Analysis and farmers’ perception of climate change in the Kashmir Valley,India

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Analysis of climatic variables is important for the detection and attribution of climate change trends and has received considerable attention from researchers...     

Bias correction method of high-resolution satellite-based precipitation product for Peninsular Malaysia

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - Satellite-based precipitation (SBP) is emerging as a reliable source for high-resolution rainfall estimates over the globe. However, uncertainty in SBP is...     

Probabilistic seismic hazard of Pakistan, Azad-Jammu and Kashmir

The seismic hazard study for Pakistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir has been conducted by using probabilistic approach in terms of peak ground acceleration (PGA) in m/s² and also seismic hazard response spectra for different cities. A new version of Ambraseys et al. (Bull Earthq Eng 3:1–53, 2005) ground acceleration model is used, and parameterization is based on most recent updated earthquake catalogs that consisted of 14,000 events. The threshold magnitude was fixed at M _w 4.8, but seismic zones like northern Pakistan–Tajikistan, Hindukush and northern Afghanistan–Tajikistan border had M _w 5.2. The average normalized ‘a’ and ‘b’ values for all zones are 6.15 and 0.95, respectively. Seismicity of study area was modeled, and ground motion was computed for eight frequencies (0.025, 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 s) for different annual exceedance rates of 0.02, 0.01, 0.005, 0.002 and 0.001 (return periods 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1,000 years) for stiff rocks at the gridding of 0.1° × 0.1°. Seismic hazard maps based on computed PGA for 0.02, 0.01 and 0.002 annual exceedance are prepared. These maps indicate the earthquake hazard of Pakistan and surrounding areas in the form of acceleration contour lines, which are in agreement with geological and seismotectonic characteristics of the study area. The maximum seismic hazard values are found at Muzaffarabad, Gilgit and Quetta areas.     

Experimental Study of Undrained Shear Strength of Silty Sand: Effect of Fines and Gradation

Two strong earthquakes occurred in the region of Chlef (north western part of Algeria) during the last century. From the geological context, there were several great masses of sandy soil ejections on to the ground surface level and severe damages to civil and hydraulic structures. These damages were due to the soil liquefaction phenomenon. The objective of this laboratory investigation is to study the effect of low plastic fines and gradation characteristics on the undrained shear strength (liquefaction resistance) response of sand-silt mixture samples. For this purpose, a series of undrained monotonic triaxial tests were carried out on reconstituted saturated silty sand samples with different fines content ranging from 0 to 50?% at two initial relative densities (D_r?=?20 and 91?%). The initial confining pressure was kept at 100?kPa. The evaluation of the data indicates that the undrained shear strength at the peak (q_peak) can be correlated to the undrained residual strength (S_us), the excess pore pressure (Δu), the fines content (F_c) and the intergranular void ratio (e_s). The test results indicate also that the undrained shear strength at the peak decreases with the increment of the coefficient of uniformity and fines content as well as with the decrement of the mean grain size in the range of 0–50?% fines content for both relative densities (D_r?=?20 and 91?%).     

Determination of the transient water table rise behind constructed underground dams

The predicted relationship between water table rise and time behind a constructed underground dam is established in this paper based on a semi-physically based approach. This approach utilizes values of the most effective actual groundwater aquifer properties. Robustness of this approach was tested by applying it to a number of proposed underground dam sites in two real aquifers, in addition to a number of hypothetical cases. Results were compared with MODFLOW simulation outputs for these cases, and the comparison is found to be very encouraging.     

Removal of Ni(II) Using Cation Exchange Resins in Packed Bed Column: Prediction of Breakthrough Curves

Sorptive removal of Ni(II) from electroplating rinse wastewaters by cation exchange resin Dueolite C 20 was investigated at the temperature of 30°C under dynamic conditions in a packed bed. The effects of sorbent bed length 0.1–0.2 m, fixed flow rate 6 dm³ min^?1, and the initial rinse water concentration (C₀) 53.1 mg L^?1 on the sorption characteristics of Dueolite C 20 were investigated at an influent pH of 6.5. More than 94.5% of Ni(II) was removed in the column experiments. The column performance was improved with increasing bed height and decreasing the flow rate. The Thomas, Yoon–Nelson, Clark, and Wolborska models were applied to the experimental data to represent the breakthrough curves and determine the characteristic design parameters of the column. The sorption performance of the Ni(II) ions through columns could be well described by the Thomas, Yoon–Nelson, and Wolborska models at effluent‐to‐influent concentration ratios (C/C₀) >0.03 and <0.99. Among the all models, the Clark model showed the least average percentage time deviation. The sorptive capacity of electroplating rinse water using Ni(II) was found to be 45.98 mg g^?1.     

