Parallel Ridges Research Articles

Estimation of turbulence dissipation rate from Doppler wind lidars and in situ instrumentation for the Perdigão 2017 campaign

Abstract. The understanding of the sources, spatial distribution and temporal variability of turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer, and improved simulation of its forcing processes require observations in a broad range of terrain types and atmospheric conditions. In this study, we estimate turbulence kinetic energy dissipation rate ε using multiple techniques, including in situ measurements of sonic anemometers on meteorological towers, a hot-wire anemometer on a tethered lifting system and remote-sensing retrievals from a vertically staring lidar and two lidars performing range–height indicator (RHI) scans. For the retrieval of ε from the lidar RHI scans, we introduce a modification of the Doppler spectral width method. This method uses spatiotemporal averages of the variance in the line-of-sight velocity and the turbulent broadening of the Doppler backscatter spectrum. We validate this method against the observations from the other instruments, also including uncertainty estimations for each method. The synthesis of the results from all instruments enables a detailed analysis of the spatial and temporal variability in ε across a valley between two parallel ridges at the Perdigão 2017 campaign. We analyze in detail how ε varies in the night from 13 to 14 June 2017. We find that the shear zones above and below a nighttime low-level jet experience turbulence enhancements. We also show that turbulence in the valley, approximately 11 rotor diameters downstream of an operating wind turbine, is still significantly enhanced by the wind turbine wake.

A right whale (Mysticeti, Balaenidae) from the Pleistocene of Taiwan

Current patterns of biological distribution result from the deep past. Of particular interest, some closely related species appear at high latitudes of both hemispheres, but not in between, a pattern known as antitropical distribution. However, the timing, pathway, and drivers of antitropical distributions remain mostly unknown. Here we describe a new fossil, a left tympanic bulla (part of the ear bones), from the Middle/Late Pleistocene (0.78–0.01 mya, but not excluding the possibility of Holocene in age, as the specimen was dredged from the sea bottom and the geological horizon remains uncertain) of Taiwan. The tympanic bulla is diagnostic in baleen whales, and this specimen shows morphological features that are identical to extant Eubalaena, including: relatively large size (the anteroposterior length is 117 mm); rectangular outline in medial view; short anterior lobe, judging from the remaining of the lateral furrow; squared anterior margin; prominent transverse crease on the involucrum; transversely compressed in anterior view; well-developed and rounded outer lip; and parallel involucral and main ridges. Although incomplete, the morphological characters and overall similarity to extant Eubalaena allow a reliable taxonomic assignment to Eubalaena sp. The occurrence of a Pleistocene Eubalaena on the southern margin of the western North Pacific is the first balaenid fossil evidence indicative of the biotic interchange between two hemispheres leading to the origin of antitropical distribution in the Pleistocene; alternatively, this specimen might merely represent an extra-limital record of the North Pacific Eubalaena. Furthermore, this find suggests that the Eubalaena interchange, being one of the largest species displaying antitropical distribution pairs in the history of life, likely took place along the western Pacific. Notably, this does not preclude the Eubalaena interchange from other routes, such as the eastern Pacific or the Atlantic Ocean, and future finds should test the scenario for the biotic interchange between Northern and Southern Hemispheres of Eubalaena.

Microwave engineering filter synthesis technique for coupled ridge resonator filters.

Wavelength filters are among the most important building blocks required for integrated optical circuits. However, existing filter building blocks provide only basic functionality with limited options for controlling the filter function unless sophisticated filter design techniques are employed. Conversely, in the microwave regime, elegant and powerful filter synthesis techniques exist which use coupled resonators. As waveguide ring resonators have emerged, researchers in the optical domain have sought to translate these techniques but the multi-wavelength spacing required to couple optical ring resonator structures severely limits the types of filters that can be realized. In this paper we show how recently reported ridge resonance structures can be arranged as coupled resonators with very close spacing and thus can be harnessed to achieved many of the filter functionalities available in the field of microwave engineering. Our filter is comprised of multiple parallel ridges on a common silicon slab, with each resonator exhibiting a resonant frequency and quality factor which can be controlled through engineering the geometry of the ridge. It is thus possible to choose appropriate combinations of ridge geometries to satisfy the conditions required by filter synthesis prototype. We demonstrate through rigorous simulation how our approach can be used to achieve high order optical bandpass filters at 1.55 μm center wavelength with Butterworth or Chebychev responses and analyse the impact of non-ideal behaviours on filter performance.

