicting the kinetics of other persistent organic pollutants as well as, allow for a more refined ecological risk assessment by estimating dioxin concentrations in sensitive tissues such as the gonad.     

Spitze Angle Changes during Rapid Geomagnetic Core Field Variation

Geomagnetism and Aeronomy - The spitze phenomenon is an outstanding feature of electromagnetic wave propagation through the ionosphere. It consists in a ray path cusp that occurs between vertical...     

Study of spectral signatures for exploration of Bauxite ore deposits in Panchpatmali,India

Spectral analysis technique has been utilized to identify the Bauxite mineral occurrences in Panchpatmali, Orissa, India. Spectral processing of Landsat ETM+ data has been carried out by converting the digital data from quantized and calibrated values to reflectance values. Minimum noise fraction transformation is used to determine the inherent dimensionality of reflected Landsat ETM+ data, to segregate noise in the data, and to reduce the computational requirements for subsequent processing and interactively to locate pure pixels within the data-set, projecting n-dimensional scatterplots. Spectral processing results are displayed in the form of images corresponding to each group of pixels (endmembers). Mixed tune matched filtering method has been applied on Landsat ETM+ images which gave three score (abundance) images for three different classes (endmembers) such as Bauxite, vegetation and soil. Further, mineralized zones are identified using image fusion of ERS-2 SAR and Landsat ETM+ data using intensity-hue-saturation technique.     

Geomorphic investigation of the Late-Quaternary landforms in the southern Zanskar Valley,NW Himalaya

The Suru, Doda and Zanskar river valleys in the semi-arid region of Southern Zanskar Ranges (SZR) preserve a rich repository of the glacial and fluvial landforms, alluvial fans, and lacustrine deposits. Based on detailed field observations, geomorphic mapping and limited optical ages, we suggest four glaciations of decreasing magnitude in the SZR. The oldest Southern Zanskar Glaciation Stage (SZS-4) is inferred from glacially polished bedrock and tillite pinnacles. The SZS-4 is ascribed to the Marine Isotopic Stage (MIS)-4/3. The subsequent SZS-3 is represented by obliterated and dissected moraines, and is assigned to MIS-2/Last Glacial Maximum. The multiple recessional moraines of SZS-2 glaciation are assigned the early to mid Holocene age whereas, the youngest SZS-1 moraines were deposited during the Little Ice Age. We suggest that during the SZS-2 glaciation, the Drang-Drung glacier shifted its course from Suru Valley (west) to the Doda Valley (east). The study area has preserved three generations of outwash gravel terraces, which broadly correlate with the phases of deglaciation associated with SZS-3, 2, and 1. The alluvial fan aggradation, lacustrine sedimentation, and loess deposition occurred during the mid-to-late Holocene. We suggest that glaciation was driven by a combination of the mid-latitude westerlies and the Indian Summer Monsoon during periods of cooler temperature, while phases of deglaciation occurred during enhanced temperature.     

Shoreline change analysis and its application to prediction: A remote sensing and statistics based approach

Shoreline change analysis and prediction are important for integrated coastal zone management, and are conventionally performed by field and aerial surveys. This paper discusses an alternative cost-effective methodology involving satellite remote sensing images and statistics. Multi-date satellite images have been used to demarcate shoreline positions, from which shoreline change rates have been estimated using linear regression. Shoreline interpretation error, uncertainty in shoreline change rate, and cross-validation of the calculated past shorelines have been performed using the statistical methods, namely, Regression coefficient (R²) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). This study has been carried out along 113.5 km of coast adjoining Bay of Bengal in eastern India, over the time interval 1973 to 2003. The study area has been subdivided into seven littoral cells, and transects at uniform interval have been chosen within each cell. The past and future shoreline positions have been estimated over two time periods of short and long terms in three modes, viz., transect-wise, littoral cell-wise and regionally.The result shows that 39% of transects have uncertainties in shoreline change rate estimations, which are usually nearer to cell boundaries. On the other hand, 69% of transects exhibit lower RMSE values for the short-term period, indicating better agreement between the estimated and satellite based shoreline positions. It is also found that cells dominated by natural processes have lower RMSE, when considered for long term period, while cells affected by anthropogenic interventions show better agreement for the short-term period. However, on regional considerations, there is not much difference in the RMSE values for the two periods. Geomorphological evidence corroborates the results. The present study demonstrates that combined use of satellite imagery and statistical methods can be a reliable method for shoreline related studies.