004436   Pradeep C;Bharadwaj A K;Thirumalaivasan D (Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna Univ, Chennai, Email: pradeepfr07@gmail.com) : Land use/land cover change detection: a case study of usilampatti, Block, Madurai district, Tamil Nadu. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2014, 4(4), 600-8.

Land use/land cover change detection study over the year 1990-2001 have been carried out for the study area of "Usilampatti Block" in Madurai district. For this study, the multi-temporal data sets of the years 1990 and 2001 from LANDSAT-5 TM and LANDSAT-7 ETM+ were used. Different land use/landcover features havebeen identified using visual interpretation techniques. The findings are,major part of the study area is Agricultural land, which covers about 105.352 sq. km in 1990 and 115.5683 sq. km in 2001; natural vegetation covers about 86.5 sq. km in 1990 and 67.288 sq. km in 2001; wasteland covers about 68.371 sq. km in 1990 and 76.233 sq. km in 2001, built-up covers about 1.976 sq. km in 1990 and 2.68 sq. km in 2001).

13 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

004435   Pathak B;Borgohain A;Bhuyan P K;Kundu S S; Sudhakar S;Gogoi M M;Takemura T (Centre for Atmospheric Studies, Dibrugarh Univ, Dibrugarh-786 004, Email: pkbhuyan@gmail.com) : Spatial heterogeneity in near surface aerosol characteristics across the brahmaputra valley. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 651-63.

In order to examine the spatial variability of the aerosol characteristics across the Brahmaputra valley, a land campaign was conducted during late winter (February 3-March 2) 2011. Measurements of parti-culate matter (PM, PM₁₀, PM_2.5) and black carbon (BC) concentrations were made onboard an interior redesigned vehicle. The length of the campaign trail stretched about 700 km, covering the longitude belt of 89.97°-95.55°E and latitude belt of 26.1°-27.6°N, comprising 13 measurement locations. The valley is divided into three sectors longitudinally: western sector (R1: 89.97°-91.75°E), middle sector (R2: 92.5°-94.01°E) and eastern sector (R3: 94.63°-95.55°E). Spatial heterogeneity in aerosol distribution has been observed with higher PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 concentrations at the western and middle sectors compared to the eastern sector. The locations in the western sector are found to be rich in BC compared to the other two sectors and there is a gradual decrease in BC concentrations from west to east of the Brahmaputra valley. Two hotspots within the western and middle sectors with high PM and BC concentrations have been identified. The associated physico-optical parameters of PM reveal abundance of PM_2.5 aerosols along the entire valley. High population density in the western and middle sectors, together with the contribution of remote aerosols, leads to higher anthropogenic aerosols over those regions. Spectral Radiation-Transport Model for Aerosol Species (SPRINTARS) slightly underestimates the measured PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 at the eastern sector while the model overestimates the measurements at a number of locations in the western sector. In general, BC is underestimated by the model. The variation of BC within the campaign trail has not been adequately captured by the model leading to higher variance in the western locations as compared to the middle and eastern locations.

9 illus, 1 table, 37 ref

004434   Pang Z;Du Y;Cao Y;Gao F;Wang G;Dong Q (NO, Development and Research Center, China Geological Survey, Beijing 100120, China, Email: caoyi@cugb.edu.cn) : Geochemistry and zircon U-Pb geochronology of the pulang complex, Yunnan province, China. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 875-85.

The Pulang complex is located tectonically at the southern margin of the Yidun-Zhongdian island arc belt in Yunnan province, China, and is closely related to formation of the Pulang copper deposit, which is the largest copper deposit in Asia. The Pulang complex can be divided into three intrusion stages based on contact relationships and petrological characteristics: (1) a first stage of quartz dioritic porphyry; (2) a second stage of quartz monzonitic porphyry; and (3) a third stage of granodioritic porphyry. The crystallization ages of these intrusion stages were determined by single-zircon U-Pb dating, yielding ages of 221.0 ± 1.0, 211.8 ± 0.5, and 206.3 ± 0.7 Ma for the first, second, and third stages, respectively. These dates, integrated with previous geochronological data and field investigations, indicate that the second-stage quartz monzonitic porphyry has a close spatial and temporal relationship with the large Pulang porphyry copper deposit. These age data, geochemical and Sr-Nd isotopic results suggest that the Pulang complex formed in the Indo-Chinese epoch (257 <126> 205 Ma) by multiphase intrusion of a mixture of mantle- and crust-derived magmas.

6 illus, 3 tables, 46 ref

004433   Pal S;Manna S;Aich A;Chattopadhyay B; Mukhopadhyay S K (Conservation Biology Dep, Durgapur Government College, Durgapur-713 214, Email: sudindgp1@gmail.com) : Assessment of the spatio-temporal distribution of soil properties in East Kolkata wetland ecosystem (A ramsar site: 1208). J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 729-40.

The present investigation was made to characterize spatial and temporal variations in soil properties and to evaluate possible differences that could be dependent on the tannery effluent discharges, municipal sewage discharges, vegetation cover, soil settlement rate, crop rotation, etc. Soil total organic matter (TOM), cations like, Sodium (Na), Ammonium (NH₄), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg) contents in the bank soils and bottom sediments were recorded from seven different characteristic sites in East Kolkata wetland ecosystem, a Ramsar site (Ramsar site No. 1208). The profile maps were constructed by geostatistical methods to describe the spatial distribution as well as temporal variations of all the factors to identify the influences of composite wastewaters. The work was initiated to identify causes and consequences of the waste dumping in the concerned region for the past hundred years and thereby to suggest necessary precautionary measures to prevent further loss of soil quality.

7 illus, 47 ref

004432   Pagariya S K;Pagariya R F (Chemistry Dep, Jawaharlal Darda Institute of Engineering and Technology, MIDC, Lohara, Yavatmal, Maharashtra, Email: sushilpagriya@gmail.com) : High fluoride content in the ground water of belora union:a comparative study. Rasayan J Chem 2013, 6(4), 288-91.

Most of the people in rural areas depend on groundwater for drinking water. The aim of this present investigation is to study the level of fluoride in the groundwater of Belora union of Nandgaon (Khandeshwar) tehsil in Amravati district of Maharashtra state and its comparison with the water of Bembala river by collecting four samples of the groundwater from four different villages and one sample of river water during November 2012 to August 2013. The fluoride level in the underground water of Belora union was exceeding the permissible limit (<62>1.5 mg/L).It was found that all the four villages of, Belora union was under serious fluoride contamination than Bembala river water which causes adverse effect like dental and skeletal fluorosis. Removal of excess fluoride by defluoridation techniques and supply of high-quality groundwater with safe concentration of fluoride is urgent necessity.

1 illus, 1 table, 11 ref

004431   Odukoya A M;Laniyan T O (Geosciences Dep, Lagos Univ, Lagos, Nigeria) : Geochemical distribution of groundwater within and around Ago Iwoye, Southwest Nigeria. J appl Geochem 2014, 16(2), 167-78.

Need for assessment of suitability of groundwater resources for drinking and irrigation purposes become pertinent in the face of continuous increasing global pollution threats of groundwater This work assesses the physical and chemical characteristics of the local groundwater resources around Ago Iwoye, southwest, Nigeria, to determine its suitability for drinking and irrigation. Results showed that water samples have generally low total dissolved solids with range values of 90-534mg/l. pH ranges from 4-7.9 while total hardness varies from 20-221 mg/L CaCO3 (soft to slightly hard). Ranges of the concentrations of cations for the study area were 1.5-26.5Mg/l, 1.3-15.8Mg/l, 6-48.4Mg/l and l-8Mg/l for Ca, Mg, Na and K respectively while anion showed ranges of 35-161Mg/l, 24-1463Mg/l and 1.69-36.8Mg/l for HCO3, Cl and SO4 respectively. All the water samples in the study area based on cations and anions fall within safer zone for drinking and irrigation purposes except for Cl and HCQ3 which showed higher values in 10% and 35% of water respectively. The results of Sodium Absorption Ratio (SAR), Magnesium Absorption ratio (MAR), Permeability Index (P.I), Soluble Sodium Percentage (SSP), Residual Sodium Bicarbonate (RSBC), and Kelly ratio (KR) range between 2.15-14.43, 10.49-86.9%, 4.15-22.57%, 28.8-72.02%, -2.1 -2.41 and 0.41-2.41% respectively. All the water samples are excellent for irrigation with regards to all the parameters except MAR and KR which showed hazard in 30% and 50% of water respectively. All the trace elements analyzed have values below the recommended standard limit except barium in only one sample with value of 909mg/l. The values of pollution index for all sites fall below 1 which confirmed suitability of most of the water samples for both drinking and irrigation purposes. This work showed that the geology appears to have greater influence on the chemical transformation of the groundwater resources especially major elements, compared to any possible effects due to the anthropogenic activities.