TRUE GLOBAL WARMING INFERRED FROM ALPINE RECESSIONAL MORAINES BY SCOTTISH PHYSICIST JOHN LESLIE IN 1796

ABSTRACT In 1796, Scottish physicist John Leslie visited the Swiss Alps seeking evidence in support of his theory that the entire Earth is slowly warming through the accumulation of absorbed solar radiation. He observed that parallel ridges of loose angular stones (moraines) become increasingly vegetated with distance from the margins of active glaciers, and he inferred the secular retreat of glacier margins by at least 3000 vertical feet. Leslie anticipated by four decades the discovery of a former Ice Age by geologists and, while his theory of climate change was faulty in being unaware of Earth's outgoing non-luminous (infra-red) radiation, his inference regarding glacial recession was robust. If not due to topographic lowering of the Alps, it was inexplicable to nineteenth century climate physics in the absence of an unexplained change in radiative forcing.

Mechanisms for the Development of Microform Patterns in Peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland

Spatial surface patterns of hummocks, hollows, ridges, and pools (microtopography) are common features of many northern peatlands and are particularly distinct within the vast peatlands of the Hudson Bay Lowland (HBL), Canada. Hypotheses and models describe how small-scale feedbacks among vegetation, hydrology, and nutrients cause spatial differences in peat accumulation that enable microforms and surface patterns to develop over time. Empirical tests of the predictions from theoretical models of these proposed feedback mechanisms are limited, particularly in large peatland complexes such as the HBL. We investigate feedbacks controlling peatland structure and function in an ombrogenous bog and a minerogenous fen in the HBL. Our sites represent surface patterns found in many northern peatlands, specifically spatially irregular hummocks and hollows, and parallel ridges and pools that are perpendicular to slope. We found the occurrence of different spatial patterns depends on position within a peat landform, with these differences attributed to the ecohydrological setting. In turn, the ecohydrological setting, with different water table depths, nutrient availability, and species composition, influences the strength and direction of feedback mechanisms at the microform scale. Our data support the prediction of a positive feedback between plant productivity and acrotelm thickness for peat accumulation and hummock growth and that this may be enhanced by water ponding on slopes to form ridge–pool tracks. We did not find evidence to support the proposed feedback among evapotranspiration-driven transport of water and nutrients for the development of hummocks. Our results suggest a combination of mechanisms operating at various temporal and spatial scales is associated with the development of surface patterns in northern peatlands.

Reinterpretation of fossil reproductive structures Zlivifructus microtriasseris (Normapolles complex, Fagales) from the Czech and Polish Late Cretaceous

Flowers and fruits of Zlivifructus microtriasseris, originally described as Caryanthus microtriasseris from the late Turonian to Santonian of the South Bohemian Basins and the late Coniacian to early Santonian of the North Sudetic Basin, are reinterpreted here. Zlivifructus microtriasseris is represented by small, flat fruits, round in outline with persistent perianths, which are fused basally, forming the hypanthium. The hypanthium extends for more than two-thirds of the fruit. Tepals leave scars indicating their insertion. Lateral attachment scars of tepals and medial attachment scars are immediately adjacent to each other, with indistinct boundaries forming a ring. The androecium consists of four stamens.The fruit shows the unilocular nature of the nut with a single seed. Lateral faces of the fruit show two parallel ribs or ridges, running from the base of the fruit to the margin of the hypanthium. The surface of the fruit bears irregularly shaped cells. Zlivifructus microtriasseris differs from species assigned to genus Caryanthus Friis 1983 in the presence of four stamen scars, and in having two lateral ribs in the face of the fruit. Zlivifructus microtriasseris differs from the type species Zlivifructus vachae in size of the fruit; shape of the fruit; perianth and attachment scars of tepals. A probabilistic classification method to differentiate between the two fruit species based on their size is proposed.

