The geomorphic function and characteristics of large woody debris in low gradient rivers, coastal Maine, USA

The role, function, and importance of large woody debris (LWD) in rivers depend strongly on environmental context and land use history. The coastal watersheds of central and northern Maine, northeastern U.S., are characterized by low gradients, moderate topography, and minimal influence of mass wasting processes, along with a history of intensive commercial timber harvest. In spite of the ecological importance of these rivers, which contain the last wild populations of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the U.S., we know little about LWD distribution, dynamics, and function in these systems. We conducted a cross-basin analysis in seven coastal Maine watersheds, documenting the size, frequency, volume, position, and orientation of LWD, as well as the association between LWD, pool formation, and sediment storage. In conjunction with these LWD surveys, we conducted extensive riparian vegetation surveys. We observed very low LWD frequencies and volumes across the 60 km of rivers surveyed. Frequency of LWD ≥ 20 cm diameter ranged from 15–50 pieces km^− 1 and wood volumes were commonly < 10–20 m³ km^− 1. Moreover, most of this wood was located in the immediate low-flow channel zone, was oriented parallel to flow, and failed to span the stream channel. As a result, pool formation associated with LWD is generally lacking and < 20% of the wood was associated with sediment storage. Low LWD volumes are consistent with the relatively young riparian stands we observed, with the large majority of trees < 20 cm DBH. These results strongly reflect the legacy of intensive timber harvest and land clearing and suggest that the frequency and distribution of LWD may be considerably less than presettlement and/or future desired conditions.     

Cotton yield prediction through spectral parameters

To predict the crop yield from spectral parameters, a field experiment was conducted on cotton crop during 1997-98 Kharif season on a sandy loam soil at the Punjab Agricultural Unjversity, Ludhiana. India. Spectral reflectance and agronomic measurements were made for cotton species (American and Desi cotton), sown on two dates (May 1 and May 29) under five nitrogen levels (0, 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg/ha). Regression analysis showed that growth variables had poor correlation with seed cotton yield for all three models, however, yield attributes were significantly and highly correlated for second degree model with seed cotton yield. The integrated Radiance Ratio (RR) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measured over time were significantly correlated quadratically with seed cotton yield on three time segment periods viz., 81–110, 111–140 and 141–200 DAS, but highest correlation values were obtained during 81–110 DAS, In American cotton, the highest correlation coefficient for RR and NDVI were 0.91 and 0.81, respectively; whereas for Desi cotton these values were 0.88 and 0.84, respectively.     

The subsystem of open clusters in the post-hipparcos era: Cluster structural parameters and proper motions

The wide neighborhoods of 401 open clusters are analyzed using the modern, high-precision, homogeneous ASCC-2.5 all-sky catalog. More than 28000 possible cluster members (including about 12500 most probable members) are identified using kinematic and photometric criteria. Star counts with the ASCC-2.5 and USNO-A2.0 catalogs are used to determine the angular and linear radii of the cluster cores and coronas, which exceed the previously published values by factors of two to three. The segregation (differing central concentration) of member stars by magnitude is observed. The mean proper motions are determined directly in the Hipparcos system for 401 clusters, for 183 of them for the first time. The heliocentric distances of 118 clusters are determined for the first time based on color-magnitude diagrams for their identified members.     

Adsorption of hexavalent chromium onto activated carbon derived from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Leucaena leucocephala</Emphasis> waste sawdust: kinetics,equilibrium and thermodynamics

The adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) was studied using activated carbon derived from Leucaena leucocephala (ACLL). The physico-chemical properties of ACLL were determined using proximate analysis and N₂ BET surface area analysis. The N₂ BET surface area of ACLL was determined to be 1131 m² g^?1. The point of zero charge (pH_pzc) of 5.42 indicated that ACLL surface was positively charged for pH below the pH_PZC, attracting anions. The effect of experimental operating parameters such as time of contact, ACLL dose, pH, initial concentration and temperature was investigated. The optimum values of parameters such as concentration of 100 mg L^?1, 300 mg of ACLL dose, time of contact of 60 min, pH of 4 indicated the maximum Cr(VI) uptake of 13.85 mg g^?1. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model best fitted with the Cr(VI) adsorption data. Adsorptive removal of Cr(VI) onto ACLL satisfactorily fitted in the order of Redlich–Peterson > Freundlich > Langmuir > Temkin adsorption isotherm model. The thermodynamic parameters showed the adsorption of Cr(VI) onto ACLL was an endothermic and spontaneously occurred process.     