3 illus, 8 tables, 22 ref

004430   Obiora D N;Okeke F N;Yumoto K;Agha S O (Physics and Astronomy Dep, Nigeria Univ, Nsukka 410, Nigeria, Email: daniel.obiora@unn.edu.ng) : Mantle electrical conductivity profile of niger delta region. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 827-35.

The mantle electrical conductivity-depth profile of the Niger delta region in Nigeria has been determined using solar quiet day ionospheric current (Sq). The magnetometer data obtained in 2010 from geomagnetic stations installed in Lagos by magnetic dataset (MAGDAS) in 2008 and data from magnetometers installed in some parts of Niger delta by Center for Basic Space Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, were employed in this study. Gauss spherical harmonic analysis (SHA) method was used to separate the internal and external field contributions to Sq current system. The result depicted that the conductivity profile rose steadily from about 0.032 S/m at a depth of 89 km to 0.041 S/m at 100 km and 0.09 S/m at 221 km. This high conductivity region agreed with the global seismic low velocity region, the astheno-sphere. The conductivity profile continued increasing downward until it got to 0.157 S/m at a depth of about 373 km (close to the base of upper mantle), 0.201 S/m at 784 km and reached 0.243 S/m at a depth of 1179 km at the lower mantle.

5 illus, 25 ref

004429   Nayak H P;Mandal M (Centre for Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere and Land Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur-721 302, Email: mmandal@coral.iitkgp.ernet.in) : Analysis of stability parameters in relation to precipitation associated with pre-monsoon thunderstorms over Kolkata, India. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 689-703.

The upper air RS/RW (Radio Sonde/Radio Wind) observations at Kolkata (22.65N, 88.45E) during pre-inoiisoon season March-May, 200,5-2012 is used to compute some important dynamic/thermodynamic parameters and are analysed in relation to the precipitation associated with the thunderstorms over Kolkata, India. For this purpose, the pre-monsoon thunderstorms are classified as light precipitation (LP), moderate precipitation (MP) and heavy precipitation (HP) thunderstorms based on the magnitude of associated precipitation. Richardson number in non-uniformly saturated(R_i*) and saturated atmosphere (R_i); vertical shear of horizontal wind in 0-3, 0-6 and 3-7 km atmospheric layers; energy-helicity index (EHI) and vorticity generation parameter (VGP) are considered for the analysis. The instability measured in terms of Richardson number in non-uniformly saturated atmosphere (R_i*) well indicate the occurrence of thunderstorms about 2 hours in advance. Moderate vertical wind shear in lower troposphere (0-3 km) and weak shear in middle troposphere (3-7 km) leads to heavy precipitation thunderstorms. The wind shear in 3-7 km atmospheric layers, EHI and VGP are good predictors of precipitation associated with thunderstorm. Lower tropospheric wind shear and Richardson number is a poor discriminator of the three classified thunderstorms.

11 illus, 3 tables, 40 ref

004428   Nageshwar Prasad;Ghosh T (Geography P.G. Dep, Burdwan Univ, Burdwan, Email: nprasad1947@gmail.com) : Methods of land capability, capability classes and their suitability in the southwest Birbhum disrict, West Bengal. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2013, 35(1), 75-88.

Land capability simply implies the measurement of capability of land for particular land 'uses. Land capability assessment for any particular bio-physical unit is very much essential to identify the scientific and appropriate landuse categories as well as landuse techniques which maintain the long term susceptibility of the land units. The study area is a rural backward area. The land-illiterate rural land users have practically no knowledge about the land capability of the area. Consequently, the haphazard, unscientific landuse practices irrespective of the susceptibility of the land results in either over utilization and consequent degradation of land or under utilization of existing resource base. The ultimate result is lowering of carrying capacity of land. Therefore, the need for land capability assessment in the study area is essential to put particular land units to suitable land uses which will not only increase the productivity of the land but also maintain the susceptibility of the land on a long term basis In this context, the present study aims to analyse the methods of land capability assessment and to classify land into capability classes. The study also aims to analyse the uses and prospects of land in the Southwest Birbhum District. Based on physical and socio-economic land attributes the study area has been classified into 7 land capability classes'.

4 illus, 5 tables, 7 ref

004427   Murtaza K O;Romshoo S A (Earth Sciences Dep, Kashmir Univ, Srinagar Kashmir, Email: komurtaza@gmail.com) : Determining the suitability and accuracy of various statistical algorithms for satellite data classification. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2014, 4(4), 585-99.

Land use and land cover (LULC) data is very important for determining the nature and mechanism of different land surface, hydrological processes. The production of land use land cover map, using an image classification is one of the most commonapplications of remote sensing. However, image classification is a complex process that may be affected by many factors including spatial resolution, classifier used, training sets, etc. This paper briefly reviews the suitability of different methods of classification that are commonlyused and their impact on classificationaccuracy. Three different supervised classification techniques (Maximum likelihood, Mahalanobis Distance, and Minimum Distance) were applied in Kashmir valley for the classification of the IRS LISS-III (2008) image inthirteen differentLULC classes; agriculture, aquatic vegetation, barren land, built-up, exposed rock, forest, horticulture, pastures, plantation,riverbed, scrub land, snow, and water. The classified mapswhere then visually compared with each other and the accuracy of classification map was assessed using the reference data sets which consisted of a large number of ground samples collected in each land cover category. The overall accuracy for Maximum likelihood classifierwas 89%, for Mahalanobis distance was 54% and for Minimum distance was 48%. It was observed thatthe Maximum likelihood method gave the best results and good agreement between classes extracted from the classified maps and field observations.Mahalanobis distance methodhas overestimatedagriculture land, plantation and built-up. Minimum distance method overestimated overestimated water, built-up and horticulture and underestimated agriculture. The selection of a suitable classification method is significant for improving classification accuracy.

3 illus, 4 tables, 63 ref

004426   Mukherjee A;Verma V K;Tripathi A;Verma C B; Babu E V S S K;Prabhakar G (NO, , 1-NMDC Limited, Khanij Bhavan, Masab Tank, Hyderabad-500 028, Email: abhijeetmukherjee_2000@yahoo.com) : GPI (gold proxy index) as a discriminant between mineralized (Auriferous) and lean grade/barren rab samples from Bulyang Ombe area, Tanzania. J appl Geochem 2014, 16(2), 142-7.

Bulyang Ombe-I area is situated in the eastern part of the Nzega greenstone belt and comprises of Nyanzian metavolcanics & metasediments and granite. The area is dissected by NE-SW, NS and WNW-ESE extending faults and a NW-SE trending shear. The gold mineralization is shear hosted and falls in the hydrothermal (mesothermal?) category. Geologically the assemblage has felsic volcanics, mafic volcanics, sediments and quartzo feldspathic intrusion. The mineralized area shows wall rock alteration in the form of chloritization/ serialization, potash-metasomatism and silicification. Ore bearing fluids in the area are silica rich sulphide solutions, potash rich solutions and silica rich solutions. Twenty mineralized (<62>20 ppb Au) and three hundred and twenty one lean / barren (<60>5 ppb Au) Rotary Air Blast (RAB) samples were studied to identify correlations of trace element values with the gold grades in Bulyang Ombe-I area. All the samples were from the mineralized and non-mineralized (lean grade) felsic volcanics. A measure of the potential gold grade based on the trace element has been developed that correlates the " Gold Proxy Index" (GPI) with the different grades of mineralization. Similarly GPI obtained in Bulyang Ombe-I area of Tanzania were used to differentiate between mineralized and non-mineralized zones. Studies were conducted to identify which elements (out of the 45 analysed) correlate with gold and reflect their barren/ non-mineralized and mineralized zone thus avoiding dependence on gold assay alone. Six Gold Proxy Index (GPI) used were {(BexCu)/(CrxSb)}, {(BexPb)/(CrxSb)}, {(BaxCu)/(CrxSb)}, {(BaxPb)/(CrxSb)}, {(KxCu)/(CrxSb)} and {KxPb)/(CrxSb)}. It was observed that the GPI values in the Au mineralized logs had values <62>15000 wherein the GPI values in the non-mineralized zone/lean grade zone is <60>2.However, this method is not an alternative to gold assaying.

