Anthropogenic disturbances and their impact on vegetation in Western Himalaya,India

The present study assesses anthropogenic disturbances and their impacts on the vegetation in Western Himalaya, India on the basis of various disturbance parameters such as density, Total Basal Cover (TBC) of cut stumps, lopping percentage and grazing intensities. On the basis of canopy cover and frequency of disturbances (%), the studied forests were divided into highly disturbed (HD), moderately disturbed (MD) and least disturbed (LD) categories. The HD forests had the lowest canopy cover, lowest density and lowest TBC and the LD had the highest canopy cover, highest density and highest TBC. The MD forests occupied the intermediate position with respect to these parameters. Species richness was least in HD forests, highest in one of the MD forests while LD forest occupied an intermediate position. The percentage of regenerating species was lowest (54%) in HD and highest (72%) in MD. The density of seedlings and saplings was higher in one of the MD forests as compared to HD and LD. We concluded that the moderate disturbances do not affect the vegetation adversely; however the increased degree of disturbance causes loss in plant diversity; affects regeneration and changes community characteristics. Construction of hydroelectric projects at various places in the study area was found to be one of the most important sources of anthropogenic disturbances in addition to the routine anthropogenic disturbances like grazing, fuelwood collection and fodder extraction. If all proposed dams in the Indian Himalaya are constructed combined with weak national environmental impact assessment and implementation, it will result in a significant loss of species. Therefore, various agents of disturbances should be evaluated in cumulative manner and any developmental activities such as hydropower projects, which trigger various natural and anthropogenic disturbances, should be combined with proper cumulative environmental impact assessment and effective implementation to minimise the anticipated loss of vegetation.     

Study of Bianchi I anisotropic model in f(R,T) gravity

We discuss the Bianchi type I model with perfect fluid as matter content in f(R,T) gravity, where R is the Ricci scalar and T is the trace of the energy-momentum tensor. We obtain exact solutions of the field equations employing the anisotropic feature of spacetime for two expansion laws namely exponential and power expansions. The physical and kinematical quantities are examined for both cases in future evolution of the universe. We also explore the validity of null energy condition and conclude that our solutions are consistent with the current observations.     

运城盆地不同构造单元埋藏与热演化史对比研究

正沉积盆地的埋藏和热演化史研究对盆地分析研究和油气勘探具有重要意义(Zuo et al,2011; Hu et al,2001; Qiu et al,2012)。在沉积盆地的热演化史研究中,区分埋藏过程中的加热事件和抬升剥蚀期间造成的冷却事件尤为重要。(U-Th)/He定年方法是一种放射性同位素低温定年方法,具有低温敏感性(磷灰石封闭温度为70℃,锆石封闭温度为180℃)和精度高的特点,是近年来国际上新发展     

Diurnal and seasonal variation in surface wind at Sita Eliya, Sri Lanka

Summary Hourly measurements of surface winds at Sita Eliya (6° 58′ N, 80° 46′ E, 1860 m a.s.l.) located atop the North-South mountain ridge in Sri Lanka were analyzed to investigate the diurnal and seasonal variation in the wind climate. Surface winds are dominated by the monsoon regimes, with Northeasterlies from November to January, Southwesterlies from February to May and Westerlies and Northwesterlies from June to October. Through most of the year, the average wind speed is around 6–8 m/s. However from June to August, it is around 10–14 m/s. Wind in June is gusty due the location of the low-level Easterly jet over Sri Lanka. The wind undergoes a reversal in both zonal and meridional directions in March and November coincident with the migration of the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone. Notwithstanding the period from May to September being designated as the Southwest monsoon, the wind is from West, South-West-West and North-North-West. During the Southwest monsoon, wind speed during the night is nearly as high as that during the day. This anomalous diurnal variation in wind speeds may be related to orographic influences. The high wind speeds at Sita Eliya, in conjunction with the moderate diurnal and seasonal variability in wind speed, is suitable for wind-energy generation. Received January 2, 2001 Revised May 26, 2001     

The role of soil moisture initialization in subseasonal and seasonal streamflow prediction – A case study in Sri Lanka

The two main contributors to streamflow predictability at subseasonal to seasonal timescales in tropical regions are: (i) the predictability of meteorologic (particularly precipitation) anomalies, and (ii) the land surface soil moisture state at the start of the forecast period. Meteorological predictions at subseasonal timescale are usually fraught with error and may not be dependable. The accurate initialization of soil moisture, as obtained through real-time land data analysis, may provide skill in subseasonal to seasonal streamflow prediction, even when the prediction skill for rainfall is small.