Alkali granite-syenite-carbonatite association in Munnar Kerala,India; implications for rifting,alkaline magmatism and liquid immiscibility

Occurrence of carbonatite is reported from the Munnar area, Kerala, where an alkali granite-syenite-carbonatite association is seen emplaced along the intersection zone of the Attur and Kerala fault-lineaments. The carbonatites are of two varieties, a calcite-rich sovite and a very coarse grained, calcite and dolomite bearing alvikite. Higher levels of SiO₂, Al₂O₃ and CaO are characteristic of these as compared to the composition of typical carbonatites. The transition element levels are high whereas the incompatible elements show lower values. The low Sr values, lower amount of apatite and absence of rare metal minerals preclude a primary carbonatite magma. The associated syenite and alkali granite have higher K₂O, K₂O/Na₂O, K/Rb, K/Ba and transition element levels. Petrochemical features suggest the rock association to be a result of separation of an immiscible fraction of less viscous carbonate liquid during cooling and ascent from a more viscous polymerized alkali silicate phase. The pre-requisites for melt equilibration and liquid immiscibility were achieved through volatile degassing related to crustal warping and rifting. The unique alkaline association of Munnar, which shows spatial relationships with deep-seated faults as well as a probable triple-point junction, is suggested to be a signature of late Precambrian alkaline magmatism which manifested in the Indian shield as a precursor to the rifting of the continental margin.     

Role of remote sensing technique in integrated economic land use planning in Andaman Islands

The paper discusses the use of Remote Sensing techniques for the integrated economic land use planning in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, agricultural land use being the main objective. Broad aspects of physiography, soil, land use etc. have been described. An idea about the soil environment and erosion hazards is given. A land use pattern on the basis of land capability and land suitability classification together with cropping pattern has been evolved and the model has been developed for the Island.     

Impact of Doppler Radar Wind in Simulating the Intensity and Propagation of Rainbands Associated with Mesoscale Convective Complexes Using MM5-3DVAR System

Pre-monsoon rainfall around Kolkata (northeastern part of India) is mostly of convective origin as 80% of the seasonal rainfall is produced by Mesoscale Convective Systems (MCS). Accurate prediction of the intensity and structure of these convective cloud clusters becomes challenging, mostly because the convective clouds within these clusters are short lived and the inaccuracy in the models initial state to represent the mesoscale details of the true atmospheric state. Besides the role in observing the internal structure of the precipitating systems, Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) provides an important data source for mesoscale and microscale weather analysis and forecasting. An attempt has been made to initialize the storm-scale numerical model using retrieved wind fields from single Doppler radar. In the present study, Doppler wind velocities from the Kolkata Doppler weather radar are assimilated into a mesoscale model, MM5 model using the three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) system for the prediction of intense convective events that occurred during 0600 UTC on 5 May and 0000 UTC on 7 May, 2005. In order to evaluate the impact of the DWR wind data in simulating these severe storms, three experiments were carried out. The results show that assimilation of Doppler radar wind data has a positive impact on the prediction of intensity, organization and propagation of rain bands associated with these mesoscale convective systems. The assimilation system has to be modified further to incorporate the radar reflectivity data so that simulation of the microphysical and thermodynamic structure of these convective storms can be improved.     

Heave response of long riserless drill strings

The sensitivity of heave response predictions for long riserless drill strings hanging from a floating vessel are examined. A general analytical procedure is presented which is suitable for a variety of deepwater pipe systems. The dynamic response behavior is characterized in terms of the dynamic magnification, phase angle and total stress. The examples presented here focus on drill string systems, which vary in length from 9000 ft (2743 m) to 27,000 ft (8230 m) and can include a large package to be lowered to the seafloor. A procedure for evaluating the undamped natural periods and the corresponding mode shapes is presented. The sensitivity of the natural period estimates to hydrodynamic added mass approximations is examined. Numerical results for both design wave and random sea simulations are used to illustrate the sensitivity of the dynamic response in near resonant conditions and the possibility of exciting higher modes for very long riserless drill string systems. Finally, the sensitivity of the displacement predictions to reasonable variations in skin friciton and viscous drag coefficients are presented and discussed.     

