Evapotranspiration models of different complexity for multiple land cover types

A comparison between half‐hourly and daily measured and computed evapotranspiration (ET) using three models of different complexity, namely, the Priestley–Taylor (P‐T), the reference Penman–Monteith (P‐M) and the Common Land Model (CLM), was conducted using three AmeriFlux sites under different land cover and climate conditions (i.e. arid grassland, temperate forest and subhumid cropland). Using the reference P‐M model with a semiempirical soil moisture function to adjust for water‐limiting conditions yielded ET estimates in reasonable agreement with the observations [root mean square error (RMSE) of 64–87 W m^?2 for half‐hourly and RMSE of 0.5–1.9 mm day^?1 for daily] and similar to the complex Common Land Model (RMSE of 60–94 W m^?2 for half‐hourly and RMSE of 0.4–2.1 mm day^?1 for daily) at the grassland and cropland sites. However, the semiempirical soil moisture function was not applicable particularly for the P‐T model at the forest site, suggesting that adjustments to key model variables may be required when applied to diverse land covers. On the other hand, under certain land cover/environmental conditions, the use of microwave‐derived soil moisture information was found to be a reliable metric of regional moisture conditions to adjust simple ET models for water‐limited cases. Further studies are needed to evaluate the utility of the simplified methods for different landscapes. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The importance of subsurface nepheloid layers in transport and delivery of sediments to the eastern Cariaco Basin,Venezuela

Optical transmissometer measurements were coupled with particulate organic matter (POM) observations to understand suspended sediment composition and distribution in the eastern Cariaco Basin during the rainy seasons of September 2003 and 2006. Our results suggest that nepheloid layers originating at the mouth of small mountainous rivers discharging into the eastern Basin are a major delivery mechanism of terrigenous sediments to the Basin interior. Intermediate nepheloid layers (INL) were observed near the shelf break (～100 m) and appear to effectively transport terrigenous material laterally from the shelf to deep waters, thereby providing a plausible supply mechanism of the terrestrial material observed in sediment traps. These findings highlight the importance of small, local rivers in the Cariaco Basin as sources of terrestrial material. In contrast, these nepheloid layers contained only limited POM. When this information is combined with published sediment trap POM data, it suggests that nepheloid layers may not be a primary mechanism for delivering terrigenous POM to the deeper waters of the basin during the rainy season. Rather, BNL may redistribute marine-derived POM from shallow waters to the Basin's interior by providing ballast materials, particularly during episodic events driven by wind and precipitation. Though we have determined that nepheloid layers play an important role in the seaward transport of particulate material in the Cariaco Basin, their composition and temporal variability have not been fully characterized. This is critical to understand lateral particle transport, since nepheloid layers constitute a significant source of sediment to the deep Cariaco Basin.     

An improved AMC‐coupled runoff curve number model

In the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS‐CN) method, the three levels of antecedent moisture condition (AMC) permit unreasonable sudden jumps in curve numbers, which result into corresponding jumps in the estimated runoff. A few recently developed SCS‐CN‐based models obviate this problem, yet they have several limitations. In this study, such a model incorporating a continuous function for antecedent moisture has been presented. It has several advantages over the other existing SCS‐CN‐based models. Its application to a large dataset from US watersheds showed to perform better than the existing SCS‐CN method and the others based on it. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Application of remote sensing and GIS to assess land use changes in Jhunjhunun district of arid Rajasthan

Over the last four decades exploitation of natural resources to meet increasing societal demands for land based products has caused significant changes in land use and land cover not only in nature’s best gifted regions but also environmentally sensitive arid regions. Through digital interpretation of IRS LISS-III data of 2004 supported with field survey, the present land use map of Jhunjhunun district of arid Rajasthan has been prepared. Agriculture is the dominant land use constituting 84% (including 38% irrigated cropland) area. The land use changes over time and space are worked out by comparing with Landsat 2 MSS data of 1975 and Land use/land cover map of 1988–89. These changes are correlated by analyzing historical land use and cropping pattern data from 1957–58 to 2004–05. The region witnessed record increase in irrigated area but sharply depleted ground water and rendered hectares of irrigated double cropland into dry land agriculture. Strategies and technologies are suggested for sustainable use and management of different category of land.     

