Marine microbiological studies of mangrove swamps of Killai backwaters

The bacterial populations of mangrove swamps of Killai backwaters (11°21–11°29N, 79°46–79°50E, South India) were studied during August 1968 (Pre monsoon period) and December (post monsoon period). The presence of these groups such as agar digesters, algin digesters, cellulose digesters, sulphate reducers etc., bring about transformation of organic matter in the mangrove swamps. The presence of denitrifiers in mangrove swamps and in association with the molluscs may bring about the precipitation of calcium carbonate by removing the acid radicals such as sulphate and nitrite, increasing alkalinity. The luminiscent bacteria such asVibrio andAeromonas were also isolated in mangrove swamps of Killai backwaters. The iron bacteria likeLeptothrix sp. andGallionella sp. were also isolated from mangrove swamps of Killai backwaters.     

Vertical and lateral transport of organic carbon and the carbon budget in Santa Monica Basin, California

The flux and compositions of solvent-extractable lipid fractions were measured in particulate matter collected periodically by moored sediment traps in the Santa Monica Basin from 1985–1988. The purpose was to assess the compositional changes during settling, the carbon dynamics in the basin and to estimate the impacts of energy-related by-products on the surface sediments. Sediment traps recorded consistently high lipid fluxes in the eastern slope relative to the central basin, reflecting elevated terrigenous carbon inputs possibly from land-based human activities. Generally, lipid fluxes decrease offshore but increase vertically with water depth below 500m, implying lateral transport of particles. The steep decline of flux in the top 500m of the water is related to the rapid decomposition and mineralization of the marine-derived cellular carbon compounds. Less than 5% of the marine lipid components reach the seabed. In contrast, preferential preservation of terrigenous lipid is clearly evident from the chemistry of deeper traps and surface sediments.The lateral transport of particles is reflected in the presence of higher plant-derived lignin phenols and sewage-derived coprostanol and epicoprostanol in the deep trap material as well as in surface sediment throughout the basin. Petroleum triterpanes characteristic of natural seepage also permeates through the entire basin. Based on the data collected from both the trap particulte matter and surface sediments, a carbon budget for the Santa Monica Basin has been constructed.     

Cosmic-ray modulation and long-duration solar flare events

The correlation between the long-term intensity variations of cosmic rays at neutron monitor energies and the LDE index measure of solar flares with long-lasting soft X-ray emissions is reported. Three subsequent solar cycles, 20–22, are taken into account and half-monthly data are analyzed. Possible explanation of this correlation is discussed in terms of the recent concepts of cosmic-ray modulation, in particular with merged interaction regions affecting the cosmic-ray intensity.     

Cosmic ray intensity variations and two types of high speed solar streams

This study deals with the short-term variations of cosmic ray intensity during the interval 1973–78. Daily means of high latitude neutron and meson monitors from the same station and those of a low latitude neutron monitor have been analysed using the Chree method of superposed epochs. The zero epoch for the Chree analyses corresponds to the day of a substantial increase (V 200 km s^–1) in the solar wind speed to values of 550 km s^–1 and which persists at such high values for an interval of at least three days. The investigation reveals the existence of two types of cosmic ray intensity variations with distinctly different spectral characteristics. During the interval 1973–76, relative changes in the neutron and meson monitor rates are nearly equal indicating an almost flat rigidity spectrum of variation. During 1977–78, however, the spectrum acquires a negative spectral character similar to that observed for Forbush decreases. We suggest that events of the interval 1973–76 are essentially due to high speed streams associated with solar coronal holes and that events of the interval 1977–78 are due to fast streams from solar active regions with flare activity.     

Comparison of AMSR-2 wind speed and sea surface temperature with moored buoy observations over the Northern Indian Ocean

The Northern Indian Ocean (NIO) is unique due to seasonal reversal of wind patterns, the formation of vortices and eddies which make satellite observations arduous. The veracity of sea surface wind (SSW) and sea surface temperature (SST) products of sun-synchronous AMSR-2 satellite are compared with high-temporal moored buoy observations over the NIO. The two year-long (2013–2014) comparisons reveal that the root-mean-square-error (RMSE) of AMSR-2 SST and SSW is \(<0.4{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\) and \(<1.5\hbox { ms}^{-1}\), respectively, which are within the error range prescribed for the AMSR-2 satellite (\(\pm 0.8{^{\circ }}\hbox {C}\), \(\pm 1.5\hbox { ms}^{-1})\). The SST–wind relation is analyzed using data both from the buoy and satellite. As a result, the low-SST is associated with low-wind condition (positive slope) in the northern part of the Bay of Bengal (BoB), while low SST values are associated with high wind conditions (negative slope) over the southern BoB. Moreover, the AMSR-2 displayed larger slope for SST–wind relation and could be mainly due to overestimation of SST and underestimation of wind as compared to the buoy. The AMSR-2 SSW exhibited higher error during post-monsoon followed by monsoon season and could be attributed to the high wind conditions associated with intense oceanic vortices. The study suggests that the AMSR-2 products are reliable and can be used in tropical air–sea interactions, meso-scale features, and weather and climate studies.     

