Gutter casts from the Proterozoic Bijaygarh Shale Formation,India: Their implication for storm-induced circulation in shelf settings

The orientations of elongate gutter casts occurring in inner shelf storm deposits of the Proterozoic Bijaygarh Shale Formation, India reveal a modal population oriented roughly parallel to the average trend of the associated wave ripples. Assuming that the wave ripple trend approximately represents the orientation of the contemporary shoreline, the shore-parallel gutters appear to have been formed by the geostrophic current. Some gutters oriented at high angles to the inferred shoreline presumably represent incision by wave orbital currents in a storm-induced combined flow regime. The gutters also show variations in the style of incision and infill, which may be useful in distinguishing between gutters formed by wave orbital and geostrophic currents, independently of their orientation pattern with respect to the palaeo-shoreline.     

Land use/land cover dynamics in Umngot watershed of Meghalaya using geospatial tools

Meghalaya is a landlocked state where the progress of industrialization is very slow. Majority of the population (rural) depends on agriculture. Agriculture in the state is carried on in primitive ways with Jhumming prevailing in many parts. This practice is considered destructive as vast forest areas are cleared and burnt. Such areas are used for cultivation and left out. After a gap of few years (2–3 years as of now and 15–20 years in past) the area is revisited for cultivation without allowing to rejuvenate. The present work provides a status and trend of Land use land cover dynamics in parts (at watershed level) of Meghalaya. The geospatial tools have been used to assess (a) the changes in land use land cover since 1970s to 2005; (b) patch dynamics for understanding the degree of fragmentation; (c) changes along the terrain topography. Umngot watershed of Meghalaya is taken as experimental area, which is a representative of mid-altitudinal watershed particularly in the Jaintia hills district of Meghalaya.     

Feeding of the Norwegian spring spawning herring Clupea harengus (Linne) at the different stages of its life cycle

The aim of the research was to investigate the diet of herring at different stages of its life cycle. For that purpose feeding of 0-group and immature herring in the Barents Sea, as well as of mature fish from the Norwegian Sea, was studied. 0-Group herring was sampled in the Barents Sea in August–September 2002–2005 during the international 0-group and trawl-acoustic survey of pelagic fish, as well as during the trawl-acoustic survey of demersal fish in November–December 2003–2004. Stomach samples of immature herring (1–3 years) were collected in late May and early of June 2001 and 2005 in the south-western part of the Barents Sea during the trawl-acoustic survey for young herring. Stomach samples of mature herring were collected in the Norwegian Sea in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, and 2002 in the course of the international trawl-acoustic survey of pelagic fish. Feeding intensity of herring of all age groups varied considerably between years and this was probably associated with availability and accessibility of their prey. The 0-group herring was found to have the most diverse diet, including 31 different taxa. In August–September, copepods, euphausiids, Cladocera, and larvae Bivalvia were most frequent in the diet of 0-group herring, but euphausiids and Calanus finmarchicus were the main prey taken. In November–December, euphausiids and tunicates were major prey groups. It was found that C. finmarchicus in the diet of 0-group herring was replaced by larval and adult euphausiids with increasing fish length. C. finmarchicus was the principal prey of immature herring and dominated in the diet of both small and large individuals and mainly older copepodites of C. finmarchicus were taken. Larval and adult euphausiids were found in stomachs of immature herring as well, but their share was not large. The importance of different prey for mature herring in the Norwegian Sea varied depending on the feeding area and length of the herring. On the whole C. finmarchicus and 0-group fish were the most important prey for mature herring diet, but fish prey were only important in a small sampling area. Hyperiids, euphausiids, tunicates, and pteropods were less important prey, and in 2002 herring actively consumed herring fry and redfish larvae.     

