Persistent volcanic signature observed around Barren Island, Andaman Sea, India

This study delineates the formation of a warm pool (>34°C) of air to the west (downwind) of the active volcano of the Barren Island during October–November 2005. Barren Island is located in the Sumatra–Andaman region, about 135 km east of Port Blair, and lies within the Burma microplate, the southern tip of which experienced a submarine earthquake (M _w 9.3) causing a tsunami in December 2004. Barren Island is the only volcano, which has shown sustained eruptive activity since shortly after the Great Sumatran Earthquake of December 2004. Our observations require further corroboration to relate how submarine earthquakes activate volcanoes and how far these thermal emissions influence climate changes. Because it links global warming and climate changes to the frequent emissions from a volcano activated by submarine earthquakes, this case study is of special interest to the earth-ocean-atmosphere sciences community.     

Assessment of soil erosion in a tropical mountain river basin of the southern Western Ghats,India using RUSLE and GIS

Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation(RUSLE) model coupled with transport limited sediment delivery(TLSD) function was used to predict the longtime average annual soil loss, and to identify the critical erosion-/deposition-prone areas in a tropical mountain river basin, viz., Muthirapuzha River Basin(MRB; area=271.75 km~2), in the southern Western Ghats, India. Mean gross soil erosion in MRB is 14.36 t ha~(-1) yr~(-1), whereas mean net soil erosion(i.e., gross erosion-deposition) is only 3.60 t ha~(-1) yr~(-1)(i.e., roughly 25% of the gross erosion). Majority of the basin area(~86%) experiences only slight erosion(5 t ha~(-1) yr~(-1)), and nearly 3% of the area functions as depositional environment for the eroded sediments(e.g., the terraces of stream reaches, the gentle plains as well as the foot slopes of the plateau scarps and the terrain with concordant summits). Although mean gross soil erosion rates in the natural vegetation belts are relatively higher, compared to agriculture, settlement/built-up areas and tea plantation, the sediment transport efficiency in agricultural areas and tea plantation is significantly high,reflecting the role of human activities on accelerated soil erosion. In MRB, on a mean basis, 0.42 t of soil organic carbon(SOC) content is being eroded per hectare annually, and SOC loss from the 4th order subbasins shows considerable differences, mainly due to the spatial variability in the gross soil erosion rates among the sub-basins. The quantitative results, on soil erosion and deposition, modelled using RUSLE and TLSD, are expected to be beneficial while formulating comprehensive land management strategies for reducing the extent of soil degradation in tropical mountain river basins.     

Assessment of soil erosion in a monsoon-dominated mountain river basin in India using RUSLE-SDR and AHP

The long-term average annual soil loss (A) and sediment yield (SY) in a tropical monsoon-dominated river basin in the southern Western Ghats, India (Muthirapuzha River Basin, MRB; area: 271.75 km²), were predicted by coupling the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and sediment delivery ratio (SDR) models. Moreover, the study also delineated soil erosion risk zones based on the soil erosion potential index (SEPI) using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) technique. Mean A of the basin is 14.36 t ha^?1 year^?1, while mean SY is only 3.65 t ha^?1 year^?1. Although the land use/land cover types with human interference show relatively lower A compared to natural vegetation, their higher SDR values reflect the significance of anthropogenic activities in accelerated soil erosion. The soil erosion risk in the MRB is strongly controlled by slope, land use/land cover and relative relief, compared to geomorphology, drainage density, stream frequency and lineament frequency.     

NOBLE GAS ANOMALIES AND SYNTHESIS OF THE CHEMICAL ELEMENTS

There are two types of planetary noble gases: One, containing isotopically “anomalous” argon, krypton and xenon but isotopically “normal” helium and neon, was derived from outer stellar regions. The other, consisting almost entirely of isotopically “normal” argon, krypton and xenon, with little or no helium or neon, was derived from inner stellar regions. Mixing of nucleosynthesis products from different regions of a supernova is responsible for the observed correlations between elemental and isotopic ratios of planetary noble gases in different classes of meteorites. The solar system condensed directly from the chemically and isotopically heterogeneous debris of a single supernova. There is no convincing evidence, however, of separate nucleogenetic components in neon. Fractionation and spallation can account for all previously identified components of trapped meteoritic neon, Ne-A, Ne-B, Ne-C, Ne-D, Ne-E, Ne-Al, Ne-A2, Ne-E(L), Ne-E(H) and Ne-O, and this same mechanism also explains differences between the isotopic compositions of meteoritic, atmospheric, and solar wind neon. Variations in the abundance pattern of planetary noble gases are primarily the result of stellar fusion reactions and physical adsorption, rather than gas solubility.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000036

