Precipitation variability assessment of northeast China: Songhua River basin

Variability in precipitation is critical for the management of water resources. In this study, the research entropy base concept was applied to investigate spatial and temporal variability of the precipitation during 1964–2013 in the Songhua River basin of Heilongjiang Province in China. Sample entropy was applied on precipitation data on a monthly, seasonally, annually, decade scale and the number of rainy days for each selected station. Intensity entropy and apportionment entropy were used to calculate the variability over individual year and decade, respectively. Subsequently, Spearman’s Rho and Mann–Kendall tests were applied to observe for trends in the precipitation time series. The statistics of sample disorder index showed that the precipitation during February (mean 1.09, max. 1.26 and min. 0.80), April (mean 1.12, max. 1.29 and min. 0.99) and July (mean 1.10, max. 1.20 and min. 0.98) contributed significantly higher than those of other months. Overall, the contribution of the winter season was considerably high with a standard deviation of 0.10. The precipitation variability on decade basis was observed to increase from decade 1964–1973 and 1994–2003 with a mean value of decadal apportionment disorder index 0.023 and 0.053, respectively. In addition, the Mann–Kendall test value (1.90) showed a significant positive trend only at the Shangzhi station.     

Evaluation of the fishery status for King Soldier Bream Argyrops spinifer in Pakistan using the software CEDA and ASPIC

Catch and effort data were analyzed to estimate the maximum sustainable yield(MSY) of King Soldier Bream, Argyrops spinifer(Forssk?l, 1775, Family: Sparidae), and to evaluate the present status of the fish stocks exploited in Pakistani waters. The catch and effort data for the 25-years period 1985–2009 were analyzed using two computer software packages, CEDA(catch and effort data analysis) and ASPIC(a surplus production model incorporating covariates). The maximum catch of 3 458 t was observed in 1988 and the minimum catch of 1 324 t in 2005, while the average annual catch of A. spinifer over the 25 years was 2 500 t. The surplus production models of Fox, Schaefer, and Pella Tomlinson under three error assumptions of normal, log-normal and gamma are in the CEDA package and the two surplus models of Fox and logistic are in the ASPIC package. In CEDA, the MSY was estimated by applying the initial proportion(IP) of 0.8, because the starting catch was approximately 80% of the maximum catch. Except for gamma, because gamma showed maximization failures, the estimated results of MSY using CEDA with the Fox surplus production model and two error assumptions, were 1 692.08 t(R 2 =0.572) and 1 694.09 t( R 2 =0.606), respectively, and from the Schaefer and the Pella Tomlinson models with two error assumptions were 2 390.95 t( R 2 =0.563), and 2 380.06 t( R 2 =0.605), respectively. The MSY estimated by the Fox model was conservatively compared to the Schaefer and Pella Tomlinson models. The MSY values from Schaefer and Pella Tomlinson models were the same. The computed values of MSY using the ASPIC computer software program with the two surplus production models of Fox and logistic were 1 498 t(R 2 =0.917), and 2 488 t( R 2 =0.897) respectively. The estimated values of MSY using CEDA were about 1 700–2 400 t and the values from ASPIC were 1 500–2 500 t. The estimates output by the CEDA and the ASPIC packages indicate that the stock is overfished, and needs some effective management to reduce the fishing effort of the species in Pakistani waters.     

Petrology and geochemistry of Jura granite and granite gneiss in the Neelum Valley,Lesser Himalayas (Kashmir,Pakistan)

Late Proterozoic rocks of Tanol Formation in the Lesser Himalayas of Neelum Valley area are largely green schist to amphibolite facies rocks intruded by early Cambrian Jura granite gneiss and Jura granite representing Pan-African orogeny event in the area. These rocks are further intruded by pegmatites of acidic composition, aplites, and dolerite dykes. Based on field observations, texture, and petrographic character, three different categories of granite gneiss (i.e., highly porphyritic, coarse-grained two micas granite gneiss, medium-grained two micas granite gneiss, and leucocratic tourmaline-bearing muscovite granite gneiss), and granites (i.e., highly porphyritic coarse-grained two micas granite, medium-grained two micas granite, and leucocratic tourmaline-bearing coarse-grained muscovite granite) were classified. Thin section studies show that granite gneiss and granite are formed due to fractional crystallization, as revealed by zoning in plagioclase. The Al saturation index indicates that granite gneiss and granite are strongly peraluminous and S-type. Geochemical analysis shows that all granite gneisses are magnesian except one which is ferroan whereas all granites are ferroan except one which is magnesian. The CaO/Na₂O ratio (>0.3) indicates that granitic melt of Jura granite gneiss and granite is pelite-psammite derived peraluminous granitic melt formed due to partial melting of Tanol Formation. The rare earth element (REE) patterns of the Jura granite and Jura granite gneiss indicate that granitic magma of Jura granite and Jura granite gneiss is formed due to partial melting of rocks that are similar in composition to that of upper continental crust.     

