Cloud Condensation Nuclei over the Bay of Bengal during the Indian Summer Monsoon

The first measurements of cloud condensation nuclei(CCN) at five supersaturations were carried out onboard the research vessel "Sagar Kanya"(cruise SK-296) from the south to the head-bay of the Bay of Bengal as part of the Continental Tropical Convergence Zone(CTCZ) Project during the Indian summer monsoon of 2012. In this paper, we assess the diurnal variation in CCN distributions at supersaturations from 0.2% to 1%(in steps of 0.2%) and the power-law fit at supersaturation of 1%.The diurnal pattern shows peaks in CCN concentration(NCCN) at supersaturations from 0.2% to 1% between 0600 and 0700 LST(local standard time, UTC+0530), with relatively low concentrations between 1200 and 1400 LST, followed by a peak at around 1800 LST. The power-law fit for the CCN distribution at different supersaturation levels relates the empirical exponent(k) of supersaturation(%) and the NCCNat a supersaturation of 1%. The NCCNat a supersaturation of 0.4% is observed to vary from 702 cm~(-3) to 1289 cm~(-3), with a mean of 961 ± 161 cm~(-3)(95% confidence interval), representing the CCN activity of marine air masses. Whereas, the mean NCCNof 1628 ± 193 cm~(-3) at a supersaturation of 1% is higher than anticipated for the marine background. When the number of CCN spectra is 1293, the value of k is 0.57 ± 0.03(99% confidence interval)and its probability distribution shows cumulative counts significant at k ≈ 0.55 ± 0.25. The results are found to be better at representing the features of the marine environment(103 cm~(-3) and k ≈ 0.5) and useful for validating CCN closure studies for Indian sea regions.     

孟加拉湾的叶绿素a,海表温度和风速的趋势

孟加拉湾（BoB）是一个高能量活跃的地区,其短期内的动态变化将对浮游环境产生巨大影响."风泵"能够在BoB海域导致垂直的混合从而影响海表温度和叶绿素浓度.本文对2006——2016年的月平均Aqua-MODIS叶绿素a （chl-a）浓度数据和Sea WiFS月度气候态数据进行了分析,研究了叶绿素浓度的时间/季节变化和温度以及风速的关系.基于季风期间的chl-a变异与海表温度（SST）,评估了在BoB海域它们之间的关系和变化.chl-a浓度值的趋势分析表明,该区域的垂直混合非常低,冬季最高,夏季最低.冬季最大chl-a浓度值为0.50 mg/m³,并且从2月开始下降到夏季季风期间.与冬季季风相比,夏季季风期间叶绿素表现出较低的浓度.在夏季季风期间,特别是在7月和8月,由于云层密集,卫星传感器无法准确捕获chl-a浓度值.chl-a浓度和SST之间相关系数R²值为0.218 1.     

Late Quaternary Seismic Stratigraphy of the Eastern Bengal Shelf

An ultra-high-resolution seismic study of the eastern Bengal Shelf with the parametric narrow-beam echosounder Parasound allows the interpretation of late Quaternary depositional patterns in terms of seismic stratigraphy. Accommodation space was still present on the outer shelf during the last lowstand, where a prograding delta developed in the western survey area. Oolitic beach ridges were later formed on top of this lowstand delta. Farther east, large parts of the shelf were exposed to subaerial erosion and a river system extended seaward across the area. A subaqueous highstand delta prograded southwards following the maximum transgression about 7,000 years ago. Its foreset beds exhibit acoustic voids very likely generated by sediment liquefaction, possibly caused by episodic energetic events such as major cyclones and/or earthquakes. Bottomset sediments extend seaward close to the shelf break in the west, whereas no Holocene sediments cover the outer shelf in the east.     

Geochemistry and detrital zircon U–Pb dating of Pliocene-Pleistocene sandstones of the Chittagong Tripura Fold Belt (Bangladesh): Implications for provenance

The Bengal Basin originated during the collision of India with Eurasia and Burma. The provenance analysis of the Chittagong Tripura Fold Belt (CTFB), which is the folded eastern flank of the Bengal Basin as well as the Neogene belt of the Indo-Burman Ranges (IBR) is key to better understand the possible sources of sediment input from the complex interplay of the Indian, Eurasian and Burma plates. We report new whole rock geochemical and detrital zircon U–Pb data from the upper Neogene sandstones of Tipam-Dupi Tila formations (Pliocene to Plio-Plestocene succession) from the CTFB. Detrital zircon U–Pb age spectra show three predominant peaks at <200 Ma, 480–650, ∼800–1000 Ma. The geochemical discriminations and elemental ratios of Eu/Eu* (∼0.70), La/Sc (∼16.13), La/Co (∼15.76), Th/Sc (∼2.95), La/Th (∼5.67), Th/Co (∼2.87), Cr/Th (∼4.63) as well as Chondrite-normalized REE patterns with flat HREE, LREE enrichment, and negative Eu anomalies for the Tipam and Dupi Tila formations are suggestive of a dominantly felsic source area experiencing moderate to intensive chemical weathering (Chemical index of alteration, CIA - 57 to 81) and have a recycled provenance orogen related to active continental or passive margin settings. Integrated geochemical and zircon U–Pb studies reveal that the main sediment input might have been from the Himalayan orogen with significant arc-derived detritus, possibly from the Gangdese arc as well as from the Burma magmatic arc.     

