Morpho-hypsometric evolution of the Karuvannur River Basin,a tropical river in central Kerala,southwestern peninsular India

An integrated morphometric and hypsometric analysis coupled with asymmetric factor used as a proxy for the landscape evolution of the catchment of Karuvannur River. The present study area is a sixth order tropical river in the central Kerala which supplies water and sediments to the Vembanad-Kol Ramsar site. The Karuvannur River Basin (KRB) has been divided into six sub-watersheds (SW). Morphometric parameters (areal, linear, and relief) and hypsometric and asymmetric factors are measured for the delineation of morphotectonic evolution of the area. High values of drainage density, texture, ruggedness number, and hypsometric integral with relatively high volume of leftover rocks in the basin in SW-II and SW-III compared to the entire basin of KRB imply that these two sub-watersheds have been influenced by the tectonic activities. Further, detailed asymmetric data indicated that these two watersheds are tilted in opposite direction. It may be the result of reactivation of Precambrian fault/lineament in recent past. This has been supported by recent tremors and neotectonic studies in Kerala. Moreover, detailed field evidence along with google imagery revealed that the entire basin is a part of regional anticline associated with PCSZ. Geomorphic response to disturbance will produce a sensible, recognizable response; it can be well studied in rivers through detailed study of their sensitivity or behavioral changes. Rivers have an enormous capacity to absorb perturbation and these types of studies are essential for identifying/measuring tectonic activities, sediment diffusion, surface runoff in a drainage basin, and as an important tool for target oriented micro watershed management.     

Rainfall mechanism over the rain-shadow region of north peninsular India

Climate Dynamics - Rainfall mechanism over the rain-shadow region of north peninsular India during the summer monsoon season has been investigated using dynamic, thermodynamic, cloud microphysics...     

Estimation of glacier depth and moraine cover study using ground penetrating radar (GPR) in the Himalayan region

Himalayan region has one of the largest concentrations of mountain glaciers whose areal extent is changing due to global warming. In order to assess future changes in glacier extent due to global warming, information about glacier depth and debris cover is important. In this paper, application of ground penetrating radar (GPR) is discussed to assess glacier depth and debris cover. This investigation was carried out at Patseo and Samudratapu glaciers in Himachal Pradesh (West Himalaya). Antennas of frequency 50 and 100 MHz have been used for glacier depth and 500 MHz for moraine depth estimation. GPR signatures of glaciers were collected and further analyzed using velocities of electromagnetic waves in different media. The depth of Patseo glacier was estimated as 40 m. However, depth of the larger Samudra Tapu glacier could not be estimated using 50 and 100 MHz antennas. The depth of moraines was estimated using 500 MHz antenna and it varies from 0.35 cm to 0.85 cm for medial and around 1–2 m for lateral moraine at the experimental site.     

Application of Four Measurement Techniques to Understand Natural Source Zone Depletion Processes at an LNAPL Site

There are several key data gaps in our understanding of Natural Source Zone Depletion (NSZD) processes at sites impacted by light nonaqueous phase liquid (LNAPL), and quantifying NSZD rates can be challenging due to the inherent differences in measurement methods. In this study, four different NSZD measurement methods (oxygen influx measured by the Gradient Method, long-term carbon dioxide efflux measured with Carbon Traps, instantaneous carbon dioxide efflux measured with Dynamic Closed Chambers (DCC LI-COR), and the long-term heat flux from biodegradation measured by Thermal NSZD monitoring), as well as LNAPL composition and dissolved gas sampling, were applied at a site in Southern California. These techniques were used to evaluate key questions such as: (1) how do different NSZD rate measurement methods compare, and what causes variability in NSZD results?; (2) to what extent NSZD processes are occurring in LNAPL within the saturated zone?; and (3) how is NSZD related to LNAPL composition change over time? Carbon Traps and Thermal NSZD monitoring measurement methods provided the most consistent NSZD data at this geologically heterogeneous site, with two location average NSZD rates of 540 and 480 gal/acre/year, respectively. Overall, comparisons of NSZD rates between methods were challenging due to different measurement timeframes, significant temporal and spatial heterogeneity, and operational challenges with two of the NSZD methods. Finally, samples of subsurface LNAPL were collected for analysis in 2007 and 2016; results indicated that diesel-range constituents were already very degraded and anaerobic degradation of gasoline-range constituents was ongoing. A LNAPL depletion model (Douglas et al. 1996) applied to the measured LNAPL composition change appeared to greatly overestimate the amount of LNAPL depletion compared to the measured NSZD rate, but did provide an independent semiqualitative line of evidence that LNAPL was being depleted by active NSZD processes at the site.     