Terrestrial discharge influences microbioerosion and microbioeroder community structure in coral reefs

Microbioerosion rates and microbioeroder community structure were studied in four Kenyan protected coral-reef lagoons using shell fragments of Tridacna giant clams to determine their response to the influence of terrestrial run-off. Fourteen different microbioeroder traces from seven cyanobacteria, three green algae and four fungi species were identified. The river discharge-impacted reef and ‘pristine’ reef showed similar composition but higher microbioeroder abundance and total cyanobacteria- and chlorophyte-bioeroded areas when compared with the other study reefs. Cyanobacteria dominated during the north-east monsoon (NEM) relative to the south-east monsoon (SEM) season, with algae and cyanobacteria being major microbioeroders in the river-impacted and pristine reefs. The rate of microbioerosion varied between 4.3 g CaCO3 m^?2 y^?1 (SEM) and 134.7 g CaCO₃ m^?2 y^?1 (NEM), and was highest in the river-impacted reef (127.6 g CaCO₃ m^?2 y^?1), which was almost double that in the pristine reef (69.5 g CaCO₃ m^?2 y^?1) and the mangrove-fringed reef (56.2 g CaCO₃ m^?2 y^?1). The microbioerosion rates measured in this study may not be high enough to cause concern with regard to the health and net carbonate production of Kenya’s coral reefs. Nevertheless, predicted increases in the frequency and severity of stresses related to global climate change (e.g. increased sea surface temperature, acidification), as well as interactions with local disturbances and their influence on bioerosion, may be increasingly important in the future.     

Coprostanols in Antarctic marine sediments: A biomarker for marine mammals and not human pollution

The first analysis of sterols in Antarctic marine sediment cores (Bransfield Strait and McMurdo Sound) is reported here. The isolated sterols in the sediments from Bransfield Strait are comprised mainly of dinosterol (4,23,24-trimethyl-5cholest-22-en-3β-ol), coprostanol (5β-cholestan-3β-ol) and epicoprostanol (5β-cholestan-3-ol) and trace amounts of cholesterol (cholest-5-en-3β-ol). The sediment cores of McMurdo Sound also contain small quantities of coprostanols in addition to large amounts of marine sterols. Dinosterol is a known dinoflagellate chemical marker, whereas coprostanols are currently being used as tracers for sewage contamination. However, sterol composition in Antarctic sediments is expected to be atypical of sewage input and probably different from those of temperate and tropical zones. The coprostanols must therefore arise from the feces of marine mammals, most probably whales which use the region for feeding and spawning. Based on the results of this study, caution should be exercised in the use of coprostanol to estimate the amount of sewage-derived organic matter transported away from impacted coastal areas.     

Distribution and transport of hydrocarbons in surface sediments of the alaskan outer continental shelf

Surface sediments from the Outer Continental Shelf of Alaska were analyzed for hydrocarbons as part of an environmental survey sponsored by NOAA/BLM. Sediments were collected from the proposed oil lease areas of Beaufort Sea, southeastern Bering Sea, Norton Sound, Navarin Basin, Gulf of Alaska, Kodiak Shelf and lower Cook Inlet. Data on normal and branched alkanes and di- and triterpenoids from capillary gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC/ MS) indicate that the area displays little evidence of petroleum hydrocarbons (i.e., seeps) except at a few isolated stations. Beaufort Sea sediments have the highest hydrocarbon budget, whereas Kodiak Shelf sediments have the lowest. The molecular markers of the hydrocarbons are of a mixed marine autochthonous and terrestrial allochthonous origin. Norton Sound and Cook Inlet sediments contain the highest levels of terrigenous lipids and Kodiak Shelf the lowest. The abundance of alkenes implies that relatively low oxidizing conditions exist in some of the depositional areas studied, suggesting that extraneous petroleum hydrocarbons introduced into these sediments would be expected to have a relatively long residence time. The distribution of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) is complex and shows a pyrolytic origin. The data on perylene strongly favor the hypothesis that it is “performed” from terrigenous precursors and transported into the marine environment with no apparent in situ generation. Polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons of diagenetic origin are probably dominant in Gulf of Alaska and Kodiak Shelf sediments.Two stations, north of Kalgin Island, in lower Cook Inlet and one in southeastern Bering Sea show typical weathered petroleum distribution of n-alkanes and triterpenoids. Probable pathways of transport and fate of petroleum hydrocarbons in case of an oil spill are also briefly discussed.     

Subject Index

Subject Index

Subject Index     

Numerical Simulation of Andhra Severe Cyclone (2003): Model Sensitivity to the Boundary Layer and Convection Parameterization

The Andhra severe cyclonic storm (2003) is simulated to study its evolution, structure, intensity and movement using the Penn State/NCAR non-hydrostatic mesoscale atmospheric model MM5. The model is used with three interactive nested domains at 81, 27 and 9 km resolutions covering the Bay of Bengal and adjoining Indian Peninsula. The performance of the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) and convective parameterization on the simulated features of the cyclone is studied by conducting sensitivity experiments. Results indicate that while the boundary layer processes play a significant role in determining both the intensity and movement, the convective processes especially control the movement of the model storm. The Mellor-Yamada scheme is found to yield the most intensive cyclone. While the combination of Mellor-Yamada (MY) PBL and Kain-Fritsch 2 (KF2) convection schemes gives the most intensive storm, the MRF PBL with KF2 convection scheme produces the best simulation in terms of intensity and track. Results of the simulation with the combination of MRF scheme for PBL and KF2 for convection show the evolution and major features of a mature tropical storm. The model has very nearly simulated the intensity of the storm though slightly overpredicted. Simulated core vertical temperature structure, winds at different heights, vertical winds in and around the core, vorticity and divergence fields at the lower and upper levels—all support the characteristics of a mature storm. The model storm has moved towards the west of the observed track during the development phase although the location of the storm in the initial and final phases agreed with the observations. The simulated rainfall distribution associated with the storm agreed reasonably with observations.