Informatics Publishing Limited

Meena U. Patil ¹, A. V. Kulkarni ², Omkar Gavkare ³

Affiliations
1 Department of Zoology, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Aurangabad, M.S., IN
2 DBT-RBC Project, Narp Campus, Paithan Road, Aurangabad, M.S., IN
3 Department of Entomology, Dr. Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and forestry, Nauni, Solan, H.P., IN

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted in Maharashtra, India, during chilli crop season in 2009 and 2010 to evaluate the efficacy of flubendiamide 39.35 per cent SC (Fame) at two concentrations (60 and 48 g a.i./ha), emamectin benzoate 5 per cent SG (10 g.a.i./ha), indoxacarb 14.5 per cent SC (50 g.a.i./ha), spinosad 45 per cent SC, (73 g.a.i./ha ), novaluron 10 per cent EC (33.50 g.a.i./ha) and profenofos 50 per cent EC (750 g.a.i./ha). The results on bioefficacy of aforesaid insecticides showed that maximum reduction in mean larvae per plant as well as lowest fruit damage was recorded in flubendiamide 39.35 per cent SC @ 60 g.a.i./ha followed by flubendiamide 39.35 per cent SC @ 48 g.a.i./ha with more yield at high concentration with cost: benefit ratio 1: 7.12.

Keywords

Bioefficacy, Insecticides, Spodoptera litura, Chill

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D. N. Patil ¹, V. N. Bhosale ¹, A. V. Kulkarni ¹

Affiliations
1 Department of Geology and School of Environmental Sciences, University of Poona, Pune 411007, IN

Abstract

Clay mineralogy of the soils of Indrayani river basin of western Maharashtra, has been investigated with the help of DTA, XRD and IR spectroscopic techniques. On the basis of clay mineral assemblage of the soils, trends of chemical weathering of basalt and formation and evolution of the soils have been visualised. It has been observed that the chemical weathering of basalt of nearly uniform chemical and mineralogical composition, has led to the development of two contrasting soil types. Red to reddish-brown coloured lateritic to semi-lateritic soils of the western part of the basin are predominated by the presence of kaolinite group of clay minerals. Formation of these soils has been attributed to free drainage and high rainfall conditions. On the other hand, grayish-black coloured margalithic or black cotton soils showing predominance of the minerals of smectite group, have been formed under poor or restricted drainage and low rainfall conditions in the eastern part of the Indrayani river basin. An attempt has been made to discuss the formation and evolution of soils in the light of clay mineralogical data.

Keywords

Soils, Clay Mineralogy, Chemical Weathering, Indrayani Basin, Maharashtra.

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K. K. Singh ¹, A. Kumar ², A. V. Kulkarni ³, P. Datt ¹, S. K. Dewali ¹, V. Kumar ¹, R. Chauhan ¹

Affiliations
1 Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh 160 036, IN
2 National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra 136 119, IN
3 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN

Abstract

Snow depth is an important parameter for avalanche forecast and hydrological studies. In the Himalaya, manual snow depth data collection is difficult due to remote and rugged terrain and the severe weather conditions. However, microwave-based sensors in various satellites have the capability to estimate snow depth in all weather conditions. In the present study, experiments were performed to establish an algorithm for snow depth estimation using ground-based passive microwave radiometer with 6.9, 18.7 and 37 GHz antenna frequencies at Dhundhi and Patseo, Himachal Pradesh, India. Different layers in the snowpack were identified and layer properties, i.e. thickness, density, moisture content, etc. were measured manually and using a snow fork. Brightness temperature (T_B) of the entire snowpack and of the individual snow layers was measured using passive microwave radiometer. It was observed that T_B of the snow is affected by various snow properties such as depth, density, physical temperature and wetness. A decrease in T_B with increase in snow depth was observed for all types of snow. T_B of the snowpack was observed higher at Dhundhi in comparison to Patseo. Based on the measured radiometer data, snow depth algorithms were developed for the Greater Himalaya and Pir-Panjal ranges. These algorithms were validated with ground measurements for snow depth at different observatory locations and a good agreement between the two was observed (absolute error: 7 to 39 cm; correlation: 0.95).

Keywords

Brightness Temperature, Microwave Radiometer, Snow Depth Algorithm, Snowpack.

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S. Bangaru Babu ¹, Parijat Kishan Vats ¹, Dinesh Gupta ¹, A. V. Kulkarni ²

Affiliations
1 Geophysics Division, Geological Survey of India, WR, 15-16, Jhalana Doongri, Jaipur 302 004, IN
2 Geophysics Division, Geological Survey of India, Complex, CR, Seminary Hills, Nagpur 440 006, IN

Abstract

This note presents the deployment of differential global positioning system in regional gravity surveys. The high-precision three-dimensional (latitude, longitude and elevation) real-time global satellite navigation system data play a key role in the processing of gravity data in the form of 'elevation correction'. A suitable method has been developed to maintain accuracy in the elevation data and subsequently the gravity observations. The data acquired during this survey are used to map the obvious geological province areas in the northwestern part of India and for the preparation of Bouguer gravity contour map of India with 1 mGal interval under National Geophysical Mapping of the Geological Survey of India in a phased manner.

