Review of recent findings on the water masses and circulation in the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

Recent findings on water masses, biogeochemical tracers, deep currents and basin-scale circulation in the East/Japan Sea, and numerical modeling of its circulation are reviewed. Warming continues up to 2007 despite an episode of bottom water formation in the winter of 2000–2001. Water masses have definitely changed since the 1970s and further changes are expected due to the continuation of warming. Accumulation of current data in deep waters of the East/Japan Sea reveals that the circulation in the East/Japan Sea is primarily cyclonic with sub-basin scale cyclonic and anticyclonic cells in the Ulleung Basin (Tsushima Basin). Our understanding of the circulation of intermediate water masses has been deepened through high-resolution numerical studies, and the implementation of data assimilation has had initial success. However, the East/Japan Sea is unique in terms of the fine vertical structures of physical and biogeochemical properties of cold water mass measured at the highest precision and their rapid change with the global warming, so that full understanding of the structures and their change requires in-depth process studies with continuous monitoring programs.     

Spatially resolved mid-infrared spectroscopy of IC 5063

We present spatially resolved 10-μm spectra of the nucleus of IC 5063 that are near-diffraction-limited. The observations were obtained with T-ReCS, the mid-infrared (mid-IR) imager and spectrometer on the 8.1-m Gemini South telescope, with the slit aligned at a position angle on the sky along the direction of the cone of narrow-line emission. The spectra cover the nucleus and the inner reaches of the ionization cones at a spatial resolution of approximately 0.4 arcsec (90 pc). Individual spectra, extracted in steps in the spatial direction along the slit, reveal variations in continuum slope and silicate feature profile and depth on subarcsecond scales, illustrating in unprecedented detail the complexity of the circumnuclear regions of this galaxy at mid-IR wavelengths. The dust population in the vicinity of the narrow-line region, north-west of the nuclear position, is significantly warmer than that to the south-east of the nucleus. This is consistent with an observation of the cooler dust associated with the outer reaches of the postulated torus that obscures the type 1 nucleus in this object.     

Effects of frictional forces acting on sidewalls of buried box culverts

The effects of frictional forces acting on the sidewalls of buried box culverts are presented as determined with finite element method (FEM) and detailed soil modelling. The possibility of reducing earth pressure on deeply buried concrete box culverts by the imperfect trench installation (ITI) method has been contemplated during the last several decades. There have been limited research results published primarily regarding the qualitative aspect of load reduction in ITIs. It was found during the course of this study that significant frictional forces develop along the sidewalls of box culverts and adjacent sidefills in ITIs. Current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials provisions do not consider these frictional forces, but they cannot be neglected in ITIs, as their effect is dominant. An optimum geometry for the soft zone in ITIs is presented to maximize earth load reductions. The soil–structure interaction at the box culvert–soil interface was found to have a significant effect on total earth pressure acting on the bottom slab. Predictor equations for earth load reduction rates were formulated for ITIs incorporating the optimum soft zone geometry based on the FEM. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Cosmic‐ray exposure history of the Norton County enstatite achondrite

Abstract– We report measurements of cosmogenic nuclides in up to 11 bulk samples from various depths in Norton County. The activities of ³⁶Cl, ⁴¹Ca, ²⁶Al, and ¹⁰Be were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry; the concentrations of the stable isotopes of He, Ne, Ar, and Sm were measured by electron and thermal ionization mass spectrometry, respectively. Production rates for the nuclides were modeled using the LAHET and the Monte Carlo N‐Particle codes. Assuming a one‐stage irradiation of a meteoroid with a pre‐atmospheric radius of approximately 50 cm, the model satisfactorily reproduces the depth profiles of ¹⁰Be, ²⁶Al, and ⁵³Mn (<6%) but overestimates the ⁴¹Ca concentrations by about 20%. ³He, ²¹Ne, and ²⁶Al data give a one‐stage cosmic‐ray exposure (CRE) age of 115 Ma. Argon‐36 released at intermediate temperatures, ³⁶Ar_n, is attributed to production by thermal neutrons. From the values of ³⁶Ar_n, an assumed average Cl concentration of 4 ppm, and a CRE age of 115 Ma, we estimate thermal neutron fluences of 1–4 × 10¹⁶ neutrons cm^?2. We infer comparable values from ε¹⁴⁹Sm and ε¹⁵⁰Sm. Values calculated from ⁴¹Ca and a CRE age of 115 Ma, 0.2–1.4 × 10¹⁶ neutrons cm^?2, are lower by a factor of approximately 2.5, indicating that nearly half of the ¹⁴⁹Sm captures occurred earlier. One possible irradiation history places the center of proto‐Norton County at a depth of 88 cm in a large body for 140 Ma prior to its liberation as a meteoroid with a radius of 50 cm and further CRE for 100 Ma.