Analysing the spatio-temporal evolution of an active debris slide in Eastern Himalaya,India

Landslide is one of the prominent geohazards in the Himalayas where loss of lives and property are common. Owing to the complicated geomorphic and tectono-stratigraphic setting of this active Fold-thrust belt (FTB), landsliding of all possible types and spatial scales observed exhibit conspicuous spatio-temporal signatures and evolution. This evolution of landslides is commonly studied by regional assessment and by examining the multi-temporal landslide inventories of a particular area. The success of creating such multi-temporal landslide inventory depends on (i) the availability of relevant past source data (e.g., images, post event maps, air photos etc.) of suitable resolution, scale and quality, (ii) time of generation of source data with respect to the time of landsliding event, (iii) skill of the investigators in interpreting the old images, air photos etc. However, this method is of restricted use in studying the spatio-temporal evolution of a single landslide which is perennially active in the Himalayan terrain, where rapid changes in land use and land cover patterns readily obliterate the signatures of past landsliding. Moreover because of scale constraints, subtle and frequent changes in the spatial dimensions of these individual landslides, and their temporal activity become difficult to identify in such regional assessment carried out over a larger area. In this study therefore, a different approach is adopted whereby the spatio-temporal activity and style of Lanta Khola landslide, a perennially active and large (0.25 km²) debris flow in the Eastern Himalayas, has been studied in detail through detailed scale (1:1000) site-specific geological mapping in phases during the last 28 years (1983–2011). Such site-specific geological observations coupled with numerical slope stability analysis utilising the limit equilibrium method facilitate in detailed understanding of the temporal and spatial evolution and inherent mechanism of this perennial landslide.     

The excitation mechanism of [Fe XIV] 5303 å line in the inner regions of solar corona

The line intensity of the green coronal line and the continuum intensity are derived from the filter and white light photographs of the solar corona obtained during the 1980 total solar eclipse. Ratio of the line to continuum intensity is plotted against the radial distancer(=R/R₀,R ₀ is the solar radius), in various position angles. A simple model assuming an electron density dependence of the line and continuum intensities suggests a dominant collisional mechanism for the excitation of the line in the innermost regions (～ 1.4R ₀). The measured line to continuum ratio tends to a constant value at different radial distances in different position angles. The constancy of the measured line to continuum ratio indicates significant radiative excitation beyond 1.4 R₀, in some of the position angles.     

Stochastic finite-fault modeling of M w 5.4 earthquake along Uttarakhand–Nepal border

Natural Hazards - In this work, an attempt has been made to simulate strong ground motion of M w 5.4 earthquake in Kumaun region of Uttarakhand. The simulation is based on modified stochastic...     

The Indo-Australian monsoon and its relationship to ENSO and IOD in reanalysis data and the CMIP3/CMIP5 simulations

A large spread exists in both Indian and Australian average monsoon rainfall and in their interannual variations diagnosed from various observational and reanalysis products. While the multi model mean monsoon rainfall from 59 models taking part in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3 and CMIP5) fall within the observational uncertainty, considerable model spread exists. Rainfall seasonality is consistent across observations and reanalyses, but most CMIP models produce either a too peaked or a too flat seasonal cycle, with CMIP5 models generally performing better than CMIP3. Considering all North-Australia rainfall, most models reproduce the observed Australian monsoon-El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) teleconnection, with the strength of the relationship dependent on the strength of the simulated ENSO. However, over the Maritime Continent, the simulated monsoon-ENSO connection is generally weaker than observed, depending on the ability of each model to realistically reproduce the ENSO signature in the Warm Pool region. A large part of this bias comes from the contribution of Papua, where moisture convergence seems to be particularly affected by this SST bias. The Indian summer monsoon-ENSO relationship is affected by overly persistent ENSO events in many CMIP models. Despite significant wind anomalies in the Indian Ocean related to Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) events, the monsoon-IOD relationship remains relatively weak both in the observations and in the CMIP models. Based on model fidelity in reproducing realistic monsoon characteristics and ENSO teleconnections, we objectively select 12 “best” models to analyze projections in the rcp8.5 scenario. Eleven of these models are from the CMIP5 ensemble. In India and Australia, most of these models produce 5–20 % more monsoon rainfall over the second half of the twentieth century than during the late nineteenth century. By contrast, there is no clear model consensus over the Maritime Continent.     