Determination of the Coronal and Interplanetary Magnetic Field Strength and Radial Profiles from Large-Scale Photospheric Magnetic Fields

We propose a new model for the magnetic field at different distances from the Sun during different phases of the solar cycle. The model depends on the observed large-scale non-polar (\({\pm}\, 55^{\circ }\)) photospheric magnetic field and on the magnetic field measured at polar regions from \(55^{\circ }\) N to \(90^{\circ }\) N and from \(55^{\circ }\) S to \(90^{\circ }\) S, which are the visible manifestations of cyclic changes in the toroidal and poloidal components of the global magnetic field of the Sun. The modeled magnetic field is determined as the superposition of the non-polar and polar photospheric magnetic field and considers cycle variations. The agreement between the model predictions and magnetic fields derived from direct in situ measurements at different distances from the Sun, obtained with different methods and at different solar activity phases, is quite satisfactory. From a comparison of the magnetic fields as observed and calculated from the model at 1 AU, we conclude that the model magnetic field variations adequately explain the main features of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) radial, \(B_{\mathrm{x}}\), component cycle evolution at Earth’s orbit. The modeled magnetic field averaged over a Carrington rotation (CR) correlates with the IMF \(B_{\mathrm{x}}\) component also averaged over a CR at Earth’s orbit with a coefficient of 0.691, while for seven CR-averaged data, the correlation reaches 0.81. The radial profiles of the modeled magnetic field are compared with those of already existing models. In contrast to existing models, ours provides realistic magnetic-field radial distributions over a wide range of heliospheric distances at different cycle phases, taking into account the cycle variations of the solar toroidal and poloidal magnetic fields. The model is a good approximation of the cycle behavior of the magnetic field in the heliosphere. In addition, the decrease in the non-polar and polar photospheric magnetic fields is shown. Furthermore, the magnetic field during solar cycle maxima and minima decreased from Cycle 21 to Cycle 24. This implies that both the toroidal and poloidal components, and therefore the solar global magnetic field, decreased from Cycle 21 to Cycle 24.     

Effect of Stellar Wind and Poynting–Robertson Drag on Photogravitational Elliptic Restricted Three Body Problem

The existence and linear stability of the planar equilibrium points for photogravitational elliptical restricted three body problem is investigated in this paper. Assuming that the primaries, one of which is radiating are rotating in an elliptical orbit around their common center of mass. The effect of the radiation pressure, forces due to stellar wind and Poynting–Robertson drag on the dust particles are considered. The location of the five equilibrium points are found using analytical methods. It is observed that the collinear equilibrium points L₁, L₂ and L₃ do not lie on the line joining the primaries but are shifted along the y-coordinate. The instability of the libration points due to the presence of the drag forces is demonstrated by Lyapunov’s first method of stability.     

Seafloor Geomorphology and Processes on the Western Continental Margin of India based on Multibeam Acoustic Backscatter Data Analysis

An assessment of the multibeam sonar data of the central Western Continental Margins of India has been carried out to evaluate the seafloor geomorphology and processes by examining the geomorphological attributes e.g., slope, sediments, structures, etc. associated with geomorphic features. The variation in relief and the features located in the region have been mapped and interpreted collectively by utilizing several geospatial mapping tools. The backscatter strength across the area, apparently congruent with the local relief, has helped to examine the sediment movement on the seafloor. The prominent features found in the region include faults, pockmarks, mounds, submarine terraces, and submerged fossil reefs. Several areas with varying topography engender comparable fractal dimension at short scale breaks, and the probability density functions (PDFs) utilizing backscatter data depicting overlapping classes. The present study highlights how fractals and scale break parameters can be utilized to determine the seafloor processes and associated sedimentological dynamics in a complex geographical environment with strong bottom currents, seasonal upwelling, and faulted structure. The role and impact of the various geomorphic processes on the reworking of sediment movement and the overall progression of the seafloor morphology has been revealed for the first time in this part of the ocean bottom.     

Pacific coral oxygen isotope and the tropospheric temperature gradient over the Asian monsoon region: a tool to reconstruct past Indian summer monsoon rainfall

Having recognized that it is the tropospheric temperature (TT) gradient rather than the land–ocean surface temperature gradient that drives the Indian monsoon, a new mechanism of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) monsoon teleconnection has been unveiled in which the ENSO influences the Indian monsoon by modifying the TT gradient over the region. Here we show that equatorial Pacific coralline oxygen isotopes reflect TT gradient variability over the Indian monsoon region and are strongly correlated to monsoon precipitation as well as to the length of the rainy season. Using these relationships we have been able to reconstruct past Indian monsoon rainfall variability of the first half of the 20th century in agreement with the instrumental record. Additionally, an older coral oxygen isotope record has been used to reconstruct seasonally resolved summer monsoon rainfall variability of the latter half of the 17th century, indicating that the average annual rainfall during this period was similar to that during the 20th century. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Water waves generated by instantaneous disturbances at the bed of a sloping beach