A first-order seismotectonic regionalization of Mexico for seismic hazard and risk estimation

The purpose of this work is to define a seismic regionalization of Mexico for seismic hazard and risk analyses. This seismic regionalization is based on seismic, geologic, and tectonic characteristics. To this end, a seismic catalog was compiled using the more reliable sources available. The catalog was made homogeneous in magnitude in order to avoid the differences in the way this parameter is reported by various agencies. Instead of using a linear regression to converts from m _b and M _d to M _s or M _w , using only events for which estimates of both magnitudes are available (i.e., paired data), we used the frequency-magnitude relations relying on the a and b values of the Gutenberg-Richter relation. The seismic regions are divided into three main categories: seismicity associated with the subduction process along the Pacific coast of Mexico, in-slab events within the down-going COC and RIV plates, and crustal seismicity associated to various geologic and tectonic regions. In total, 18 seismic regions were identified and delimited. For each, the a and b values of the Gutenberg-Richter relation were determined using a maximum likelihood estimation. The a and b parameters were repeatedly estimated as a function of time for each region, in order to confirm their reliability and stability. The recurrence times predicted by the resulting Gutenberg-Richter relations obtained are compared with the observed recurrence times of the larger events in each region of both historical and instrumental earthquakes.     

Seismotectonic study of Kishtwar region of Jammu Province using local broadband seismic data

Two moderate earthquakes of Mw 5.7 on the first of May and Mw 5.2 on the second of August occurred in the Kishtwar region in the year 2013. Our broadband seismic observatories located in the region recorded these events and the aftershocks. We analyzed these data to understand the seismotectonics of this region. Most of the events were located between 33.03° to 33.29° N latitude and 75.40° to 76.07° E longitude. Focal depths of these shallow earthquakes range from 7 to 12 km and are confined between Panjal Thrust (PT) and Kishtwar Window (KW). Spectral analysis of these events reveals that stress drop, source radius, corner frequency, and moment magnitude varied between 3.3 and 70.1 bars, 0.121 and 3.55 km, 0.397 and 6.06 Hz, and Mw 2.2 and Mw 5.7, respectively. The low stress drop of small-magnitude earthquakes reveals the brittle nature of the upper crust which is coincident with the field observations. The variation of stress drop with magnitude shows positive correlation whereas no such relation was observed between stress drop and depth of focus. The b value calculated (0.83) for the area reveals high stress accumulation within the incompetent rock zones in the area.     

Hybrid method to update the design flood shape for spillway operation in a dam: case study of the Huites Dam,Mexico

To design and review the operation of spillways, it is necessary to estimate design hydrographs, considering their peak flow, shape and volume. A hybrid method is proposed that combines the shape of the design hydrograph obtained with the UNAM Institute of Engineering Method (UNAMIIM) with the peak flow and volume calculated from a bivariate method. This hybrid method is applied to historical data of the Huites Dam, Sinaloa, Mexico. The goal is to estimate return periods for the maximum discharge flows (that account for the damage caused downstream) and the maximum levels reached in the dam (measure of the hydrological dam safety) corresponding to a given spillway and its management policy. Therefore, to validate the method, the results obtained by the flood routing of the 50-year hydrograph are compared with those obtained by the flood routing of the three largest historical floods. Both maximum flow and elevation were in the range of values observed within 37.5–75 years corresponding to the length of the historical record.     

Simulation of strong ground motion for a potential Mw7.3 earthquake in Kopili fault zone,northeast India

Natural Hazards - The occurrence of major natural disasters in recent years has impacted large cities worldwide and boosted the need of assessing urban resilience. As a key factor of resilience,...     

Fold-Axis Parallel Extension along the Southern Ending of the Quito (Ecuadorian Andes) Fault System: Implications in River Network and Aquifer Geometry

Geotectonics - Extension parallel to fold axis represents a rarely documented tectonic process that occur in different tectonic settings such as large-scale orogenic belts, mountain ranges, and...     

Effect of electron temperature on small-amplitude electron acoustic solitary waves in non-planar geometry

Effects of electron temperature on the propagation of electron acoustic solitary waves in plasma with stationary ions, cold and superthermal hot electrons is investigated in non-planar geometry employing reductive perturbation method. Modified Korteweg–de Vries equation is derived in the small amplitude approximation limit. The analytical and numerical calculations of the KdV equation reveal that the phase velocity of the electron acoustic waves increases as one goes from planar to non planar geometry. It is shown that the electron temperature ratio changes the width and amplitude of the solitary waves and when electron temperature is not taken into account,our results completely agree with the results of Javidan & Pakzad (2012). It is found that at small values of \(\tau \), solitary wave structures behave differently in cylindrical (\(\text {m} = 1\)), spherical (\(\text {m} = 2\)) and planar geometry (\(\text {m} = 0\)) but looks similar at large values of \(\tau \). These results may be useful to understand the solitary wave characteristics in laboratory and space environments where the plasma have multiple temperature electrons.