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The motion between India and Sunda plates is accommodated along the Churachandpur Mao Fault (CMF) in the Indo-Burmese Wedge (IBW) and Sagaing Fault in the Myanmar region. Within the IBW, the Mat Fault is the most prominent transverse structure with prominent topographic and geomorphic expressions. We undertook Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements across this fault to investigate the current deformation across it. Modelling of these observations using locking depth of up to 4 km yields no resolvable slip (dextral slip rate as 0 ±5 mm/year) across the fault. Due to limited spatial extent of the GPS measurements, it is not possible to comment on the status of deeper slip, if any.

A global forecast system model at a horizontal resolution of T1534 ( $${\sim }12.5\, \hbox {km}$$ ) has been evaluated for the monsoon seasons of 2016 and 2017 over the Indian region. It is for the first time that such a high-resolution global model is being run operationally for monsoon weather forecast. A detailed validation of the model therefore is essential. The validation of mean monsoon rainfall for the season and individual months indicates a tendency for wet bias over the land region in all the forecast lead time. The probability distribution of forecast rainfall shows an overestimation (underestimation) of rainfall for the lighter (heavy) categories. However, the probability distribution functions of moderate rainfall categories are found to be reasonable. The model shows fidelity in capturing the extremely heavy rainfall categories with shorter lead times. The model reasonably predicts the large-scale parameters associated with the Indian summer monsoon, particularly, the vertical profile of the moisture. The diurnal rainfall variability forecasts in all lead times show certain biases over different land and oceanic regions and, particularly, over the north–west Indian region. Although the model has a reasonable fidelity in capturing the spatio-temporal variability of the monsoon rain, further development is needed to enhance the skill of forecast of a higher rain rate with a longer lead time.

This paper deals with the application of universal kriging to interpolate water table elevations from their measurements at random locations. Geographic information system tools were used to generate the continuous surface of water table elevations for the Carlsbad area alluvial aquifer located to the southeast of New Mexico, USA. Water table elevations in the 38 monitoring wells that are common to 1996 and 2003 irrigation years follows normal distribution. A generalized MATLAB® code was developed to generate omni-directional and directional semi-variograms (at 22.5° intervals). Low-order polynomials were used to model the trend as the water table profile exhibits a south-east gradient. Different theoretical semi-variogram models were tried to select the base semi-variogram for performing geostatistical interpolation. The contour maps of water table elevations exhibit significant decrease in the water table from 1996 to 2003. Statistical analysis performed on the estimated contours revealed that the decrease in water table is between 0.6 and 4.5 m at 90% confidence. The estimation variance contours show that the error in estimation was more than 8 m2 in the west and south-west portions of the aquifer due to the absence of monitoring wells.

Anthropogenic CO2 emission has resulted in lowering of surface ocean pH referred as ‘Ocean acidification (OA)’ which posed a serious threat to calcifying marine organisms. Several attempts have been made to assess the role of anthropogenic CO2 forcing against oceanographic factors/processes contributing to the recent OA trend; however, such attempts were hindered by the dearth of long-term pH records. Boron isotopic composition (δ11B) of corals has been used as a robust proxy for seawater pH records. In the present study, we have compiled available coral δ11B-pH records from the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans and assessed regional trends, variability, forcing factors and their relative roles. Most of these δ11B-pH records show a discernable decline trend in recent decades with large variability. Our assessment of the Pacific records reveals that atmospheric CO2 forcing explains maximum pH variability followed by physical oceanographic factors/processes modulated by Pacific oscillations, e.g., ENSO and PDO. In addition, coral metabolic processes might control a large portion of the pH variability; however, they require detailed laboratory-based studies. Further, our investigation reveals a significant increase in pH variability (pH extremes) since ~1970s associated with ENSO events which might be critical for the resilience and adaptability of corals and other calcifiers.

Much of the time, geological data are not accurately known. Instead, geoscientists work with a range of possible data. These data can have a range since they can vary spatially and temporally. In this context, we demonstrate how a well-established structural geological model of velocity profile of ductile simple shear, expressed as an equation, can be furthered by fuzzy set concept. The implementation of fuzzy set concepts in terms of fuzzification in (geo)scientific models takes into consideration the uncertainties of magnitudes of the parameters that define the model. The present study shows that the fuzzified velocity profile of a ductile simple shear zone with parallel boundaries is effectively independent of the dip of the shear zone. This article demonstrates how models of (structural) geological processes can be modelled by fuzzy set approach capable of incorporating a range of magnitudes of parameters.

Sedimentary methane (CH4) fluxes and oxidation rates were determined over the wet and dry seasons (four measurement campaigns) in Pulicat lake, an extensive shallow estuary in south India. Dissolved CH4 concentrations were measured at 52 locations in December 2000. The annual mean net CH4 flux from Pulicat lake sediments was 3.7 × 109 g yr-1 based on static chamber measurements. A further 1.7 × 109g yr-1 was estimated to be oxidized at the sediment-water interface. The mean dissolved concentration of CH4 was 242nmol ¦-1 (ranging between 94 and 501 nmol ¦-1) and the spatial distribution could be explained by tidal dynamics and freshwater input. Sea-air exchange estimates using models, account only for ∼13% (0.5 × 109 g yr-1) of the total CH4 produced in sediments, whereas ebullition appeared to be the major route for loss to the atmosphere (∼ 63% of the net sediment flux). We estimated the total atmospheric source of CH4 from Pulicat lake to be 0.5 to 4.0 × 109g yr-1.

Future earthquake potential in the Bohai–Zhangjiakou Seismotectonic Zone (BZSZ) in North China deserves close attention. Tectonic stress accumulation state is an important indicator for earthquakes; therefore, this study aims to analyse the stress accumulation state in the BZSZ via three-dimensional visco-elastic numerical modelling. The results reveal that the maximum shear stress in the BZSZ increases gradually as the depth increases, and the stress range is wider in the lower layer. In the upper layer, the maximum shear stress is high in the Zhangjiakou area, whereas in the lower layer, relatively high values occur in the Penglai–Yantai area, which may be affected by the depth of the Moho surface. Besides, weak fault zones will be easily fractured when the maximum shear stress is not sufficiently high due to their low strengths, resulting in earthquakes. Therefore, based on the modelling results, the upper layer of the Zhangjiakou area and the lower layer of the Penglai–Yantai area in the BZSZ in North China are more likely to experience earthquakes.

The equatorial value of normal gravity and the length of the semi-major axis of the currently used International spheroid 1930, appear to be mutually inconsistent in the light of the new astronomical values forKM and ω adopted by the International Union of Astronomy in 1964. This note accordingly suggests a new value for the length of its semi-major axis to remove this inconsistency.

Electrode layer or electrical boundary layer is one of the charge generators in the global atmospheric electric circuit. In spite of this we find very few model studies and few measurements of it in the literature. Using a new technique it is shown that in this layer, the space charge density varies exponentially in vertical. A new experimental method based on the surface measurements is discussed to determine all the characteristic scales and an average electrical and meteorological state of an electrode layer. The results obtained are in good agreement with the previous studies. So, it is suggested that an exponential space charge density profile will no longer be an assumption in the case of electrode layer studies. The profiles of atmospheric electric field and electrical conductivity are also derived and a new term named as electrode layer constant is introduced.