Can seasonal and interannual variation in landscape CO2 fluxes be detected by atmospheric observations of CO2 concentrations made at a tall tower?

The coupled numerical weather model WRF-SPA (Weather Research and Forecasting model and Soil-Plant-Atmosphere model) has been used to investigate a 3 yr time series of observed atmospheric CO₂ concentrations from a tall tower in Scotland, UK. Ecosystem-specific tracers of net CO₂ uptake and net CO₂ release were used to investigate the contributions to the tower signal of key land covers within its footprint, and how contributions varied at seasonal and interannual timescales. In addition, WRF-SPA simulated atmospheric CO₂ concentrations were compared with two coarse global inversion models, CarbonTrackerEurope and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's CarbonTracker (CTE-CT). WRF-SPA realistically modelled both seasonal (except post harvest) and daily cycles seen in observed atmospheric CO₂ at the tall tower (<i>R</i>² = 0.67, rmse = 3.5 ppm, bias = 0.58 ppm). Atmospheric CO₂ concentrations from the tall tower were well simulated by CTE-CT, but the inverse model showed a poorer representation of diurnal variation and simulated a larger bias from observations (up to 1.9 ppm) at seasonal timescales, compared to the forward modelling of WRF-SPA. However, we have highlighted a consistent post-harvest increase in the seasonal bias between WRF-SPA and observations. Ecosystem-specific tracers of CO₂ exchange indicate that the increased bias is potentially due to the representation of agricultural processes within SPA and/or biases in land cover maps. The ecosystem-specific tracers also indicate that the majority of seasonal variation in CO₂ uptake for Scotland's dominant ecosystems (forests, cropland and managed grassland) is detectable in observations within the footprint of the tall tower; however, the amount of variation explained varies between years. The between years variation in detectability of Scotland's ecosystems is potentially due to seasonal and interannual variation in the simulated prevailing wind direction. This result highlights the importance of accurately representing atmospheric transport used within atmospheric inversion models used to estimate terrestrial source/sink distribution and magnitude

Acceleration of parasitic multistatic radar system using GPGPU

This dissertation details the implementation of PMR [Parasitic Multistatic Radar] signal processing chain in the GPGPU [General Purpose Graphic Processing Units] platform. The primary objective of the project is to accelerate the signal processing chain without compromising the algorithm efficiency and to prove that GPGPUs are a promising platform for parasitic radar signal processing

The scope of using Information & Communication Technologies (ICT’s)For the development of Emerging Economies like India

It was felt that there is a need to carry out a study on some innovative ICT platforms so that I could learn about the benefits of the ICT initiatives in rural areas. The emphasis was to examine whether the community people benefited from these project initiatives. Though the benefits of ICT platforms have been generally stated, specific assessments have not been made. It has been proved at the global level that ICT can help in poverty reduction in number of ways. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the innovative applications of ICT in rural development. The synopsis, being an information technology related topic and a global issue as well, focuses a on the ongoing ICT practices for Development going on, with more emphasis on the projects in Gujarat and some review about National and Global projects as well. The study can prove to be a manual for even a layman to understand the facts, utilities and revolution that can be brought about by the said title. As a result, some chapters revolve around the practices going on world over and give a detailed look at the practices being initiated in India

Aphytophagy in the Miletinae (Lycaenidae): Phylogeny, Ecology, and Conservation

Less than 1% of all Lepidoptera are aphytophagous; of these, a considerable proportion is found in the family Lycaenidae. The aphytophagous Lycaenidae are believed to have arisen from a mutualistic template involving ant attendance. With this association firmly in place, it is a relatively simple shift to exploitation, either of the ants themselves, through active carnivory on the brood/trophallactic feeding from adults, or by carnivory on ant-tended homopterans, with little to no interference by the ants. Among lycaenids, aphytophagy has arisen several times; most spectacularly in the subfamily Miletinae, where all of the approximately 150 species are presumed or known to be aphytophagous. With the exception of the North American species Feniseca tarquinius , the subfamily is restricted to the Old World, in particular, Africa and South-East Asia. The focus of this study was a comprehensive review of aphytophagy in the Miletinae, viewed in light of phylogenetic and ecological patterns. A representative genus, Thestor, endemic to southern Africa, was chosen for intense phylogenetic study, where the relationships of nearly all 29 morphological species and subspecies were analyzed, employing the molecular genes Cytochrome Oxidase 1 (CO1) and subunit 5 of nicotinamide dinucleotide (ND5). The resultant phylogenies generated were used to inform life-history characters where known. The enigmatic Nearctic species, Feniseca tarquinius, was studied for life-history traits in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine and New Brunswick, with particular emphasis on diet and vibrational signaling. It was shown that the species produces the longest known acoustic pulse train of any lycaenid. SEM examination of final instar larvae was also undertaken for purposes of comparison with a close relative, the Palaearctic species Taraka hamada. An aphytophagous habit adds an extra dimension of complexity to a feeding habit, involving both the prey item and its host-plant resource, rendering its practitioners immediately susceptible to extinction pressure. Conservation concerns for the Lycaenidae, with special emphasis on aphytophagous forms, were hence considered, from the perspective of IUCN Red Data listing, and suggested causes for decline, and appropriate conservation measures discussed, and applied to specific case studies