Overview of Natural Source Zone Depletion: Processes,Controlling Factors,and Composition Change

Natural source zone depletion (NSZD) has emerged as a practical alternative for restoration of light non‐aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) sites that are in the later stages of their remediation lifecycle. Due to significant research, the NSZD conceptual model has evolved dramatically in recent years, and methanogenesis is now accepted as a dominant attenuation process (e.g., Lundegard and Johnson 2006 ; Ng et al. 2015 ). Most of the methane is generated within the pore space adjacent to LNAPL (Ng et al. 2015 ) from where it migrates through the unsaturated zone (e.g., Amos and Mayer 2006 ), where it is oxidized. While great progress has been made, there are still some important gaps in our understanding of NSZD. NSZD measurements provide little insight on which constituents are actually degrading; it is unclear which rate‐limiting factors that can be manipulated to increase NSZD rates; and how longevity of the bulk LNAPL and its key constituents can be predicted. Various threads of literature were pursued to shed light on some of the questions listed above. Several processes that may influence NSZD or its measurement were identified: temperature, inhibition from acetate buildup, protozoa predation, presence of electron acceptors, inhibition from volatile hydrocarbons, alkalinity/pH, and the availability of nutrients can all affect methanogenesis rates, while factors such as moisture content and soil type can influence its measurement. The methanogenic process appears to have a sequenced utilization of the constituents or chemical classes present in the LNAPL due to varying thermodynamic feasibility, biodegradability, and effects of inhibition, but the bulk NSZD rate appears to remain quasi‐zero order. A simplified version of the reactive transport model presented by Ng et al. 2015 has the potential to be a useful tool for predicting the longevity of key LNAPL constituents or chemical fractions, and of bulk LNAPL, but more work is needed to obtain key input parameters such as chemical classes and their biodegradation rates and any potential inhibitions.     

Impact of Temperature on Groundwater Source Attenuation Rates at Hydrocarbon Sites

The temperature sensitivity of microbial populations is reflected in measured source attenuation rates at hydrocarbon‐impacted sites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between temperature and source attenuation rates (concentration vs. time attenuation rate over many years) of benzene and toluene by analyzing groundwater monitoring data from >2000 hydrocarbon sites. Historical monitoring records were obtained from three databases, processed to yield long‐term multiyear source attenuation rates, and then compared with representative temperatures at each site. Statistically significant and positive relationships between temperature and source attenuation rates were established for benzene and toluene, indicating that temperature does impact hydrocarbon degradation, but is one of many factors that contribute to source attenuation. There was an observed 1.1 to 1.6 times increase in attenuation rates per 10 °C increase in temperature, which is less than the rate increases predicted by the Arrhenius equation. The temperature dependence on attenuation rate is consistent with several lines of evidence that methanogenesis plays a key role in the rate of hydrocarbon source zone attenuation rather than being controlled strictly by the availability of electron acceptors. First, methanogenesis is known to be strongly influenced by temperature, with significantly higher rates up to about 35 °C. Second, the temperature‐degradation rate relationship was stronger at sites with deeper water tables (>30 ft) that are less susceptible to oxygen influx than sites with shallow water tables (<15 ft). Third, dissolved methane concentrations were higher at sites with warmer temperatures. Overall, these results provide indirect support for a conceptual model where methanogenesis is a key degradation process at hydrocarbon sites, and that attenuation of these source zones is temperature‐sensitive.     

SARAS 2: a spectral radiometer for probing cosmic dawn and the epoch of reionization through detection of the global 21-cm signal

The global 21-cm signal from Cosmic Dawn (CD) and the Epoch of Reionization (EoR), at redshifts \(z \sim 6-30\), probes the nature of first sources of radiation as well as physics of the Inter-Galactic Medium (IGM). Given that the signal is predicted to be extremely weak, of wide fractional bandwidth, and lies in a frequency range that is dominated by Galactic and Extragalactic foregrounds as well as Radio Frequency Interference, detection of the signal is a daunting task. Critical to the experiment is the manner in which the sky signal is represented through the instrument. It is of utmost importance to design a system whose spectral bandpass and additive spurious signals can be well calibrated and any calibration residual does not mimic the signal. Shaped Antenna measurement of the background RAdio Spectrum (SARAS) is an ongoing experiment that aims to detect the global 21-cm signal. Here we present the design philosophy of the SARAS 2 system and discuss its performance and limitations based on laboratory and field measurements. Laboratory tests with the antenna replaced with a variety of terminations, including a network model for the antenna impedance, show that the gain calibration and modeling of internal additive signals leave no residuals with Fourier amplitudes exceeding 2 mK, or residual Gaussians of 25 MHz width with amplitudes exceeding 2 mK. Thus, even accounting for reflection and radiation efficiency losses in the antenna, the SARAS 2 system is capable of detection of complex 21-cm profiles at the level predicted by currently favoured models for thermal baryon evolution.     

