A comparative study of conventional, ANN black box, fuzzy and combined neural and fuzzy weighting procedures for landslide susceptibility zonation in Darjeeling Himalayas

Landslides are one of the most destructive phenomena of nature that cause damage to both property and life every year, and therefore, landslide susceptibility zonation (LSZ) is necessary for planning future developmental activities. In this paper, apart from conventional weighting system, objective weight assignment procedures based on techniques such as artificial neural network (ANN), fuzzy set theory and combined neural and fuzzy set theory have been assessed for preparation of LSZ maps in a part of the Darjeeling Himalayas. Relevant thematic layers pertaining to the causative factors have been generated using remote sensing data, field surveys and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools. In conventional weighting system, weights and ratings to the causative factors and their categories are assigned based on the experience and knowledge of experts about the subject and the study area to prepare the LSZ map (designated here as Map I). In the context of objective weight assignments, initially the ANN as the black box approach has been used to directly produce an LSZ map (Map II). In this approach, however, the weights assigned are hidden to the analyst. Next, the fuzzy set theory has then been implemented to determine the membership values for each category of the thematic layer using the cosine amplitude method (similarity method). These memberships are used as ratings for each category of the thematic layer. Assuming weights of each thematic layer as one (or constant), these ratings of the categories are used for the generation of another LSZ map (Map III). Subsequently, a novel weight assignment procedure based on ANN is implemented to assign the weights to each thematic layer objectively. Finally, weights of each thematic layer are combined with fuzzy set derived ratings to produce another LSZ map (Map IV). The maps I–IV have been evaluated statistically based on field data of existing landslides. Amongst all the procedures, the LSZ map based on combined neural and fuzzy weighting (i.e., Map IV) has been found to be significantly better than others, as in this case only 2.3% of the total area is found to be categorized as very high susceptibility zone and contains 30.1% of the existing landslide area.     

Study of P-wave velocities and attenuation coefficients of Gondwana rocks from Chanda-Wardha valley coalfield, Maharashtra, India

This paper describes the findings of the study pertaining to the laboratory measurements of longitudinal wave velocities and attenuation coefficients of various Gondwana rocks of Chikhalgaon, Saoner and Agarjhari areas of Chanda-Wardha valley coalfield. It is found that Barakar sandstones, in general, have higher longitudinal wave velocities than Barakar and Talchir shales and Kamthi sandstones. Of the Barakar sandstones, the fine grained feldspathised variety has the maximum velocity. Attenuation coefficients of coarse-grained rocks are higher than those of fine grained ones. Black carbonaceous shales of Barakar are characterised by moderately high longitudinal wave velocities and attenuation coefficients. Coals are characterized by low longitudinal wave velocities and high attenuation coefficients. Longitudinal wave velocities of the rocks along the bedding plane are always higher than those perpendicular to the bedding plane.     

Stable isotope evidence of dual (Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal) vapour sources in monsoonal precipitation over north India

High resolution time series data of hydrogen (δD) and oxygen (δ¹⁸O) isotope values of precipitation have been generated for the first time at Kolkata, eastern India where the summer monsoon clouds from Bay of Bengal (BOB) commence their journey over India. Use of a Rayleigh cum two component mixing model and comparison of Kolkata data with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)–Global Network of Isotopes in Precipitation (GNIP) data base of New Delhi suggest that the precipitation at New Delhi cannot be explained by simple continental effect of a BOB vapour source alone, traveling and raining successively along Kolkata–New Delhi route. It is necessary to invoke an admixture of  20% vapour originating from the Arabian sea with the vapour coming from BOB and finally causing summer monsoon rains at New Delhi. The findings have major implications to the regional water vapour budget over India.     

Geo-environmental quality assessment in Jharia coalfield,India, using multivariate statistics and geographic information system

A study on geo-environmental quality assessment in Jharia coalfield, India, has been attempted using multivariate statistical analysis and geographic information system (GIS) modelling techniques. Water quality index, calculated for each sample network station in the study area to assess the suitability of water for human consumption, revealed very poor to poor quality surface water and mine water. Air quality indexing indicated that there is no sample station with clean air as per the Indian standards, which indicate the hazardous air quality. Multi-criteria evaluation (MCE), a potential GIS tool, has been applied to the delineation of various degrees of stressed villages in terms of quality of life (QoL). The role of various geo-environmental parameters such as quality of groundwater, surface water, mine water and air together with village population densities has been emphasized for delineation of the environmentally stressed villages in Jharia coalfield. The integrated cluster analysis and MCE approach provide an improved means to geo-environmental quality assessment in Jharia coalfield in terms of QoL. The assessment study is aimed to be used for future coal mining, ensuring ecologically sustainable industrial development, particularly in a coalfield.     

