Radiation and energy balance dynamics over young chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) system in Doon of western Himalayas

The regional impacts of future climate changes are principally driven by changes in energy fluxes. In this study, measurements on micrometeorological and biophysical variables along with surface energy exchange were made over a coniferous subtropical chir pine (Pinus roxburghii) plantation ecosystem at Forest Research Institute, Doon valley, India. The energy balance components were analyzed for two years to understand the variability of surface energy fluxes, their drivers, and closure pattern. The period covered two growth cycles of pine in the years 2010 and 2011 without and with understory growth. Net short wave and long wave radiative fluxes substantially varied with cloud dynamics, season, rainfall induced surface wetness, and green growth. The study clearly brought out the intimate link of albedo dynamics in chir pine system with dynamics of leaf area index (LAI), soil moisture, and changes in understory background. Rainfall was found to have tight linear coupling with latent heat fluxes. Latent heat flux during monsoon period was found to be higher in higher rainfall year (2010) than in lower rainfall year (2011). Higher or lower pre-monsoon sensible heat fluxes were succeeded by noticeably higher or lower monsoon rainfall respectively. Proportion of latent heat flux to net radiation typically followed the growth curve of green vegetation fraction, but with time lag. The analysis of energy balance closure (EBC) showed that the residual energy varied largely within ±30% of net available energy and the non-closure periods were marked by higher rainspells or forced clearance of understory growths.     

Dynamic Subsidence Characteristics in Jharia Coalfield,India

Surface ground movements are usually described by a number of characteristic indices such as vertical displacement, horizontal strain and slope, which are an inevitable consequence of underground mining. Every point at the surface over a panel is subjected to strain and slope during mining and its investigation is essential to assess the safety of surface structures. Therefore, the behaviour of dynamic active and residual subsidence was studied for a few panels of Jharia coalfield. The subsidence and slope were linearly related to time. Compressive and tensile strains showed typical fluctuating characteristic behaviour. The rate of mining being a key and controlling parameter for rate of subsidence their inter-relationship was developed, which showed a rational trend. Compressive and tensile strains and slope showed poor correlation with rate of face advance.     

Soft sediments and damage pattern: a few case studies from large Indian earthquakes vis-a-vis seismic risk evaluation

India is prone to earthquake hazard; almost 65 % area falls in high to very high seismic zones, as per the seismic zoning map of the country. The Himalaya and the Indo-Gangetic plains are particularly vulnerable to high seismic hazard. Any major earthquake in Himalaya can cause severe destruction and multiple fatalities in urban centers located in the vicinity. Seismically induced ground motion amplification and soil liquefaction are the two main factors responsible for severe damage to the structures, especially, built on soft sedimentary environment. These are essentially governed by the size of earthquake, epicentral distance and geology of the area. Besides, lithology of the strata, i.e., sediment type, grain size and their distribution, thickness, lateral discontinuity and ground water depth, play an important role in determining the nature and degree of destruction. There has been significant advancement in our understanding and assessment of these two phenomena. However, data from past earthquakes provide valuable information which help in better estimation of ground motion amplification and soil liquefaction for evaluation of seismic risk in future and planning the mitigation strategies. In this paper, we present the case studies of past three large Indian earthquakes, i.e., 1803 Uttaranchal earthquake (Mw 7.5); 1934 Bihar–Nepal earthquake (Mw 8.1) and 2001 Bhuj earthquake (Mw 7.7) and discuss the role of soft sediments particularly, alluvial deposits in relation to the damage pattern due to amplified ground motions and soil liquefaction induced by the events. The results presented in the paper are mainly focused around the sites located on the river banks and experienced major destruction during these events. It is observed that the soft sedimentary sites located even far from earthquake epicenter, with low water saturation, experienced high ground motion amplification; while the sites with high saturation level have undergone soil liquefaction. We also discuss the need of intensifying studies related to ground motion amplification and soil liquefaction in India as these are the important inputs for detailed seismic hazard estimation.     