Occurrence of Nummulitic coralline limestone from offshore Palar Basin,Bay of Bengal,India

Abstract

Palar basin is located between Pennar and Cauvery sedimentary basins of East coast of India in Bay of Bengal, northeast Indian Ocean. Sea floor drill (Wire-line Autonomous Coring System – WACS) with operational capability of up to 3000?m water depth was developed to collect long cores from deep sea floor for geotechnical and ocean resource assessment studies. During the drilling operation it encountered Nummulitic coralline limestone of Lower Eocene age at 18 meters below the seafloor (mbsf) at 850?m water depth indicating carbonated platform presence for the first time at the study region. Bathymetry contour from Naval Hydrography Chart and General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (GEBCO) has revealed the presence of shallow mounds from 50 to 200?m depth closure contour near the sampling site at 850?m water depth which might be a submerged carbonated structure. Since, Nummulites are shallow water dwelling fauna (<20?m depth) but its occurrence at 18 mbsf in 850?m water depth is recorded because of the advancement in technology tool for long core sampling by means of sea floor drill.     

Model simulations to determine optimal fishing effort and season duration for a tropical shrimp fishery

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Kuwait’s shrimp fishery presents typical tropical shrimp fishery characteristics with highly variable recruitment, fast growth and strong seasonal...     

Underwater glider modelling and analysis for net buoyancy, depth and pitch angle control

Underwater glider is an autonomous underwater vehicle that glides by controlling their buoyancy and attitude using internal actuators. By changing the vehicle's buoyancy intermittently, vertical motion can be achieved. Characteristics of glider motion include upward and downward movement in a saw tooth pattern, turning and gliding in a vertical spiral motion and gliding without using thrusters or propellers. This paper presents the modelling and identification on net buoyancy, depth and pitching angle of an underwater glider system. A ballast tank subsystem is considered appropriate for the identification process since it is the main parameter for the motion control. By selecting the ballast rate as the input, three aspects of the dynamics of a glider can be observed: buoyancy, depth of the glider and pitching angle. The MATLAB System Identification Toolbox^TM is used to obtain a mathematical model of the glider ballast-buoyancy, ballast-depth and ballast-pitching angle conditioning system. The best three parametric estimation models are chosen, and the results of the comparison between simulated and estimated outputs are presented. The information obtained from the modelling and identification approaches are used for USM's Underwater Glider Prototype controller design. The information observed during this procedure are utilised for optimisation, stability, reliability and robustness analysis of the underwater glider.     

Climate‐induced Late‐Holocene ecological changes in Pichavaram estuary,India

Variation in sedimentology as well as freshwater and marine palynomorphs has been studied in ecological perspective in two 2.5‐ and 5‐m deep sediment cores deposited since 3440 and 3630 cal BP, respectively in the central part of Pichavaram mangrove wetland, Cauvery River delta. The palynological and sedimentological results of the sediments reveal a monsoonal circulation and a climatic shift from warm and humid with strengthened monsoon (3630–3190 cal BP) to dry and arid (~2750–760 cal BP). Since the last millennium (~760 cal BP), Pichavaram estuary has been influenced by a similar cyclicity but with a less wet and humid climate due to weakened monsoon conditions. These ecological changes in turn affect the relative sea level rise and fall which is reflected by the variability/extinction of freshwater and marine palynomorphs. The estuary remained an active water channel between ~3630 and 2750 cal BP, responding to the strengthened monsoon, during which the freshwater algal remains with thecamoebians and marine dinoflagellate cysts and foraminiferal linings both dominated with a ratio of 1.5 for marine/freshwater forms. After this period, since ~2750 cal BP there has been a dominance of marine forms with a ratio of 4.5 for marine/freshwater forms, indicating fluvio‐marine sediment deposition and suggesting the recent landward intrusion of seawater during weakened monsoon conditions. Freshwater thecamoebians are vulnerable to the salinity >3 in the aqueous soil solution of estuarine sediment, and therefore serve as an excellent proxy for monitoring salinity gradient along with short‐term high resolution palaeoecological fluctuations induced by climate and relative sea‐level changes in an estuarine ecosystem.     

Simulation of vortex-induced vibrations of a cylinder using ANSYS CFX

In this paper, vortex-induced vibrations of a cylinder are simulated by use of ANSYS CFX simulation code. The cylinder is treated as a rigid body and transverse displacements are obtained by use of a one degree of freedom spring damper system. 2-D as well as 3-D analysis is performed using air as the fluid. Reynolds number is varied from 40 to 16000 approx., covering the laminar and turbulent regimes of flow. The experimental results of （Khalak and Williamson, 1997） and other researchers are used for validation purposes. The results obtained are comparable.     

Palaeomagnetism of the basalts of Wadi Abu Tereifiya, Mandisha and dioritic dykes of Wadi Abu Shihat, Egypt

Summary. One hundred and fifty oriented samples were collected from 12 sites from the Tertiary basalts of Wadi Abu Tereifiya (30.0°N, 32.1° E). After alternating field demagnetization the mean direction of the natural remanent magnetization is, D = 187.9°, I = -20.8° with α₉₅= 5.8°. This yields a palaeopole at 69.4°N, 188.3° E.
Also, 30 oriented samples were collected from two sites from Mandisha in Bahariya Oasis (28.4°N, 28.9° E). After cleaning, the mean direction of the NRM is D = 191.0°, I = 5.2° with α₉₅= 9.9°. This yields a palaeopole position at 58.2°N, 186.7° E.
Besides, the NRM of 70 oriented samples collected from seven dioritic dykes from Wadi Abu Shihat (26.3°N, 33.2° E) was found to have a mean direction, D = 142.0°, I = -0.3°, which leads to a palaeopole position at, 44.9°N, 273.0° E. This agrees with other Mesozoic pole positions from Africa.