Uplift and subsidence associated with the great Aceh-Andaman earthquake of 2004

Rupture of the Sunda megathrust on 26 December 2004 produced broad regions of uplift and subsidence. We define the pivot line separating these regions as a first step in defining the lateral extent and the downdip limit of rupture during that great M_w ≈ 9.2 earthquake. In the region of the Andaman and Nicobar islands we rely exclusively on the interpretation of satellite imagery and a tidal model. At the southern limit of the great rupture we rely principally on field measurements of emerged coral microatolls. Uplift extends from the middle of Simeulue Island, Sumatra, at ~2.5°N, to Preparis Island, Myanmar (Burma), at ~14.9°N. Thus the rupture is ~1600 km long. The distance from the pivot line to the trench varies appreciably. The northern and western Andaman Islands rose, whereas the southern and eastern portion of the islands subsided. The Nicobar Islands and the west coast of Aceh province, Sumatra, subsided. Tilt at the southern end of the rupture is steep; the distance from 1.5 m of uplift to the pivot line is just 60 km. Our method of using satellite imagery to recognize changes in elevation relative to sea surface height and of using a tidal model to place quantitative bounds on coseismic uplift or subsidence is a novel approach that can be adapted to other forms of remote sensing and can be applied to other subduction zones in tropical regions

Re-evaluating Student Treatments of Barkcloth Artefacts from the Economic Botany Collection, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Since 1995 textile conservation students have treated 17 pieces of barkcloth from the Economic Botany Collection, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. A re-examination of 8 treated objects has enabled comparison of the effectiveness of interventive treatments. Humidification has been applied by varied techniques, all found to give consistent, lasting results. Structural support for tears again used varied materials: nylon net in the 1990s, Reemay, Japanese paper, and reworked fibres; all have proved stable, although in some cases acrylic paint had stiffened the material. The objects’ role as part of a study collection means that easy access is required; mounts were therefore designed to allow examination of objects with minimal handling, e.g. through the use of trays. Documentation was not always adequate for this re-evaluation exercise, lacking detail on adhesive preparation or colouring. Overall, past conservation was found to have lasted well, with the proviso that some storage solutions have had to be revisited in the light of use. Close collaboration between curators and conservators has been crucial to this success

The India MPA Workshop Proceedings. Social Dimensions of Marine Protected Areas Implementation in India: do Fishing Communities Benefit? 21-22 January 2009, IMAGE Auditorium, Chennai, India

In the current context of natural resource management, marine protected areas (MPAs) are being widely propagated as an important tool for the conservation of marine and fisheries resources. The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) recently undertook a series of studies on MPAs in India to highlight the various legal, institutional, policy and livelihoods issues that confront fishing and coastal communities. In order to discuss the findings of these case studies and to suggest proposals for livelihood-sensitive conservation and management of coastal and fisheries resources through participatory processes, ICSF organized a two-day workshop on ‘Social Dimensions of Marine Protected Area Implementation in India: Do Fishing Communities Benefit?’ at Chennai on 21-22 January 2009. This publication—the India MPA Workshop Proceedings—contains the prospectus of the workshop, a report of the proceedings and the consensus statement that was reached by organizations and individuals who particapated in the workshop. This publication will be useful for fishworkers, non-governmental organizations, policymakers, trade unions, researchers and others interested in natural resource management and coastal and fishing communities

How could a natural catastrophe impact the ecology of a species? The Nicobar megapode and tsunami

This study on the impact of the 2004 tsunami on the Nicobar megapode Megapodius nicobariensis, endemic coastal living bird species in the Nicobar group of islands showed a significant decline (nearly 70%) in the number of individuals when compared to before tsunami populations (Paired sample test, t=2.061, df=14, p<0.05). The tsunami has also adversely influenced the nest-site selection of the megapodes. The post tsunami impact on this species is also expected to be severe, pushing the species into the category of "critically endangered"

Of cyclones, tsunamis, and the engaged anthropologist: Some musings on colonial politics in the Andaman Islands

No abstract availabl

The lichen genus Coccocarpia from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Seven species of Coccocarpia are reported from the Andaman Islands and two from the Nicobar Islands. These include four species new to India and to the Andaman Islands, viz. C. glaucina, C. cf. myriocarpa, C. sp. 1 and C. sp. 2, and two species new to the Nicobar Islands, viz. C. erythroxyli and C. palmicola. A key to all nine species of Coccocarpia known from India is presented and information on morphology, chemistry and distribution given

Socio-economic Impact Assessment of Livelihood Security in Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Aquaculture on the Tsunami-hit Lands of Andaman

Indian subcontinent is highly vulnerable to major natural disasters such as earthquakes, cyclones, floods, droughts, landslides and bushfires. Tsunami, which is a recent addition to this list, had occurred in the early morning of 26th December 2004, after a massive earthquake of 9.2 magnitude on the Richter scale in Andaman & Nicobar islands, resulting in the submergence of large area of farmland, and subsequent drying up of water bodies. It caused moisture stress for the standing crops, livestock and fisheries and affected the livelihood of the people to a large extent. In this context, the present study has been carried out to make the socio-economic impact assessment of livelihood security in agriculture, animal husbandry and aquaculture on the tsunami-hit lands of Andaman. Data have been collected from 150 sample respondents and the survey has been conducted for two periods, pre-tsunami and post-tsunami. The results have indicated that tsunami has ravaged the households, standing crops, farm inputs such as seed, feed and implements, livestock and poultry population, their sheds, fish ponds, etc., thereby affecting the basic livelihood security of the people in Andaman. The rehabilitation measures taken by the government and NGOs have improved their livelihoods by reviving agriculture considerably in the subsequent years and by creating employment opportunities in various farm and non-farm activities. The paper has suggested creating profitable livelihood security to vulnerable sections of the society in the existing socio-economic penury with holistic intervention of the community, government and NGOs.Agricultural and Food Policy,

The Radiated Energy of the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman Earthquake

We use several independent methods to estimate the radiated energy E_R of the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake (M_w=9.0 to 9.3), and investigate whether the difference in the rupture patterns between north and south is reflected in the difference in the energy budget. First, we used a finite source model and estimated E_R to be 1.38 x 10^(17) J for a frequency band f (frequency) ≤ 0.1 Hz. Since this method is relatively free from many assumptions commonly made in energy estimation, this value is considered robust. To estimate E_R for a frequency band 0.1 ≤ f ≤ 1 Hz, we used a frequency-domain analysis and obtained E_R = 1.6 x 10^(17) J for this frequency band. This estimate is somewhat uncertain because of the energy attenuation during propagation and the effect of the near-source structure. We also estimated E_R relative to the 2001 Bhuj, India, earthquakes for which a reliable estimate of E_R has been obtained. The total E_R thus estimated is 3.0 x 10^(17) J. The energy-moment ratio, 0.46 x 10^(-5), is slightly smaller than that for other large subduction-zone earthquakes. The radiation efficiency defined by η_R = (2µ /Δr)(E_R/M_0) (µ=rigidity, M_0=seismic moment, Δr =static stress drop) is 0.16 which is smaller than that of many large earthquakes, and is between the values of regular earthquakes and slow tsunami earthquakes. The values of η_R for the Nicobar segment, the Nicobar-Andaman segments combined, and the Sumatra segment are 0.053, 0.11, and 0.21, respectively, which suggests that the slip in the northern segments involves a large amount of energy dissipation associated with water-filled thick sediments