Zonation of Landslide Susceptibility and Risk Assessment in Serchhip town, Mizoram

A landslide is the downward-slope movement of soil, rock or organic material under the influence of gravity. It can be caused by a variety of reasons like intense or prolonged rainfall, earthquakes, geomorphology, slope variations and human activities. Landslides include debris flow, slide, toppling or falling movements, and many landslides exhibit a combination of two or more types of movements. Mizoram is one of the most disastrous landslide-prone areas in India. The state experienced landslides yearly during monsoon season. Landslides are a natural disaster. Though landslide occurs naturally, one of the main factors contributing to landslide in city and township can be credited to human interference. The topography of Mizoram is being relatively young; landslide can be a very major economic setbacks. Mostly there are N–S-trending anticlinal strike ridges with steep slopes and narrow intervening synclinal valleys with series of parallel ridges or topographic highs. The other landforms of the state are dissected ridges with deep gorges, spurs, keels, etc. Faulting has produced steep fault scarps. Thus, Mizoram, being a hilly terrain, is extremely prone to landslides. The extent of damage caused varies considerably from place to place, which is mainly caused by human activities and by geological processes assisted by environmental processes. The study area lies in the southern part of the Aizawl district. Remote sensing and GIS techniques are used. Recent advances of satellite remote sensing technology and geographical information system techniques have provided us a more in-depth approach to study landslide phenomena. In the present study, high-resolution satellite data such as QuickBird, IRS and Cartosat-I data were utilized to map the different landslide hazard zones of Serchhip town for undertaking mitigation measures and to identify potential zones of occurrences. Satellite data are utilized for mapping and preparing landslide hazard zones. An in-depth study of slope stability within Serchhip township was also carried out, and it was found that this locality of the town has been severely affected by subsidence and landslides, endangering the lives and property of the people. It was also found that the area comprises very soft shale and interbedded, weathered sandstone and siltstone, which belongs to the Middle Bhuban Formation of Surma Group of Tertiary age. Landslide risk assessment determines the expected degree of loss to landslide and its disruption of economic activities. The correlation of landslide susceptibility with major assets in the region helps to determine the risk assessment. Risk assessment is the final goal. The main objectives are to assess the risk, vulnerability of landslides and mapping, classify the zones of landslide hazards and suggest preventive and remedial measures, methods involving extensive fieldworks and data collections, creation of thematic layers and data analysis. From the present study, it is observed that human activities paired with natural factors have made many parts of Serchhip highly prone to landslides.

Comparative study between acoustic signals and images for detecting seabed features

This study aims to provide a recent seabed characteristic of ridges along the eastern coast of Alexandria on the Egyptian Mediterranean Sea. Side scan sonar was used for acoustic imaging and Quester Tangent Corporation (QTC) VIEW for acoustic signal survey. ROV was applied to detailed video survey and sediment sampling to provide ground truth data. The integration between acoustic signal classes and the acoustic images can divided the study area into three acoustic categories; 1) weak backscatter corresponds to very fine sand to silt sediments, 2) strong backscatter confined to coarse to medium sand, and 3) isolated reflections, which appear widespread along the whole study area and represent two discrete parallel discontinuous hard limestone ridges. These discrete parallel ridges are found to be trending parallel to the coastline. A seabed feature map for the study area is obtained from the integration of output results of side scan sonar backscatter analysis with the QTC acoustic classification and ground-truthing using ROV and grab sampler. The high resolution of acoustic image help to detect the variation of the wavelength and amplitude of sand ripples in the study area.

Characterization of flow recirculation zones at the Perdigão site using multi-lidar measurements

Abstract. Because flow recirculation can generate significant amounts of turbulence, it can impact the success of wind energy projects. This study uses unique Doppler lidar observations to quantify occurrences of flow recirculation on lee sides of ridges. An extensive dataset of observations of flow over complex terrain is available from the Perdigão 2017 field campaign over a period of 3 months. The campaign site was selected because of the unique terrain feature of two nearly parallel ridges with a valley-to-ridge-top height difference of about 200 m and a ridge-to-ridge distance of 1.4 km. Six scanning Doppler lidars probed the flow field in several vertical planes orthogonal to the ridges using range–height indicator scans. With this lidar setup, we achieved vertical scans of the recirculation zone at three positions along two parallel ridges. We construct a method to identify flow recirculation zones in the scans, as well as define characteristics of these zones. According to our data analysis, flow recirculation, with reverse flow wind speeds greater than 0.5 m s−1, occurs over 50 % of the time when the wind direction is perpendicular to the direction of the ridges. Atmospheric conditions, such as atmospheric stability and wind speed, affect the occurrence of flow recirculation. Flow recirculation occurs more frequently during periods with wind speeds above 8 m s−1. Recirculation within the valley affects the mean wind and turbulence fields at turbine heights on the downwind ridge in magnitudes significant for wind resource assessment.