3 illus, 3 tables, 15 ref

004425   Mondal M;Satpati L N (NO, Bhowanipur S. J. Institution, Hasnabad, Dist. North 24 Parganas, West Bengal) : Evaluation of the character of long profile vis-a-vis discharge patterns of the river Ichamati in a selected stretch of North 24 Parganas district, India. Indian J Pwr River Valley Dev 2013, 63(11-12), 183-8.

The longitudinal profile (long profile) is an important indicator of the physical condition of a river. Two types of indices, namely: (i) Length of the observed long profile (L_OP), and (ii) Length of the computed long profile or the length of the graded long profile (L_CP) may be suggested for the evaluation of the character of a long profile. We can measure the undulating form of a long profile by using Undulate Index. There are two types of Undulate Indices of a river long profile: (a) Undulate Index of Observed Long Profile (O_PL) and (b) Undulate Index of Computed Long Profile (C_PL. We can further compute the proximity between these two profiles by Deviation Index that can help in computing the condition of a river in terms of its grade, (or its proximity number) to attain grade condition with the help of numerical value(s) of Deviation Index. This paper deals with the non-graded character of longitudinal profile of the river Ichamati in West Bengal, India.

5 illus, 1 table, 9 ref

004424   Moein M K;Shabanlou S;Fathian H (Hydraulic Structure, ShushtarBranch of Islamic Azad Univ, Iran, Email: saeid.shabanlou@gmail.com) : Simulation of flood occurence using WEAP model (case study: Western watershed of Uroumieh lake). Ecol Envir Conserv 2013, 19(2), 329-32.

In the current situation areas prone to flooding in Iran are estimated to be about 91 million hectares. In other words, 55 percent of the country was involved in the production of direct runoff that about 42 million hectares of it have medium to high capability of flood producing and considering the flood prone of Uromieh basin identifying of critical areas is necessary. In this paper we tried to provide a method that using hydrologic models determine the produced flood levels within the basin and also determine the impact of climate change on flood production. First, we divided this basin into 9 sub-basins in GIS environment and using ArcHydro tool then physical characteristics of basin and sub-basins were determined by ArcHydro and by determining of climate and land use data of required lands hydrologic simulation for sub-basin and whole basin done using WEAP model. Results show that by considering peak discharge among sub-basins in respect to output flood of watershed, we found out that A1 sub-basin has more critical situation.

7 illus, 7 ref

004423   Makashev E B;Kumar B K;Mohamed E A;Kumar D B (Kazak National Technical Univ, after K.I. Satpaev Institute of Geology of Oil Gas Business, Republic of Kazakhstan, Almaty City, Email: makasheve@mail.ru) : Recommendations on installation of chock flanges on wellhead of the underground gas storage. Int J chem Sci,Udaipur 2013, 11(2), 721-7.

Underground gas storage is an engineering facilities in reservoir beds of geological structures, mine openings, as well as in manufacture capacitance, build up in mineral salt deposits, intended for injection, storage and subsequent extraction of gas, which includes a part of subsurface, confined with mine allotment, well stock for various applications, gas treatment & gathering facilities and compressor rooms. Underground gas storages are constructed alongside the gas pipeline routing and major gas-consuming centers, destined for the following purposes: *To cover seasonal irregular gas consumption, as a result of heating demand in winter period. *To reduce capital costs for gas pipeline and compressor plants. *To arrange conditions for regular work of gas sources and gas main facilities (GM) with constant average annual supply at installed power (IP) efficiency ratio close to 1. *To form national gas reserves (fuel and raw materials for chemical factories) in essential regions of the country. *To preserve associated gas in new oil-producing regions, and hydrocarbon condensate at its temporary impossibility to use. *To improve reliability of distant gas supply system in general.

3 illus, 7 ref

004422   Lallianthanga R K;Sailo R L (Mizoram Remote Sensing Application Centre, Science & Technology, Aizawl, Mizoram, Email: rklthanga@yahoo.com) : Geospatial planning for improved land use system in tropical hilly terrain: a case study of Serchhip district, Mizoram, India. Ecol Envir Conserv 2013, 19(2), 493-502.

Planning for sustained utilization of natural resources has been the need of the hour for every developing nation. Initiatives taken by the government in this aspect requires reliable qualitative and quantitative information for the planning to be realistic, effective and sustainable in the long run. Geospatial planning has emerged as an effective and reliable platform to assist in this process of developmental planning even at the grassroot level. The present study incorporates Remote sensing and GIS techniques to map the natural resources and to formulate viable land and water resource management plans for improved land use system in tropical hilly terrain which will be more sustainable and productive. The study has been done in the central part of Mizoram, i.e, Serchhip district wherein an integrated approach of land use planning has been devised that encompasses every aspect of land, water and socio-economic component of the district. An integration of these components in a GIS environment has helped in formulation of different suitable land use scenarios with economic and biophysical benefits. The results of this study presents maps with constructive options for land and water resource developments in the study area. This information will be very useful for decision makers to plan according to the schemes and resources available at hand.

3 illus, 5 ref

004421   Krishan G (NO, Panjab Univ, Chandigarh) : In the quest of question for geographic research. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2013, 35(1), 1-11.

12 ref

004420   Khalik W M A W M;Abdullah M P;Padli N; Amerudin N A (Centre for Water Research and Analysis (ALIR), Faculty of Science and Technology, National Univ, Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Malaysia, Email: wanchemistry@ymail.com) : Assessment on nutrient status in water and sediment quality of Bertam river, Cameron highlands. Int J chem Sci,Udaipur 2013, 11(2), 709-20.

A study of present nutrient status was carried out at Bertam River, Cameron Highlands within month of August - October 2012. Six sampling stations were selected representing open water body of the river catchments and sediment beds. An experimental activity involved analysis of nitrogen and phosphorus based parameter for water matrices as well as sediment quality such as particle size and organic carbon content. Results obtained indicate that the present nitrate content in river water (1.55 ± 0.09 mgL^{-1) did not exceed the national (NDWQS) and international (WHO) maximum permissible safe limit for drinking purposed but phosphate (0.96 ± 0.20 mgL-1) exceed recommended standards. While relative accumulation index indicated that nitrate and phosphate (6.27 ± 3.72; 5.03 ± 3.31 mgL-1) concentrations in sediment were higher till 7.6 and 10.3 times than in water matrices. Texture analysis study classified sand type (70.72-94.12%) as predominant fractions in the sediment particle size and organic carbon has shown variation in study site. Statistical analysis (ANOVA, p <60> 0.05) showed that there were significant differences for nutrient concentrations in both matrices sample. Therefore, it was also noted that station in the vicinity of open farming practices and poor vegetated riparian at river bank (station 1A) has potential to be polluted among than others.}

1 illus, 5 tables, 18 ref

004419   Kang K;Lee J H (Civil and Environmental Engineering Dep, Sejong Univ, 708A, Chungmu Building, 209 Neungdong-ro, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Email: hbkangkm@gmail.com) : Hydrologic modelling of the effect of snowmelt and temperature on a mountainous watershed. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 705-13.

Snowmelt-runoff modelling in a mountainous basin is perceived as difficult due to the complexity of simulation. Theoretically, the snowmelt process should be influenced by temperature changes. It is still controversial as how to incorporate the temperature changes into the snowmelt-runoff model in a mountainous basin. This paper presents the results of a study in the North Fork American River basin where the snowmelt-runoff mechanism is modelled by relating the temperature changes to the elevation band in the basin. In this study, a distributed hydrologic model is used to explore the orographic effects on the snowmelt-runoff using the snowfall-snowmelt routine in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Three parameters, namely maximum snowmelt factor, minimum snowmelt factor, and snowpack temperature lag were analysed during the simulation. The model was validated using streamflow data from October 1, 1991 to September 30, 1994, with and without considering the elevation band. The result of this study suggests that the snowmelt-runoff model associated with the elevation band better represents the snowmelt-runoff mechanism in terms of Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient (E_NS), R^{2, and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE).}

5 illus, 5 tables, 20 ref

004418   Joshi V U;Daniels M J;Kale V S (NO, , Geography Dep, Pune Univ,) : Morphology and origin of valley-side gullies formed along the watersheds of deccan province, India and the rangeland of Colorado, USA. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2013, 35(1), 103-22.