Relating millimeter-scale turbulence to meter-scale subtidal erosion and accretion across the fringe of a coastal mangrove forest

Within a wave-exposed mangrove forest, novel field observations are presented, comparing millimeter-scale turbulent water velocity fluctuations with contemporaneous subtidal bed elevation changes. High-resolution velocity and bed level measurements were collected from the unvegetated mudflat, at the mangrove forest fringe, and within the forest interior over multiple tidal cycles (flood–ebb) during a 2-week period. Measurements demonstrated that the spatial variability in vegetation density is a control on sediment transport at sub-meter scales. Scour around single and dense clusters of pneumatophores was predicted by a standard hydraulic engineering equation for wave-induced scour around regular cylinders, when the cylinder diameter in the equations was replaced with the representative diameter of the dense pneumatophore clusters. Waves were dissipated as they propagated into the forest, but dissipation at infragravity periods (> 30 s) was observed to be less than dissipation at shorter periods (< 30 s), consistent with the predictions of a simple model. Cross-wavelet analysis revealed that infragravity-frequency fluctuations in the bed level were occasionally coherent with velocity, possibly indicating scour upstream of dense pneumatophore patches when infragravity waves reinforced tidal currents. Consequently, infragravity waves were a likely driver of sediment transport within the mangrove forest. Near-bed turbulent kinetic energy, estimated from the turbulent dissipation rate, was also correlated with bed level changes. Specifically, within the mangrove forest and over the unvegetated mudflat, high-energy events were associated with erosion or near-zero bed level change, whereas low-energy events were associated with accretion. In contrast, no single relationship between bed level changes and mean current velocity was applicable across both vegetated and unvegetated regions. These observations support the theory that sediment mobilization scales with turbulent energy, rather than mean velocity, a distinction that becomes important when vegetation controls the development of turbulence.     

Comments on Placenticeras mintoi (Vredenburg, 1906) from the Bagh Beds (Late Cretaceous), central India with special reference to Turonian Nodular Limestone Horizon

The Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian to Coniacian) marine sediments of central India prevalently known as ‘Bagh Beds,’ have been deposited in the E-W extending Narmada Basin. The stratigraphy of these Cenomanian — Coniacian sediments has been reviewed and summarized. The Bagh Beds have been found to consist of three formations: Nimar Sandstone, Nodular Limestone and Corallian Limestone in ascending order. Main emphasis has been given to Nodular Limestone Formation (Turonian), which is the most fossiliferous horizon of the Bagh Beds. Nodular Limestone Formation has more or less alternating bands of varying thickness of nodular limestone and marl. It yielded numerous ammonoid specimens, which have been found to belong to a morphologically highly variable ammoniod taxon Placenticeras mintoi Vredenburg.     

Space charge sheath in plasma-neutral gas interaction

A space charge sheath is found to be formed whenever a high-velocity magnetized plasma stream penetrates a gas cloud. The sheath is always located at the head of the plasma stream, and its thickness is very small compared to the length of the plasma stream. Soon after the sheath is formed it quickly slows down to the Alfvén critical velocity. The plasma behind the sheath continues to move at higher velocity until the whole plasma stream is retarded to the critical velocity. In the interaction at gas density 10¹⁹ m^–3 the sheaths are observed to be accompanied by a single loop of current with current density of 10⁵ Å m^–2. Maximum potential in the sheath ranges between 50 and 200 V.Presently available models for the sheath may explain the initiation of the sheath formation. Physical processes like heating of the electrons and ionization of the gas cloud which come into play at a later stage of the interaction are not included in these models. These processes considerably alter the potential structure in the sheath region. A schematic model of the observed sheath is presented here.Experiments reveal a threshold value of the magnetic field for plasma retardation to occur. This seems to correspond to the threshold condition for excitation of the modified two-stream instability which can lead to the electron heating. The observed current are found sufficient to account for the plasma retardation at a gas density of 10¹⁷ m^–3.