Drainage Characteristics of Tectonically Active Area: An Example from Mawar Basin, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract Geomorphic and neo tectonic studies have been carried out for the first time in Mawar basin of the Kashmir valley. On the basis of field investigations and geomorphic data derived from toposheets and satellite imageries, with the help of Arc GIS (10.3) and Global Mapper (18) the relationship between morphology and tectonics has been investigated in Mawar basin, which lies to the northwest of Kashmir valley. The morphotectonic aspects like mountain front sinuosity (Smf), hypsometric integral (Hi), have been studied to relate the tectonic forces with erosive power and identify the areas where field investigations are required. The field interpretation indicates that the landforms of the area are structurally controlled and mainly consist of tectonic linear, parallel striking ridges and valleys. The course of Mawar is mostly controlled by the Mawar fault striking east–west and local structures present in the area. General morphometric parameters like assymetry factor (Af), transverse topography symmetry (T), stream length gradient (SL) and valley floor width to height ratio (Vf) have been computed to draw the conclusion of tectonic activity on the drainage. The Af and T suggest that the basin has shifted to the right side and the Mawar river has shifted to the left side when facing downstream. The SL values indicate that the river has fluctuations in gradient/knickpoints at 6.8, 10 and 18 km from the source. However the Vf values infer the basin has deeply incised V-shaped valleys. All the quantified geomorphic indices and their interrelationship with the geomorphology are useful in comparing different drainage basins in terms of tectonic character and are helpful in delineating the areas where more detailed works will be fruitful. The results of computed geomorphic indices, geomorphology and the structures present in the Karewas (Plio Pleistocene) deposits inferred that the basin has shown activity in Pleistocene period, suggesting the basin is tectonically active.

Two new centric diatoms (Bacillariophyta) from the sub-Antarctic region

During a survey of the limno-terrestrial diatom flora of the sub-Antarctic region, two unknown melosiroid diatom taxa were observed in several shaded, damp cave (moss and soil) samples from Heard Island and Ile de la Possession, the main island of the Crozet Archipelago. Comparison with already known species from the genus Melosira and the recently described genera Arcanodiscus, Angusticopula and Ferocia, resulted in the description of both new taxa based on detailed light and scanning electron microscopy. A first species was described as Ferocia subantarctica sp. nov. and can be distinguished based on its numerous, narrow girdle bands, relatively weakly domed valves, a limited number of well-developed spines and a rather large, hyaline central area. The second species, Arcanodiscus desmetianus Van de Vijver sp. nov., can be recognized based on its solitary frustules, a series of parallel ridges surrounding the mantle and a hyaline central area that is only less than 50% of the total valve diameter. Both taxa are morphologically and ecologically characterized and compared with all known melosiroid taxa worldwide.