Removal of organic matter from reservoir water: mechanisms underpinning surface chemistry of natural adsorbents

One of the key challenges in water treatment industry is the removal of organic compounds by cost-effective methods. This study evaluated the adsorptive removal of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from reservoir water using fuller’s earth (FE) in comparison with natural (SQ) and modified quartz (MSQ) sands. The removal capacities of FE at different contact times, pH levels, adsorbent dosages and initial DOC concentrations were compared with both the quartz sands. The optimum DOC removals by FE and SQs were achieved at contact time of 60 and 30 min, pH level of 6 and 4, and at adsorbent dose of 1.5 g/150 mL and 10 g/100 mL, respectively. The adsorption capacity of FE (1.05 mg/g) was much higher compared to the MSQ (0.04 mg/g) and SQ (0.01 mg/g). Adsorption equilibrium data better fitted to the Freundlich model than to the Langmuir model, suggesting that adsorption occurred primarily through multilayer formation onto the surfaces of FE and SQ. The pseudo-second-order model described the uptake kinetics more effectively than the pseudo-first-order and intra-particle diffusion models, indicating that the mechanism was primarily governed by chemisorption. These observations were well supported by the physiochemical characteristics and charge behaviour of the adsorbents. In mass-transfer study, the results of liquid film diffusion model showed that the adsorption of DOC on FE was not controlled by film diffusion, but other mechanisms also played an essential role. This study demonstrates that FE is an effective adsorbent for the removal of DOC in surface water treatment.     

Nutrient modeling of an urban lake using best subset method

Lakes are functionally integral and biologically complex freshwater ecosystems which provide a vast array of ecosystem goods and services to society. Nowadays aquatic ecosystems are being used, misused and abused by diverse anthropogenic activities at an unprecedented rate. The management of lake water quality is usually directed to resolution of conflicts between maintenance of desirable water quality and human-induced degradation of aquatic environment. Nutrients play a decisive role in determining lake’s environmental state through regulation of its primary production. The present study on Saheb Bundh Lake located in Purulia District, West Bengal, India, was undertaken to assess the status of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) subject to certain anthropogenic activities, and to construct models using best subset method which could be adopted as a nutrient management tool. The water samples were monitored for different physicochemical parameters adopting standard methods. It was found that the set of variables including turbidity, temperature, pH, redox potential and total hardness has been championed as the best subset of water quality explaining the dynamics of total phosphorus concentration of freshwater Saheb Bundh Lake. The suite of factors comprising dissolved oxygen, pH, temperature, turbidity and total hardness has been proved as the best subset for estimating total nitrogen concentration. The models developed have been validated for total phosphorus and total nitrogen concentration. For total phosphorus, the model values were found to be very close to the measured values but the values varied widely for total nitrogen, championing the former as a very potent down-to-earth model.     

Quantifying Four Decades of Changes in Land Use and Land Cover in India’s Kailash Sacred Landscape: Suggested Option for Priority Based Patch Level Future Forest Conservation

Effective quantification of land cover changes remains a challenge in Himalayan hills and mountains, and has a colossal value addition for natural resource management. Here we present a new robust method for classifying land cover vegetation at physiognomic scale along steep elevational gradients from ~?200 to ~?7000 masl in the Kailash Sacred Landscape, Western Himalaya, India along with four decades of land use and land cover changes (1976–2011) using remote sensing techniques coupled with intensive ground surveys. Results show that forest cover loss was minimum ca 7.14% of existing forest in 1976; but, however forest fragmentation is high especially in montane broad-leaved and subtropical needle leaved forests. This change largely impacted the quality of valuable tree species such as Quercus spp. Post 1976, continuous migration forced conversion of high altitude agricultural lands into grasslands and scrublands. Human settlement expansion was high especially in low altitudinal range valleys between 1000 and 2000 masl and has increased 6.76 fold since 1976, leading to high forest fragmentation in spite of reduced agriculture area in the landscape. Our physiognomic level classified land cover map will be a key for forest managers to prioritize conservation zones for protecting this unique forest land.     

Influence of plastic fines content on the liquefaction susceptibility of sands: cyclic loading

Acta Geotechnica - The paper presents an experimental study on the effect of plastic fines content on the undrained behavior and liquefaction susceptibility of sand-fines mixtures under cyclic...     

Delineation of an exhumed intermediate-depth crustal fault in a collisional setting: An example from the Himalaya

The regionally prominent main boundary thrust (MBT) of the Himalayan fold-thrust belt in northwest India is typically defined by the presence of Proterozoic rocks in the hanging wall and Cenozoic rocks in the footwall. The present study focuses on identifying the MBT contact across Gambar River section in Himachal Pradesh, India, using alternative methodologies, such as the meter-scale litho-structural mapping, followed by detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology to precisely identify the thrust contact and provide insights on the deformation history of the MBT zone. We have identified a sharp change in the age (from ~600 to ~61 Ma) of the sedimentary units along a narrow zone in the study area by detrital zircon U–Pb geochronology using LA-ICP-MS. The sharp change in the detrital zircon U–Pb age data thus delineate the MBT occurring in the area along a < ~1 m thickness. The lithological assemblage and the age data indicate the unified maximum depositional age from ~700 to ~600 Ma for the hanging wall rocks, which have been equated with the Krol Group of the Lesser Himalayan Sequence (LHS). In comparison, the footwall rocks exhibit the maximum depositional age of ~61 Ma and have been equated with the Cenozoic Subathu Formation of the Sub-Himalayan Sequence (SHS).