Runoff estimation for an ungauged catchment using geomorphological instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH) models

A geomorphological instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH) is derived from the geomorphological characteristics of a catchment and it is related to the parameters of the Clark instantaneous unit hydrograph (IUH) model as well as the Nash IUH model for deriving its complete shape. The developed GIUH based Clark and Nash models are applied for simulation of the direct surface run‐off (DSRO) hydrographs for ten rainfall‐runoff events of the Ajay catchment up to the Sarath gauging site of eastern India. The geomorphological characteristics of the Ajay catchment are evaluated using the GIS package, Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS). The performances of the GIUH based Clark and Nash models in simulating the DSRO hydrographs are compared with the Clark IUH model option of HEC‐1 package and the Nash IUH model, using some commonly used objective functions. The DSRO hydrographs are computed with reasonable accuracy by the GIUH based Clark and Nash models, which simulate the DSRO hydrographs of the catchment considering it to be ungauged. Inter comparison of the performances of the GIUH based Clark and Nash models shows that the DSRO hydrographs are estimated with comparable accuracy by both the models. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

GPS measurement of land subsidence in Gandhinagar,Gujarat (Western India), due to groundwater depletion

A continuous GPS measurement site, ISRR, at Gandhinagar (Western India), documented ~?5 mm/year of surface subsidence rate during 2009–2016. Preliminary modelling using an analytical solution indicates that the observed surface subsidence rate at the ISRR site is consistent with the ground water depletion reported from Gandhinagar. An assessment of data from GPS sites at Lucknow and Varanasi in the Indo-Gangetic plains in Northern India does not indicate any significant subsidence at these sites which is also consistent with the in situ observations of insignificant depletion of ground water in the region.     

Ensemble-Based Assimilation of Nonlinearly Related Dynamic Data in Reservoir Models Exhibiting Non-Gaussian Characteristics

Mathematical Geosciences - Inverse modeling techniques for estimating reservoir parameters (e.g., transmissivity, permeability) utilize some dynamic (secondary) information (e.g., hydraulic head or...     

Sub-daily variations observed in Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ) streams

To investigate the sub-daily variation in Tropical Easterly Jet (TEJ), a few special experiments have been conducted with mesosphere–stratosphere–troposphere (MST) radar located at Gadanki(13.5°N, 79.2°E) under Study on Atmospheric Forcing and Responses (SAFAR) campaign during 2008–2009. Large sub-daily changes in the TEJ characteristics are observed within a day in addition to day-to-day changes. Based on this observational study, three possible mechanisms for the sub-daily variations are proposed i.e., (1) motion of TEJ core, (2) large updrafts and downdrafts, and (3) strong wave activity. Interestingly, TEJ peak altitude is seen above the Cold Point Tropopause altitude for about 42% of the days.     

Characteristics of the tropical tropopause over different longitudes

The characteristics of the cold point tropopause (CPT), convective tropopause (COT) and tropical tropopause layer (TTL) in the tropical region at different longitudes are studied using radiosonde data at 5 stations in the tropical belt (±15°) and high resolution GPS radiosonde data from April 2006 to December 2008 at Gadanki (13.5°N, 79.2°E) also a tropical station. The CPT over Gadanki is found to be higher than over the rest of the stations. This aspect is further confirmed using COSMIC GPS RO observations. In the Northern Hemisphere (NH) winter, the CPT is coldest over stations in the Pacific region compared to the other stations while in the NH summer, it is coldest at Gadanki, a station in the Indian monsoon region. The range of seasonal variation of the CPT temperature is found to be quite small over Gadanki compared to the other stations whereas that of the CPT altitude is nearly the same.     

Long-term rainfall trends and change points in hot and cold arid regions of India

This study examined trends and change points in 100-year annual and seasonal rainfall over hot and cold arid regions of India. Using k-means clustering, 32 stations were classified into two clusters: the coefficient of variation for annual and seasonal rainfall was relatively high for Cluster-II compared to Cluster-I. Short-term and long-term persistence was more dominant in Cluster-II (entirely arid) and Cluster-I (partly arid), respectively. Trend tests revealed prominent increasing trends in annual and wet season rainfall of Cluster-II. Dry season rainfall increased by 1.09 mm year^?1 in the cold arid region. The significant change points in annual and wet season rainfall mostly occurred in the period 1941–1955 (hot and cold), and in the dry season in the period 1973–1975 (hot arid) and in 1949 (cold arid). The findings are useful for managing a surplus or deficiency of rainwater in the Indian arid region.

