Nonuniform Distribution Of High-Frequency Turbulence In The Unstable Boundary Layer

Turbulent flow data of wind velocity and temperature in the unstably stratifiedatmospheric boundary layer, derived from steel tower observations in the field and wind-tunnel experiments were used to study the relationship between the plumes and the small-scale eddies in the inertial subrange. Flow visualisation experiments in the wind tunnel were also conducted to observe the structure of the flow in the plumes, and time series data were analysed by using wavelet transforms. The results show that variances of velocity and temperature due to the small-scale eddies are large in the plumes and small outside of the plumes, and that the momentum and heat fluxes due to the small-scale eddies follow the same tendency as found in the variances. The ratios of the variances caused by the small-scale eddies in the plumes to the whole of the variances caused by the small-scale eddies in and out the plumes increase with non-dimensional height -z/L in which L is the local Obukhov length. Similar ratios of the fluxes caused by the small-scale eddies also show the same tendency. These ratios can be expressed as functions of -z/L for results based on field observationand the wind tunnel experiments. This relation hardly changes even if the wavelet function is changed. The flow visualisation experiments show that the plumes have a complicated structure in which mushroom type flows are stacked on top of each other. This characteristic structure seems to increase the energy of the small-scale eddies in the plumes.     

Damage to Residential Fills in the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake

This paper summarizes the features of ground damage toresidential fills due to the 1995 Hyogo-ken NanbuEarthquake in Japan. Many residential lands sufferedground damage to various extents in the earthquakeevent. Permanent deformation took place ingently-sloping residential fills. Some slopes asgentle as four degrees exhibited landslide-likedownward movements from dozens to hundreds ofcentimeters, so on. It is suggested that liquefactionmight be a dominant factor for displacements ingently-inclined residential fills.     

山西高原六棱山北麓断裂晚第四纪运动学特征初步研究

六棱山北麓断裂是山西地堑系北端张性构造区中的一条控制性断裂，总体走向北东东、倾向北北西，是一条至今仍在活动的倾滑正断裂，控制阳原盆地的形成和发展。在１９９３年和１９９４年的中日合作研究中，我们对断裂分段特征进行了研究，并用Ａｕｔｏ－ｌｅｖｅｌ仪器对这一条断裂晚第四纪不同时期的断错地貌面的位错量进行了测量，对这些地貌面的年龄进行了测定，得到该断裂带晚更新世晚期至全新世时期的平均垂直滑动速率为０．４３～０．７５ｍｍ／ａ。关键词     

Maintenance of the fisheries environment and efforts to increase the resources in the coastal waters of Japan

The paper describes the present status of Japan's coastal fisheries resource and the anthropogenic threats to that resource. The increasing industrialization and urbanization of the Japanese coastal fringe has created threats to the important fish and shellfish resource. Legislative mechanisms, such as quality standards, together with an increasing mariculture are used to ensure the sustainable development of the coast.     

Concentration mechanisms of iron oxides and alumina in deep weathering crusts (Goshikidai, Kagawa, Western Japan)

Concentration of Fe-oxides and alumina in weathering processes are main geological reactions for lateritization and bauxitization, respectively. In western Japan, red-coloured soil formed by weathering processes developed in many places. This soil is composed of hydrous Fe-oxide minerals, hydrous alumina minerals and other minerals. It was formed in the upper part of deep weathering crust by weathering processes under some kind of sub-tropical climate, probably in the Pliocene. One of these occurrences is observed in the upper part of Goshikidai and Konodai, west part of Takamatsu city, northeast Shikoku Island, west Japan. A deep weathering crust is distributed on wide hilly plains ranging from 250 to 400 m a.m.s.l. in the northwestern region of Takamatsu city. Original rock of the weathering crust is bronzite andesite and glassy bronzite andesite, so-called ‘sanukite’. The andesites had been weathered under some special climate, and the geological age of the weathering is the same as above. The mineral assemblage and formation mechanism are similar to those of laterite and bauxite. The weathering crust developing in this region are subdivided into the three following zones: (1) A zone, composed of hydrous Fe-oxides and metahalloysite with small amounts of gibbsite and it is associated with white veins of metahalloysite; (2) B zone, composed of hydrous Fe-oxides and metahalloysite (some material is associated with -cristobalite); and C zone, composed of metahalloysite or halloysite and -cristobalite with relict crystals of feldspar and quartz, and some material is associated with montmorillonite. Chemical analyses of the materials of the three zones show the formation mechanisms of the weathering crust.     