Petrogenesis of chromites from the Manipur ophiolite belt,NE India: evidence for a supra-subduction zone setting prior to Indo-Myanmar collision

The Manipur ophiolite belt within the Western Ophiolite Belt of the Indo-Myanmar Ranges (IMR), consists of tectonised to massive serpentinised peridotite, dunite pods, chromitite pods/lenses, cumulates, dykes, volcanic rocks and pelagic sediments. Chromitite pods and lenses hosted in peridotitic mantle rocks show magmatic textures, post magmatic brecciation and ferritchromitisation. Electron microprobe analyses show two types of massive chromitite, with one group having high-Cr (Cr# 75–76), medium-Al (Al₂O₃ 12.2–12.4 wt%) chromites (Sirohi-type) and the other group (Gamnom-type) having a wide range of compositions with generally lower Cr and higher Al (Cr# 65–71, Al₂O₃ 15.7–19 wt%). Accessory chromites in peridotitic mantle rocks have consistently low Cr (Cr# 38–39) and high Al (Al₂O₃ 34–35 wt%), whereas chromites in dunite pods have intermediate compositions (Cr# ~60; Al₂O₃ 20.7–21.2 wt%). The chromite chemistry suggests moderate (20 %) partial melting of the tectonised mantle harzburgite. The estimated Al₂O_3melt, (FeO/MgO)_melt and TiO_2melt for the Sirohi-type chromites indicate boninitic parentage, whereas chromite compositions from the Gamnom area suggest mixed boninitic—island arc tholeiitic magmas. The compositions of magmatic chromites suggest that the Manipur ophiolite was formed in a supra-subduction zone (SSZ) setting.     

Early Cambrian Ichnofossils from the Mussoorie Syncline and revision of Trace Fossil Biozonation of the Lesser Himalaya,India

A new locality bearing ichnofossils of the Cruziana Assemblage Zone-Ⅲ from the Mussoorie syncline,Lesser Himalaya,is located in rocks of Member-B of the Dhaulagiri Formation,Tal Group,exposed along the Maldewta-Chhimoli fresh road cut section.The site yielded ichnofossils Bergaueria perata,Cochlichnus anguineus,？Diplocraterion isp.,Dimorphichnus obliquus,diplichnitiform Cruziana bonariensis,Diplichnites gouldi,Glockeria isp.,Helminthopsis isp.,Monomorphichnus lineatus,Phycodes palmatum,Palaeophycus striatus,Planolites beverleyensis,Planolites montanus,Treptichnus cf.T.pedum,scratch marks and an undetermined worm impression.An Early Cambrian age （Cambrian Series 2） is assigned to the ichnofossil-bearing strata based on the stratigraphic position between the Drepanuroides and Palaeoolenus trilobite zones.A revised Cambrian ichnofossil zonation is presented for the Tal Group of the Mussoorie syncline.Together with their occurrence on rippled surfaces,and the lateral displacement of some trackways （due to current action）,a sub-aqueous shallow-marine depositional setting is proposed for the rocks of Member-B.     

Watershed Delineation in Flat Terrain of Thar Desert Region in North West India – A Semi Automated Approach Using DEM

Thar desert spreads in western part of Rajasthan, northern part of Gujarat, and some parts of Punjab and Haryana. The terrain is dominated by slightly sloping plains, broken by some dunes and low barren hills. The area is characterized by low average annual rainfall which is erratic in distribution and intensity. Drought will remain a major hindrance for agricultural production in Thar desert. Due to water stress condition, many watershed based development activities has been adopted by government and non-government organizations for the growth and sustainable development of this region. The need of this hour is preparation of a national level watershed atlas of 1:50,000 scale because majority of thematic maps are being produced presently on same or 1:10,000 scale. The manual delineation of watershed boundary in flat terrain based on topographic map will be time consuming and less accurate in the absence of prominent contour lines. Automated approach for watershed delineation using Digital Elevation Model (DEM) along a suitable algorithm has the advantage because the output is not only less time consuming but also independent from human decisions. Hence, a case study has been carried out in Churu sub-basin part of Indus basin which is located in Thar desert region. Depression less DEM with different spatial resolutions was used as input in hydrology tool of ArcGIS spatial analyst function for characterization of watersheds. The Churu sub-basin has been divided into various numbers of watersheds with an average size of 600 km². These watershed boundaries have been validated with respect to high resolution satellite imageries (IRS P6 LISS IV), Survey of India toposheets, ancillary data and limited field checks.     