The two-dimensional problem of the generation of water waves due to instantaneous disturbances prescribed at the bed of a beach sloping at an arbitrary angle is studied here. It is formulated in terms of an initial-boundary-value problem for the velocity potential describing the motion in the fluid region assuming the linear theory. Using the Laplace transform in time and the Mellin transform in distance, the problem is reduced to solving a difference equation whose method of solution is of considerable importance in the literature. The form of the free surface is obtained in terms of a multiple infinite integral that is evaluated by the method of steepest-descent. For some prescribed forms of the disturbance at the bed of the beach, the free surface is depicted in a number of figures for different beach angles. It is observed that as the beach angle decreases, the maximum wave height increases, which is plausible.     

Characterization of seafloor pockmark seepage of hydrocarbons employing fractal: A case study from the western continental margin of India

Here we apply quantitative technique to describe the seafloor seepages based on the multi-beam backscatter and bathymetric investigations to characterize the pockmark morphology. The variable seafloor backscatter strength for coarser seafloor sediments are related to the diagenesis derived from biodegraded seepages. In this regard, box counting method is used to estimate ‘fractal dimension’ for backscatter imagery data of 398 blocks. These blocks are further sub-grouped into six classes depending on the spread of pockmark related seepages. The study area lies 102 km west off Marmagao along the central west coast of India which contains pre-dominantly (70%) gas-charged sediments. Comparison between the estimated self-similar fractals reveals that there is approximately 97% correlation between the box (D_box) and information (D_info) dimensions. Box dimension–derived fractal dimension values, suggest that the seepages are more along the fault trace in deeper waters, in comparison to sparsely distributed shallow water seepages. Besides, this poor seepage is confined within the smooth to moderately rough seafloor. It is established that the high backscatter strength along the upper slope of the pockmark region having higher fractal dimensions reflects multifractal behavior of seepage distribution. Entire area indicates patchy seepage patterns as supported by estimated fractal values showing intermittent fluctuations, which emphasizes non-linear behavior. Estimated self organizing criticality (SOC) parameters for six representative blocks reveal that the nature of pockmark, fault trace, sediment nature coupled with slumping of pockmark’s wall, sediment movement due to bottom currents are controlling the dynamic balance in the area seepage system. Further, our study emphasizing the multifractal behavior of seepage blocks, clearly depicts the drift in the seepage pattern.     

Structural pattern in the Precambrian rocks of Sonua-Lotapahar region,North Singhbhum,eastern India

In the western part of the North Singhbhum fold belt near Lotapahar and Sonua the remobilized basement block of Chakradharpur Gneiss is overlain by a metasedimentary assemblage consisting of quartz arenite, conglomerate, slate-phyllite, greywacke with volcanogenic material, volcaniclastic rocks and chert. The rock assemblage suggests an association of volcanism, turbidite deposition and debris flow in the basin. The grade of metamorphism is very low, the common metamorphic minerals being muscovite, chlorite, biotite and stilpnomelane. Three phases of deformation have affected the rocks. The principal D1 structure is a penetrative planar fabric, parallel to or at low angle to bedding. No D1 major fold is observed and the regional importance of this deformation is uncertain. The D2 deformation has given rise to a number of northerly plunging major folds on E-W axial planes. These have nearly reclined geometry and theL ₂lineation is mostly downdip on theS ₂surface, though some variation in pitch is observed. The morphology of D2 planar fabric varies from slaty cleavage/schistosity to crenulation cleavage and solution cleavage. D3 deformation is weak and has given rise to puckers and broad warps on schistosity and bedding. The D2 major folds south of Lotapahar are second order folds in the core of the Ongarbira syncline whose easterly closure is exposed east of the mapped area. Photogeological study suggests that the easterly and westerly closing folds together form a large synclinal sheath fold. There is a continuity of structures from north to south and no mylonite belt is present, though there is attenuation and disruption along the fold limbs. Therefore, the Singhbhum shear zone cannot be extended westwards in the present area. There is no evidence that in this area a discontinuity surface separates two orogenic belts of Archaean and Proterozoic age.