Distinct sedimentary processes reflected in the isotopic signatures of dolomitic concretions in the Miocene Pohang Basin (southwestern East Sea)

Dolomitic concretions in diatomaceous hemipelagic sediments of the Miocene Pohang Basin in the southwestern East Sea (Sea of Japan) preserve distinct signals of two independent sedimentary processes, which controlled the extents of isotopic compositions. Variable δ¹⁸O (−9.1‰ to +0.7‰) and high δ¹³C (+3.1‰ to +17.9‰) values suggest that the concretions formed in the methanogenic zone with alteration of the residual mid-Miocene seawater by volcanogenic sediments. Remarkable δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C values show a strong linear relationship, indicating that distinctly independent depositional processes operated during the formation of the concretions. The degree of methanogenesis was enhanced during rapid hemipelagic sedimentation of organic-rich particles, resulting in higher δ¹³C values, and the effect of volcaniclastics was diluted, maintaining the original properties of ambient mid-Miocene seawater. In contrast, lower δ¹⁸O and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr values characterize the effect of volcaniclastic sediments that were transported by intermittent gravity flows and interacted with mid-Miocene seawater. The input of volcaniclastic sediment probably degraded the role of methanogenesis by lowering the contents of organic matter and thereby decreased the δ¹³C values within the concretions. Isotopic signals recorded within the concretions highlight understanding of the depositional environment and evolution of the pore-water chemistry.     

NUMERICAL MODELLING OF A NEW MULTI-FREQUENCY ELECTROMAGNETIC SYSTEM*

The amplitude of the horizontal magnetic field in the ground between two parallel wires, both carrying an alternating current in the same direction, is likely to have a saddle point if the separation between the wires is small and the frequency is low. The amplitude has a maximum in the vertical direction and a minimum in the horizontal. Rectangular geological structures in the ground which are centered between the wires have a varying effect on the magnetic fields at the surface. In general, the vertical magnetic field “crosses over” at the center of the structure. A shallow and flat lying conductor displays a broad flat type of profile when the horizontal magnetic field between the wires is measured. Changing the structure to a narrower but more conducting one at depth will provide a more pointed but still broad profile. The phase of the horizontal field is also increased. When the structure is a thin vertical dyke, the amplitude of the horizontal magnetic field anomaly due to the dyke rapidly decreases as the depth of the dyke is increased. The phase of the horizontal field is less sensitive to changes in depth of the dyke but is more sensitive to the conductivity ratio of the dyke and the half-space. The amplitude of the vertical magnetic field anomaly due to the dyke is only slightly influenced by conductivity contrast or the depth of the dyke. The phase of the vertical magnetic field, however, is strongly influenced by the conductivity contrast, particularly if the conductivity frequency product is greater than hundred. In essence, the field behaves like that of the conventional vertical loop source, but the fields are uniform over much larger areas. This suggests the possibility of using dip angle measurements for rapid reconnaissance.     

ESTIMATION OF DEPTH TO CONDUCTORS BY THE USE OF ELECTROMAGNETIC TRANSIENTS*

The transient response of a layered structure to plane wave excitation can be considered to be composed of a series of waves and a ground wave. For the case of a half-space of conductivity σ and permeability μ the maximum in the electric field is found at a depth z and time t when t=z²σμ/2. This formula can be used to estimate the depth to a buried horizontal conductor with an accuracy that depends upon the resistive contrast at the conductor's surface. The above ray type of solution can be converted to a solution composed of a number of modes by the use of a Poisson transform and the transformed solutions yield decay constants that are consistent with the previously reported results. In the case of a finite source, the maximum in the electric field is strongly directed. The direction depends upon the geometry of the source and the air-earth interface. Although the maximum varies with direction it can be shown that in some directions similar laws to that above are valid. The depth to a conductor can be estimated from the early part of the transients when the ground wave is removed. The removal of the ground wave from the transient is facilitated by the use of an apparent conductivity formula. Although these results were obtained under restrictive conditions they do provide some insight into the electrical transients that are encountered by studying more complex models.     

Effect of spatial variability of cross‐correlated soil properties on bearing capacity of strip footing

Geotechnical engineering problems are characterized by many sources of uncertainty. Some of these sources are connected to the uncertainties of soil properties involved in the analysis. In this paper, a numerical procedure for a probabilistic analysis that considers the spatial variability of cross‐correlated soil properties is presented and applied to study the bearing capacity of spatially random soil with different autocorrelation distances in the vertical and horizontal directions. The approach integrates a commercial finite difference method and random field theory into the framework of a probabilistic analysis. Two‐dimensional cross‐correlated non‐Gaussian random fields are generated based on a Karhunen–Loève expansion in a manner consistent with a specified marginal distribution function, an autocorrelation function, and cross‐correlation coefficients. A Monte Carlo simulation is then used to determine the statistical response based on the random fields. A series of analyses was performed to study the effects of uncertainty due to the spatial heterogeneity on the bearing capacity of a rough strip footing. The simulations provide insight into the application of uncertainty treatment to geotechnical problems and show the importance of the spatial variability of soil properties with regard to the outcome of a probabilistic assessment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Multivariate analysis of fluorescence and source identification of dissolved organic matter in Jiaozhou Bay, China

Hierarchical clustering analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) methods were used to assess the similarities and dissimilarities of the entire Excitation-emission matrix spectroscopy (EEMs) data sets of samples collected from Jiaozhou Bay, China. The results demonstrate that multivariate analysis facilitates the complex data treatment and spectral sorting processes, and also enhances the probability to reveal otherwise hidden information concerning the chemical characteristics of the dissolved organic matter (DOM). The distribution of different water samples as revealed by multivariate results has been used to track the movement of DOM material in the study area, and the interpretation is supported by the results obtained from the numerical simulation model of substance tracing technique, which show that the substance discharged by Haibo River can be distributed in Jiaozhou Bay.     

