Estimation of infiltration rate,run-off and sediment yield under simulated rainfall experiments in upper Pravara Basin,India: Effect of slope angle and grass-cover

The main objective of this study is to measure the effect of slope and grass-cover on infiltration rate, run-off and sediment yield under simulated rainfall conditions in a badland area located in the upper Pravara Basin in western India. An automatic rainfall simulator was designed following Dunne et al (1980) and considering the local conditions. Experiments were conducted on six selected experimental fields of 2 × 2m within the catchment with distinct variations in surface characteristics — grass-covered area with gentle slope, recently ploughed gently sloping area, area covered by crop residue (moderate slope), bare badland with steep slope, gravelly surface with near flat slope and steep slope with grass-cover. The results indicate subtle to noteworthy variations amongst the plots depending on their slope angle and surface characteristics. An important finding that emerges from the study is that the grass-cover is the most effective measure in inducing infiltration and in turn minimizing run-off and sediment yield. Sediment yields are lowest in gently sloping grass-covered surfaces and highest in bare badland surfaces with steep slopes. These findings have enormous implication for this area, because over 2/3 area is characterized by bare and steep slopes.     

An evaluation of the CIC model of210Pb dating of sediments

Both linear and polynomial regression analysis techniques are used to assess the CIC (constant initial concentration) model of²¹⁰Pb dating. Results obtained using published²¹⁰Pb and porosity profiles in 12 freshwater sediment cores show that linear regression affords more reliable results. The polynomial regression, while capable of predicting the values of the constant or derived from porosity data, gives reasonable results only when all the coefficients of the polynomial are of appropriate sign. Lower values for all the parameters are obtained in all cases if the effect of compaction is not considered.     

Artificial neural network approach for estimation of surface specific humidity and air temperature using multifrequency scanning microwave radiometer

Microwave sensor MSMR (Multifrequency Scanning Microwave Radiometer) data onboard Oceansat-1 was used for retrieval of monthly averages of near surface specific humidity (Q _a) and air temperature (T _a) by means of Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The MSMR measures the microwave radiances in 8 channels at frequencies of 6.6, 10.7, 18 and 21 GHz for both vertical and horizontal polarizations. The artificial neural networks (ANN) technique is employed to find the transfer function relating the input MSMR observed brightness temperatures and output (Q _a andT _a) parameters. Input data consist of nearly 28 months (June 1999 – September 2001) of monthly averages of MSMR observed brightness temperature and surface marine observations ofQ _a andT _a from Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (COADS). The performance of the algorithm is assessed with independent surface marine observations. The results indicate that the combination of MSMR observed brightness temperatures as input parameters provides reasonable estimates of monthly averaged surface parameters. The global root mean square (rms) differences are 1.0‡C and 1.1 g kg⁻¹ for air temperature and surface specific humidity respectively.     

Inversion of seismic intensity data for the determination of three-dimensional attenuation structures in the central gap region of Himalayas

The central gap region of Himalaya, which lies in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, is exposed to great seismic hazard. A three-dimensional attenuation structure (Q) of this region is obtained using the intensity data of four earthquakes (M 4.3–7.0) in the central Himalayan gap region and the damped least square inversion scheme. The technique is based on that given by Hashida and Shimazaki (J Phys Earth 32:299–316, 1984). The obtained Q structure explains the spatial distribution of isoseismals of the stronger earthquakes, which occurred in the recent past. The study area covers the Tehri town, which is the locale of one of the biggest earth fill dams of height 260 m. The spatial distribution of Q suggests that the Tehri town area is surrounded by lower Q medium, and hence any large earthquake in Tehri will pose great seismic hazard.     

Population of excited rotational levels of HD and CO in interstellar clouds

Populations of the rotational levels of vibrational and electronic ground state of interstellar HD and CO have been calculated. Ultraviolet pumping and molecular formation have been found to be very important in the case of HD but not so in CO, the population distribution of which is mainly governed either by 3 K or by collisional excitation. The population inversion has been found to occur in HD but not in CO, the excitation temperatures of which pass through maximum for large ultraviolet flux. The population inversion at large density does not occur in HD, probably due to neglect of multipole collision. The observation of HD and CO in the excited states may be possible for suitable values of density and ultraviolet flux.On leave from Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Bombay, India.     