Gullies are the most ubiquitous geomorphic features on the Earth. These features are found along variety of climatic and topographic setups. The process of gullying is generally a combined result of fluvial erosion, piping, tunnel erosion and mass wasting and gives rise to dramatic landscapes all over the world. This paper deals with a few valley-side ephemeral gullies from the Western Upland Maharashtra from Deccan Province of India and a gully from a Rangeland of Colorado, USA. These are the areas with contrasting climate and lithological characteristics. It is an attempt to understand the origin of these gullies through the understanding of the morphological relationships that exist in them. On the basis of the sedimentological and morphological analysis and incorporation of a few radiometric dates it has been highlighted that gullying in both the environments owe their origin to the Holocene climate change events but their response to this climate change were different. In case of Deccan gullies, the arrival of a humid phase in the early Holocene induced intense erosion by gullies. Gullies were initiated along the pediment slopes as a result of this base-level drop. Once initiated, colluvium surfaces offered least resistance to the surface erosion and the gully network expanded. In the case of Colorado Gully the mechanisms were different as there is hundred fold contrast in the erosion thresholds between bare soil and full herbaceous cover. The initiation of the gullies along this grass-carpeted surface began following a sudden humid phase in the mid-Holocene after a long drought cycle, which generated a conditional instability and reduced the erosiohal resistance of these surfaces.

20 illus, 54 ref

004417   Josephine V S;Mudgal B V;Thampi S B (Centre for Water Resources, Anna Univ, Chennai-600 025, Email: josephine.vanaja@yahoo.com) : Applicability of doppler weather radar based rainfall data for runoff estimation in Indian watersheds - a case study of chennai basin. Sadhana 2014, 39(4), 989-97.

Traditionally, India has been vulnerable to various hazards such as floods, droughts and cyclones. About 8% of the total Indian landmass is prone to cyclones. A number of Doppler weather radars are installed in India and their products are utilized for weather predictions and detection of cyclones approaching the Indian coast. Radar-based hydrological studies in various countries have proven that computation of runoff using radar rainfall data could outperform rain gauge network measurements. There are no reported studies on their utilization for hydrological modelling and/or flood-related studies in Indian river basins. A comparison study between Doppler weather radar (DWR) derived rainfall data and the conventional rain gauge data was carried out with hourly inputs at one of the watersheds of Chennai basin, Tamil Nadu, India using HEC-HMS model. The model calibration and validation were performed by comparing the simulated outflow with the observed daily outflow data. The calibrated model was used to predict runoff from two post-monsoon cyclonic storm events with hourly inputs. It was noticed that the discrepancy in the runoff volume was small, but the difference in the peak flow was substantial. Additionally, there was a variation at the time to peak flow using daily and hourly inputs. The results show that the use of radar data may be optional for runoff volume estimation for the watersheds with sufficient rain gauge density, but highly desirable for peak flow and time to peak estimation. Therefore, the DWR derived rainfall data is a promising input for runoff estimation, especially in urban flood modelling.

6 illus, 1 table, 25 ref

004416   Hoda S Q;Krishnamurthy P (Atomic Energy Dep, Begumpet, Hyderabad-500 016, Email: 1hoda_sq@yahoo.com) : Geochemistry, mineralogy and economic potential of titano-hematite rock of the samchampi carbonnatite-alkaline rock complex, Karbi-Anglong district, Assam, India. J appl Geochem 2014, 16(2), 132-41.

Two, large stock-like bodies of titano-hematite rock (THR) occur prominently (c.2.5 sq.km. in outcrop area) in the dominantly soil covered carbonatite-alkaline ring complex of Samchampi that was emplaced in close proximity to the Kalyani lineament during the Upper Cretaceous (c. 109 Ma ago) in the Mikir Hills massif of Assam. Petrographic studies indicate that hematite is the predominant ore mineral with minor amounts of ilmenite and accessory phases of perovskite, pyrochlore and crandallite. Ore textures exhibit well developed exsolution lamellae of ilmenite along the octahedral cleavages of original magnetite that has been completely martitised. The average major and minor oxides (in wt.%) and trace elements (in ppm) composition of the THR (14 samples ) are as follows: SiO_2223232225

6 illus, 4 tables, 14 ref

004415   Fernandez R B;Dhorde A a (Research Center and Post Graduate Dep of Geography, Nowrosjee Wadia College, (affiliated to the Univ of Pune), Pune, Maharashtra, Email: anarghawakhare@gmail.com) : Assessment of spatio-temporal variations in land use land cover over Pimipri Chinch and municipal corporation using remote sensing data. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2014, 4(4), 609-18.

Status and trends of urban land use/land cover (LULC) significantly impacts the quality of human life and urban ecosystems. Pimpri-Chinchwad (PCMC) is one of the rapidly urbanizing municipal corporation which has been experiencing vast modifications in land use/land cover in the last few decades. This paper is an attempt to assess the spatio-temporal variations in LULC over PCMC region during the last 14 years. The research involves collection and processing of satellite images (Landsat TM) for 1997 and 2011 as well as preparation of land use/land cover map of PCMC region. Supervised classification using maximum likelihood classifier was performed to obtain LULC, where accuracy of the classification obtained was quite promising (Overall accuracy 90.81% and 89.68% and Kappa 0.86 (1997) and 0.88 (2011)). During the period of assessment LULC map results showed a striking pattern in the study area. In the last 14 years the built up areas have increased by 4% while the areas under vegetation have considerably increased by 6%. Increase in the vegetation cover is due to the various governmental schemes like afforestation on hills and hill slopes, establishment of parks and green spaces, etc. The amount of barren land has decreased significantly by 8% while the hills (slopes) decreased by 2%, due to increasing demand of land for residential and commercial purposes.

5 illus, 5 tables, 8 ref

004414   Dhorde A A;Dhorde A G (Geography Dep, Nowrosjee Wadia College, Pune, Email: anarghawakhare@gmail.com) : Inlet behaviour induced changes in he beach dune complex at Valvati, Maharashtra, India. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2013, 35(1), 123-37.

The paper examines the inlet behaviour, in terms of the shifts in the inlet location over a span of last eight years (2002-2010), and its impact on the adjacent beach-dune complex. Valvati tidal inlet is observed to exhibit a strong instability in its location and is characterized by seasonal shifts in the ebb channel across the beach with a history of inlet migration over years. The zone of inlet shifts was demarcated and profiles were superimposed for four periods in order to understand the erosion/fill of the beach-dune complex. The Beach-dune complex in the north was found to be more stable and recorded less of variations whereas, the southern section of this complex (closer to the inlet) exhibited maximum variations. These variations were in terms of lowering of the dune crest and erosion on either side as well as formation of an extensive berm. A definite shifting pattern in the inlet location was observed to have direct impact on the lower section of the dune complex. Lowering and recession of the dune complex exhibited changes in the tidal prism at Valvati. The depth at the inlet throat reduced considerably by 2010 (1.24m) as against the 2008 (3m) condition. 2010 condition exhibited a tidal prism of 1.1 * 106 m^{3 as against a tidal prism of 9.2 * 106 m3 in 2008. A strong cyclicity, in terms of the inlet shifts, along with the inlet behavior induced changes in the adjacent beach-dune complex is thus ascertained for this region.}

7 illus, 31 ref

004413   Dantu S (NO, CSIR-National Geophysical Research Institute, Hyderabad, Email: sujathadantu@rediffmail.com) : Groundwater quality characterization in parts of Srikakulm district, Andhra Pradesh. J appl Geochem 2014, 16(2), 179-95.

Assessment of the suitability of groundwater for domestic and agricultural purpose was carried out in parts of Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh. The study area covers an area of 330 km2 and lies in a semiarid region. Groundwater is the major source for domestic and agricultural activity in this area. Groundwater samples were collected from 70 representative borewells/handpumps/dugwells during pre-monsoon period in the year 2012 and were analysed for major ion concentration to determine the quality variation. The groundwater quality was examined in perspective of Indian as well as World Health Organization's drinking water standards. Based on the analytical results, groundwater in the study area is found to be fresh to slightly saline and soft to very hard. The average abundance of the major cations and anions is in the order of: Na <62> Ca <62> Mg <62> K and HCO3 <62> Cl <62> SO4 <62> NO3 <62> F respectively. The dominant hydrochemical facies of groundwater is Ca-HCO3-Cl, Ca-HCO3 and Ca-Na- HCO3-C1 type. Rock-water interaction diagrams indicate precipitation induced chemical weathering along with dissolution of rock forming minerals. Suitability of groundwater for irrigation was evaluated based on salinity hazard, sodium percent, sodium adsorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, US salinity diagram, Wilcox's diagram, Kelly's ratio and permeability index. Assessment of groundwater samples from various methods indicated that the majority of groundwater samples in study area are chemically suitable for both drinking as well as agricultural use.

