Seasonal variation in the deformation rate in NW Himalayan region

We report GPS measurements of continuous observations from the multi-parametric geophysical observatory (MPGO) at Ghuttu, Garhwal Lesser Himalaya. Other than the evidence of secular motion depicting strain accumulation due to locking of the underneath seismically active detachment, measurements at Ghuttu show annual variation of ±4 mm on horizontal component. Such variations are more prominent in the north coordinate and do not directly correlate with the meteorological parameters such as variations in rainfall, water table, and atmospheric pressure measured at the MPGO observatory. These variations are also not the artefact of data processing and network. They correlate with the water load storage in the Ganga plains, with minimum in displacement coinciding with the maximum storage of water in Ganga plains immediately after the monsoon and vice versa. Such variations also appear to cause annual variation in the low-magnitude earthquake frequency in the Himalayan region, being relatively more in the winter period.     

Diurnal variations in discharge and suspended sediment concentration,including runoff‐delaying characteristics,of the Gangotri Glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas

Diurnal variations in discharge and suspended sediment concentration (SSC), including runoff delaying characteristics, have been studied for the Gangotri Glacier, the largest glacier in the Garhwal Himalayas (glacierized area 286 km²; drainage area 556 km²). Hourly discharge and SSC data were collected near the snout of the glacier (∼4000 m) at an interval of about 15 days for an entire ablation period (May–October 2001). Diurnal variability in SSC was found to be much higher than the discharge. Hysteresis trends between discharge and SSC were established. Results indicate that, for the study glacier, clockwise hysteresis dominated for the entire melt season, indicating that most of the time the SSC led the discharge. During the peak melt period, anticlockwise hysteresis was also observed for a few hours. Assessment of runoff‐delaying characteristics was made by estimating the time lag between the occurrence of melting and its appearance as runoff along with estimation of time to peak. A comparison of runoff‐delaying parameters with discharge ratio clearly indicated that changes in time lag and time to peak are inversely correlated with variations in discharge. Attempts have also been made to establish the relationship between discharge and SSC using short‐interval data. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Response of upper ocean and impact of barrier layer on Sidr cyclone induced sea surface cooling

In the present study an attempt has been made to investigate the impact of salinity stratification on the SST during the tropical cyclone (TC) passage. In this context, a severe post monsoon cyclone, Sidr, (Category 4) that developed over the south-eastern Bay of Bengal (BoB) during 11–16 November, 2007 was chosen as a case study. Pre-existence of a thick barrier layer (BL), temperature inversions and a higher effective oceanic layer for cyclogenesis (EOLC) were noticed along the path of the Sidr cyclone. The analysis of available Argo floats along the Sidr cyclone track also revealed less cooling during as well as after its passage as was reported from satellite derived SST. The role of BL on Sidr induced sea surface cooling was investigated using a diagnostic mixed layer model. Model results also depict the reduced sea surface cooling during the passage of Sidr. This is attributed to the presence of BL which results in the inhibition of the entrainment of cool thermocline water into the shallow mixed layer. Climatological as well as in situ observations of tropical cyclone heat potential (TCHP) and EOLC shows that the Sidr cyclone propagated towards the regions of higher EOLC.     

Impact of South China Sea Cold Surges and Typhoon Peipah on Initiating Cyclone Sidr in the Bay of Bengal

In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the role of South China Sea (SCS) convection associated with northerly cold surges and Typhoon Peipah in initiating Cyclone Sidr in the Bay of Bengal (BoB). The variation of air sea fluxes during the entire history of Cyclone Sidr tracking before its landfall over Bangladesh was also studied. The presence of cold surges in the north SCS associated with heavy rainfall episodes has been noticed at the southern Gulf of Tonkin coast prior to the formation of Typhoon Peipah. Subsequently, these surges migrated south, which resulted in intensification of a deep convection on reaching the Vietnamese coast. During the same period in the western Pacific, Typhoon Peipah developed, propagating in the westward direction and entering the SCS. Analysis of geostationary water vapour images, mean sea level pressure, and surface wind maps clearly depicted the transport of convective cloud clusters, moisture, and westward momentum from Typhoon Peipah to the deep convection cells over the SCS. Consequently, the existing deep convection over the Vietnamese coast resulted in a westward direction and entered the Gulf of Thailand and Andaman Sea. The availability of higher latent heat fluxes, warmer sea surface temperatures, and suitable atmospheric conditions over this region favoured the formation of a tropical depression in the Andaman Sea. This depression further intensified in the southeast BoB, resulting in the formation of Cyclone Sidr. NCEP/NCAR wind fields and air-sea fluxes revealed left asymmetry surface winds and higher latent heat flux on the left side of the track during the intensification phase of Sidr.     

