Thermosolutal instability of compressible hall plasma in porous medium

The thermosolutal instability of a plasma in porous medium in the presence of a vertical magnetic field is considered to include the effects of compressibility and Hall currents. The effects of stable solute gradient and compressibility are found to be stabilizing and the Hall currents have a destabilizing effect. The system is stable for (C _p/g)<1;C _p, , andg denoting specific heat at constant pressure, uniform temperature gradient, and acceleration due to gravity, respectively. In contrast to the non-oscillatory modes in the absence of magnetic field and stable solute gradient, the presence of magnetic field (and, hence, Hall currents) and stable solute gradient introduce oscillatory modes for (C _p/g)>1. The case of overstability is also studied wherein the necessary conditions for the existence of overstability are obtained.     

Retrieval of stratospheric O3 and NO2 vertical profiles using zenith scattered light observations

Daily zenith scattered light intensity observations were carried out in the morning twilight hours using home-made UV-visible spectrometer over the tropical station Pune (18‡31′, 73‡51′) for the years 2000–2003. These observations are obtained in the spectral range 462–498 nm for the solar zenith angles (SZAs) varying from 87‡ to 91.5‡. An algorithm has been developed to retrieve vertical profiles of ozone (O₃) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) from ground-based measurements using the Chahine iteration method. This retrieval method has been checked using measured and recalculated slant column densities (SCDs) and they are found to be well matching. O₃ and NO₂ vertical profiles have been retrieved using a set of their air mass factors (AMFs) and SCDs measured over a range of 87–91.5‡ SZA during the morning. The vertical profiles obtained by this method are compared with Umkehr profiles and ozonesondes and they are found to be in good agreement. The bulk of the column density is found near layer 20–25 km. Daily total column densities (TCDs) of O₃ and NO₂ along with their stratospheric and tropospheric counterparts are derived using their vertical profiles for the period 2000–2003. The total column, stratospheric column and tropospheric column amounts of both trace gases are found to be maximum in summer and minimum in the winter season. Increasing trend is found in column density of NO₂ in stratospheric, tropospheric and surface layers, but no trend is observed in O₃ columns for above layers during the period 2000–2003     

Change detection in Sal forest in Dehradun Forest Division using remote sensing and geographical information system

The review of study site have revealed the change in vegetation cover of Sal Dense to Sal Medium and Sal Open in 6 forest Mosaics owing to biotic and abiotic conditions prevailing in the specific areas. Analysis carried out using thematic map derived from aerial photograph of 1976 and satellite data of IRS 1C LISS III False Colour Composite (FCC) of March 1999 revealed the cause for change in forest density classes. Deforestation, encroachment and agriculture have been identified as the underlying causes, which have affected some specific locations to a marked extent. There has been a progressive and remarkable change among vegetation classes from 1976 to 1999. It is evident from forest type and density map that Sal density has significantly reduced from Sal Dense 65.61 % in 1976 to Sal Dense 11.12% in the year 1999 followed by Sal Open 11.18 % and Sal Medium 18.24 %. The overall change has been estimated to be 42.11% of the total forested area.     

Environmental significance of C/C and O/O ratios of modern land-snail shells from the southern great plains of North America

¹³C/¹²C and ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratios of aragonite shells of modern land snails from the southern Great Plains of North America were measured for samples from twelve localities in a narrow east-west corridor that extended from the Flint Hills in North Central Oklahoma to the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Northern New Mexico, USA. Across the study area, shell δ¹⁸O values (PDB scale) ranged from −4.1‰ to 1.2‰, while δ¹³C values ranged from −13.2‰ to 0.0‰. δ¹⁸O values of the shell aragonite were predicted with a published, steady state, evaporative flux balance model. The predicted values differed (with one exception) by less than 1‰ from locality averages of measured δ¹⁸O values. This similarity suggests that relative humidity at the time of snail activity is an important control on the δ¹⁸O values of the aragonite and emphasizes the seasonal nature of the climatic information preserved in the shells. Correlated δ¹³C values of coexisting Vallonia and Gastrocopta suggest similar feeding habits and imply that these genera can provide information on variations in southern Great Plains plant ecology. Although there is considerable scatter, multispecies, transect average δ¹³C values of the modern aragonite shells are related to variations in the type of photosynthesis (i.e., C₃, C₄) in the local plant communities. The results of this study emphasize the desirability of obtaining isotope ratios representing averages of many shells in a locale to reduce possible biases associated with local variations among individuals, species, etc., and thus better represent the “neighborhood” scale temporal and/or spatial environmental variations of interest in studies of modern and ancient systems.     

Estimation of Above Ground Biomass for Central Indian Deciduous Forests Using ALOS PALSAR L-Band Data

Reliable and accurate estimates of tropical forest above ground biomass (AGB) are important to reduce uncertainties in carbon budgeting. In the present study we estimated AGB of central Indian deciduous forests of Madhya Pradesh (M.P.) state, India, using Advanced Land Observing Satellite – Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS-PALSAR) L-band data of year 2010 in conjunction with field based AGB estimates using empirical models. Digital numbers of gridded 1?×?1° dual polarization (HH & HV) PALSAR mosaics for the study area were converted to normalized radar cross section (sigma naught - σ⁰). A total of 415 sampling plots (0.1 ha) data collected over the study area during 2009–10 was used in the present study. Plot-level AGB estimates using volume equations representative to the study area were computed using field inventory data. The plot-level AGB estimates were empirically modeled with the PALSAR backscatter information in HH, HV and their ratios from different forest types of the study area. The HV backscatter information showed better relation with field based AGB estimates with a coefficient of determination (R²) of 0.509 which was used to estimate spatial AGB of the study area. Results suggested a total AGB of 367.4 Mt for forests of M.P. state. Further, validation of the model was carried out using observed vs. predicted AGB estimates, which suggested a root mean square error (RMSE) of ±19.32 t/ha. The model reported robust and defensible relation for observed vs. predicted AGB values of the study area.     