Life in the Tar Seeps

Life in the Tar Seeps Gretchen E. Henderson (bio) Click for larger view View full resolution [End Page 158] ________ In the rearview mirror, the Wasatch Mountains of Utah rise from the Great Basin. Low hills shoulder limestone caves, tucked into parched slopes of tall grass that roll toward Great Salt Lake like ancient waves. Long-gone shorelines band the hills like rings in a bathtub. A two-lane paved road cuts between dips in the knolls, edged by marshlands that spread through the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. On this February day, the chill has fogged into crystalline snow, blurring the marshlands, hills, and mountains until we lose sight of all distances, just the road around us. Almost imperceptibly, the air smells like rotten eggs. “You always hear that the lake is dead, but it’s so alive that it smells,” says Jaimi Butler. Jaimi is the coordinator of the ten-year-old Great Salt Lake Institute (GSLI), an interdisciplinary environmental research center dedicated to this understudied ecosystem. She is driving a blue minivan with a fiery flame decal on its door. Her five-year-old daughter, Cora, sits in a car seat behind me watching The Angry Birds Movie on an iPad, beside Greg McDonald, the regional paleontologist for the Bureau of Land Management. We are heading to Rozel Point, on the remote north arm of Great Salt Lake. We left Salt Lake City after dawn and drove north, skirting the east edge of the lake. Greg and Jaimi are meeting for the first time, hoping to partner on a project to set up camera traps on the lake’s tar seeps—also known as oil or petroleum seeps, and nicknamed death traps—which lie near the monumental 1970 land artwork by Robert Smithson, Spiral Jetty. Jaimi has lived in Utah her entire life; Greg has lived here for two years. As a visiting professor in environmental humanities at the University of Utah, I am a newcomer to this place. A colleague knew of my interest in Spiral Jetty and connected me with Jaimi, which is how I’ve found myself on Jaimi and Greg’s quest: tracking what animals get stuck in the tar seeps, glimpsing fossils in the making. I know little about Great Salt Lake, and nothing of tar seeps. As a kid in San Francisco, I wasn’t interested in dinosaurs or fossilized bones. My family’s summer road trips drove right past Great Salt Lake, without stopping, en route to national parks. I have taken this drive only once, back in October with my husband, coming cross-country from Washington, DC. Our destination was Spiral Jetty. I had dreamed of following its spiral, fifteen hundred feet of earth and salt-crusted black basalt unfurling three times counterclockwise. I am interested in how natural spaces— national parks, wildlife refuges, land art—require collaborative stewardship by land managers, scientists, artists, curators, Indigenous groups, and other partners who care for living environments as they evolve over time. As different groups share their stories of a single place, they can merge approaches and resources to support each other’s coexisting narratives. “We would be underwater here,” Jaimi says, steering the minivan along the highway. She nods toward parallel ridges in the hills, called benches, that mark the ancient lake levels. She has spent her adult life working at Great [End Page 159] Salt Lake and now, for the GSLI, coordinates partnerships around its shores. The GSLI, based at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, is the local steward of Spiral Jetty, and is joined in its efforts by the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, the Utah Department of Natural Resources, and the New York– based Dia Art Foundation. Jaimi travels monthly to the artwork—almost three hours each way, over remote dirt roads—to take water and salt samples, look for tagged pelicans, host local science teachers, and monitor the number of visitors to the artwork by checking a road counter. “Spiral Jetty was underwater for many years,” she says. “Soon after Smithson built it, the lake covered it up. It didn’t reemerge until 2002.” As we wind past low hills, Jaimi and Greg name...

Washboard and fluted terrains on Pluto as evidence for ancient glaciation

Distinctive landscapes termed ‘washboard’ and ‘fluted’ terrains1,2, which border the N2 ice plains of Sputnik Planitia along its northwest margin, are among the most enigmatic landforms yet seen on Pluto. These terrains consist of parallel to sub-parallel ridges that display a remarkably consistent east-northeast–west-southwest orientation—a configuration that does not readily point to a simple analogous terrestrial or planetary process or landform. Here, we report on mapping and analysis of their morphometry and distribution as a means to determine their origin. Based on their occurrence in generally low-elevation, low-relief settings adjacent to Sputnik Planitia that coincide with a major tectonic system, and through comparison with fields of sublimation pits seen in southern Sputnik Planitia, we conclude that washboard and fluted terrains represent crustal debris that were buoyant in pitted glacial N2 ice that formerly covered this area, and which were deposited after the N2 ice receded via sublimation. Crater surface age estimates indicate that this N2 ice glaciation formed and disappeared early in Pluto’s history, soon after formation of the Sputnik Planitia basin. These terrains constitute an entirely new category of glacial landform. A network of parallel ridges on the northwestern border of Sputnik Planitia on Pluto are the traces of debris material deposited by a glaciation of icy nitrogen that happened early in Pluto’s history, and left there once the N2 ice disappeared by sublimation.

Gross morphological and ultrastructural characterization of the oropharyngeal cavity of the Eurasian hoopoe captured from Egypt.