Intermediate-Term Periodicities in Soft X-ray Flare Index During Solar Cycles 21, 22 and 23

We have analyzed the intermediate-term periodicities in soft X-ray flare index (FI_SXR) during solar cycles 21, 22 and 23. Power-spectral analysis of daily FI_SXR reveals a significant period of 161 days in cycle 21 which is absent during cycles 22 and 23. We have found that in cycle 22 periodicities of 74 and 83 days are in operation. A 123-day periodicity has been found to be statistically significant during part of the current solar cycle 23. The existence of these periodicities has been discussed in the light of earlier results.     

Analysis of the 9th November 1990 flare

In this paper we present complete two-dimensional measurements of the observed brightness of the 9th November 1990Hα flare, using a PDS microdensitometer scanner and image processing software MIDAS. The resulting isophotal contour maps, were used to describe morphological-cum-temporal behaviour of the flare and also the kernels of the flare. Correlation of theHα flare with SXR and MW radiations were also studied.     

Study of annual mass balance(2011–2013) of Rikha Samba Glacier,Hidden Valley,Mustang, Nepal

Although Himalayan glaciers are of particular interest in terms of future water supplies, regional climate changes, and sea-level rises, little is known about them due to lack of reliable and consistent data. There is a need for monitoring these glaciers to bridge this knowledge gap and to provide field measurements necessary to calibrate and validate the results from different remote sensing operations. Therefore, glaciological observations have been carried out by the Cryosphere Monitoring Project(CMP) since September 2011 on Rikha Samba Glacier in Hidden valley, Mustang district in western Nepal in order to study its annual mass balance. This paper presents the first results of that study. There are 10 glaciers in Hidden Valley, named G1, G2, G3, up to G10. Of these, G5 is the Rikha Samba Glacier, which has the largest area(5.37 km2) in this valley and the highest and lowest altitudes(6,476 and 5,392 m a.s.l., respectively). The glacier mass balance discussed in this paper was calculated using the glaciological method and the equilibrium line altitude(ELA). The glacier showed a negative annual point mass balance along the longitudinal profile of its lower part from September 10, 2011 to October 3, 2012. Stake measurements from October 4, 2012 to September 30, 2013 indicated a negative areal average of annual mass balance-0.088±0.019 m w.e. for the whole glacier. Based on these observations, the ELA of the Rikha Samba Glacier is estimated at 5,800 m a.s.l. in 2013. This negative balance may be due to rising air temperatures in the region, which have been incrementally rising since 1980 accompanied by little or no significant increase in precipitation in that period. The negative mass balance confirms the general shrinking trend of the glacier.     

Slippage of Jets Explained by the Magnetic Topology of NOAA Active Region 12035

We present the investigation of 11 recurring solar jets that originated from two different sites (site 1 and site 2) close to each other (\({\approx}\,11~\text{Mm}\)) in NOAA active region (AR) 12035 during 15?–?16 April 2014. The jets were observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) telescope on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) satellite. Two jets were observed by the telescope of the Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES), Nainital, India, in H\(\upalpha\). On 15 April, flux emergence is strong in site 1, while on 16 April, flux emergence and cancellation mechanisms are involved in both sites. The jets of both sites have parallel trajectories and move to the south with a speed between 100 and 360 km?s^?1. The jets of site 2 occurred during the second day have a tendency to move toward the jets of site 1 and merge with them. We conjecture that the slippage of the jets could be explained by the complex topology of the region, which included a few low-altitude null points and many quasi-separatrix layers (QSLs), which could intersect with one another.     

A survey of polarization in the JVAS/CLASS flat-spectrum radio source surveys – I. The data and catalogue production

We have used the very large JVAS/CLASS 8.4-GHz surveys of flat-spectrum radio sources to obtain a large, uniformly observed and calibrated, sample of radio source polarizations. These are useful for many investigations of the properties of radio sources and the interstellar medium. We discuss comparisons with polarization measurements from this survey and from other large-scale surveys of polarization in flat-spectrum sources.