Quantitative analysis for maritime delimitation: Reassessing the Bay of Bengal delimitation between Bangladesh and Myanmar

This article examines technical aspects of the maritime boundary dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar (the ‘Bay of Bengal case’). This dispute was the first maritime delimitation determined by the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS). The 2012 decision was also the first time that a maritime boundary for the seabed and subsoil of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the extended continental shelf (ECS) was determined by international adjudication. This was also therefore the first time that detailed technical quantification of seabed areas within the EEZ and ECS was needed for achieving an equitable division of these maritime zones in an international forum. Following review of the principles of maritime delimitation on which the ITLOS reached its determination, this article analyzes the legal status and delimitation effect of St. Martin's Island. Concerning the question of whether the legal regimes of the EEZ and continental shelf should be treated differently in a single delimitation line, although the ITLOS determined that the legal regimes should not be distinguished in the present case, a different approach is proposed for future cases. The article identifies how quantitative modelling can be used to achieve an equitable boundary and proposes a model to adjust provisional equidistance lines in accordance with the complex geophysical rules prescribed for the outer limits of the ECS in Article 76 of the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC).     

孟加拉盆地东部褶皱带差异构造变形及成因

基于野外地质调查和地震资料分析,证实了孟加拉盆地东部褶皱带发育底部和中部两套滑脱层。底部滑脱层在整个褶皱带均发育,而中部滑脱层仅发育于北段—中段的陆上和陆架区,在中段的陆坡-洋盆区及南段则不发育。中部滑脱层的发育受古陆坡富泥沉积控制。北段—中段主要发育滑脱褶皱及被断层突破的滑脱褶皱,而南段主要发育泥底辟和泥火山构造。孟加拉盆地东部褶皱带滑脱层系及构造样式的差异变形特征主要受区域挤压作用、沉积作用以及地层流体超压等方面存在着差异的共同影响。     

Study of subsurface geology in locating arsenic-free groundwater in Bengal delta,West Bengal,India

Over a large area of the Bengal delta in West Bengal, India, arsenic distribution patterns in groundwater were studied. One hundred and ten boreholes at different target locations were made, subsurface sediments were logged and analysed, and arsenic values in sediments vis-à-vis groundwater were compared. The study elucidates the subsurface geology of the western part of Bengal delta and characterises the sediments that were intersected in different boreholes with contrasting values of arsenic in groundwater. It reveals an existence of multiple aquifers stacked over each other. Depending on the color and nature of aquifer-sands and their overlying clay beds six aquifer types (Type-1 to Type-6) are classified and described. Sediment-arsenic for all the varieties of aquifer sands are near similar but the groundwater-arsenic of these six aquifers varies widely. Type-2 and Type-5 aquifers host arsenic-contaminated groundwater whereas the other four aquifers are arsenic-free. Type-2 and Type-5 aquifers are capped by a grey to dark grey soft organic matter-rich clay unit which makes these aquifers semi-confined to leaky-confined. These contribute in releasing arsenic from the sediments. The results of this study are employed in a proposed georemedial measure against this hazardous toxic element.     

Spatial Variation of Sea Level Trend Along the Bangladesh Coast

The Bangladesh coast is threatened by rising sea level due to various factors. The results based on the analysis of past 22 years of tidal data of the Bangladesh coast reveal that the annual mean tidal level in the eastern Bangladesh coast is rising at an alarmingly high rate of 7.8 mm/year, which is almost twice the observed rate in the western region. This type of sea level trend seems to be the result of changing local conditions like increased precipitation and land subsidence during the recent decades. It seems that the higher rate of land subsidence in the eastern Bangladesh coast is the main causative factor for the steeper sea level trends there. The differential sea level trends show that the subsidence component in the sea level rise may be as high as 4 mm/year in the eastern Bangladesh coast. However, this needs to be verified with actual geological observations.     

Drifting and Meandering of Olive Ridley Sea Turtles in the Bay of Bengal: Role of Oceanic Rossby Waves

Olive Ridley turtles in the Bay of Bengal are previously thought to migrate southward from their nesting ground, along the east coast of India (Orissa coast), towards Sri Lanka. Surprisingly, three of the four Platform Transmitter Terminal (PTT) attached turtles in April-June 2001 meandered off the east coast of India for about two months. It is found that these turtles meandered at the peripherals of cold core cyclonic eddy surrounded by warm core eddies on either side. Concentrations of prey for the turtles in those frontal regions are known to be abundant. Only one of the four PTT attached turtles migrated to the south along the frontal regions in the direction of geostrophic currents. It is found that the locations of these thermal fronts in the Bay of Bengal are primarily determined by the Oceanic Rossby waves and local Ekman pumping.     

Vulnerability Assessment at Village Level Due to Tides,Surges and Wave Setup

An assessment of cyclone risk and vulnerability at the village level has evolved, which is an important component of the information system for local level development action plans for preparedness and mitigation. Here, a case study for the Nellore district along the east coast of India is considered. Using maximum probable surges along the coast, total water level (TWL) due to the combined effect of surge, tide, and wind wave is computed for the most vulnerable coastal villages of the Nellore district due to any tropical cyclones. The computations suggest that the TWL along the Nellore coast varies from 2 m in the south to 4 m in the north.