Inter-Comparison of Numerical Model Generated Surface Winds with QuikSCAT Winds over the Indian Ocean

The accurate surface wind in the equatorial Indian Ocean is crucial for modeling ocean circulation over this region. In this study, the surface wind analysis generated at the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) are compared with NASA QuikSCAT satellite derived Level2B (swath level) and Level3 (gridded) surface winds for the year 2005. It is observed that the ECMWF winds exhibit speed bias of 1.5 m/s with respect to QuikSCAT Level3 in the southern equatorial Indian Ocean. The NCEP winds are found to exhibit speed bias (1.0–1.5 m/s) in the southern equatorial Indian Ocean specifically during January–February 2005. The biases are also observed in the analysis when compared with Level2B product as well; however, it is less in comparison to Level3 products. The amplitude of daily variations of both ECMWF and NCEP wind speed in Bay of Bengal and parts of the Arabian Sea is about 80% of that in QuikSCAT, while in the equatorial Indian Ocean it is about 60% of that of QuikSCAT.     

Evolution of the 2015/16 El Nio and historical perspective since 1979

The 2015/16 El Nio developed from weak warm conditions in late 2014 and NINO3.4 reached 3℃ in November 2015. We describe the characteristics of the evolution of the 2015/16 El Nio using various data sets including SST, surface winds,outgoing longwave radiation and subsurface temperature from an ensemble operational ocean reanalyses, and place this event in the context of historical ENSO events since 1979. One salient feature about the 2015/16 El Nio was a large number of westerly wind bursts and downwelling oceanic Kelvin waves(DWKVs). Four DWKVs were observed in April-November 2015 that initiated and enhanced the eastern-central Pacific warming. Eastward zonal current anomalies associated with DWKVs advected the warm pool water eastward in spring/summer. An upwelling Kelvin wave(UWKV) emerged in early November 2015 leading to a rapid decline of the event. Another outstanding feature was that NINO4 reached a historical high(1.7℃), which was 1℃(0.8℃) higher than that of the 1982/83(1997/98) El Nio . Although NINO3 was comparable to that of the 1982/83 and 1997/98 El Nio , NINO1+2 was much weaker. Consistently, enhanced convection was displaced 20 degree westward, and the maximum D20 anomaly was about 1/3.1/2 of that in 1997 and 1982 near the west coast of South America.     

尼泊尔波哈拉谷地若干湖泊的营养状况：过去、现在与将来

Harnessing the natural resources is one of the basis of natural economy in developing countries. The wise use of such resources is very important to sustain the balance between immediate benefits and maintenance of the ecosystem. In Phewa, Begnas and Rupa lakes of Pokhara Valley, plankton feeding fish farming in net cage,enclosure and open water stocking is one of the effective example of natural resources utilisation which sustains a number of households in surrounding lakes for economic activities. These lakes are also used for drinking water, hydroelectricity, irrigation and recreation etc. However, the understanding of trophic status of the lakes is very important for long term sustainable use of the lakes in harmony with human activities. Here, we present the trophic status of three lakes of Pokhara Valley and discuss the impacts of human and natural activities on the trophic status of the lake. The study shows that heavy rain fall in the valley during monsoon is one of the strongest natural forces which flush out the accumulated nutrients from the lakes and migrate the eutrophication processes. Recommendations for sustainable use of lake water have also been discussed.     

Elevation,slope aspect and integrated nutrient management effects on crop productivity and soil quality in North-west Himalayas,India

On farm bio-resource recycling has been given greater emphasis with the introduction of conservation agriculture specifically withclimate change scenarios in the mid-hills of the north-west Himalaya region（NWHR）. Under this changing scenario, elevation, slope aspect and integrated nutrient management（INM） may affect significantly soil quality and crop productivity. A study was conducted during 2009-2010 to 2010-2011 at the Ashti watershed of NWHR in a rainfed condition to examine the influence of elevation, slope aspect and integrated nutrient management（INM） on soil resource and crop productivity. Two years of farm demonstration trials indicated that crop productivity and soil quality is significantly affected by elevation, slope aspect and INM. Results showed that wheat equivalent yield（WEY） of improved technology increased crop productivity by -20%-37% compared to the conventional system. Intercropping of maize with cowpea and soybean enhanced yield by another 8%-17%. North aspect and higher elevation increased crop productivity by 15%-25% compared to south aspect and low elevation（except paddy）. Intercropping of maize with cowpea and soybean enhanced yield by another 8%-15%. Irrespective of slope, elevation and cropping system, the WEY increased by -30% in this region due to INMtechnology. The influence of elevation, slope aspect and INM significantly affected soil resources（SQI） and soil carbon change（SCC）. SCC is significantly correlated with SQI for conventional（R2 = 0.65＊）, INM technology（R2 = 0.81＊） and for both technologies（R2 = 0.73＊）. It is recommended that at higher elevation.（except for paddy soils） with a north facing slope, INM is recommended for higher crop productivity; conservation of soil resources is recommended for the mid hills of NWHR; and single values of SCC are appropriate as a SQI for this region.     