3 illus, 3 tables, 38 ref

004412   Choudhari K;Panigrahi B;Paul J C (Soil and Water Conservation Engineering Dep, Orissa Univ of Agriculture and Technology, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, Email: kajal_bp@yahoo.co.in) : Morphometric analysis of Kharlikani watershed in Odisha, India using spatial informatioin technology. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2014, 4(4), 661-71.

Morphometric characteristics of watershed allow us to predict the hydrologic response to various watershed management practices and to have a better understanding of the impacts of these practices. In the present study attempt has been made to analyse the nature and structure of Kharlikani watershed by applying various morphometric techniques. The present study area, Kharlikani watershed is situated at a distance of 8 km away from the Balangir district in the state of Odisha, India and it covers 50.44 ha area. The GIS model is used to create the basin model map which is based on topography. It drives watershed network from the topographic information and calculate their relevant characteristics. With this topographical map, other maps like soil type, land slope, land use/pattern, drainage network, watershed boundary map etc. were extracted. The measurement of linear, aerial and relief aspects of basin and slope contributions are calculated using various techniques. Various morphometric parameters including linear, aerial and relief aspects such as stream order, stream length, bifurcation ratio, drainage density, relief ratio, circulatory ratio, elongation ratio, form factor, texture ratio, ruggedness ratio etc. are calculated for the Kharlikani watershed and discussed in this paper to study the nature of the watershed. The study reveals that the watershed is elongated in nature and has low drainage density. It has less structural disturbances and drainage pattern has been distorted.

4 illus, 3 tables, 17 ref

004411   Chadha D K (NO, Global Hydrogeological Solutions, New Delhi) : Conjunctive use - coping with water logging and salinity. Wat Energy int 2013, 70(1), 43-7.

The increase in irrigation potential through the construction of major and medium dams along with the network of canal systems for water distribution gave the food security but there was unintended fallout in the form of water logging and salinity. These two problems (water logging and salinity) have now become perpetual in nature and their aerial extent is increasing over the years with no action plan to mitigate them other than selective improvement of drainage system. The problem of water logging was first noticed in 1850 in West Yamuna Canal area and in 1884 in Nira Irrigation Project area, clearly indicating that the water logging problem is inbuilt with the irrigation projects which result because of seepage from lined/unlined carrier channels, applied irrigation & overuse of surface water, less utilization of groundwater than its annual recharge and in some cases because of the presence of sub surface lithology dominated by clay matrix. The areas under water logging was estimated by CGWB in 1999 and observed that areas in Punjab, Haryana, UP and Rajasthan covers 1.05 lac sq km and salinity in about 1.45 lac sq km (data requires updating) showing the seriousness of the problem which has converted large area non productive. Earlier estimates indicated water logging, salinity and alkalinity cover about 14,250 sq km, 30,694 sq km ad 12,780 sq km respectively under irrigation projects. The conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater (fresh or saline) is being adopted by a number of countries for achieving proper irrigation returns and solving problems of water logging. Moreover, conjunctive use is likely to be critical and a necessary option as water resource adaptation measure under the projected impact of climate change and recovering vital fertile areas for food security.

4 tables, 9 ref

004410   Biswas A;Sharma S P (Geology and Geophysics Dep, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, West Bengal-721 302, Email: spsharma@gg.iitkgp.ernet.in) : Resolution of multiple sheet-type structures in self-potential measurement. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 809-25.

The resolution of self-potential anomalies due to closely spaced multiple sheet-like bodies by the potential difference and potential gradient is studied in this paper. Self-potential anomalies due to several synthetic models were inverted through a very fast simulated annealing (VFSA) global optimization. Increase in depth to the top, polarization constant and depth extent of the body decreases resolution at a particular target separation. It has been observed that depth to the top and separation between two targets play an important role in the resolution. Vertical sheets at equal depth can be resolved in the potential difference measurement only if they are separated by at least four times their depth, while they can be resolved in the gradient method, if they are separated by twice the depth. Resolution using potential difference becomes more difficult for dipping sheets, although the potential gradient method can resolve them efficiently. Efficacy of potential gradient data in the inversion is demonstrated in the study using synthetic data as well as field measurement from South Purulia Shear Zone related with uranium investigation.

15 illus, 5 tables, 23 ref

004409   Arya (Water and Geothermal Wing, International Sustainable Energy, Organization, Geneva, Email: aryadrillers@gmail.com) : Geothermal energy - Indian scenario. Sci Cult 2014, 80(3-4), 121-3.

004408   Amini S;Farzadian A;Shabanlou S (NO, Firooz Abad Branch of Islamic Azad Univ, Iran, Email: saeid.shabanlou@gmail.com) : Simulation of flood using lumped (SCS) and distributed models (WMS). Ecol Envir Conserv 2013, 19(2), 333-7.

Finding a particular model that can correctly predict floods at large and sensitive basins like Golestan is critical. Due to being prone to flooding identifying prone areas to flooding and flood production levels according to physical characteristics of the catchment is essential. In this paper hydrologic modeling was performed on the Golestan Basin and we tried to estimate flood hydrograph through both lumped and distributed mathematical models to analyze how close they are to reality from Golestan basin. Formation of precipitation and surface flow after rainfall and formation of hydrograph has been studied using both SCS lumped model and WMS distributed model, and it is identified that distributed model results are closer to the recorded hydrograph of the basin.

13 illus, 7 ref

004407   Al-Omari S;Brunetaud X;Beck K;Al-Mukhtar M (NO, , , Email: muzahim.al-mukhtar@univ.orleans.fr) : Hydrothermal stress and damage risk in the stones of the castle of Chambord-France. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2014, 4(4), 630-44.

Aim of this paper is to assess the risk of climate-induced damage to stone through the calculation of hydrothermal stresses. The stone studied is tuffeau, the main building stone of the Castle of Chambord. The climate is assessed though measurement of the stone temperature and relative humidity using sensors inserted into the stones of the castle. The mechanical properties required for stress calculation are the elastic modulus, the Poisson's ratio and the hydrothermal strain. A numerical model based on restrained strain was used to estimate the hydrothermal stresses, which were analysed through the calculation of their daily variation, or alternatively by comparison with core behaviour. The parameters studied include the depth in the stone, the orientation of the walls, the alternative calculation methodology, and an optional correction of stone data due to sensor accuracy. Results show that the risk of damage to the stone exposed to climate fluctuations can be significant: joint cracking due to tension near the stone surface, and surface buckling due to compression for stones already subjected to spalling, leading to crack propagation. The risk decreases with depth, and is maximal on the south wall. Sensor accuracy for high relative humidity proved to beta significant issue.

12 illus, 5 tables, 19 ref

004406   Ahlawat R (NO, , 1-Miranda House, Delhi Univ, Delhi, Email: ritu.ahlawat@gmail.com) : Use of GIS in optimal spatial network of hydrological data in Betwa river catchment. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2014, 4(4), 645-60.

Ultimate design for any kind of hydrological data network must evaluate all possible alternatives before rationalising the task of data collection at an optimal level. Wherever different kinds of data collection centres duplicate the measurement of same parameters in close proximity, efforts should be to integrate the entire process of data processing at one place. The extent to which the spatial aspect of data needs to be compromised is examined in this paper at sub-catchment/watershed level of Betwa river, one of the important southern tributaries of River Yamuna after Chambal. An integral design of various kinds of hydrological data has been attempted using spatial multi-criteria module within Geographic Information System (GIS) framework. Basic concept of geographical domain has been utilised to derive optimum network of hydrological data.

8 illus, 1 table, 22 ref

004405   Adhikari S (Geography Dep, Bihar, Patna Univ, Patna) : Modern geopolitics versus post-modern geopolitics: a critical review. Trans Inst Indian Geogr 2013, 35(1), 35-48.

Geopolitics had emerged as a rare combination of the Ratzellean heritage of natural sciences, and the Kjellenean lineage of political science in the late nineteenth century as a discourse to conceptualize politics as a territorial practice for space and power. Mackinder's spatialization of the world politics through his global strategic views further enhanced the objectivity of geopolitical discourse. The history of modern world politics has been structured and conditioned by spatial practices and representations of space, based on a set of understanding about the way the world looks and works, which together constitute the elements of modern geopolitical imagination. The spatialization of the world politics through spatial practices and representations of space is the crux of the modern geopolitics, which is now being greatly challenged /frayed by the informational technological revolutions, which have problematized and pluralized the world politics in a way as to render the modern geopolitics redundant, with the post-Modern geopolitics replacing it. The post-Modern geopolitics is, thus, characterized by the growing significance of informationalization and the telemetrical visualization of the world politics, with geo-graphing being replaced by info-graphing. The present paper holds a critical review and assessment of both Modern and post-Modern geopolitics in the light of the spatialized impact of informational technological revolution on the world politics.