The paper evaluates sensitivity of various spaceborne digital elevation models （DEMs）, viz., Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer （ASTER）, Shuttle Radar Topography Mapping Mission （SRTM） and Global Multi-resolution Terrain Elevation Data 2010 （GMTED）, in comparison with the DEM （TOPO） derived from contour data of 20 m interval of Survey of India topographic sheets of 1 ： 50,000 scale. Several topographic attributes, such as elevation （above mean sea level）, relative relief, slope, aspect, curvature, slope-length and -steepness （LS） factor, terrain ruggedness index （TRI）, topo- graphic wetness index （TWI）, hypsometric integral （lhyp） and drainage network attributes （stream number and stream length） of two tropical mountain river basins, viz. Muthirapuzha River Basin and Pambar River Basin are compared to evaluate the variations. Though the basins are comparable in extent, they differ in respect of terrain characteristics and climate. The result.,; suggest that ASTER and SRTM provide equally reliable representation of topography portrayed by TOP（） and the topographic attributes extracted from the spaceborne DEMs are in agreement with those derived from TOPO. Despite the coarser resolution, SRTM shows relatively higher vertical accuracy （RMSE -- 23 and 20 m respectively in MRB and PRB） compared to ASTER （RMSE - 33 and 24 m） and GMTED （RMSE - 59 and 48 m）. Vertical accuracy of all the spaceborne DEMs is influenced by relief of the terrain as well as type of vegetation. Further, GMTED shows significant deviation for most of the attributes, indicating its inability for mountain-river-basin-scale studies.     

Seasonal variation in major ion chemistry of a tropical mountain river,the southern Western Ghats,Kerala, India

A comprehensive and systematic study to understand various geochemical processes as well as process drivers controlling the water quality and patterns of the hydrochemical composition of river water in Muthirapuzha River Basin, MRB (a major tributary of Periyar, the longest river in Kerala, India), was carried out during various seasons, such as monsoon, post-monsoon and pre-monsoon of 2007–2008, based on the data collected at 15 monitoring stations (i.e., 15 × 3 = 45 samples). Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ dominate the cations, while Cl^? followed by HCO₃ ^? dominates the anions. In general, major ion chemistry of MRB is jointly controlled by weathering of silicate and carbonate rocks, which is confirmed by relatively larger Ca²⁺ + Mg²⁺/Na⁺ + K⁺ ratios as well as Ca²⁺/Na⁺ vs. Mg²⁺/Na⁺ and Ca²⁺/Na⁺ vs. HCO₃ ^?/Na⁺ scatter plots. The relationship between Cl^? and Na⁺ implies stronger contributions of anthropogenic activities modifying the hydrochemical composition, irrespective of seasons. The water types emerged from this study are transitional waters or waters that changed their chemical character by mixing with waters of geochemically different ionic signatures. However, various ionic ratios, hydrochemical plots and graphical diagrams suggest seasonality over the hydrochemical composition, which is solely controlled by the rainfall pattern. Relatively higher pCO₂ indicates the disequilibrium existing in natural waterbodies vis-à-vis the atmosphere, which is an outcome of both the contribution of groundwater to stream discharge and anthropogenic activities. Hence, continuous monitoring of hydrochemical composition of mountain rivers is essential in the context of climate change, which has serious implications on tropical mountain fluvial-hydro systems.     

Morphometrical analysis of two tropical mountain river basins of contrasting environmental settings, the southern Western Ghats, India

