Study of the Kuroshio/Ryukyu Current system based on satellite-altimeter and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> measurements

Data from satellite altimeters and from a 13-month deployment of in situ instruments are used to determine an empirical relationship between sea-level anomaly difference (SLA) across the Kuroshio in the East China Sea (ECS-Kuroshio) and net transport near 28°N. Applying this relationship to the altimeter data, we obtain a 12-year time series of ECS-Kuroshio transport crossing the C-line (KT). The resulting mean transport is 18.7 ± 0.2 Sv with 1.8 Sv standard deviation. This KT is compared with a similarly-determined time series of net Ryukyu Current transport crossing the O-line near 26°N southeast of Okinawa (RT). Their mean sum (24 Sv) is less than the mean predicted Sverdrup transport. These KT and RT mean-flow estimates form a consistent pattern with historical estimates of other mean flows in the East China Sea/Philippine Basin region. While mean KT is larger than mean RT by a factor of 3.5, the amplitude of the KT annual cycle is only half that of RT. At the 95% confidence level the transports are coherent at periods of about 2 years and 100–200 days, with RT leading KT by about 60 days in each case. At the annual period, the transports are coherent at the 90% confidence level with KT leading RT by 4–5 months. While the bulk of the Kuroshio enters the ECS through the channel between Taiwan and Yonaguni-jima, analysis of satellite altimetry maps, together with the transport time series, indicates that the effect of mesoscale eddies is transmitted to the ECS via the Kerama Gap southwest of Okinawa. Once the effect of these eddies is felt by the ECS-Kuroshio at 28°N, it is advected rapidly to the Tokara Strait.     

High-precision late Aptian Pb/U age for the Punta del Barco Formation (Baqueró Group), Santa Cruz Province,Argentina

The Baqueró Group holds a rich fossil flora including macrofloristic and palynological remains that characterize the Early Cretaceous vegetation of Argentina. The age of the upper part of the Group, known as Punta del Barco Formation, has been a topic of several discussions in the past. The type locality of this stratigraphic unit exposes fossiliferous tuffs together with muddy tuffs and tuffaceous sandstones beds. However, there have been no reliable age constraints for the fossil assemblages. ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U analyses of zircon crystals yielded an age of 114.67 ± 0.18 Ma. This age control makes possible an improved analysis and comparison of the floras in the southern region.     

Paleostress field reconstruction in the Oslo region

The geodynamic history of a region is archived in its geologic record which, in turn, may reflect deformation patterns that causally can be related to certain configurations of paleostresses. In the Oslo Region, the exposed geological record ranges from Precambrian high-grade metamorphic rocks through Cambro-Silurian sedimentary rocks to Permo-Carboniferous sedimentary and magmatic rocks, the latter being related to the development of the Oslo rift system. We investigate the kinematics of outcrop-scale faults to derive the diversity of paleostress states responsible for the observed strain. For this purpose, we combine different graphical and numerical approaches to separate heterogeneous fault-slip data sets and estimate the associated reduced stress tensors. A reduced stress tensor consists of the directions of the three principal stress axes with σ₁ ≥ σ₂ ≥ σ₃ and the ratio of principal stress differences, R = (σ₂ − σ₃)/(σ₁ − σ₃).     

MAUP sensitivity analysis of ecological bias in health studies

Ecological bias introduced by spatial data aggregation causes significant variation in correlation statistics between pathogen exposures and illness rates. Modifiable areal unit problem sensitivity analysis is introduced to investigate the impact of spatial aggregation on ecological bias. Simulation produces numerical estimates for the relative magnitudes of components that effect ecological bias: (1) spatial autocorrelation of exposure concentrations; (2) scaling; (3) zoning; (4) network-clustered structure of illness events; (5) clustering of exposure measurements; and (6) the statistical distribution of exposure concentrations. These six components are mixed and used to compare random illness patterns to patterns determined from a dose–response model. Of the six, spatial autocorrelation of exposure data has the greatest influence on ecological bias. Spatial aggregation can cause high correlations in random illness patterns. More importantly, if pathogen concentrations are randomly distributed in space, then there is a greater likelihood that data aggregation might obscure a strong association.     