3 tables, 33 ref

004404   Adebesin B O;Adekoya B J;Ikubanni S O;Adebiyi S J;Adebesin O A;Joshua B W;Olonade K O (Industrial Physics Dep, Landmark Univ, P.M.B. 1001, Omu-Aran, Kwara State, Nigeria, Email: f_adebesin@yahoo.co.uk) : Ionospheric foF2 morphology and response of F2 layer height over jicamarca during different solar epochs and comparison with IRI-2012 model. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 751-65.

Diurnal, seasonal and annual foF2 variability and the response of the F2-layer height over Jicamarca (11.9°S, 76.8°W, 1°N dip) during periods of low (LSA), moderate (MSA) and high (HSA) solar activities was investigated. The relative standard deviation (V_R) was used: for the analysis. The F2-layer critical frequency pre-noon peak increases by a factor of 2 more than the post-noon peak as the solar activity increases. The variability coefficient (V_R) is lowest during the day (7-16%) for the three solar epochs; increases during nighttime (20-26%, 14-26%, and 10-20%, respectively for the LSA, MSA and HSA years); and attained highest magnitude during sunrise (21-27%, 24-27%, and 19-30%, respectively in similar order). Two major peaks were observed in V_R - the pre-sunrise peak, which is higher, and the post-sunset peak. Generally, the variability increases as the solar activity decreases. Annually, V_R peaks within 23-24%, 19-24% and 15-24% for the LSA, MSA, and HSA periods, respectively. The ionospheric F2-layer height rises to the higher level with increasing solar activity. The foF2 comparison results revealed that Jicamarca is well represented on the IRI-2012 model, with an improvement on the URSI option. The importance of vertical plasma drift and photochemistry in the F2-layer was emphasized.

13 illus, 2 tables, 46 ref

004403   Abe B T;Olugbara O O;Marwala T (School of Electrical and Information Engineering, Witwatersrand Univ, Johannesburg, South Africa, Email: abe_tolulope@yahoo.com) : Experimental comparison of support vector machines with random forests for hyperspectral image land cover classification. J Earth Syst Sci 2014, 123(4), 779-90.

The performances of regular support vector machines and random forests are experimentally compared for hyperspectral imaging land cover classification. Special characteristics of hyperspectral imaging dataset present diverse processing problems to be resolved under robust mathematical formalisms such as image classification. As a result, pixel purity index algorithm is used to obtain endmember spectral responses from Indiana pine hyperspectral image dataset. The generalized reduced gradient optimization algorithm is thereafter executed on the research data to estimate fractional abundances in the hyperspectral image and thereby obtain the numeric values for land cover classification. The Waikato environment for knowledge analysis (WEKA) data mining framework is selected as a tool to carry out the classification process by using support vector machines and random forests classifiers. Results show that performance of support vector machines is comparable to that of random forests. This study makes a positive contribution to the problem of land cover classification by exploring generalized reduced gradient method, support vector machines, and random forests to improve producer accuracy and overall classification accuracy. The performance comparison of these classifiers is valuable for a decision maker to consider tradeoffs in method accuracy versus method complexity.

5 illus, 4 tables, 73 ref

003375   Smitha A;Ajith Joseph K;Jayaram C;Balchand A N (NO, Nansen Environmental Research Centre (India) (NERC1), Kochi-682 016, Email: smitha.a14@gmail.com) : Upwelling in the southeastern arabian sea as evidenced by ekman mass transport using wind observations from OCEANAT-II scatterometer. Indian J Geomar Sci 2014, 43(1), 111-16.

Monthly Ekman mass transport in the southeastern Arabian Sea using scatterometer data from Oceansat-II satellite were estimated in the present study. Seasonal variability of Ekman mass transport has been analyzed to study the occurrence of coastal upwelling in this region. Prominent region of upwelling along the southwest coast of India is between 8° and 14°N. Strong offshore Ekman mass transport of about -2000 kg/m/s was observed during August due to the favorable wind conditions. Very weak offshore Ekman transport was observed during the pre-monsoon months when the wind is weak and variable. Moderate offshore transport was observed along the southwest coast between December 2009 and February 2010.

5 illus, 13 ref

003374   Pradeep Kumar;Kushwaha G J (Geography Dep, Shivharsh Kisan P.G. College, Basti, Uttar Pradesh) : Land use/land cover mapping of Dehradun district, (Uttarakhand), India. Flora Fauna 2013, 19(2), 238-44.

In this paper an attempt has been made to generate the landuse / landcover map of Dehradun at two different time intervals to notice alteration pattern in land use/land cover over time and space. The satellite data of IRS -1D LISS - III and Arc GIS & ERDAS IMAGINE softwares were used to prepare unsupervised land use/land cover map. Observation clearly shows impact of anthropogenic activities on land cover and change in the land use. Significant change was noticed in agriculture land, built up fallow land, dense forest and open forest.

3 illus, 1 table, 15 ref

003373   Pandit P;Kanhere R R (Chemistry Dep, S.B.N. Govt. P.G. College, Barwani, Madhya Pradesh) : Assessment of potability of different groundwater sources in terms of bacteriological quality, in Barwani area of Narmada river basin (M.P.). Life Sci Bull 2013, 10(1), 99-102.

Generally, water quality criteria for drinking purposes are decided by the presence of microbial faecal pollution. In the present work the different groundwater sources i.e. open dug wells (DW), hand pumps (HP) and tube wells (TW), which are used by large population for drinking purposes, are taken under investigations. The study area Barwani of state Madhya Pradesh lies in the Narmada river basin, where groundwater is largely used for drinking or domestic purposes. The coliform group of bacteria is used as an indicator of microbial quality of the water, thus evaluation of total and faecal coliform bacteria were done. Although, faecal coliform test is more deonitive than total coliform count. Results showed that bacterial contamination is season-wise and depth dependent. The total MPN count in monsoon season for DW water were found 842/100 ml, 206/100 ml for HP water while for TW it was 139/100 ml as maximum. Similarly, faecal coliform count were also found 379/100 ml in DW water, 114/100 ml in HP water and 11/100 ml were observed in TW water in monsoon season respectively. Finally it can be concluded that values of bacterial contamination in DW and HP water sources were found very higher than the permissible limits of MPN 50/100 ml by BIS, ISI and 10/100 ml by ICMR and WHO, which showed unsuitability for drinking purposes. Although, TW water was comparatively found in safe range of potability.

4 illus, 1 table, 24 ref

003372   Noujas V;Thomas K V;Sheela Nair L;Hameed T S S;Badarees K O;Ajeesh N R (Marine Sciences Division, Centre for Earth Science Studies, Trivandrum-695 031, Email: noujasphy@gmail.com) : Management of shoreline morphological changes consequent to breakwater construction. Indian J Geomar Sci 2014, 43(1), 54-61.

The coastal stretch from Veli to Varkala along Thiruvananthapuram coast, which was in dynamic equilibrium, has two identifiable sediment cells separated by the Muthalapozhi inlet with harbour breakwaters on either side of the inlet. Construction of breakwaters to develop a fishing harbour at Muthalapozhi has caused erosion immediately north of the inlet and beach build up south of the inlet. In addition, the harbour mouth gets blocked due to deposition of sand, virtually making the harbour unusable. In the present study, the processes of shoreline morphological changes along the high energy coast are analyzed using numerical models to propose management options to tackle morphological modifications. Shoreline changes, nearshore processes and beach characteristics along this sector are studied through extensive field observations. The data is used to calibrate and validate sediment transport and shoreline change models for this coast. Sediment transport and shoreline changes are simulated using different modules of LITPACK model. The LITDRIFT module is used to calculate annual sediment transport. The LITLINE module is used for shoreline evolution during fair season and the behaviour of coast during monsoon is simulated using the module LITPROF. The calibration of the model is done with field observations. It is found that beach sediments get deposited on southern side of the breakwater and bypassed sediment gets deposited at the inlet mouth. The model after validation is used to simulate the processes with different designs and a groin field of smaller transitional lengths comparable with the surf zone width. The groins having lengths 40, 30 and 20 m at 120, 220 and 300 m south of breakwater, has been found best suited to control the chocking of harbour mouth due to sediment deposition during beach building period.