Placental transfer of arsenic to fetus of Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli)

Concentrations of total arsenic and individual arsenic compounds were determined in liver, muscle, kidney and blubber of mother and fetus of Dall’s porpoises collected from off Sanriku, Japan, in the year 2000 to characterize the placental transfer of arsenic to fetus in cetaceans. Arsenic was detected in all the tissues of Dall’s porpoises. Total arsenic concentrations in liver, kidney, muscle and blubber were 0.76, 0.69, 0.35 and 0.55 μg/g wet wt, respectively, for mother and 0.28, 0.23, 0.26 and 0.07 μg/g wet wt, respectively, for fetus. In all the tissues, concentrations of total arsenic in mother Dall’s porpoise were higher than in fetus. Arsenic speciation revealed that arsenobetaine was the major arsenic compound in liver, kidney and muscle of both mother and fetus. The percentage of arsenobetaine to total arsenic ranged from 76.0 to 91.0% in the tissues. Dimethylarsinic acid, arsenocholine, methylarsonic acid and an unidentified arsenic compound were also detected in tissues of both mother and fetus as minor constituents, whereas tetramethylarsonium ion was not detected in tissues of the fetus. These results suggest that arsenobetaine, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenocholine and methylarsonic acid are transferable from mother to fetus in Dall’s porpoises. To our knowledge, this is the first report on placental transfer of arsenic compounds to fetus in marine mammals.     

Pre-Japan-ARGO: Experimental Observation of Upper and Middle Layers South of the Kuroshio Extension Region Using Profiling Floats

We deployed two profiling floats in the region south of the Kuroshio Extension in March 2000. Temperature and salinity profiles from a depth of 1500 × 10⁴ Pa to the surface are reported every two and four weeks, respectively. The floats performed very well for first four months after deployment. Later they failed in surfacing for a few months when the sea surface temperature in the region was high. The salinity sensors seemed to suffer from some damage during their failure-in-surfacing period. Despite this trouble, the results clearly demonstrate that the profiling float is a very useful and cost-effective tool for physical oceanographic observation in the open sea. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Bifurcation current along the southwest coast of the Kii Peninsula

Along the southwest coast of the Kii Peninsula, a bifurcation current is regularly observed. By using ADCP data taken on board the R/V Wakayama of the Wakayama Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, characteristics of this bifurcation current are analyzed. The occurrence frequency of the bifurcation current reaches about 70% in the period from 1988 to 1996. The bifurcation point appears to be changeable and occurs almost evenly between Cape Ichie and Cape Shionomisaki. The current divergence in the alongshore direction was also investigated. Positive divergence values dominated in the whole analyzed area, and an onshore current appears to be dominant along the southwest coast of the Kii Peninsula, except in 1990 when the Kuroshio flowed in a large meandering path.     

Geochemistry and mineralogy of a feldspathic lunar meteorite (regolith breccia), Northwest Africa 2200

The lunar meteorite Northwest Africa (NWA) 2200 is a regolith breccia with a ferroan feldspathic bulk composition (Al₂O₃ = 30.1 wt.%; Mg^# = molar 100 × Mg/(Mg + Fe) = 59.2) and low Th content (0.42 μg/g). Lithologically, NWA 2200 is a diverse mixture of lithic and glassy clasts, mineral fragments, and impact glass spherules, all embedded in a dark glassy matrix. NWA 2200 contains some feldspathic brecciated rock components (ferroan anorthositic granulitic breccia, poikiloblastic granulitic breccia, and glassy melt breccia with an intersertal texture). The bulk compositions of these brecciated components indicate they are derived from ferroan troctolitic or noritic anorthosite lithologies (bulk Al₂O₃ = 26–30 wt.%; bulk FeO/MgO > 1.0). The bulk composition of NWA 2200 is more ferroan and feldspathic than the Apollo feldspathic regolith samples and feldspathic lunar regolith meteorites, and is also more depleted in incompatible elements (e.g., rare earth elements) than Apollo 16 feldspathic regolith samples. We conclude that NWA 2200 originated from a location different to the Apollo landing sites, and may have been sourced from the ferroan KREEP-poor highlands, “KREEP” materials are enriched in such elements as potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE), phosphorus (P).