Seismic design factors for RC special moment resisting frames in Dubai, UAE

This study investigates the seismic design factors for three reinforced concrete (RC) framed buildings with 4, 16 and 32-stories in Dubai, UAE utilizing nonlinear analysis. The buildings are designed according to the response spectrum procedure defined in the 2009 International Building Code (IBC’09). Two ensembles of ground motion records with 10% and 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years (10/50 and 2/50, respectively) are used. The nonlinear dynamic responses to the earthquake records are computed using IDARC-2D. Key seismic design parameters are evaluated; namely, response modification factor (R), deflection amplification factor (Cd), system overstrength factor (Ωo), and response modification factor for ductility (Rd) in addition to inelastic interstory drift. The evaluated seismic design factors are found to significantly depend on the considered ground motion (10/50 versus 2/50). Consequently, resolution to the controversy of Dubai seismicity is urged. The seismic design factors for the 2/50 records show an increase over their counterparts for the 10/50 records in the range of 200%-400%, except for the Ωo factor, which shows a mere 30% increase. Based on the observed trends, period-dependent R and Cd factors are recommended if consistent collapse probability (or collapse prevention performance) in moment frames with varying heights is to be expected.     

Environmental impact on groundwater of Maheshwaram Watershed,Ranga Reddy district,Andhra Pradesh

Maheshwaram watershed is situated in Ranga Reddy district of at a distance of about 30 km south of Hyderabad. The watershed has an area of 53 km² and has hard rock aquifers with semi-arid climate. The study area has been expanding at a fast pace and now has the distinction of being one of the fastest growing urban centers, facing the problem of groundwater depletion and quality deterioration due to the absence of perennial source of surface water and also due to over exploitation. Human activities involving industrial and agricultural development and the inadequate management of land and water resources have, directly or indirectly resulted in the degradation of environment viz. water and soil.     

Stratigraphy of the Cenomanian–Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event OAE2 in shallow shelf sequences of NE Egypt

Two shallow water late Cenomanian to early Turonian sequences of NE Egypt have been investigated to evaluate the response to OAE2. Age control based on calcareous nannoplankton, planktic foraminifera and ammonite biostratigraphies integrated with δ¹³C stratigraphy is relatively good despite low diversity and sporadic occurrences. Planktic and benthic foraminiferal faunas are characterized by dysoxic, brackish and mesotrophic conditions, as indicated by low species diversity, low oxygen and low salinity tolerant planktic and benthic species, along with oyster-rich limestone layers. In these subtidal to inner neritic environments the OAE2 δ¹³C excursion appears comparable and coeval to that of open marine environments. However, in contrast to open marine environments where anoxic conditions begin after the first δ¹³C peak and end at or near the Cenomanian–Turonian boundary, in shallow coastal environments anoxic conditions do not appear until the early Turonian. This delay in anoxia appears to be related to the sea-level transgression that reached its maximum in the early Turonian, as observed in shallow water sections from Egypt to Morocco.     

Delineating low-arsenic groundwater environments in the Bengal Aquifer System, Bangladesh

Studies within the As-affected Bengal Basin have indicated that low-As groundwater can be found in a variety of geological and geomorphological settings. The hydrogeological environments that host low-As groundwater may be interpreted within a geological framework determined by the Quaternary evolution of the Bengal Aquifer System (BAS). This provides the basis for delineating the position and extent of shallow low-As groundwater, low-As groundwater in oxidised ‘red-bed’ sediments, and deep low-As groundwater. Data available on a national scale allow a preliminary delineation of these low-As groundwater environments across Bangladesh, based on empirical associations of low-As groundwater occurrences with topography, water table elevation, surface sediment lithology, geology and the screen depth of deep wells in low-As zones.