12 illus, 4 tables, 12 ref

003371   Mathai T;Satish Kumar;Rajarama K N; PraveenKumar P;Suresh Chandran M (NO, Marine and Coastal Surveys Division, Geological Survey of India. East Coast-I, ER, Bhu Vigyan Bhavan, Salt Lake Kolkata-700 091, Email: thomasmathai4@gmail.com) : Prospects for developing a minor port facility at Betul, Goa. Indian J Geomar Sci 2014, 43(1), 76-81.

Marine and Coastal Surveys Division of Geological Survey of India, initiated preliminary, integrated geological, geotechnical and geophysical surveys off Betul for making an appraisal of the developmental possibilities of setting up a minor port in this sector. Detailed surveys helped generate a bathymetric map of the area indicating a smooth and gently sloping seafloor without any hazards, ideal for port development. Sediment cores were studied to evaluate the sub-seabed sediment package and visualize the seabed sediment distribution. Mean size of the seabed surface sediments broadly signifies a sediment milieu encompassing variants from silt to clay, broadly classified as silty clay. Geotechnical analysis of the sediments helped to evaluate the engineering properties of the seabed and sub-seabed sediments quintessential for development of a port in this sector. Clayey sediments have a high degree of plasticity with a very high swelling potential. Shear resistance is almost unregistered at almost all levels of the sediment package. Geotechnical characteristics of the sediments are generally conducive for offshore structures. Side scan sonar surveys brought out a clear seafloor, generally monotonous and thus well suited for a navigational channel access. Current Observations carried out in the nearshore sector indicate low velocity currents and are not influenced by tidal variations. Environmental parameters including Temperature, pH, Salinity, Conductivity and Dissolved Oxygen were studied to record the conditions prevalent in this sector, for post-development comparison.

5 illus, 6 ref

003370   Mankad B M;Sharma R;Basu S;Pal P K (NO, Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Group Space Applications Centre, Ahmedabad-380 015, Email: skbasu@sac.isro.gov.in) : Intraseasonal thermocline variability in the equatorial Indian ocean. Indian J Geomar Sci 2014, 43(1), 50-3.

Satellite and in situ observations in the equatorial Indian Ocean have shown spectral peaks at 30-60 days and at 90 days periods. However, spectral analysis of thermocline variability in this particular ocean basin seems to have escaped the attention of researchers. In this study such an analysis has been carried out using primarily the data from a buoy. Other auxiliary data like satellite observed sea level anomaly and winds have also been used in this study. Further supporting evidence comes from the data generated by a numerical ocean circulation model. This model has been forced by QuikSCAT scatterometer winds and NCEP fluxes. Spectral analysis of current, thermocline depth and sea level anomaly from this model also supports the existence of the mentioned periodicities.

5 illus, 20 ref

003369   Giridhar M V S S (NO, Center for Water Resources and Addl. Controller of Exams, J N T U Hyderabad, Email: mvssgiri@rediffmail.com) : Relationship of open pan evaporation rate with meteorological parameters in Andhra Pradesh. Int J Trop Agric 2013, 31(1-2), 69-72.

Influence of monthly average minimum air temperature, maximum air temperature and mean air temperature, relative humidity, sunshine duration and wind speed on rate of open pan evaporation was studied for seven stations located near the irrigation project stations in Andhra Pradesh, India. Good correlation was observed between relative humidity and pan evaporation for all the stations except Dowlaiswaram. Maximum and mean temperature has shown good correlation with open pan evaporation of 0.95 at Dowlaiswaram and 0.85 at Gajula Dinne irrigation project sites. Correlation between maximum temperature and open pan evaporation for Kadam, Gajula Dinne, Yeleswaram, Dowlaiswaram, LMD Colony, SRSP and Jurala stations were 0.76, 0.93, 0.67, 0.95, 0.90, 0.95 and 0.89 respectively. Correlation between average mean temperature and open pan evaporation for Kadam, Gajula Dinne, Yeleswaram, Dowlaiswaram, LMD Colony, SRSP and Jurala stations were 0.52, 0.84,0.44, 0.83, 0.77, 0.83 and 0.79 respectively.

1 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

003368   Ghoshal T;Jana S;Chakraborty A (Centre for Oceans, Rivers, Atmosphere and Land Sciences Indian Institute of Technology Kh, Kharagpur-721 302, Email: tarumay.iit@gmail.com) : Implication of empirical orthogonal function analysis to objectively analyzed sea surface temperature data of bay of Bengal. Indian J Geomar Sci 2014, 43(1), 39-44.

In this study, the Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis was accomplished on a long term monthly Sea Surface Temperature (SST) data over the Bay of Bengal (BOB) through the Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) method. Monthly temperature data was obtained from the assimilation of recent ARGO observations into the Levitus Climatology using objective analysis technique. The aim of this study is divided into two categories : the intrinsicvaluable information obtained through EOF and reconstruction of the whole data from the dominant modes. Computational accuracy was calculated through skill analysis. Comparison between the original and reconstructed dataset revealed that EOF analysis extracts the small intrinsic signals and acts like a smoothing technique filtering out the unwanted signals. Reconstruction with five dominant modes is sufficient to express the basin dynamics for the BOB. Skill analysis revealed accuracy of reconstruction with respect to original SST in the range of 98-99% at different spatial locations.

7 illus, 1 table, 12 ref

003367   Gerson V J;Madhu N V;Jyothibabu R; Balachandran K K;Nair M;Revichandran C (St. Albert's College, Mahatma Gandhi Univ, Kochi-682 018, Email: vijay_kannikal@yahoo.com) : Oscillating environmental responses of the Eastern Arabian sea. Indian J Geomar Sci 2014, 43(1), 67-75.

Characteristics of two distinct physical processes, the coastal upwelling and convective overturning, which enhance phytoplankton productivity in the west coast of India, are discussed in this study. Systematic in-situ data collected during the two contrasting monsoon (summer and winter) periods were utilized for the study. During summer monsoon, the colder (27°C), less oxygenated (<60>190 μM), nitrate rich (NO₃^{-N <62>2 μM) waters were evidenced in the upper layers of the southwest coast of India, along with higher level of primary production (surface - 76 mgC m-3d-1 & column -1629 mgC m-2d-1) and chlorophyll a (surface - 1.2 mgm-3 & column -45.7 mgm-2). In contrast, during winter, the upper thermohaline layer of the northeastern Arabian Sea exhibited colder sea surface temperature (SST, 25-26°C), and deeper mixed layer depth (MLD, <62>70 m). This area was distinguished by less oxygenated (<60>180 μM), nitrate rich (<62>2μM) and high productive (surface - <62>10 mgC m-3d-1 & column - <62>800 mgC m-2d-1) waters. I can be stated that the physically forced chemical changes occurred in the upper layers of both southeastern and northeastern Arabian Sea, appeared in an oscillating manner with respect to monsoonal changes, seemed to trigger the enhancement of phytoplankton productivity of the area.}

10 illus, 24 ref

003366   Coker J O;Mustapha A O;Makinde V;Adesodun J K (Physical Science Dep, Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu, Lagos State, Nigeria, Email: jocoker20@gmail.com) : Radiometric survey to determine the terrestrial gamma radiation levels: a case study of sagamu and abeokuta, South Western Nigeria. Int J pure appl Sci Technol 2014, 21(1), 31-8.

Gamma ray radiation alert monitoring 4 was used to determine the variation of terrestrial gamma radiation levels in some parts of Ogun state, South Western Nigeria. The study revealed that there is variation in the value of absorbed dose on ground surface and a metre above the ground surface. The value recorded on the ground for sedimentary terrain, basement complex and suspected transition zone across the study area are higher than the values recorded above the ground surface. On compares of the absorbed dose recoded, the ranges of values for both on ground and above the ground for basement complex are (between 32.79 and 42.58) and (between 26.71 and 38.25) higher than in sedimentary terrain (between 23.79 and 23.83) and (between 20.37 and 21.32) respectively. The suspected transition zone in the study area was delineated through the average values obtained on ground surface (32.83) and 1metre above the surface (28.18) which lies between the values recorded for both sedimentary terrain and basement complex. Based on the major peak and troughs of the radioactivity graph, the different formations in the study area were clearly delineated and these correspond approximately to the geological boundaries in the area, lithological characterization of the formations revealed the concentration of radioactive elements in rock varies. The uranium and thorium content of rocks generally increases with acidity, with the highest concentrations found in pegmatite's and granites (basement complex) and lowest concentrations found in shale and clay (sedimentary terrain). Because terrestrial gamma rays emanate from the ground surface and not from a height, hence, radiometric survey, unlike aeromagnetic method measure what lies on the ground surface rather than above the surface.