A Case Study on Forewarning of Yellow Rust Affected Areas on Wheat Crop Using Satellite Data

Objective of this study was to identify stripe rust affected areas of wheat crop as well as evaluation of remote sensing (RS) derived indices. Moderately low temperature and high humidity favour the growth of yellow rust. Most affected areas of Punjab are the foothill districts such as Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur and Ropar. Occurrence of yellow rust is possible when maximum temperature for day is below 15 °C and Temperature difference of day’s maximum and minimum temperature is less than 5 °C during the early growth of wheat. Forecast of the infestation was done using 3 days forecast of weather data obtained from Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model at 5 km resolution. Weather forecast used was obtained from Meteorological and Oceanographic Satellite Data Archival System (MOSDAC) site and post infestation, identification of specific locations were done using multi-date IRS AWiFS data. It is an attempt for early detection through 3 days advance forewarning of weather which will be handy tool for planners to expedite relief measures in case of epidemic with a more focused zones of infestation as well as for crop insurers to know the location and extent of damage affected areas.     

Quantifying the effects of climate variability and human activities on runoff from the Laohahe basin in northern China using three different methods

Much attention has recently been focused on the effects that climate variability and human activities have had on runoff. In this study, these effects are quantified using three methods, namely, multi‐regression, hydrologic sensitivity analysis, and hydrologic model simulation. A conceptual framework is defined to separate the effects. As an example, the change in annual runoff from the semiarid Laohahe basin (18 112 km²) in northern China was investigated. Non‐parametric Mann‐Kendall test, Pettitt test, and precipitation‐runoff double cumulative curve method were adopted to identify the trends and change‐points in the annual runoff from 1964 to 2008 by first dividing the long‐term runoff series into a natural period (1964–1979) and a human‐induced period (1980–2008). Then the three quantifying methods were calibrated and calculated, and they provided consistent estimates of the percentage change in mean annual runoff for the human‐induced period. In 1980–2008, human activities were the main factors that reduced runoff with contributions of 89–93%, while the reduction percentages due to changes in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration only ranged from 7 to 11%. For the various effects at different durations, human activities were the main reasons runoff decreased during the two drier periods of 1980–1989 and 2000–2008. Increased runoff during the wetter period of 1990–1999 is mainly attributed to climate variability. This study quantitatively separates the effects of climate variability and human activities on runoff, which can serve as a reference for regional water resources assessment and management. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A comparison between the stresses computed for finite sized precast concrete pavement units using westergaards equations and a numerical design method

Westergaards equations are widely used in the design of rigid concrete highway and aircraft pavements. The equations assume that the pavements are either infinite or semi-infinite in extent. Recently, a numerical design procedure using finite elements has been introduced for finite sized precast concrete pavement units [raft units]. The present paper compares the computed stress results from the two methods for the interior loading on a two metre square raft unit. The results show that there is no simple “slab-size correction factor” to correlate the stress output from the two design methods as suggested by other authors. Westergaards analysis should not be used to design finite sized raft units; the numerical design procedure is recommended.     

Some Bianchi-type cosmological models in a new scalar-tensor theory

Bianchi type I, III, V, VI₀, and Kantowski-Sachs type models have been investigated in a scalar tensor theory developed by Saez and Ballester (1985) and Saez (1985). The dynamical behaviour of the models has also been analyzed.