Application of remote sensing and GIS for delineating groundwater recharge potential zones of Kovilpatti Municipality,Tamil Nadu using IF technique

During the last three decades, remotely sensed data (both satellite images and aerial photographs) have been increasingly used in groundwater exploration and management exercises. An integrated approach has been adopted in the present study to delineate groundwater recharge potential zones using RS and GIS techniques. IRS-1C satellite imageries and Survey of India toposheets are used to prepare various thematic layers viz. geology, soil, land-use, slope, lineament and drainage. These layers were then transformed in to raster data using feature to raster converter tool in ArcGIS 9.3 software. The raster maps of these factors are allocated a fixed score and weight computed from Influencing Factor (IF) technique. The weights of factors contributing to the groundwater recharge are derived using aerial photos, geology maps, a land use database, and field verification. Subjective weights are assigned to the respective thematic layers and overlaid in GIS platform for the identification of potential groundwater recharge zones within the study area. Then these potential zones were categories as ‘high’, ‘moderate’, ‘low’, ‘poor’. The resulted map shows that 19 % of the area has highest recharge potential, mainly confined to buried pediplain, agriculture land-use and river terraces (considerable amount of precipitated water percolates into subsurface), 28 % of the area has moderate groundwater recharge potentiality and rest of the area has low to poor recharge potentiality. The residual hills and linear ridges with steep slopes are not suitable for artificial recharge sites. Finally, 13 % of total average annual precipitated water (840 mm) percolates downward and ultimately contributes to recharge the aquifers in the Kovilpatti Municipality area. The paper is an attempt to suggest for maintaining the proper balance between the groundwater quantity and its exploitation.     

Molecular characterization of four genes highly expressed during megalopa stage in Chinese mitten crab,Eriocheir sinensis

Ocean Science Journal - The molecular markers to distinguish different larval stages have various applications in ecological studies. Using the differential display RT-PCR technique, we isolated...     

Comparison of precipitation projections of CMIP5 and CMIP6 global climate models over Yulin,China

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - This study compared precipitation projections of CMIP5 and CMIP6 GCMs over Yulin City, China. The performance of CMIP5 and CMIP6 GCMs in replicating Global...     

Numerical simulation of load distributive compression anchor installed in weathered rock layer

Acta Geotechnica - This paper presents a finite element model for a load distributive compression anchor (LDCA). In an LDCA, the load applied to the strands is transmitted to the grout and ground...     

Global spectral energy distributions of the Large Magellanic Cloud with interstellar dust

The effects of dust on infrared emission vary among galaxies of different morphological types. We investigated integrated spectral energy distributions (SEDs) in infrared and submillimeter/millimeter emissions from the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) based on observations from the Herschel Space Observatory (HSO) and near- to mid-infrared observations from the Spitzer Space Telescope (SST). We also used IRAS and WMAP observations to constrain the SEDs and present the results of radiative transfer calculations using the spectrophotometric galaxy model. We explain the observations by using dust models with different grain size distributions in the interstellar medium of the LMC, noting that the LMC has undergone processes that differ from those in the Milky Way. We determined a spectral index and a normalization factor in the range of ?3.5 to ?3.45 with grain radii in the range of 1 nm–300 nm for the silicate grain and 2 nm–1 μm for the graphite grain. The best fit to the observed SED was obtained with a spectral index of ?3.47, similar to the value derived by Piovan et al. (Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 366(3):923, 2006a). The grain size distribution is described using a power law but with a break that is introduced below a _b , where a larger exponent is used. Changing the graphite grain size distribution significantly changed the SED pattern within the observational uncertainties. Based on the SED fits to the observations from submillimeter wavelengths to infrared radiation from the LMC using GRASIL (Silva et al., Astrophys. J. 509(1):103, 1998), we obtained a reasonable set of parameter values in chemical and geometric space together with the grain size distributions (Weingartner and Draine, Astrophys. J. 548(1):296, 2001) and a modified MRN model with the LMC extinction curve (Piovan et al., Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 366(3):923, 2006a). For a given set of parameters including the disc scale height, synthesis of the starlight spectrum, optical depth, escape time scale, dust model, and star formation efficiency, the adopted dust-to-gas ratio for modeling the observed SEDs, ～1/300 (from the literature) yields a reasonable fit to the observed SEDs and similar results with the metallicity of the LMC as those reported in Russell and Bessell (Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 70:865, 1989). The dust-to-gas ratios that are given as the metallicity caused the variation in the model fits. The difference mainly appears at the wavelengths near 100 μm.     