A Comparative study between two models of propagation of spherical and cylindrical shock waves with varying energy in self-gravitating, magneto-radiative non-uniform atmosphere

Two theoretical models, spherical and cylindrical, of propagation of shockwaves with varying energy in a rotating, magneto-radiative,self-gravitating non-uniform atmosphere have been developed. Subsequently,a comparison between the two models has been drawn with the aid ofvariation of flow variables with distance graphically. Significant is thedifference between two models, when one observes the variations of radialvelocity, pressure, mass, radiation flux, magnetic field and energy withdistance. Also, the respective influences of radiation flux, magneticfield and rotational velocity on the variations of the flow variables havebeen studied.     

Propagation of Extremely Low Frequency Waves Through the Ionosphere

The propagation features of extremely low frequency electromagnetic waves through the multicomponent ionospheric plasma are studied. It is shown that at relatively lower frequencies refractive index for right hand mode is higher than the left-hand mode, which is reversed at higher frequencies. The thermal temperature of plasma particle causes decrease in phase and group velocities of both right and left-hand modes. The crossover frequencies for different plasma models are computed and variation with ion concentration and thermal velocity is studied. Explicit expression for group velocity and travel time has been derived and studied numerically. Finally, we have presented simulation of the ion whistler spectrograms for Hydrogen, Helium and Oxygen ions present in the ionospheric plasma. The results are compared with the experimentally detected hydrogen and helium ion whistlers. The importance of the present study in the exploration of ionospheric plasma is illustrated.     

Multiplicity of numerical solutions for slope stability problems

Existence of more than one numerical solution to the slope stability equations derived on the basis of force and moment equilibrium requirements of statistics is indicated. These solutions satisfy the boundary conditions at both ends of a potential slide mass. In the particular case considered, the details of the calculated response for the slices for each solution set assist the designer in selecting the more reasonable solution to the problem.     

Estimating Variances of Horizontal Wind Fluctuations in Stable Conditions

Information concerning the average wind speed and the variances of lateral and longitudinal wind velocity fluctuations is required by dispersion models to characterise turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer. When the winds are weak, the scalar average wind speed and the vector average wind speed need to be clearly distinguished and both lateral and longitudinal wind velocity fluctuations assume equal importance in dispersion calculations. We examine commonly-used methods of estimating these variances from wind-speed and wind-direction statistics measured separately, for example, by a cup anemometer and a wind vane, and evaluate the implied relationship between the scalar and vector wind speeds, using measurements taken under low-wind stable conditions. We highlight several inconsistencies inherent in the existing formulations and show that the widely-used assumption that the lateral velocity variance is equal to the longitudinal velocity variance is not necessarily true. We derive improved relations for the two variances, and although data under stable stratification are considered for comparison, our analysis is applicable more generally.     

Detection and evolution of the CO (Δv= 2) emission in Nova V2615 Ophiuchi (2007)

We present near-infrared (1–2.5 μm) spectroscopic and photometric results of Nova V2615 Ophiuchi which was discovered in outburst in 2007 March. Our observations span a period of ∼80 d starting from 2007 March 28 when the nova was at its maximum light. The evolution of the spectra is shown from the initial P Cygni phase to an emission-line phase and finally to a dust formation stage. The characteristics of the JHK spectra are very similar to those observed in a nova outburst occurring on a carbon–oxygen white dwarf. We analyse an observed line at 2.088 μm and suggest that it could be due to Fe  ii excited by Lyman α fluorescence. The highlight of the observations is the detection of the first overtone bands of carbon monoxide (CO) in the 2.29–2.40 μm region. The CO bands are modelled to estimate the temperature and mass of the emitting CO gas and also to place limits on the ¹²C/¹³C ratio. The CO bands are recorded over several epochs, thereby allowing a rare opportunity to study the evolution from a phase of constant strength through a stage when the CO is destroyed fairly rapidly. We compare the observed time-scales involved in the evolution of the CO emission and find a good agreement with model predictions that investigate the chemistry in a nova outflow during the early stages.     

Granulometric analysis of glacial sediments,Schirmacher Oasis,East Antarctica

Granulometric analysis of nineteen sediment samples has been carried out for their statistical and textural parameters. The samples are collected from the northern and southern margins of Schirmacher Oasis extending below the polar ice sheet and grading to coastal area respectively and main rocky land of Schirmacher including lakes. The analysis shows that most of the sediments are of medium grain size and fall in poor to very poor sorted category. An attempt has been made to interpret the depositional set-up by plotting the scatter patterns between various textural parameters, including C-M plot and arithmetic log-probability curves. The influence of physical parameters viz. low to high velocity winds, ice and meltwater on sediment characteristics has been discussed.