Block removal and step backwearing as erosion processes on rock shore platforms: a preliminary case study of the chalk shore platforms of south‐east England

Shore platforms frequently exhibit steps or risers facing seaward, landwards or obliquely across‐shore. A combination of soft copy photogrammetry, ortho‐rectification, geo referencing and field measurement of step height are linked in a GIS environment to measure step retreat on chalk shore platforms at sample sites in the south of England over two periods, 1973–2001, 2001–2007. The methods used allow for the identification, delineation and measurement of historic change at high spatial resolution. The results suggest that while erosion of chalk shore platforms by step backwearing is highly variable, it appears to be of similar magnitude to surface downwearing of the same platforms measured by micro‐erosion meters (MEMs) and laser scanning, in a range equivalent to 0·0006 – 0·0050 m y^?1 of surface downwearing. This equates to annual chalk volume loss from the platforms, by the two erosion processes combined, of between 0·0012 m³ m^?2 and 0·0100 m³ m^?2. Results from the more recent years' data suggests that step retreat has variability in both space and time which does not relate solely to climatic variability. The results must be viewed with caution until much larger numbers of measurements have been made of both downwearing and step erosion at higher spatial and temporal resolution. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of remote sensing technology for Impact Assessment of Watershed Development Programme

The current study was taken up to investigate the utility of remote sensing and GIS tools for evaluation of Integrated Wasteland Development Programme (IWDP) implemented during 1997–2001 in Katangidda Nala watershed, Chincholi taluk, Gulbarga district, Karnataka. The study was carried out using IRS 1C, LISS III data of December 11, 1997 (pre-treatment) and November 15, 2002 (post-treatment) covering the watershed to assess the changes in land use / land cover and biomass that have changed over a period of five years (1997–2002). The images were classified into different land use/land cover categories using supervised classification by maximum likelihood algorithm. They were also classified into different biomass levels using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) approach. The results indicated that the area under agriculture crops and forest land were increased by 671 ha (5.7%) and 1,414 ha (11.94%) respectively. This is due to the fact that parts of wastelands and fallow lands were brought into cultivation. This increase in the area may be attributed to better utilization of surface and ground waters, adoption of soil and water conservation practices and changes in cropping pattern. The area under waste lands and fallow lands decreased by 1,667 ha (14.07%) and 467 ha (3.94%), respectively. The vegetation vigour of the area was classified into three classes using NDVI. Substantial increase in the area under high and low biomass levels was observed (502 ha and 19 ha respectively). The benefit-cost analysis indicates that the use of remote sensing and GIS was 2.2 times cheaper than the conventional methods. Thus, the repetitive coverage of the satellite data provides an excellent opportunity to monitor the land resources and evaluate the land cover changes through comparison of images for the watershed at different periods.     

Dark energy cosmological models with cosmic string

In this paper we have studied the anisotropic Kantowski-Sachs, locally rotationally symmetric (LRS) Bianchi type-I and LRS Bianchi type-III geometries filled with dark energy and one dimensional cosmic string in the Saez-Ballester theory of gravitation. To get physically valid solution we take hybrid expansion law of the average scale factor which is a product of power and exponential type of functions that results in time dependent deceleration parameter (\(q\)). The equation of state parameter of dark energy (\(\omega _{\mathit{de}}\)) has been discussed and we have observed that for the three models it crosses the phantom divide line (\(\omega _{\mathit{de}} = -1\)) and shows quintom like behavior. The density of dark energy (\(\rho _{\mathit{de}}\)) is an increasing function of redshift and remains positive throughout the evolution of the universe for the three models. Moreover in Kantowski-Sachs and LRS Bianchi type-I geometries the dark energy density dominates the string tension density (\(\lambda \)) and proper density (\(\rho \)) throughout the evolution of the universe. The physical and geometrical aspects of the statefinder parameters (\(r,s\)), squared speed of sound (\(v_{s}^{2} \)) and \(\omega _{\mathit{de}}\)–\(\omega ^{\prime }_{\mathit{de}}\) plane are also discussed.     