Sustainable Utilisation of Water Resource in Watershed Perspective - A Case Study in Alaunja Watershed, Hazaribagh, Bihar

Alaunja watershed, located on ‘Chotanagpur’ plateau of Bihar, is mainly under single cropping. The area receives more than 1000 mm of rainfall but it has not been utilised properly to increase the agricultural output. The remote sensing, geophysical, DBTM (Digital Basement Terrain Model) and GIS (Geographic information System) techniques were used for providing scientific database for sustainable utilisation of water resources in watershed perspective. The landuse, soil and surface water body maps have been prepared using remotely sensed data. DBTM has been generated based on depth of basement information derived from geophysical data to provide information regarding aquifer geometry, fracture zones and sub-surface basins. Analysis indicated that surface and groundwater resources have potential to irrigate 53 per cent of geographical area of the watershed. But at present, this available potential has been utilised only to irrigate 7.03 per cent area of the watershed. Feasibility for large scale development of groundwater through dugwell is possible only in 2 per cent area of the watershed. The available groundwater potential to irrigate 28 per cent area of watershed can not be utilised through dugwells. The surface water potential is also poorly utilised. The present study also helped in prioritising the water resource development activities.     

On the heat budget of the Arabian Sea

Summary The rate of oceanic heat storage of the upper 200m of the Arabian Sea is explained in terms of net air-sea heat flux (Q _F), heat change due to horizontal divergence and vertical motion (Q _V) and heat change due to lateral advection (Q _A). The analysis revealed that the heat storage of the Arabian Sea is mainly controlled byQ _V while the effect ofQ _A is much larger than expected. Parameterisation of summer cooling revealed that the depletion of energy from the mixed layer is mainly due to upwelling and horizontal advection though large amount of heat is accumulated due to net air-sea heat flux. The annual heat balance of the upper 200m of the Arabian Sea suggested large heat gain by air-sea exchange processes. About two third of this heat gain is compensated by horizontal advection and one third by vertical advection.With 4 Figures     

Assessment of Thermal Maturity,Source Rock Potential and Paleodepositional Environment of the Paleogene Lignites in Barsingsar,Bikaner–Nagaur Basin,Western Rajasthan,India

Natural Resources Research - Investigations on the Paleogene lignites were carried out through geochemical, mineralogical and petrographic analyses to assess their paleodepositional environment,...     

Hidden mass in the solar neighborhood

It is suggested that the minimum mass of a star at the time of its formation is approximately 0.01M . Making use of this fact and the stellar mass functionF(M) M ^–, it is found that the hidden mass (or the missing mass) in the solar neighborhood may be explained by the presence of a large number of invisible stars of very low mass (0.01M M<0.07M ).     

Precipitable water over the tropical Indian Ocean derived from NIMBUS 7 satellite data — A case study

The data from the Scanning Multichannel Microwave Radiometer (SMMR) sensor on board the NIMBUS 7 satellite in the 18 and 21 Ghz channels are used to derive the Precipitable Water (PW) over the tropical Indian Ocean for the period May–September, 1979. The PW values are derived by using both the horizontal and vertical polarization channels. These PW values along with the satellite-derived sea surface temeprature (SST) and the lower tropospheric wind (UW) data reveal the features of the summer monsoon circulation of the tropical Indian Ocean in 1979. Further, the derived PW values from Nimbus 7 SMMR data agree well with features of PW presented by Cadet (1983) inferred from the TIROS—N soundings and FGGE data.