The morphometric analysis of river basins represents a simple procedure to describe hydrologic and geomorphic processes operating on a basin scale. A morphometric analysis was carried out to evaluate the drainage characteristics of two adjoining, mountain river basins of the southern Western Ghats, India, Muthirapuzha River Basin (MRB) in the western slopes and Pambar River Basin (PRB) in the eastern slopes. The basins, forming a part of the Proterozoic, high-grade, Southern Granulite Terrain of the Peninsular India, are carved out of a terrain dominantly made of granite- and hornblende-biotite gneisses. The Western Ghats, forming the basin divide, significantly influences the regional climate (i.e., humid climate in MRB, while semi-arid in PRB). The Survey of India topographic maps (1:50,000) and Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission digital elevation data were used as the base for delineation and analysis. Both river basins are of 6th order and comparable in basin geometry. The drainage patterns and linear alignment of the drainage networks suggest the influence of structural elements. The Rb of either basins failed to highlight the structural controls on drainage organization, which might be a result of the elongated basin shape. The irregular trends in Rb between various stream orders suggest the influence of geology and relief on drainage branching. The Dd values designate the basins as moderate- to well-drained with lower infiltration rates. The overall increasing trend of Rl between successive stream orders suggests a geomorphic maturity of either basins and confirmed by the characteristic I _hyp values. The Re values imply an elongate shape for both MRB and PRB and subsequently lower vulnerability to flash floods and hence, easier flood management. The relatively higher Rr of PRB is an indicative of comparatively steeply sloping terrain and consequently higher intensity of erosion processes. Further, the derivatives of digital elevation data (slope, aspect, topographic wetness index, and stream power index), showing significant differences between MRB and PRB, are useful in soil conservation plans. The study highlighted the variation in morphometric parameters with respect to the dissimilarities in topography and climate.     

Seasonal variations and trophic ecology of microzooplankton in the southeastern Arabian Sea

The seasonal ecological response of microzooplankton in the southeastern Arabian Sea is presented. During the spring intermonsoon period, stratification and depletion of nitrate in the surface waters (nitracline was at 60 m depth) cause low integrated chlorophyll a (av. 19±11.3 mg m⁻²) and primary production (av. 164±91 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹). On the other hand, nutrient enrichment associated with coastal upwelling and river influx during the onset and peak summer monsoon resulted in high integrated chlorophyll a (av. 21±6 mg m⁻² and av. 29±21 mg m⁻², respectively) and primary production (av. 255±94 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹ and av. 335±278 mgC m⁻² d⁻¹, respectively). During all three periods, diazotropic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium erythraeum dominated in the nutrient depleted surface waters. A general increase in abundance of larger diatoms was evident in the surface waters of the inshore region during monsoon periods. The microzooplankton abundance was found to be significantly higher during the spring intermonsoon (av.241±113×10³ ind m⁻²) as compared to onset of summer monsoon (av. 105±89×10³ ind m⁻²) and peak summer monsoon (av.185±175×10³ ind m⁻²). Microzooplankton community during the spring intermonsoon was numerically dominated by ciliates while heterotrophic dinoflagellate was the dominant ones during the monsoon periods. The high abundance of ciliates during the spring intermonsoon could be attributed to the stratified environmental condition prevailed in the study area which favors high abundance of smaller phytoplankton and cyanobacteria, the most preferred food of ciliates. On the other hand, the dominance of heterotrophic dinoflagellates during the monsoon periods could be linked to their ability to graze larger diatoms which were abundant during the monsoon periods. The overall results show low abundance of microzooplankton in the eastern Arabian Sea during the monsoon periods mainly due to a decline in ciliates abundance. This decline during the monsoon periods could be the result of (a) low abundance of smaller phytoplankton and (b) high stock of mesozooplankton predators (av. 245 ml 100 m⁻³).     

Enhanced subsurface mixing due to near-inertial waves: observation from Seychelles-Chagos Thermocline Ridge

Ocean Dynamics - The Seychelles-Chagos Thermocline Ridge (SCTR) is a key region which plays a major role in various regional climatic processes at all time scales. The vertical mixing at the base...     

Hydrogeochemistry and groundwater quality in the coastal sandy clay aquifers of Alappuzha district, Kerala

Groundwater qualities of coastal aquifers in the Chennam-Pallippuram Panchayath of Alappuzha district, Kerala have been extensively monitored in summer from January to May, 2007 to assess its suitability in relation to domestic and agricultural uses. The water samples (n=36) were analyzed for various physico-chemical attributes like temperature, pH, electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), Na, K, Ca, Mg, alkalinity, hardness, silica, chloride, salinity, total dissolved solids (TDS) and sulphate (SO₄ ^2?). Values of most of these parameters fall within permissible limits. Major ionic relationships indicate that weathering reactions have insignificant role in the hydrochemical processes of the shallow groundwater system. Hydrogeochemical processes controlling the water chemistry are precipitation rather than rock-water interaction. Various determinants such as Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), Percent Sodium (Na %), Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC), and Kelley’s Ratio revealed that most of the samples are suitable for irrigation.