Discrete emissions and whistler precursors recorded at low latitude ground station Gulmarg

Discrete chorus-type emission and whistler precursors recorded in March 1972 during day time hours at our ground based station Gulmarg are presented. It is shown that discrete chorus type emissions are generated in the equatorial region (L 1.2) during cyclotron resonance interaction between the propagating whistler wave and the gyrating electrons. The whistler precursors are explained in terms of the mechanism suggested by Dowden (1972).     

Proton acceleration in flares and magnetohydrodynamic solar activity

The possibility of accelerated protons in solar flares having a sharp change in their spectral index is discussed. The analysis is based on the Tsytovich (1982, 1984, 1987a, b, c) acceleration model by MHD turbulence, which is shown to have different resonant conditions for non-relativistic and relativistic particles. The different resonant condition is shown to result in a sharp change in the accelerated proton spectral index, even in the absence of any peculiarity in the spectra of the MHD turbulence. Time scales for accelerated protons to relativistic energies are also derived, and shown to be consistent with observations. We also show that the threshold energy for electron acceleration by low frequency MHD turbulence is much greater than for proton acceleration. The turbulence therefore preferentially accelerates protons.     

A critical evaluation of oxidation versus reduction during metamorphism of L and LL group chondrites,and implications for asteroid spectroscopy

Abstract— Modal mineralogies of individual, equilibrated (petrologic type 4–6 L and LL chondrites have been measured using an electron microprobe mapping technique, and the chemical compositions of coexisting silicate minerals have been analyzed. Progressive changes in the relative abundances and in the molar Fe/Mn and Fe/Mg ratios of olivine, low‐Ca pyroxene, and diopside occur with increasing metamorphic grade. Variations in olivine/low‐Ca pyroxene ratios (Ol/Px) and in metal abundances and compositions with petrologic type support the hypothesis that oxidation of metallic iron accompanied thermal metamorphism in ordinary chondrites. Modal Ol/Px ratios are systematically lower than normative Ol/Px ratios for the same meteorites, suggesting that the commonly used C.I.P.W. norm calculation procedure may not adequately estimate silicate mineral abundances in reduced chondrites. Ol/Px ratios calculated from visible and near‐infrared (VISNIR) reflectance spectra of the same meteorites are not in agreement with other Ol/Px determinations, possibly because of spectral complexities arising from other minerals in chondrites. Characteristic features in VISNIR spectra are sensitive to the proportions and compositions of olivine and pyroxenes, the minerals most affected by oxidative metamorphism. This work may allow spectral calibration for the determination of mineralogy and petrologic type, and thus may be useful for spectroscopic studies of asteroids.     

Production of krypton and xenon isotopes in thick stony and iron targets isotropically irradiated with 1600 MeV protons

Abstract— Two spherical targets made of gabbro with a radius of 25 cm and of steel with a radius of 10 cm were irradiated isotropically with 1600 MeV protons at the SATURNE synchrotron at Laboratoire National Saturne (LNS)/CEN Saclay, in order to simulate the production of nuclides in meteorites induced by galactic cosmic‐ray protons in space. These experiments supply depth‐dependent production rate data for a wide range of radioactive and stable isotopes in up to 28 target elements. In this paper, we report results for ⁷⁸Kr, ^80–86Kr isotopes in Rb, Sr, Y and Zr and for ¹²⁴Xe, ¹²⁶Xe, ^128–132Xe, ¹³⁴Xe, ¹³⁶Xe isotopes in Ba and La. Krypton and xenon concentrations have been measured at different depths in the spheres by using conventional mass spectrometry. Based on Monte‐Carlo techniques, theoretical production rates are calculated by folding depth‐dependent spectra of primary and secondary protons and secondary neutrons with the excitation functions of the relevant nuclear reactions. The comparison of the model calculation results with experimental data in the thick target experiments performed at LNS and previously at CERN have allowed adjustments of the poorly known excitation functions of neutron‐induced reactions. Thus, for the two experiments at SATURNE, excellent agreement is obtained between experimental and calculated production rates for most Kr and Xe isotopes in all investigated target elements. Only Xe production in Ba in the gabbro is underestimated by the calculations by ?25%. This work validates the approach of the thin‐target model calculations of cosmogenic nuclide production rates in the attempt of modeling the interaction of galactic cosmic‐ray protons with stony and iron meteorites in space as well as with lunar samples.