Microelectrona cladara gen.et sp.nov.:A New Protodikraneurini from the Eocene Baltic Amber(Hemiptera:Cicadomorpha:Cicadellidae:Typhlocybinae)

<正>A new genus Microelectrona gen.nov.and species Microelectrona cladara sp.nov.of the extinct tribe Protodikraneurini of the leafhoppers(Cicadeilidae:Typhlocybinae) from the Eocene Baltic amber is described. The piece of amber containing leafhopper inclusion is broken,unveiling some of the morphological structures,and enabling their studies using scanning electron microscopy.     

“Invisible” silver and gold in supergene digenite (Cu1.8S)

Despite its potential economic and environmental importance, the study of trace metals in supergene (secondary) Cu-sulfides has been seriously overlooked in the past decades. In this study, the concentration and mineralogical form of “invisible” precious metals (Ag, Au) and metalloids (As, Sb, Se, Te) in supergene digenite (Cu_1.8S) from various Cu deposits in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile, the world’s premier Cu province, were determined in detail using a combination of microanalytical techniques. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and electron microprobe analyzer (EMPA) measurements reveal that, apart from hosting up to ∼11,000 ppm Ag, supergene digenite can incorporate up to part-per-million contents of Au (∼6 ppm) and associated metalloids such as As (∼300 ppm), Sb (∼60 ppm), Se (∼96 ppm) and Te (∼18 ppm). SIMS analyses of trace metals show that Ag and Au concentrations strongly correlate with As in supergene digenite, defining wedge-shaped zones in Ag-As and Au-As log-log spaces. SIMS depth profiling and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) observations reveal that samples with anomalously high Ag/As (>∼30) and Au/As (>∼0.03) ratios plot above the wedge zones and contain nanoparticles of metallic Ag and Au, while samples with lower ratios contain Ag and Au that is structurally bound to the Cu-sulfide matrix. The Ag-Au-As relations reported in this study strongly suggest that the incorporation of precious metals in Cu-sulfides formed under supergene, low-temperature conditions respond to the incorporation of a minor component, in this case As. Therefore, As might play a significant role by increasing the solubility of Ag and Au in supergene digenite and controlling the formation and occurrence of Ag and Au nanoparticles. Considering the fact that processes of supergene enrichment in Cu deposits can be active from tens of millions of years (e.g. Atacama Desert), we conclude that supergene digenite may play a previously unforeseen role in scavenging precious metals from undersaturated (or locally slightly supersaturated) solutions in near-surface environments.     

Fe(III) Reduction in the Presence of Catechol in Seawater

Fe(II)-Fe(III) redox behavior has been studied in the presence of catechol under different pH, ionic media, and organic compound concentrations. Catechol undergoes oxidation in oxic conditions producing semiquinone and quinone and reduces Fe(III) in natural solutions including seawater (SW). It is a pH-dependent process. Under darkness, the amount of Fe(II) generated is smaller and is related to less oxidation of catechol. The Fe(II) regeneration is higher at lower pH values both in SW with log k = 1.86 (M⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pH 7.3 and 0.26 (M⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pH 8.0, and in NaCl solutions with log k of 1.54 (M⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pH 7.3 and 0.57 (M⁻¹ s⁻¹) at pH 8.0. At higher pH values, rate constants are higher in NaCl solutions than in SW. This is due to the complexation of Mg(II) present in the media with the semiquinone that inhibits the formation of a second Fe(II) through the reaction of this intermediate with other center Fe(Cat)⁺.     