Geochemistry and petrogenesis of Neoproterozoic A-type granites at Nakora in the Malani Igneous Suite, Western Rajasthan, India

The Nakora Ring Complex(NRC)(732 Ma) occurs as a part of Malani Igneous Suite(MIS) in the West-ern Rajasthan,India.This complex consists of three phases(volcanic,plutonic and dyke).Geochemically,the Na-kora granites are peralkaline,metaluminous and slightly peraluminous.They display geochemical characteristics of A-type granites and distinct variation trends with increasing silica content.The peralkaline granites show higher concentrations of SiO2,total alkalies,TiO2,MgO,Ni,Rb,Sr,Y,Zr,Th,U,La,Ce,Nd,Eu and Yb and lower concen-trations of Al2O3,total iron,Cu and Zn than metaluminous granites.AI content is ≥1 for peralkaline granites and <1 for peraluminous and metaluminous granites.Nakora peralkaline granites are plotted between 4 to 7 kb in pressure and are emplaced at greater depths(16-28 km and 480-840℃) as compared to metaluminous granites which indicate the high fluorine content in peralkaline granites.The primitive mantle normalized multi-element profiles suggest that Nakora granites(peralkaline,metaluminous and peraluminous) are characterized by low La,Sr and Eu and relatively less minima of Ba,Nb and Ti which suggests the aspects related to crustal origin for Nakora magma.The Nakora granites are characterized as A-type granites(Whalen et al.,1987) and correspond to the field of "Within Plate Gran-ite"(Pearce et al.,1984).Geochemical,field and petrological data suggest that Nakora granites are the product of partial melting of rocks similar to Banded Gneiss from Kolar Schist Belt of India.     

Simulation of leaf blast infection in tropical rice agro-ecology under climate change scenario

Assessing disease risk has become an important component in the development of climate change adaptation strategies. Here, the infection ability of leaf blast (Magnaporthe oryzae) was modeled based on the epidemiological parameters of minimum (T _min), optimum (T _opt), and maximum (T _max) temperatures for sporulation and lesion development. An infection ability response curve was used to assess the impact of rising temperature on the disease. The simulated spatial pattern of the infection ability index (IAI) corresponded with observed leaf blast occurrence in Indo-Gangetic plains (IGP). The IAI for leaf blast is projected to increase during the winter season (December–March) in 2020 (2010–2039) and 2050 (2040–2069) climate scenarios due to temperature rise, particularly in lower latitudes. However, during monsoon season (July–October), the IAI is projected to remain unchanged or even reduce across the IGP. The results show that the response curve may be successfully used to assess the impact of climate change on leaf blast in rice. The model could be further extended with a crop model to assess yield loss.     

Tomographic approach for gas hydrate investigation in Kerala-Konkan region,India

Seismic tomography is an effective means of estimating velocity and structure from multichannel seismic (MCS) reflection data. In this study we have followed a 2D approach to arrive at the probable velocity field configuration from multichannel seismic data and infer the presence of gas hydrates/free-gas in the offshore Kerala-Konkan region, along the eastern part of a seismic line on which a bottom simulating reflector (BSR) has previously been identified. Tomographic modeling consists of the identification of reflection phases and picking of respective travel times for various source-receiver positions. These picks were then utilized to arrive at a 2D velocity field following a forward and inversion approach using a ray tracing technique. The modeling for the first time brought out the finer scale velocity structure under the region of investigation. Modeling through the 2D approach shows lateral variation in velocity field along the studied segment of the seismic line. The results indicate a thin (∼50–60 m) sedimentary cover with velocity ranging from 1,770 to 1,850 m/s. A sedimentary layer with high P-wave velocity 1,980–2,100 m/s below the sea floor was interpreted as the hydrate layer. The thickness of this layer varies between 110 and 140 m. The hydrate layer is underlain by a low-velocity layer having velocities in the range 1,660–1,720 m/s. This low velocity may represent a free gas layer, whose thickness varies between 50 and 100 m located below the hydrated layer. The investigation suggests the occurrence of gas hydrate underlain by free gas in some parts of the Kerala-Konkan offshore region.