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S. A. Tawde ¹, A. V. Kulkarni ², G. Bala ¹

Affiliations
1 Centre for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN
2 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN

Abstract

Mass balance is an important metric to assess the growth or decline of water stored in a glacier. The Accumulation Area Ratio (AAR) method where mass balance is proportional to AAR has been used to estimate glacier mass balance by several studies in the past. Since field estimates of AAR are not feasible on every glacier, it is usually estimated by identifying the snowline at the end of ablation season as a proxy of Equilibrium Line Altitude (ELA) on satellite images. However, locating ELA on satellite images is challenging due to temporal gaps, cloud cover and fresh snowfall on glaciers. Hence, the highest observed snowline has been traditionally used to estimate AAR, which usually leads to an underestimate of mass loss. To rectify this problem we propose a method to estimate the position of ELA by combining satellite images with in situ meteorological observations and a snowmelt model. The main advantage of this method is that it can be used to estimate the mass balance of individual glaciers and basins. Application of the method to eight glaciers in the Chandra basin, Western Himalaya is found to reduce the bias in mass balance estimates compared to the traditional AAR technique and the modelled estimates are in good agreement with the geodetic method. When applied to 12 selected glaciers in the Chandra basin, the modelled cumulative mass balance is -1.67 ± 0.72 Gt (-0.79 ± 0.34 m w.e. a^-1) during 1999/2000-2008/09. This method can also be used to estimate the future deviations in mass balance using climate change projections of temperature and precipitation.

Keywords

Accumulation Area Ratio, Equilibrium Line Altitude, Glacier Mass Balance, Temperature Index Model, Transient Snowline.

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K. K. Singh ¹, H. S. Negi ¹, A. Kumar ², A. V. Kulkarni ³, S. K. Dewali ¹, P. Datt ¹, A. Ganju ¹, S. Kumar ¹

Affiliations
1 Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh 160 036, IN
2 National Institute of Technology, Kurukshetra 136 119, IN
3 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN

Abstract

In this study an airborne ground penetrating radar (GPR) is used to estimate spatial distribution of snow accumulation in the Samudra Tapu glacier (the Great Himalayan Range), Western Himalaya, India. An impulse radar system with 350 MHz antenna was mounted on a helicopter for the estimation of snow depth. The dielectric properties of snow were measured at a representative site (Patseo Observatory) using a snow fork to calibrate GPR data. The snow depths estimated from GPR signal were found to be in good agreement with those measured on ground with an absolute error of 0.04 m. The GPR survey was conducted over Samudra Tapu glacier in March 2009 and 2010. A kriging-based geostatistical interpolation method was used to generate a spatial snow accumulation map of the glacier with the GPR-collected data. The average accumulated snow depth and snow water equivalent (SWE) for a part of the glacier were found to be 2.23 m and 0.624 m for 2009 and 2.06 m and 0.496 m for 2010 respectively. Further, the snow accumulation data were analysed with various topographical parameters such as altitude, aspect and slope. The accumulated snow depth showed good correlation with altitude, having correlation coefficient varying between 0.57 and 0.84 for different parts of the glacier. Higher snow accumulation was observed in the north- and east-facing regions, and decrease in snow accumulation was found with an increase in the slope of the glacier. Thus, in this study we generate snow accumulation/SWE information using airborne GPR in the Himalayan terrain.

Keywords

Glacier, Ground Penetrating Radar, Snow Accumulation, Snow Water Equivalent.

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K. K. Singh ¹, D. K. Singh ¹, H. S. Negi ¹, A. V. Kulkarni ², H. S. Gusain ¹, A. Ganju ¹, K. Babu Govindha Raj ³

Affiliations
1 Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment, Chandigarh 160 036, IN
2 Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560 012, IN
3 Indian Space Research Organization, Head Quarters, New BEL Road, Bengaluru 560 231, IN

Abstract

In the present study we estimate the velocity and thickness of the Patseo glacier, Himachal Pradesh, India. The average velocity of the glacier was estimated as ~5.47 m/year using co-registration of optically sensed images and correlation (COSI-Corr) method. The glacier thickness was found to vary between 12 and 278 m, with an average value 59 m. The total glacier ice volume was estimated as ~15.8 × 10⁷ m³, with equivalent water reservoir of ~14.5 × 10⁷ m³. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted during 2004 and 2013 for validation of the estimated glacier thickness. The glacier thickness estimated using COSI-Corr method was found to be in agreement with GPR-retrieved glacier thickness (RMSE = 4.75 m; MAE = 3.74 m). The GPR profiles collected along the same geographic locations on the glacier during 2004 and 2013 showed a reduction in ice thickness of ~1.89 m, and thus resulting in an annual ice thickness decrease of ~0.21 m. The glacier area was estimated for 2004 and 2013 using LISS IV satellite data and found to be ~2.52 and ~2.30 sq. km respectively. This shows an annual reduction of ~0.024 sq. km in glacier area. The total annual loss in glacier ice volume was estimated as ~4.55 × 10⁵ m³. This loss in the glacier ice volume of the Patseo glacier is supported by the snow and meteorological observations collected at a nearby field observatory of Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE). The climate data collected at SASE meteorological observatory at Patseo (3800 m), between 1993–94 and 2014–15 showed an increasing trend in the mean annual temperature and a decreasing trend in winter precipitation.

Keywords

Glaciers, Ground Penetrating Radar Surveys, Velocity and Thickness Estimation, Winter Precipitation.

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