Role of satellite remote sensing for monitoring of surface water resources in an arid environment

Abstract

Water bodies up to 0.9 ha surface area, which are indistinguishable by Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS) due to the latter's poor spatial resolution of 80 m, can be identified and mapped reliably and reasonably within ±10% accuracy by Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) false colour composite because of its higher spectral and spatial resolution of 30 m. Comparative study of Landsat TM and the Survey of India topographical maps revealed reductions in the water surface and drainage basin areas up to 1.8 to 2.4 and 6.0 to 8.0 times, respectively, over a period of 28 years (1958–1986) due to the biotic interference resulting in desertification in the large adjoining areas.     

Climatology and trends of summer high temperature days in India during 1969–2013

Journal of Earth System Science - Based on the daily maximum air temperature data from 176 stations in India from 1969 to 2013, the climatological distribution of the number of days with high...     

Characterization of Black Carbon in the Ambient Air of Agra,India:Seasonal Variation and Meteorological Influence

This study characterizes the black carbon in Agra, India home to the Taj Mahal—and situated in the Indo-Gangetic basin.The mean black carbon concentration is 9.5 μg m~(-3)and, owing to excessive biomass/fossil fuel combustion and automobile emissions, the concentration varies considerably. Seasonally, the black carbon mass concentration is highest in winter, probably due to the increased fossil fuel consumption for heating and cooking, apart from a low boundary layer. The nocturnal peak rises prominently in winter, when the use of domestic heating is excessive. Meanwhile, the concentration is lowest during the monsoon season because of the turbulent atmospheric conditions and the process of washout by precipitation. The ratio of black carbon to brown carbon is less than unity during the entire study period, except in winter(December). This may be because that biomass combustion and diesel exhaust are major black carbon contributors in this region, while a higher ratio in winter may be due to the increased consumption of fossil fuel and wood for heating purposes. ANOVA reveals significant monthly variation in the concentration of black carbon; plus, it is negatively correlated with wind speed and temperature. A high black carbon mass concentration is observed at moderate(1–2 m s~(-1)) wind speed, as compared to calm or turbulent atmospheric conditions.     

Study on changes in bed characteristics and friction factor in the presence of wash load in suspension

Results of an experimental study on the effects of different concentrations of wash load on the size of bed features and resistance to flow in a laboratory flume are presented. The experiments were carried out under different hydraulic conditions in a 30 m long, 0.204 m wide and 0.5 m deep tilting flume under clear water condition and in the presence of different concentration of wash load in the flow. The bed material used consisted of uniform sediment of size 0.96 mm. Analysis of the data indicates that the characteristics of the bed features change and friction factor increases in the presence of different concentration of wash load in the flow. The reasons for changes in the characteristics of the bed features and increase in friction factor in the presence of wash load are identified and a relationship for predicting friction factor in the presence of wash load has been established.     

On the Seddon speed formula

Abstract

The Seddon speed formula expressed mathematically as c = dQ/dA (or alternatively, as c = (1 + m)u_o; where Q is the discharge, A is the area of cross-section, c is the wave speed, u_o is the normal flow velocity, and m is a dimensionless parameter) is revisited in the context of elasticity and thermodynamics. Its link with the linearized solution of St Venant's equations for wave celerity, which does not appear to have been reported in the hydrological literature, is established. The rating exponent m is shown to be equivalent to the dimensionless relative celerity and is found to be the ratio of two specific heats, viz. c_p and c_v which are the specific heats at constant pressure and volume, respectively. The use of the parameter m as a complex variable helps describe shallow wave characteristics, the damping capacity of a wave, and the mechanism of occurrence of the hysteretic phenomenon. The damping capacity is found to describe the magnitude of wave subsidence, whereas the hysteresis also describes the speed of subsidence.     

Hydrological simulation of a conservation bench terrace system in a subhumid climate

Abstract

A finite element model to simulate runoff and soil erosion from agricultural lands has been developed. The sequential solutions of the governing differential equations were found: Richards' equation with a sink term for infiltration and soil water dynamics under cropped conditions; St Venant equation with kinematic wave approximation for overland and channel flow; and sediment continuity equation, for soil erosion. The model developed earlier has been improved to simulate erosion/deposition in impoundments and predicted and observed soil loss values were in reasonably good agreement when the model was tested for a conservation bench terrace (CBT) system. The finite element model was extensively applied to study the hydrological behaviour of a CBT system vis-à-vis the conventional system of sloping borders. The model estimates runoff and soil loss reasonably well, under varying conditions of rainfall and at different crop growth stages. The probable reasons for discrepancies between observation and simulation are reported and discussed. Sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the effect of various hydrological, soil and topographical parameters, such as ratio of contributing to receiving areas, weir length, depth of impoundment, slope of contributing area, etc. on the flow behaviour in a CBT system.     

A note on the applicability of log-Gumbel and log-logistic probability distributions in hydrological analyses: II. Assumed pdf

Abstract

Applicability of log-Gumbel (LG) and log-logistic (LL) probability distributions in hydrological studies is critically examined under real conditions, where the assumed distribution differs from the true one. The set of alternative distributions consists of five two-parameter distributions with zero lower bound, including LG and LL as well as lognormal (LN), linear diffusion analogy (LD) and gamma (Ga) distributions. The log-Gumbel distribution is considered as both a false and a true distribution. The model error of upper quantiles and of the first two moments is analytically derived for three estimation methods: the method of moments (MOM), the linear moments method (LMM) and the maximum likelihood method (MLM). These estimation methods are used as methods of approximation of one distribution by another distribution. As recommended in the first of this two-part series of papers, MLM turns out to be the worst method, if the assumed LG or LL distribution is not the true one. It produces a huge bias of upper quantiles, which is at least one order higher than that of the other two methods. However, the reverse case, i.e. acceptance of LN, LD or Ga as a hypothetical distribution, while the LG or LL distribution is the true one, gives the MLM bias of reasonable magnitude in upper quantiles. Therefore, one should avoid choosing the LG and LL distributions in flood frequency analysis, especially if MLM is to be applied.