24 research outputs found
First quantitative exploration of benthic megafaunal assemblages on the mid-oceanic ridge system of the Carlsberg Ridge, Indian Ocean
Get PDFThere are few quantitative studies on deep-sea biodiversity from the Indian Ocean, particularly on the mid-ocean ridges (MOR). We investigated the benthic megafaunal community structure of the Indian Ocean MOR at the Carlsberg Ridge (CR) using underwater video observation by the Television Gripper (TVG) and Ocean Floor Observation System (OFOS) during a multidisciplinary scientific cruise in 2007. Our aim was to observe megafaunal assemblages and their variation with bottom substrate at different geological settings in the CR region. The fauna was identified at best possible taxonomic resolution from video images and data were quantified by photogrammetry. Variation of substratum type was greatest in the deeper areas of the CR region, with substrata varying from fine sediments to basalts. A total of eight substratum types and 90 megafaunal taxa, representing seven phyla, have been classified throughout the 10 transects. Faunal abundances ranged between 171.3 to 5.7 animals 1000 m−2, with higher abundances at the shallower transects, in off-axial highs, and lower at deeper zones, on the rift valley wall and floor. Cnidarians were dominant at off-axial highs while echinoderms prevailed at rift valley floor transects. Other frequently encountered faunal components were poriferans and chordates, observed at shallower as well as deeper transects. This is the first detailed investigation of megafaunal assemblages from the Indian Ocean MOR
Tusha Hiti: The Origin and Significance of the Name
Get PDFIn this article, the author examines the royal bath called Tushā Hiti located in Sūndari Chowk (Beautiful Courtyard) of Pātan Durbar Square, using six different methods of investigation. The question: What is in a name? started the ball of investigation rolling and along the way were added more supporting blocks such as history, iconography, function and purpose, notion of purity and impurity, and finally the hiti in popular culture to get a complete picture of the subject in question
A Multi-Analytical Characterization of Mortars from Kathmandu (Nepal) Historical Monuments
Get PDFThe historical monuments of the ‘City of Temples’ (Kathmandu) represent an intrinsic
component of Nepal’s cultural heritage. The 2015 devastating Gorkha earthquake, besides human
casualties, has led to a widespread demolition or partial damage of monuments at UNESCOWorld
Heritage Sites, including the ones in Durbar squares. This study, through an integrated material
characterization of masonry binders, used in four case monuments from Hanuman Dhoka and Patan
Durbar squares, intends to contribute to the knowledge of the technological know-how of the past in
order to maintain as much as possible the original traditions and to provide appropriate conservation
strategies. The analytical characterization of the ancient mortars was carried out by means of X-ray
Diffraction (XRD), Attenuated Total Reflectance–Fourier Transform-Infrared Spectroscopy (ATRFTIR),
Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), petrographic analysis, X-ray Fluorescence spectroscopy
(XRF) and Pyrolysis–Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (Py-GC-MS). The composition of the
mortars has been determined and is in accordance with previous research in traditional materials
used in the Nepalese architecture. Chromatographic techniques proved to be particularly important
in the analysis of mortars with organic binders as they revealed the possible composition of the
binding media, providing additional information valuable for the future conservation/restoration of
the stone monuments of the ‘City of Temples’
Kathmandu in recollection
Get PDFA powerful M7.8 earthquake hit Nepal on April 25, 2015. The epicenter was rather near Kathmandu. The second earthquake of M7.3 again hit Nepal on May 12. Death tolls are reportedly more than 8,000, and more than 14,000 injured. Many historical buildings broke down in Kathmandu and its surroundings including Durbar Square and Dharahara Tower. The author visited Kathmandu just one month before the earthquake to collect data on colors of Hinduism. He was to contribute a paper with the title of “The Geography of Color: Color of Kathmandu”. But he gave up his original plan after the quake, and decided his mind to leave photos of buildings, temples, statures and other beautiful creations as many as possible as memories of Kathmandu on this issue instead. The images of such things as above in Durbar Square, Pashupatinath and Swayambhunath were recollected in photos praying for their reconstruction as fast as possible in the future. Last but not least, the author would like to express his deep sympathy to Nepali people.Departmental Bulletin Paperdepartmental bulletin pape