The present study aimed to give full morphological insight into the oropharyngeal cavity of Eurasian hoopoe at the level of gross morphology in addition to ultrastructural inspection including light- and scanning electron microscopy. The oropharyngeal cavity has a triangular appearance with a very long rostrally located beak, helping the bird achieve its feeding mechanism. The floor of the oropharyngeal cavity is divided into three parts; a pre-lingual part with a pre-lingual fold, a lingual part containing a rudimentary triangular tongue, and a laryngeal part, which contains a small elevated laryngeal mound. There are four giant papillae and numerous openings of lingual salivary glands on the root. The roof is divided into the pre-choanal and the choanal region. The pre-choanal region has two parallel palatine ridges, while the choanal region had an ovoid-shaped choanal cleft rostrally, followed caudally by a narrow infundibular slit. The mechanical papillae on the roof are arranged in two rows directed caudally; one row is located on the free border of rostral half of the choanal cleft, while the other row is located between the pharynx cavity and the esophagus. The histological study showed that the tongue was covered dorsally and ventrally by keratinized stratified squamous epithelium and supported centrally by entoglossum, which extends from the root until the rostral tip of the tongue. The entoglossum was mainly cartilaginous rostrally in the apex and ossified caudally in the lingual body and root. Numerous mucous glands scattered in the sub mucosa of the lingual root as well as in the palatine region convey their secretions to the surface through a duct guarded by diffuse lymphocytic infiltration.

Sedimentological and glaciotectonic interpretation of georadar data from the margin of the Vig ice-push ridge, NW Sjælland, Denmark

Glaciotectonic deformations often result in a high degree of variability, including glaciotectonic and sedimentary variability. Redeposition of sediments during deformation increases the variability. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) has proven to be a good method to determine sedimentary structures in glaciofluvial deposits (Olsen & Andreasen 1994; Van Overmeeren 1998) as well as glaciotectonic structures (Busby & Merrit 1999; Overgaard & Jakobsen 2001). Reflection facies analysis (radar facies) is a useful tool in the characterisation and interpretation of deformed sediments (Van Overmeeren 1998; Jakobsen & Overgaard 2002; Lerche et al. 2014). A GPR survey was carried out at Jyderup Skov in Odsherred in north-west Sjælland (Fig. 1). The presence of parallel ridges in the area indicates glaciotectonic deformation. The aim of the GPR study was to map the interior of the ridge complex and to interpret the genesis of the ridges.

Morphology of the eggs surface of ten Brazilian species of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae)

The chorionic sculpturing of ten Brazilian sandfly species, Nyssomyia antunesi (Coutinho), N. whitmani (Antunes and Coutinho), Bichromomyia flaviscutellata (Mangabeira), B. olmeca nociva (Young and Arias), Evandromyia walkeri (Newstead), E. williamsi (Antunes and Coutinho), Deanemyia maruaga (Alves, Freitas and Barrett), D. samueli (Deane), Viannamyia furcata (Mangabeira) and Lutzomyia dispar (Martins and Silva), was examined using scanning electron microscopy. Eggs of the last seven species, as well as the genera Deanemyia and Viannamyia, are described for the first time. In total, five patterns of chorionic sculpturing were found: polygonal, connected parallel ridges, unconnected parallel ridges, volcano-like and placoid. The last one is a new chorionic sculpture pattern, which was observed in D. samueli. These structures are illustrated and discussed. These results show that egg morphology can be used in phlebotomine taxonomy, both at generic and specific levels.

Discrimination of Ceramic Surface Finishing by Vertical Scanning Interferometry

Finishing techniques are significant markers of the technological ‘know‐how’ involved in the production of the traditional, clay‐based ceramic ware. In order to provide a reliable tool to discriminate among two main surface processing techniques—that is, smoothing and burnishing—vertical scanning interferometry (VSI), a recently developed non‐destructive technique for analysing the surface roughness and topography, is applied. The smoothed areas have an obvious roughness expressed by linear structures. The latter are made of parallel ridges and trenches with an average depth of 15–20 μm. Burnishing leads to a lower topography and a lower roughness compared to the smoothed surface section. VSI quantifies the spatial distribution of the surface building blocks, which consist of phyllosilicate aggregates of variable size. The statistical treatment of the roughness data obtained by VSI shows that the surface topography provides significant information on the pottery processing and a clear qualitative and quantitative discrimination between different surfaces. VSI supports the reconstitution of the chaîne opératoire for traditional ceramic pottery and the recognition of the surface finishing techniques.