Extreme monsoons over East Asia: Possible role of Indian Ocean Zonal Mode

Summary The influence of the Indian Ocean Zonal Mode on the extreme summer monsoon rainfall over East Asia (China, Korea, Japan) has been investigated applying simple statistical techniques of correlation and composite analysis. While the observed rainfall data are used as a measure of rainfall activity, the NCEP-NCAR Reanalysis data are used to examine the circulation features associated with the extreme monsoon phases and the dynamics of the zonal mode – monsoon variability connections. The data used covers the period 1960 to 2000.The equatorial Indian Ocean is dominated by westerly winds blowing towards Indonesia. However, during the positive phase of the zonal mode, an anomalous, intensified easterly flow prevails, consistent with the positive (negative) sea surface temperature anomalies over the western (southeastern) equatorial Indian Ocean. This positive phase of the zonal mode enhances summer monsoon activity over China, but suppresses the monsoon activity over the Korea-Japan sector, 3 to 4 seasons later. The relationship is more consistent and stronger over the Korea-Japan region than over China.The Indian Ocean influences the monsoon variability over East Asia via the northern hemisphere mid-latitudes or via the eastern Indian Ocean/west Pacific route. The monsoon-desert mechanism induces strong subsidence northwest of India due to the anomalous convection over the Indian Ocean region associated with the positive phase of the zonal mode. This induces a zonal wave pattern over the mid-latitudes of Asia propagating eastwards and displacing the north Pacific subtropical high over East Asia. The warming over the eastern Indian Ocean/west Pacific inhibits the westward extension of the north Pacific sub-tropical high. The location and shape of this high plays a dominant role in the monsoon variability over East Asia. The memory for delayed impact, three to four seasons later, could be carried by the surface boundary conditions of Eurasian snow cover via the northern channel or the equatorial SSTs near the Indonesian Through Flow via the southern channel.     

On the Spatio-Temporal Variations of the Tropopause Height over India and Indian Summer Monsoon Activity

The spatio-temporal variation of the tropopause height (TH) over the Indian region (5°N-35°N, 70°E-95°E) has been studied using monthly mean TH data, for 22-year period, 1965 to 1986. The study revealed that the stations south of 20° showed maximum TH in April / May and minimum in September. This variation in TH has been attributed to the corresponding variation of average sea surface temperature (SST) over ± 20° latitudinal belt over Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. Further the stations north of 20°N showed maximum in June and minimum in October/ November. This maximum in TH has primarily been attributed to the increased insolation and convection. Furthermore it is noticed that the anomaly of TH moved northwards during the period April to July.The interannual variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon Activity (ISMA) has been studied in relation to all India mean TH (at 12 GMT) for six months April through September. The composites of mean TH for good and bad monsoon years showed that     

Wavelet Analysis of Intermittent Turbulent Transport in the Atmospheric Surface Layer over a Monsoon Trough Region

The structure of the turbulence in the atmospheric surface layer over a monsoon trough region has been studied using structural analysis based on wavelet transform. The observational site is located at the eastern (wet) end of the monsoon trough region, characterized by high moisture in the atmospheric surface layer. On the average relative humidity varied from 70% to 100% during the experiment. The wind and temperature data, collected at Kharagpur (22°25' N, 87°18' E) at six observational hours of a day in June 1990 during the Monsoon Trough Boundary Layer Experiment (MONTBLEX), have been utilized in the study. The wind and instantaneous momentum flux time series were decomposed into 12 scales using the Haar wavelet transform. The eddies exhibited a large temporal variability generating intermittency in the energy and flux distributions. A criterion based on the isotropy has been suggested for separating the large eddies from the small eddies. At the separation scale the isotropy coefficient drops sharply. It is shown that the intermittency in the small eddies resulted from the spatial variation of energy, and deviation of velocity statistics from the Gaussian distribution known as flatness. The deviation from the -5/3 power law has been attributed to the increased mean values of, (i) the coefficient of variation of energy, and (ii) the flatness factor, in the inertial subrange. The decomposition of the instantaneous momentum flux time series reveals that the major contribution to the total flux arises from the large eddies. The quadrant analysis of the momentum flux shows that ejections and sweeps account for a substantial part of the total flux, and quantifies the relative importance of the various spatial scales that contribute to the transport of momentum.