Dyke emplacement in the Narmada rift zone and implications for the evolution of Deccan Traps

正Dykes are primarily extensional fractures that form perpendicular to the minimum principal compressive stress,which have been extensively studied in the world during the past decades for various reasons including the     

Modeling tropical river runoff: A time dependent approach

Forecasting of rainfall and subsequent river runoff is important for many operational problems and applications related to hydrology. Modeling river runoff often requires rigorous mathematical analysis of vast historical data to arrive at reasonable conclusions. In this paper we have applied the stochastic method to characterize and predict river runoffofthe perennial Kulfo River in southem Ethiopia. The time series analysis based auto regressive integrated moving average （ARIMA） approach is applied to mean monthly runoff data with 10 and 20 years spans. The varying length of the input runoff data is shown to influence the forecasting efficiency of the stochastic process. Preprocessing of the runoff time series data indicated that the data do not follow a seasonal pattern. Our forecasts were made using parsimonious non seasonal ARIMA models and the results were compared to actual 10-year and 20-year mean monthly runoff data of the Kulfo River. Our results indicate that river runoff forecasts based upon the 10-year data are more accurate and efficient than the model based on the 20-year time series.     

Biodiversity and seasonal variation of benthic macrofauna in Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, India

From the Indian coast only limited data are available on the benthic fauna of the seagrass communities. In this study, seasonal variation in the distribution of macrobenthos and influence of environmental parameters was explored at four seagrass beds and two mangrove stations along the Minicoy Island, Lakshadweep, India, from September 1999 to August 2001. A total of 160 macrobenthic species from eight major groups represented the macrofauna of the Minicoy Island. Of the identified taxa, molluscs 70（gastropods 41.46%, bivalves 7.5%）, polychaetes 27（16.88%）, crustaceans 30（18.75%）, echinoderms 11（6.88%） and remaining others. Average seasonal abundance of benthic macrofauna ranged from 219 to 711 ind./m2, species diversity varied from 1.45 to 3.64 bits per individual, species richness index ranged from 4.01 to 26.17, evenness 0.69 to 1.66. In general, the higher abundance and species diversity was noticed in southern seagrass stations and northern seagrass stations, but in the mangrove stations comparatively low species diversity was observed. Three-way analysis of variance indicated that all communities resulted as being significantly different between seagrass and mangrove station, mainly when the seasonal interaction was considered. Multivariate analyses were employed to help define benthic characteristic and the relationship between environmental parameters at the six monitoring stations. Results of cluster analyses and multidimensional scale plot suggest that for mangrove region, different physiographic provinces, lower salinity, dissolved oxygen and sediment biotic structure have a higher influence on the species composition and diversity than other oceanographic conditions.     

Implications of sampling design and sample size for national carbon accounting systems

Background  

Countries willing to adopt a REDD regime need to establish a national Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) system that provides information on forest carbon stocks and carbon stock changes. Due to the extensive areas covered by forests the information is generally obtained by sample based surveys. Most operational sampling approaches utilize a combination of earth-observation data and in-situ field assessments as data sources.     

Assessment of carbon in woody plants and soil across a vineyard-woodland landscape

Background

Quantification of ecosystem services, such as carbon (C) storage, can demonstrate the benefits of managing for both production and habitat conservation in agricultural landscapes. In this study, we evaluated C stocks and woody plant diversity across vineyard blocks and adjoining woodland ecosystems (wildlands) for an organic vineyard in northern California. Carbon was measured in soil from 44 one m deep pits, and in aboveground woody biomass from 93 vegetation plots. These data were combined with physical landscape variables to model C stocks using a geographic information system and multivariate linear regression.

Results

Field data showed wildlands to be heterogeneous in both C stocks and woody tree diversity, reflecting the mosaic of several different vegetation types, and storing on average 36.8 Mg C/ha in aboveground woody biomass and 89.3 Mg C/ha in soil. Not surprisingly, vineyard blocks showed less variation in above- and belowground C, with an average of 3.0 and 84.1 Mg C/ha, respectively.