Enhancement of particulate organic carbon export flux induced by atmospheric forcing in the subtropical oligotrophic northwest Pacific Ocean

The effects of extreme atmospheric forcing on the export flux of particulate organic carbon (POC) in the warm oligotrophic nitrogen-limited northwest Pacific Ocean were examined in 2007 during the spring Asian dust storm period. Several strong northeast monsoon events (maximum sustained wind speeds approaching 16.7 m s^? 1, and gusts up to 19.0 m s^? 1) accompanied by dust storms occurred during a 1-month period. The cold stormy events decreased surface water temperature and induced strong wind-driven vertical mixing of the water column, resulting in nutrient entrainment into the mixed layer from subsurface waters. As a result, the export flux of POC ranged from 49 to 98 (average value = 71 ± 16) mg m^? 2 day^? 1, approximately 2–3 times greater than average values in other seasons. As dry and wet deposition of nitrogen attributable to Asian dust storm events does not account for the associated increases in POC stocks in this N-limited oligotrophic oceanic region, the enhancement of POC flux must have been caused by nutrient entrainment from subsurface waters because of the high winds accompanying the dust storm events.     

Time series changes in sea-surface temperature,chlorophyll <Emphasis Type="Italic">a</Emphasis>, nutrients,and sea-wind in the East/Japan Sea on the left- and right-hand sides of typhoon shanshan’s track

Time series changes in sea surface temperature (SST), chlorophyll a (Chl a), nutrients (PO₄, NO₃), and sea winds, which correlated with the passage of Typhoon Shanshan in the East/Japan Sea (EJS), are illustrated using satellite data for Chl a, SST, sea winds, and in situ data for nutrients and water temperature. The sea-surface cooling (SSC) effect by the passage of the typhoon was higher at stations nearer to the center compared to stations further from the center. The SSC effect at stations in the colder water region (on the left side of the typhoon’s track) was higher than at stations in the Tsushima Warm Current region (on the right side of the typhoon). The SSC effect continued for approximately 10 days after the passage of the typhoon. The Chl a concentration at all stations increased after the passage of the typhoon. This increase continued for a period of approximately 10 days, but the duration period at each station varied with distance from the typhoon center. Changes in Chl concentrations at stations within a 2° distance on both sides from the typhoon’s center were higher than that at other stations. The changes in Chl a by the passage of the typhoon were measured at approximately 0.3–1.0 mg/m³ along the moving path of the typhoon. Phosphate and nitrate changes were inversely correlated with the water temperature changes; the nutrient concentration increased with the passage of the typhoon. Like the changes in SST, changes in nutrient concentrations on the left side of the typhoon’s track were higher compared to those at the center and the right side.     

Gas hydrates in the western deep-water Ulleung Basin, East Sea of Korea

Geophysical surveys and geological studies of gas hydrates in the western deep-water Ulleung Basin of the East Sea off the east coast of Korea have been carried out by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources (KIGAM) since 2000. The work included a grid of 4782 km of 2D multi-channel seismic reflection lines and 11 piston cores 5–8 m long. In the piston cores, cracks generally parallel to bedding suggest significant in-situ gas. The cores showed high amounts of total organic carbon (TOC), and from the southern study area showed high residual hydrocarbon gas concentrations. The lack of higher hydrocarbons and the carbon isotope ratios indicate that the methane is primarily biogenic. The seismic data show areas of bottom-simulating reflectors (BSRs) that are associated with gas hydrates and underlying free gas. An important observation is the numerous seismic blanking zones up to 2 km across that probably reflect widespread fluid and gas venting and that are inferred to contain substantial gas hydrate. Some of the important results are: (1) BSRs are widespread, although most have low amplitudes; (2) increased P-wave velocities above some BSRs suggest distributed low to moderate concentration gas hydrate whereas a velocity decrease below the BSR suggests free gas; (3) the blanking zones are often associated with upbowing of sedimentary bedding reflectors in time sections that has been interpreted at least in part due to velocity pull-up produced by high-velocity gas hydrate. High gas hydrate concentrations are also inferred in several examples where high interval velocities are resolved within the blanking zones. Recently, gas hydrate recoveries by the piston coring and deep-drilling in 2007 support the interpretation of substantial gas hydrate in many of these structures.