Total mercury and methylmercury in commercial marine species from the Goa coast: Constraints on risk assessment and environmental issues
Get PDF1925-1932Mercury (Hg) is a toxic element which accumulates in fish and other aquatic organisms from various sources and poses potential risk to the consumers. Methylmercury (MeHg), the common organic species of mercury, usually forms in aquatic environments and is known for neurotoxicity. In this study, the concentration of total Hg and MeHg in 12 commercial species of fish, shellfish, prawn, and crab from coastal areas of Goa were investigated. The total Hg contents varied between 18.5 -260 µg/kg; while the concentration of MeHg had a range of 7.2 -129 µg/kg. Both the ranges were well below the values recorded at other polluted coastal sites and also meet the permissible limits for human consumption. The interspecies comparison shows species from pelagic and benthic habitats with different food habits have significant difference in body loads of total Hg and MeHg, which increases across the trophic levels. The exposure to higher level of Hg in sediment is likely responsible for enhanced bio-concentration of Hg in benthic species as compared to the values in pelagic fishes
First quantitative exploration of benthic megafaunal assemblages on the mid-oceanic ridge system of the Carlsberg Ridge, Indian Ocean
No full textFirst quantitative exploration of benthic megafaunal assemblages on the mid-oceanic ridge system of the Carlsberg Ridge, Indian Ocea
Geochemical, mineralogical, and <scp>Sr</scp> – <scp>Nd</scp> isotopic compositions of ferromanganese encrustations from <scp>C</scp> entral <scp>I</scp> ndian <scp>R</scp> idge at 06°38.5′S
No full textTown Planning Towards City Development - A Report to the Durbar of Indore: Patrick Geddes
No full textPatrick Geddes is one of the most important figures in planning history, variously presented as an inspiration to regional planning, environmental planning and sustainability, grass-roots planning, citizen democracy, historic preservation, neighbourhood upgrading, university—community partnership, lifelong learning, and co-operative housing. Though well-known and often praised by planning historians, his scholarship extended across a much broader range of disciplines, with extensive publication on biology and on civics, and significant contributions to sociology, economics, geography, education, and the arts and humanities.
With the exception of his plan of Dunfermline, published in 1904, his plans are very hard to find. Most of his plans were prepared in India between 1915 and 1923, but beyond brief extracts from four of them included by Jaqueline Tyrwhitt in the book Patrick Geddes in India, they are very difficult to obtain. Some are lost altogether and the remainder are available in a handful of libraries, often held in Archives.
Of all the plans prepared after Dunfermline, the most extensive is for the city of Indore, originally published in two volumes that combine a comprehensive scheme for the urban development of the city with a detailed plan for the proposed University of Central India
Mineralogical and geochemical variation in hydrothermal sulfides from Vienna Woods field, Manus Basin, Papua New Guinea: constraints on their evolution
No full textSeasonal variations in the water quality of six tropical micro- and mesotidal estuaries along the central west coast of India
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Seasonal nutrient dynamics were investigated in four rivers with a microtidal range (Terekhol, Chapora, Sal and Talpona rivers) and were compared with those of two rivers with a mesotidal range (Zuari and Mandovi rivers) along the central west coast of India. Rainfall and freshwater discharge during the wet season led to salinity stratification of the water columns at the mouths of these rivers. Nutrient concentrations in all rivers were higher during the wet season than in the dry season due to considerable land run-off. Based on the estuarine mixing diagrams of the nutrients with regard to salinity, the mesotidal rivers showed greater flushing capacity and acted as corridors for the passage of nutrients between the estuary and open ocean. Conversely, of the microtidal rivers, the Terekhol and Chapora seemed to retain nutrients, whereas there was no indication of the presence of a nutrient sink or source in the Talpona River. The Sal River was eutrophic with high nutrient levels and acted as a source of phosphorus and nitrogen. Thus, the present study clearly illustrates the important role played by minor river estuaries in modifying nutrient concentrations during their transport from rivers to coastal waters and vice versa.
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