A study on the groundwater of Peenya industrial area and its related elements in Bengaluru region of Karnataka State, India

Abstract Groundwater samples were collected from the Peenya Industrial area of Bengaluru, India to test its quality, elemental composition and inherent bacterial population. Further analysis was done using GIS Based Geostatistical techniques to study the level of groundwater and to generate various maps of lineament, digital elevation, geomorphology, soil erosion, salt affected areas and water logging in this region. Physical and chemical parameters such as Total Dissolved Solids, pH, temperature, BOD, COD, metal ions present in the water samples were studied along with predominant microbial constituents. The Total Dissolved Solids and Total Hardness were far beyond the maximum concentration levels. Further analysis of the isolated bacteria was done using staining methods and biochemical tests. The results obtained showed that the area under study had wells ranging from shallow to deep heights of 30 to 80 meters, with a wide variety of 10-400 LPM; whereas the lineament map suggested that the area was bound with parallel ridges and joints. The geographical data represented pediplain complexes, anthropogenic terrains and water bodies. The area was found to go through a seasonal water logging and the soil loss was due to sheet erosion and rill erosion. It was also observed that the groundwater was contaminated with heavy metals such as lead, chromium etc. along with a diversified bacterial population.

Hemitrapa Miki (Lythraceae) from the earliest Oligocene of southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau and its phytogeographic implications

Hemitrapa Miki (Lythraceae) is an extinct aquatic genus that shows the close morphological affinity to water chestnut (Trapa), it has rich fossil records ranging from the late Paleocene to early Pliocene of the Northern Hemisphere. Recently, we found numerous Hemitrapa fruit fossils and pollen grains of Hemitrapa from the earliest Oligocene of southeastern Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, comprising its southmost fossil record worldwide and the earliest fossil record in Asia. We studied the morphology of fruit fossils and pollen grains of Hemitrapa, and compared them with previous fossil records. Two pairs of arms and parallel ridges along the main body of the fruit, as well as pollen grains with three distinctive crests and of a smaller size than living Trapa natans, clearly assign these fossils to Hemitrapa. We described here a new species, namely Hemitrapa alpina T. Su et Z.K. Zhou sp. nov. The finding of H. alpina could not only contribute to plant diversity in the geological past of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, but also indicate that Hemitrapa grew on the plateau by the earliest Oligocene. Meanwhile, H. alpina greatly expands the geographic distribution of Hemitrapa during the Paleogene of the Northern Hemisphere, the disappearance of Hemitrapa might be due to dramatic paleoenvironmental changes on the plateau since the Paleogene.

The glacial landsystem of a tropical glacier: Charquini Sur, Bolivian Andes

AbstractThe geomorphological signature of tropical glaciers has the potential to provide important information on the response of ice masses in high‐mountain environments to climate warming. This study investigates the glacial geomorphology of Charquini Sur, Bolivia. Detailed geomorphological mapping was conducted both in the field and from satellite imagery in order to produce a 1:4000 scale geomorphological map of the glacier foreland. Sedimentological analyses (description of physical characteristics, clast shape and roundness, particle‐size distribution) provided additional insight into the landform–sediment assemblage. Glacial landforms are well preserved and include up to 11 moraine ridge suites, seven of which are cross‐valley frontal moraine arcs. These can be linked to an existing lichenometric chronology from previous work and record glacier recession since the local Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum in the late‐1600s. Lateral moraine ridges also record continuous thinning of the glacier over this time period. Smaller groups of parallel ridges are interpreted as annual moraines formed during recession. Intermorainic areas consist of flutings and a typically thin sediment cover of subglacial, supraglacial and glaciofluvial origin, with prominent ice‐moulded bedrock protuberances in places. Analysis of the landform–sediment assemblage provides an insight into the main controls on landform genesis in the basin and implies there have been temporal changes in ice‐marginal dynamics since the LIA. We present the first landsystem model for a tropical cirque glacier, documenting its behaviour since the LIA and providing an indication of glacier response in rapidly‐warming high‐mountain environments. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.