EDITOR A. Castellarin; ASSOCIATE EDITOR S. Kanae     

Dynamic response analysis of tube array in partially filled calandria

An efficient procedure is presented for dynamic response analysis of horizontal tube array in partially filled calandria including hydrodynamic interaction effects. The procedure is general enough to consider the transfer of energy between the fluid-coupled tubes, and effects of moderator sloshing on the magnitude and the distribution of hydrodynamic forces. It has been demonstrated that the conventional added mass approach fails to represent behaviour of the tube array correctly, and it is therefore necessary to consider the flexibility of all the tubes along two directions simultaneously. The procedure presented can simulate the added damping effects due to hydrodynamic interaction. The possible use of a tuned damper tube is suggested for controlling sloshing effects for tube array in a calandria where tube frequencies and sloshing frequencies are closely spaced. The presence of surface damping in the tuned tube further brings down the response, and the suggested procedure can be effectively used to control unwarranted sloshing effects. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Source and distribution of trace metals and nutrients in Narmada and Tapti river basins,India

The study was designed to establish the distributions of trace metals, dissolved organic carbon, and inorganic nutrients as well as to assess the extent of anthropogenic inputs into the Narmada and Tapti rivers. Water and sediment qualities are variable in the rivers, and there are major pollution problems at certain locations, mainly associated with urban and industrial centers. The metal concentrations of samples of the aquatic compartments investigated were close to the maximum permissible concentration for the survival of aquatic life, except for higher values of Cu (5–763 μg l⁻¹), Pb (24–376 μg l⁻¹), Zn (24–730 μg l⁻¹), and Cr (70–740 μg l⁻¹) and for drinking water except for elevated concentrations of metals such as Pb, Fe (850–2,060 μg l⁻¹), Cr, and Ni (20–120 μg l⁻¹). In general, the concentrations of trace metals in the rivers vary down stream which may affect the “health” of the aquatic ecosystem and may also affect the health of the rural community that depends on the untreated river water directly for domestic use. The assessment of EF, I _geo, and PLI in the sediments reveals overall moderate pollution in the river basins.     

The use of buffers to measure the pH of seawater

The pH of seawater can be measured in the field using potentiometric and spectrophotometric methods. The use of pH standards or buffers is an important aspect of the calibration of both methods in a laboratory on a common concentration scale. The buffers can also be used to monitor the performance of pH meter and spectrophotometer during a cruise. A procedure is described for the determination of the pH of seawater, where the proton concentration is expressed as moles kg-H₂O⁻¹ using seawater buffers. The buffers are prepared in synthetic seawater in the laboratory by the methods outlined by Bates and coworkers. We have prepared four buffers (Bis, Tris, Morpholine and 2-Aminopyridine) that cover a pH range from 6.8 to 8.8. The emf values of the buffers were measured with a H₂, Pt/AgCl, Ag electrode system after their preparation and bottling for use at sea. The measured emf values were found to be in good agreement (±0.05 mV) with the original measurements of Bates and coworkers from 0 to 45°C. The measured pH of these buffers are in good agreement (±0.001 pH units) with the values calculated from the equations of Dickson on the total pH scale based on Bates et al. Studies are underway to access the long term stability of these buffers. We have also used these buffers to calibrate systems used to make potentiometric and spectrophotometric measurements of pH on seawater relative to the H₂, Pt/Ag, AgCl electrode from 5 to 45°C.     

Progress in Remediation of Groundwater at Petroleum Sites in California

Quantifying the overall progress in remediation of contaminated groundwater has been a significant challenge. We utilized the GeoTracker database to evaluate the progress in groundwater remediation from 2001 to 2011 at over 12,000 sites in California with contaminated groundwater. This paper presents an analysis of analytical results from over 2.1 million groundwater samples representing at least $100 million in laboratory analytical costs. Overall, the evaluation of monitoring data shows a large decrease in groundwater concentrations of gasoline constituents. For benzene, half of the sites showed a decrease in concentration of 85% or more. For methyl tert‐butyl ether (MTBE), this decrease was 96% and for TBE, 87%. At remediation sites in California, the median source attenuation rate was 0.18/year for benzene and 0.36/year for MTBE, corresponding to half‐lives of 3.9 and 1.9 years, respectively. Attenuation rates were positive (i.e., decreasing concentration) for benzene at 76% of sites and for MTBE at 85% of sites. An evaluation of sites with active remediation technologies suggests differences in technology effectiveness. The median attenuation rates for benzene and MTBE are higher at sites with soil vapor extraction or air sparging compared with sites without these technologies. In contrast, there was little difference in attenuation rates at sites with or without soil excavation, dual phase extraction, or in situ enhanced biodegradation. The evaluation of remediation technologies, however, did not evaluate whether specific systems were well designed or implemented and did not control for potential differences in other site factors, such as soil type.