Numerical simulation of atmospheric bore waves on Mars

The Viking Orbiters imaged early morning, long, linear wave clouds along the flanks of the Tharsis volcanoes during late northern spring and early summer. These clouds are believed to be a product of either an atmospheric bore wave or a hydraulic jump generated by nightly katabatic winds. The Mars Regional Atmospheric Modeling System was used to study the interaction of the katabatic flows with the surrounding atmosphere to determine what mechanism is responsible for the clouds. Simulations at Ls=90°, 100°, 142°, 180°, 270°, and 358° were conducted focusing on the eastern flank of Olympus Mons. Model results compare well with Viking observations and closely approximate theoretical treatments of atmospheric bores. Strong downslope flows are simulated during the night, with a bore wave forming on and behind a well-defined katabatic front. The observed seasonality of the clouds was reproduced in the simulations; the bore was deeper and faster during northern summer and weakest during the winter. When the bore was strong, it was undular in form, and generated vertically propagating gravity waves in the atmosphere above. During the winter, the atmospheric structure was such that any gravity waves generated damped with height. Less atmospheric water vapor abundance during northern winter, as compared to the summer, is also a factor in the seasonality of the wave clouds. This study concludes that bore waves are the most likely mechanism for the generation of the observed linear wave clouds.     

Results of statistical analysis of primary components concentrations in bulk chemical composition of ordinary chondrite groups

We used two different methods of statistical analysis—cluster analysis and principal component analysis—to analyze the concentrations of principal chemical components (Si, Mg, Ca, Fe, Ni) and Co in ordinary chondrites. The analysis is based predominantly on published data (metadata). In total, chemical composition data from 646 ordinary chondrites were used in the statistical analysis. The aim of this analysis was to establish whether it would be possible or not to distinguish H, L, and LL chondrites based on the concentrations of major elements and Co in their bulk chemical compositions. It was also important to determine what conclusions such an analysis could enable to draw about matter differentiation in the formation environments of primordial parent bodies of particular ordinary chondrite groups (H, L, and LL). Another aim of the statistical analysis was to determine whether the distribution of Fe and Ni (with Co admixtures) is independent of petrographic types within particular groups of chondrites. This is of crucial importance for determining the distribution of FeNi(Co) ore occurrences in potential extraterrestrial deposits on modern asteroids—the sources of ordinary chondrites. The obtained results of statistical analyses confirmed that a clear-cut distinction between particular groups of ordinary chondrites is only possible for group H, while distinguishing L chondrites from LL chondrites is not always obvious. The results of the statistical analyses relating to the question of the possible existence of several primordial parent bodies (formation environments) of each group of ordinary chondrites are consistent with the results of contemporary astronomical spectroscopy research. What is particularly interesting is obtaining indications of the existence of common formation environments of the matter of L and LL chondrites, possibly on a few primordial parent bodies. The statistical analyses indicate that there is no correlation between the concentration of principal chemical components and the petrographic type of ordinary chondrites. This proves homogenous distributions of these elements within the parent bodies of each group of ordinary chondrites. Hence, the distribution of these elements in individual present-day asteroids is also homogenous.     

ECMWF seasonal forecast system 3 and its prediction of sea surface temperature

The latest operational version of the ECMWF seasonal forecasting system is described. It shows noticeably improved skill for sea surface temperature (SST) prediction compared with previous versions, particularly with respect to El Nino related variability. Substantial skill is shown for lead times up to 1?year, although at this range the spread in the ensemble forecast implies a loss of predictability large enough to account for most of the forecast error variance, suggesting only moderate scope for improving long range El Nino forecasts. At shorter ranges, particularly 3?C6?months, skill is still substantially below the model-estimated predictability limit. SST forecast skill is higher for more recent periods than earlier ones. Analysis shows that although various factors can affect scores in particular periods, the improvement from 1994 onwards seems to be robust, and is most plausibly due to improvements in the observing system made at that time. The improvement in forecast skill is most evident for 3-month forecasts starting in February, where predictions of NINO3.4 SST from 1994 to present have been almost without fault. It is argued that in situations where the impact of model error is small, the value of improved observational data can be seen most clearly. Significant skill is also shown in the equatorial Indian Ocean, although predictive skill in parts of the tropical Atlantic are relatively poor. SST forecast errors can be especially high in the Southern Ocean.