Distribution of Indus born mica along Gulf of Kachchh coast: Implications in understanding current dynamics

Indus is one of the major sources of sediments to the Gulf of Kachchh. Yet only its <63 micron fraction is studied in detail with regards to the offshore current dynamics. Hence here we present our study on characteristic signature of the Indus sediment load (i.e. mica minerals) in >63 micron size fraction along the coast of Gulf of Kachchh. The spatial distribution of mica minerals along the Gulf of Kachchh coast was studied which showed in general decreasing trend as we move along the northern and southern coast of the Gulf of Kachchh but, an increase in amount near the southern mouth at Okha. The study shows that the earlier proposed tidal barrier is ineffective in restricting movement of mica across the mouth of the gulf due to its characteristic transport mechanism. Also the presence of mudflats along the gulf of Kachchh coast plays a vital role as sediment receptors in the active sediment transport processes and mica minerals prove to be a promising simple tracer in studying the Indus born sediments in the region.     

Estimating coseismic deformations from near source strong motion records: methods and case studies

Digital strong-motion accelerographs have opened up the possibility of extracting ground motion characteristics at much lower frequencies than was offered by analogue instruments. High-quality digital data obtained close to the faults have tempted several efforts to retrieve permanent ground displacements after an earthquake. Such attempts have been partly successful, and somewhat subjective, the main reason being the presence of baseline offsets in the accelerometric data. We review existing methods for such applications, discuss their limitations and propose a more objective and improved scheme to make baseline adjustments and obtain permanent displacements. The proposed technique is applied to 26 digital recordings from the 29 May 2008 Ölfus Earthquake in South Iceland and 9 recordings from the 1999 Chi-Chi, Taiwan, Earthquake, and the permanent displacements obtained are compared with published results and GPS measurements from nearby stations. Our case studies show that the proposed technique, in addition to being simple and objective, is effective in making adjustments for baseline errors in accelerometric data.     

Heterogeneous characteristics of streambed saturated hydraulic conductivity of the Touchet River,south eastern Washington,USA

Traditionally a streambed is treated as a layer of uniform thickness and low saturated hydraulic conductivity (K) in surface‐ and ground‐water studies. Recent findings have shown a high level of spatial heterogeneity within a streambed and such heterogeneity directly affects surface‐ and ground‐water exchange and can have ecological implications for biogeochemical transformations, nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and reproduction of gravel spawning fish. In this study a detailed field investigation of K was conducted in two selected sites in Touchet River, a typical salmon spawning stream in arid south eastern Washington, USA. In‐stream slug tests were conducted to determine K following the Bouwer and Rice method. For the upper and lower sites, each 50 m long and 9 m wide and roughly 20 m apart, a sampling grid of 5 m longitudinally and 3 m transversely was used. The slug tests were performed for each horizontal coordinate at 0·3–0·45, 0·6–0·75, 0·9–1·05 and 1·2–1·35 m depth intervals unless a shallower impenetrable obstruction was encountered. Additionally, water levels were measured to obtain vertical hydraulic gradient (VHG) between each two adjacent depth intervals. Results indicated that K ranged over three orders of magnitude at both the upper and lower sites and differed between the two sites. At the upper site, K did not differ significantly among different depth intervals based on nonparametric statistical tests for mean, median, and empirical cumulative distribution, but the spatial pattern of K varied among different depth intervals. At the lower site, K for the 0·3–0·45 m depth interval differed statistically from those at other depth intervals, and no similar spatial pattern was found among different depth intervals. Zones of upward and downward water flow based on VHG also varied among different depth intervals, reflecting the complexities of the water flow regime. Detailed characterization of the streambed as attempted in this study should be helpful in providing information on spatial variations of streambed hydraulic properties as well as surface‐ and ground‐water interaction. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

新疆准噶尔盆地中侏罗世斯卡布勒果(Scarburgia)一新种

报道在新疆准噶尔盆地白杨河地区中侏罗世西山窑组首次发现的松柏类斯卡布勒果属(Scarburgia)的一个新种—白杨河斯卡布勒果(新种)。新种以果穗附属物(大孢子叶)紧密螺旋状排列、大孢子叶柄以宽角从轴上伸出、卵圆形种鳞的鳞片的顶端上卷、并具一短尖头等特征区别于斯卡布勒果属已知种。由于斯卡布勒果属以往在中国发现较少且时代大多为早白垩世,当前新种的发现是中国侏罗纪斯卡布勒果属化石的新记录。     

Water level variations in the Neuse and Pamlico Estuaries,North Carolina due to local and remote forcing

Water level time series records from the Neuse and Pamlico River Estuaries were statistically compared to local and distant wind field data, water level records within the Pamlico Sound and also coastal ocean sites to determine the relative contribution of each time series to water levels in the Neuse and Pamlico Estuaries. The objectives of this study were to examine these time series data using various statistical methods (i.e. autoregressive, empirical orthogonal function analysis (EOF), exploratory data analysis (EDA)) to determine short- and long-time-scale variability, and to develop predictive statistical models that can be used to estimate past water level fluctuations in both the Neuse Estuary (NE) and Pamlico Estuary (PE). Short- and long-time-scale similarities were observed in all time series of estuarine, Pamlico Sound and subtidal coastal ocean water level and wind component data, due to events (nor'easters, fronts and tropical systems) and seasonality. Empirical orthogonal function analyses revealed a strong coastal ocean and wind field contribution to water level in the NE and PE. Approximately 95% of the variation was captured in the first two EOF components for water level data from the NE, sound and coastal ocean, and 70% for the PE, sound and coastal ocean. Spectral density plots revealed strong diurnal signals in both wind and water level data, and a strong cross correlation and coherency between the NE water level and the North/South wind component. There was good agreement between data and predictions using autoregressive statistical models for the NE (R² = 0.92) and PE (R² = 0.76). These methods also revealed significant autoregressive lags for the NE (days 1 and 3) and for the PE (days 1, 2 and 3). Significant departures from predictions are attributed to local meteorological and hydrological events. The autoregressive techniques showed significant predictive improvement over ordinary least squares methods. The results are considered within the context of providing long time-scale hindcast data for the two estuaries, and the importance of these data for multidisciplinary researchers and managers.     

Silicones in Chesapeake Bay sediments

Sediment samples from the upper reaches to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay were analysed for extractable organic silicon (silicone) content. Organic silicon in the sediments ranged from less than 0.2 to some 36 ppm, w/w. In general, silicone tended to accumulate in high depositional areas: the northern bay, and along the shores to the south. While present, anthropogenic inputs in terms of defined source were not clear. It appears that processes in the bay act to rapidly remove silicone from the water column, probably on a function of the flocculation/precipitation of seston, especially in the northern area.     

Chemical composition of Russian Arctic precipitation in 2007-2015

The results of observations of the chemical composition of precipitation in the Russian Arctic in 2007-2015 are summarized including the data from NP-35 drifting ice station obtained in 2007-2008 in the framework of the joint program of Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and Voeikov Main Geophysical Observatory. The qualitative and quantitative difference in the chemical composition of precipitation in the Atlantic, Siberian, and Pacific sectors of the Russian Arctic is revealed. It is found that the concentration of microelements (heavy metals) in precipitation at NP-35 ice station did not exceed 12% of total ions at the lowest mineralization. The comparative analysis is presented of the concentration of sulfate ions in precipitation in Norilsk and at NP-35 ice stations.