Filamentary Structures of Coronal White-Light Images

In the absence of magnetic field measurements of the solar corona, the density structure of white-light images has provided important insight into the coronal magnetic field. Recent work sparked by highly sensitive radio occultation measurements of path-integrated density has elucidated the density structure of unprocessed solar eclipse pictures. This paper does the same for processed images that reveal low-contrast small-scale structures, specifically Koutchmy’s edge-enhanced white-light image of the 11 August 1999 solar eclipse. This processed image provides visual evidence for two important results deduced from radio occultation measurements of small-scale density variations. First, in addition to the closed loops readily seen at the base of the corona in high-resolution EUV and soft X-ray images, open filamentary structures permeate the corona including active regions generally thought to be magnetically closed. Observed at the image resolution, the filamentary structures are 1° wide in latitude and an order of magnitude smaller than polar plumes. Second, although inhomogeneities that are convected along with the solar wind are also present, filamentary structures dominate the image because of their steeper density gradients. The quantitative profile of polarized brightness (pB) at the base of the corona shows that the filamentary structures have transverse density gradients that are proportional to their density. This explains why edge-enhanced images, limited in sensitivity to density gradients, tend to detect filamentary structures more readily in high-density regions (e.g., active regions, streamer stalks, and prominences) than in low-density polar coronal holes, and why filamentary structures seem more prevalent in solar eclipse pictures during solar maximum. The pB profile at the base of the corona also fills the gap in Doppler measurements there, reinforcing that open ultra-fine-scale filamentary structures observed by the radio measurements are predominantly radial and that they are an integral part of the radial expansion of the solar wind.     

Ex situ echo sounder target strengths of ice krill Euphausia crystallorophias

Ice krill is the keystone species in the neritic ecosystem in the Southern Ocean,where it replaces the more oceanic Antarctic krill. It is essential to understand the variation of target strength(TS in d B re 1 m 2) with the different body size to accurately estimate ice krill stocks. However,there is comparatively little knowledge of the acoustic backscatter of ice krill. The TS of individual,formalin-preserved,tethered ice krill was measured in a freshwater test tank at 38,120,and 200 k Hz with a calibrated split-beam echo sounder system. Mean TS was obtained from 21 individual ice krill with a broad range of body lengths(L :13–36 mm). The length( L,mm) to wet weight( W; mg) relationship for ice krill was W =0.001 218×103 × L 3.53( R 2= 0.96). The mean TS-to-length relationship were TS3 8 k Hz =-177.4+57log 10( L),( R 2 = 0.86); TS 120 k Hz =-129.9+31.56 log 10( L),( R 2 =0.87); and TS 200 k Hz =-117.6+24.66log1 0( L),( R 2 =0.84). Empirical estimates of the relationship between the TS and body length of ice krill were established at 38,120,and 200 k Hz and compared with predictions obtained from both the linear regression model of Greene et al.(1991) and the Stochastic Distorted Wave Born Approximation(SDWBA) model. This result might be applied to improve acoustic detection and density estimation of ice krill in the Southern Ocean. Further comparative studies are needed with in situ target strength including various body lengths of ice krill.     

Species delimitation in the green algal genus Codium (Bryopsidales) from Korea using DNA barcoding

Codium, one of the largest marine green algal genera, is difficult to delimit species boundary accurately based on morphological identification only. DNA barcoding is a powerful tool for discriminating species of seaweeds. The plastid elongation factor TU(tuf A) is considered as maker to perform DNA barcoding of green algal species than rbc L gene due to universality and rapid evolution rate. We conducted DNA barcoding application to Codium specimens from the Jeju Island, Korea to overcome the limit of morphological identification and to confirm the species diversity. As a result of applying tuf A marker, we newly generated fifty-five tuf A barcodes to resolve eight species. Tuf A marker exhibited 6.1%–21.8% interspecific divergences, wider than the gap of rbc L exon 1,3.5%–11.5%. Molecular analysis of rbc L exon 1 sequences of Codium revealed eight distinct species like tuf A analysis separated in five phylogenetic groups. DNA barcoding of the genus Codium using tuf A marker is more helpful to overcome the limit of morphological identification, and this is more potential to reveal cryptic species and to resolve the relationships among subspecies than rbc L analysis alone. The complement of tuf A barcoding and rbc L analyses including morphology for the genus Codium in the northwestern Pacific will give much more reliable achievement for discovering species diversity and resolving the phylogenetic relationships.     

Demersally drifting invertebrates from Kongsfjorden,Svalbård (Arctic Ocean)–a comparison of catches from drift-pump and drift-nets

Demersally drifting organisms were collected at Ny Ålesund (Svalbård–Arctic Ocean) to study the taxon composition and relative abundances in the Arctic summer. Catch potentials of two collection devices for demersal drift were compared. A lowvolume submersible drift-pump and a drift-net unit were employed for the collection of demersally drifting biota, particularly for shallow aquatic habitats. With the exception of Appendicularia, Chaetognatha, Coelenterata, and Ctenophora, which were damaged at times, the pump catches were in good condition and sufficient for identification and quantification of less mobile fauna. A comparison of the two devices revealed that the drift-pump collected more specimens than the drift-net. However, the drift-net may have caused an underestimation of the abundances of invertebrates. No differences in identified taxon number and indices of richness, evenness and diversity were found. However, the proportion of invertebrate animals in the two devices was different for the three groups: zooplankton, macrofauna and meiofauna. At Svalbård, zooplankton, larvae of macrofauna, and meiofauna were successfully collected by the two collecting devices. However, the catchibility of the two devices in collecting various invertebrate taxa was different and, therefore, a sound ‘Device Effect’ was revealed.