Doppler weather radar based nowcasting of cyclone Ogni

In this paper, we describe offline analysis of Indian Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) data from cyclone Ogni using a suite of radar algorithms as implemented on NEXRAD and the advanced algorithms developed jointly by the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and the University of Oklahoma. We demonstrate the applicability of the various algorithms to Indian radar data, the improvement in the quality control and evaluate the benefit of nowcasting capabilities in Indian conditions. New information about the tropical cyclone structure, as derived from application of the algorithms is also discussed in this study.     

Impact of lead contamination on the engineering properties of clayey soil

Clay liners are widely used as barriers to arrest the migration of pollutants. These liners are subjected to leaching of various chemicals and hazardous wastes. Migration of heavy metals through the liner material may lead to changes in the soil properties and this, in turn, may affect the performance of liners. In this paper, the change in index and engineering properties of clayey soil due to migration of lead is presented. Pronounced changes in soil properties are noticed when the soil is contaminated with high concentrations of lead. The findings from the present study are important while designing liners in landfills used for containment of pollution due to heavy metals and hazardous wastes.     

Influence of flow velocity on conservative solute transport in sets of parallel fractures with fracture skin

Analysis of contaminant transport through fractured crystalline rocks has received considerable attention, particularly with regard to subsurface nuclear waste repositories. Most of the studies have employed the dual continuum approach, with the fractures and the rock matrix as the two continuums, assuming that fractures control the overall conductivity of the rock and the porous matrix just provides storage. However, field observations of rock fractures have shown that the real situation can be very complex. Based on some recent investigations, it has been reported that the portion of the rock matrix adjacent to many open fractures is physically and chemically altered. These alterations, referred to as the fracture skin, can have different sorption and diffusion properties compared to those of the undisturbed rock matrix and this may influence the transport of solutes through such formations. In the present study, a numerical model is developed to simulate conservative solute transport in a fractured crystalline rock formation using the triple continuum approach ?? with the fracture, fracture skin and the rock matrix as the three continuums. The model is solved using a fully implicit finite difference scheme. Contaminant migration in the fractured formation with and without skin has been simulated. It is observed that contaminant penetration along the fracture is enhanced at large flow velocities. The effect of flow velocity on conservative solute transport is investigated for different fracture apertures and fracture skin thicknesses. The influence of flow velocity on contaminant transport is demonstrated to be more with change in fracture aperture than with change in skin thickness.     

Processing of Indian Doppler Weather Radar data for mesoscale applications

This paper demonstrates the usefulness of Indian Doppler Weather Radar (DWR) data for nowcasting applications, and assimilation into a mesoscale Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model. Warning Decision Support System Integrated Information (WDSS-II) developed by National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL) and Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) developed at the Centre for Analysis and Prediction, University of Oklahoma are used for this purpose. The study reveals that the WDSS-II software is capable of detecting and removing anomalous propagation echoes from the Indian DWR data. The software can be used to track storm cells and mesocyclones through successive scans. Radar reflectivity mosaics are created for a land-falling tropical cyclone??Khaimuk of 14 November 2008 over the Bay of Bengal using observations from three DWR stations, namely, Visakhapatnam, Machilipatnam and Chennai. Assimilation of the quality-controlled radar data (DWR, Chennai) of the WDSS-II software in a very high-resolution NWP model (ARPS) has a positive impact for improving mesoscale prediction. This has been demonstrated for a land-falling tropical cyclone Nisha of 27 November 2008 of Tamil Nadu coast. This paper also discusses the optimum scan strategy and networking considerations. This work illustrates an important step of transforming research to operation.     

Micro pulse lidar observations of mineral dust layer in the lower troposphere over the southwest coast of Peninsular India during the Asian summer monsoon season

A large aerosol plume with optical depth exceeding 0.7 engulfs most parts of the Arabian Sea during the Asian summer monsoon season. Based on Micro Pulse Lidar observations during the June–September period of 2008 and 2009, the present study depicts, for the first time, the existence of an elevated dust layer occurring very frequently in the altitude band of 1–3.5 km over the west coast of peninsular India with relatively large values of linear depolarization ratio (δ_L). Large values of δ_L indicate the dominance of significantly non-spherical aerosols. The aerosol optical depth of this layer (0.2) is comparable to that of the entire atmospheric column during dust-free days. Back-trajectory analysis clearly shows the advection of airmass from the arid regions of Arabia and the west Arabian Sea, through the altitude region centered around 3 km. This is in contrast to the airmass below 1 km originating from the pristine Indian Ocean region which contains relatively spherical aerosols of marine origin with δ_L generally <0.05.