Interactive effect of cadmium and zinc on chromium uptake in spinach grown in Vertisol of Central India

A pot culture experiment was conducted to study impact and interaction of multi-metals on growth, yield and metals uptake by spinach (variety All Green). Three levels of each chromium (0, 50 and 100 mg/kg), cadmium (0, 1 and 2 mg/kg) and zinc (0, 10 and 20 mg/kg) in combinations (total treatments 3 × 3 × 3 = 27) were applied in a Vertisol (5 kg). The results showed that increasing the concentration of chromium, cadmium and zinc in soil enhanced the respective metal concentrations in spinach root and shoot. When cadmium at 2 mg/kg along with chromium at 100 mg/kg soil was applied, chromium concentration and uptake were decreased in root and shoot. Meanwhile, zinc application had no significant effect on chromium uptake and concentration in spinach biomass. From the results, it was concluded that cadmium at higher dose had an antagonistic effect over chromium. On the other hand, in chromium, cadmium and zinc combinations particularly at their higher levels, a competition among each other was found. Therefore, the findings could be used as guidelines for controlling and management of heavy metals pollution in farmland.     

Pedotransfer functions to estimate soil water content at field capacity and permanent wilting point in hot Arid Western India

Characterization of soil water retention, e.g., water content at field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP) over a landscape plays a key role in efficient utilization of available scarce water resources in dry land agriculture; however, direct measurement thereof for multiple locations in the field is not always feasible. Therefore, pedotransfer functions (PTFs) were developed to estimate soil water retention at FC and PWP for dryland soils of India. A soil database available for Arid Western India (N=370) was used to develop PTFs. The developed PTFs were tested in two independent datasets from arid regions of India (N=36) and an arid region of USA (N=1789). While testing these PTFs using independent data from India, root mean square error (RMSE) was found to be 2.65 and 1.08 for FC and PWP, respectively, whereas for most of the tested ‘established’ PTFs, the RMSE was >3.41 and >1.15, respectively. Performance of the developed PTFs from the independent dataset from USA was comparable with estimates derived from ‘established’ PTFs. For wide applicability of the developed PTFs, a user-friendly soil moisture calculator was developed. The PTFs developed in this study may be quite useful to farmers for scheduling irrigation water as per soil type.     

Rhyolites in continental mafic Large Igneous Provinces: Petrology,geochemistry and petrogenesis

We present a detailed review of the petrological and geochemical aspects of rhyolite and associated silicic volcanic rocks(up to 20 vol%of all rocks)reported to date from twelve well known Phanerozoic continental mafic Large Igneous Provinces(LIPs).These typically spread over<104 km^2(rarely 105 km^2 for Parana-Etendeka)area and comprise<10~4 km^3 of extrusive silicic rocks,erupted either during or after the main basaltic eruption within<5 Myr,with some eruption(s)continuing for≤30 Myr.These rhyolites and associated silicic volcanic rocks(60-81 wt.%of SiO2)are mostly metaluminous to peraluminous and are formed via(ⅰ)fractional crystallization of parental mafic magma with negligible crustal contamination,and(ⅱ)melting of continental crust or assimilation and fractional crystallization(AFC)of mafic magma with significant crustal contribution.Rhyolites formed by extensive fractional crystallization are characterized by the presence of clinopyroxene phenocrysts,exhibit steep negative slopes in bivariate major oxides plots and weak to no Nb-Ta anomaly;these typically have temperature>900℃.Rhyolites formed by significant crustal contribution are characterized by strong negative Nb-Ta anomalies,absence of clinopyroxene phenocrysts,and are likely to have a magma temperature<900℃.Geochemical signatures suggest rhyolite melt generation in the plagioclase stability field with a minor fraction originating from lower crustal depths.A large part of the compositional variability in rhyolites,particularly the SrNd-Pb-O isotope ratios,suggests a significant role of continental crust(upper crustal melting or AFC)in the evolution of these silicic rocks in the continental mafic LIPs.     

Early In-orbit Performance of Scanning Sky Monitor Onboard AstroSat

We report the in-orbit performance of Scanning Sky Monitor (SSM) onboard AstroSat. The SSM operates in the energy range 2.5 to 10 keV and scans the sky to detect and locate transient X-ray sources. This information of any interesting phenomenon in the X-ray sky as observed by SSM is provided to the astronomical community for follow-up observations. Following the launch of AstroSat on 28th September, 2015, SSM was commissioned on October 12th, 2015. The first power ON of the instrument was with the standard X-ray source, Crab in the field-of-view. The first orbit data revealed the basic expected performance of one of the detectors of SSM, SSM1. Following this in the subsequent orbits, the other detectors were also powered ON to find them perform in good health. Quick checks of the data from the first few orbits revealed that the instrument performed with the expected angular resolution of 12’ \(\times \) 2.5\(^\circ \) and effective area in the energy range of interest. This paper discusses the instrument aspects along with few on-board results immediately after power ON.