5 illus, 3 tables, 7 ref

002390   Suresh Kumar;Gaur R (Anthropology Dep, Panjab Univ, Chandigarh, Email: sureshmalhotra76@yahoo.co.in) : First record of Gazella lydekkeri from the tatrot formation of Upper Siwalik of the Indian subcontinent. J Palaeont Soc India 2013, 58(2), 259-61.

Fossil antelope taxon Gazella lydekkeri is reported here for the first time from the Tatrot Formation of the Upper Siwalik of the Indian Subcontinent. The material consists of a left horn-core recovered from the Pliocene Tatrot Formation of the Upper Siwalik exposed near Khetpurali Village of Naraingarh Tehsil of Haryana. Before this find, Gazella lydekkeri was known from the Dhokpathan Formation of Middle Siwaliks and the Pinjor Formation of Upper Siwalik only. With this discovery, the record of the genus Gazella becomes continuous from Dhokpathan Formation of the Middle Siwalik onwards.

3 illus, 1 table, 7 ref

002389   Sukumar B;Sukumar A (Centre for Earth Science Studies, Akkulam Thiruvananthapram, Kerala, Email: bsuku@rediffmail.com) : Morphometric and terrain analysis of Payaswani river basin of Kerala and Karnataka states using GIS. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2013, 4(2), 356-65.

Morphometry and terrain analyses are important in geomorphology where quantitative measurements are made on physical characteristics of landforms. It is done mainly to understand the structure, processes and evolution of landscape. In this paper, an attempt is made to study the morphometric aspects of streams and terrain characteristics of landforms of Payaswani river basin of Kerala and Karnataka states using GIS. It has an area of 1342 km^{2. Of which, 42.02 per cent of the total area is in Kasaragod district of Kerala state and 57.08 per cent in Karnataka state. Survey of India Topographic maps and SRTM data were used for the study. ArcGIS and Spatial Analyst Module were used for the study. Payaswani River is the 6th order stream in which there are 5643 streams available in the basin. Relief is varying between mean sea level west and 1100 meters in the south east. There are two planation surfaces at 100m and 200m height. Hundred meter surface occupy 52.7 per cent of the total area. Three to six degrees slope category is the predominant slope with 19.7 per cent. North direction slope occupy 17.7 per cent. Most of the area comes under erosional landforms. Bifurcation ratio indicates that there was neotectonic activity in the lower region of the basin. In general the landscape indicates structural control over the landform development.}

6 illus, 6 tables, 31 ref

002388   Sonar M A;Gaikwad S G (Geology P.G. Dep, Govt. Institute of Science, Aurangabad-431 004, Email: drmohansonar@gmail.com) : Cyclostome bryozoa from the cenozoic sediments of Western Kachchh, Gujarat, India. J Palaeont Soc India 2013, 58(2), 195-203.

Systematic descriptions are given of seven species of cyclostome bryozoans occurring in the Cenozoic sediments of the western Kachchh, Gujarat. Taxa belong to the families Tubuliporidae, Oncousoeciidae, Plagioeciidae, Crisiidae and Lichenoporidae. These species are Crisia elongata (Milne-Edwards), Mecynoecia sp., Exidmonea babiensis nov. sp., Exidmonea cf. undata (Reuss), Disporella sp., Proboscina sp. indet and Disporella aff. radiata (Audouin). The fauna is cosmopolitan in composition having Indo-Pacific and Atlantic affinities.

2 illus, 1 table, 33 ref

002387   Solanki A S (Research Laboratory, Chemistry P.G. Dep, Dr. Tanveer Malwat College of Biosciences, Bikaner-334 001, Email: ajay22solanki@yahoo.co.in) : Various water quality parameters with reference to human health-a case study of Bikaner city of Rajasthan. Rasayan J Chem 2013, 6(1), 44-6.

This study consisted of the determination of the water quality parameters of different types of untreated water in bikaner city of Rajasthan. The aim was to ascertain the quality of drinking water with especial reference to human health as problems like gastro intestinal, stomach ulcers occurrence of kidney stones and fluorosis that are prevailing in area. Study revelas that out of the total quality parameters determined two parameters calcium, & fluoride concentration are above the maximum permissible limit set by WHO (1993) and BIS-10500:1993 in all the areas of Bikaner city.

2 tables, 16 ref

002386   Singh D;Satyendra Kumar;Yadav D;Ranjeet Kumar (NO, Indian Institute of Remote sensing, 4th Kalidash Road, Dehradun-248 001, Email: dharmabagehl101@gmail.com) : Assessment and prediction of impact and effectiveness of watershed management practices on land use land cover in Seoni watershed, Madhya Pradesh using remote sensing and GIS. Int J Geomatics Geosci 2013, 4(2), 397-409.

This research work has been carried out to assess the impact and effectiveness of watershed management practices on land use land cover of the seoni watershed area with the help of satellite remote sensing and Geographic information system. Simultaneously the prediction (2021) of land use land cover conversion has also been done for the agriculture, forest, scrub and other classes (Including water bodies, fellow land, non-forest and settlement) using Cellular Automata Markove (CA-Markove) model. Landsat TM data of the year 1990, 2000 and 2011 has been used for the study of land use land cover changes. Semi-automatic unsupervised iterative self-organized data (unsupervised ISODATA) algorithm has been used to classify the satellite data. Forest, agricultural land, Water and non-forest were the broad land use/cover classes have been identified in the study area. Drastic change in the forest and agricultural area with a decrease in forest by 2541ha. and increase in the agricultural area by 2854ha. has been obtained since 1990 to 2011. This change analysis itself is showing impact and effectiveness of the watershed management practices over forest and agriculture respectively. Predictive modeling of the land use/cover conversion is showing similar results as obtained by the satellite data observations. Increase in the agricultural area by about 6.00% and decrease in the forest area by about 4.1% has been modeled via CA-Markove model. Model generation was based on the four land use/cover classes i.e. forest, net shown area (agriculture), scrub and other classes (including water bodies, fellow land, non-forest and settlement). Broad vegetation indices (SBI & NDVI) has been calculated and used for analyzing changes in forest, agriculture and soil condition. The hypothesis was that the soil brightness will decrease as an effect of soil moisture increase due to watershed management practices and same has been obtained during the year 1990 to 2000 but after this 10 consecutive drought year has disturbed the trend and the increased soil brightness frequency has been obtained during the year 2000 to 2011. NDVI analysis is showing improved vegetation condition and agriculture which would be the result of ground water recharge due to improved water harvesting as a result of watershed management practices although the rainfall was less.

7 illus, 3 tables, 21 ref

002385   Singh A;Rai V (Centre of Advanced Study in Geology, Lucknow Univ, Lucknow-226 007, Email: aradhanarim@rediffmail.com ) : Thallophytic algae from the krol formation (ediacaran period), Lesser Himalaya, India. J Palaeont Soc India 2013, 58(2), 251-8.

Thallophyte fossils have been discovered from the Krol 'C' Member of the Krol Formation (Ediacaran Period) in the Garhwal Synform of the Lesser Himalaya, India. The fossils described are recovered from the petrographic thin sections of the chert lithounits. Comparable thallophytic algal fossils (Red alga) were previously recorded from the Doushantuo Formation of China and a late Neoproterozoic age was assigned to the fossil bearing strata. We herewith describe the taxonomic details along with the possible biotope in which these fossils occur. The exceptionally well preserved fossils show a body plan where even cellular organization clearly depicts multicellularity. The present record owes its significance to exceptional preservation of evolved algae (eukaryote) which is preserved at cellular level in the silicified lithology (bedded black chert) with fine morphological details at the higher level of strata (Krol 'C' Member). Previous microfossil records are known from the Infrakrol and Krol 'A' Member of the Krol Formation which mainly show either the existence of fossils with cyanobacterial (prokaryote) affinity and giant acanthomorphic acritarchs or a few ill-preserved thallophytic algal remains identified as Wengania globosa. The paper discusses the biostratigraphic significance of the newly discovered thallophytic fossils in the light of Neoproterozoic evolutionary history.

7 illus, 45 ref