Conclusions

This research demonstrates that vineyards managed with practices that conserve some fraction of adjoining wildlands yield benefits for increasing overall C stocks and species and habitat diversity in integrated agricultural landscapes. For such complex landscapes, high resolution spatial modeling is challenging and requires accurate characterization of the landscape by vegetation type, physical structure, sufficient sampling, and allometric equations that relate tree species to each landscape. Geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques are useful for integrating the above variables into an analysis platform to estimate C stocks in these working landscapes, thereby helping land managers qualify for greenhouse gas mitigation credits. Carbon policy in California, however, shows a lack of focus on C stocks compared to emissions, and on agriculture compared to other sectors. Correcting these policy shortcomings could create incentives for ecosystem service provision, including C storage, as well as encourage better farm stewardship and habitat conservation.

     

The influences of various anthropogenic sources of deterioration on meiobenthos (Ostracoda) over the last 100 years in Suo-Nada in the Seto Inland Sea, southwest Japan

This study focuses on the relationships of water and sediment quality with meiobenthos (Ostracoda) over the past 100 years, using a sediment core obtained from Suo-Nada in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. We compared high-resolution ostracode results with geochemical and sedimentological data obtained from the study core as well as with rich environmental monitoring data that are available. R-mode cluster analysis revealed two bioassociations (BC, KA). Until the1960s, assemblages continued to show high diversity. They changed in approximately 1970, when excessive nutrients and organic matter began to be supplied, and most species decreased in number. All species of bioassociation BC were dominant again by the mid-1990s; however, those of bioassociation KA containing infaunal species did not increase and have been absent or rare since the 1970s because organic pollution of sediments has continued to date. This study provided robust baseline for ostracode-based long-term environmental monitoring in East Asia.     

The use of Lagrangian trajectories for the identification of the environmentally safe fairways

We propose and test a method for the optimisation of marine fairways to minimise the risk to high-value areas, based on statistical analysis of Lagrangian trajectories of current-driven pollution transport. The offshore areas are quantified according to the probability of pollution released in these areas to reach vulnerable regions. The method contains an eddy-resolving circulation model, a scheme for tracking of Lagrangian trajectories, a technique for the calculation of quantities characterising the potential of different sea areas to supply adverse impacts, and routines to construct the optimum fairway. The gain is expressed in terms of the probability of pollution transport to the nearshore and the associated time (particle age). The use of the optimum fairway would decrease the probability of coastal pollution by 40% or increase the average time of reaching the pollution to the coast from 5.3 to about 9 days in the Gulf of Finland, the Baltic Sea.     

The extent and historical trend of metal pollution recorded in core sediments from the artificial Lake Shihwa, Korea

The vertical distribution of trace metals in sediment cores was investigated to evaluate the extent and the historical record of metal pollution over 30 years in the artificial Lake Shihwa in Korea. A marked increase of trace metals after 1980 was observed due to the operation of two large industrial complexes and dike construction for a reclamation project. There was a decreasing trend of metal concentrations with the distance from the pollution source. The enrichment factor and pollution load index of the metals indicated that the metal pollution was mainly derived from Cu, Zn and Cd loads due to anthropogenic activities. The concentrations of Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, As and Pb in the upper part of all core sediments exceeded the ERL criteria of NOAA. Our results indicate that inadequate planning and management of industrialization and a large reclamation project accomplished by dike construction have continued to strongly accelerate metal pollution in Lake Shihwa.     

Effects of the pharmaceuticals gemfibrozil and diclofenac on the marine mussel (Mytilus spp.) and their comparison with standardized toxicity tests

Human pharmaceuticals, like the lipid lowering agent gemfibrozil and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug diclofenac are causing environmental concern. In this study, the marine mussel (Mytilus spp.) was exposed by injection to environmentally relevant and elevated (1 μg/L and 1000 μg/L) concentrations of both compounds and biomarker expression was observed. Gemfibrozil exposure induced biomarkers of stress (glutathione S-transferase and metallothionein) at both concentrations 24 h and 96 h after exposure, respectively. Biomarkers of damage (lipid peroxidation (LPO) and DNA damage) were significantly affected, as well as the biomarker for reproduction, alkali-labile phosphate assay, indicating the potential oxidative stress and endocrine disrupting effect of gemfibrozil. Diclofenac significantly induced LPO after 96 h indicating tissue damage. Additionally standard toxicity tests using the marine species Vibrio fischeri, Skeletonema costatum and Tisbe battagliai showed differences in sensitivity to both drugs in the mg/L range. Results indicate a suite of tests should be used to give accurate information for regulation.