Small-Amplitude Disturbances in a Radiating and Scattering Grey MediumIII. Gravitational Effects on the Solutions of Given Real Wave Number k

We study the fundamental modes of radiation hydrodynamic linear waves that arise from one-dimensional small-amplitude initial fluctuations with wave number k in a radiating and scattering grey medium by taking into account the gravitational effects. The equation of radiative acoustics is derived from three hydrodynamic equations, Poisson’s equation, and two moment equations of radiation, by assuming a spherical symmetry for the matter and radiation and by using the Eddington approximation. We solve the dispersion relation as a quintic function of angular frequency ω, the wave number k being a real parameter. Numerical results reveal that wave patterns of five solutions are distinguished into three types: the radiation-dominated, type 1, and type 2 matter-dominated cases. In the case of no gravitaional effects (Kaneko et al., 2005), the following wave modes appear: radiation wave, conservative radiation wave, entropy wave, Newtonian-cooling wave, opacity-damped and cooling-damped waves, constant-volume and constant-pressure diffusions, adiabatic sound wave, cooling-damped and drag-force-damped isothermal sound waves, isentropic radiation-acoustic wave, and gap mode. Meanwhile, the gravitaional effects being taken into account, the growing gravo-diffusion mode newly arises from the constant-pressure diffusion at the point that k agrees with Jeans’ wave number specified by the isothermal sound speed. This mode changes to the growing radiation-acoustic gravity mode near the point that k becomes Jeans’ wave number specified by the isentropic radiation-acoustic speed. In step with a transition between them, the isentropic radiation-acoustic wave splits into the damping radiation-acoustic gravity mode and constant-volume diffusion. The constant-volume diffusion emerges twice if the gravitational effects are taken into account. Since analytic solutions are derived for all wave modes, we discuss their physical significance. The critical conditions are given which distinguish between radiation-dominated and type 1 matter-dominated cases, and between type 1 and type 2 matter-dominated cases. Waves in a self-gravitating scattering grey medium are also analyzed, which provides us some hints for the effects of energy and momentum exchange between matter and radiation.     

Archeological evidence of Pacific salmon distribution in northern Japan and implications for future global warming

Archeological evidence of Pacific salmon in Hokkaido is reviewed and compared with results from western North America. Salmon remains have been found at 24 sites in Hokkaido from the Early Jomon Period to the Ainu Period (6000–100 years ago). Fish remains at three archeological sites in the Kushiro River basin indicated that Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) were distributed and utilized from 6000 years ago. The present Kushiro Wetland was formerly covered with seawater and called the Paleo Kushiro Bay 5000–6000 years ago. Based on the molluscan fossil fauna, seawater temperature at Paleo Kushiro Bay was about 5°C warmer than at present. Warmer conditions for salmon in Kushiro 5000–6000 years ago corresponded with the poor conditions for salmon in the Columbia River basin 6000–7000 years ago. If the future global warming is similar to the conditions that prevailed 5000–6000 years ago, the southern limit of salmon distribution will shift northwards and the salmon production will decrease. However, they will not disappear from either Hokkaido or southwestern North America.     

The characteristic distribution of silica over the East China Sea shelf slope

The localized near-bottom water with silica content higher than that in the adjacent shelf water was observed to exist at the eastern margins of the East China Sea continental shelf. The core of the high silica water possessed the silica content corresponding to that in the Kuroshio at depths greater than on the shelf. The mixing analysis of water masses using temperature (T) and silica (Si) showed that the core water can be produced through the vertical mixing of intermediate water of the Kuroshio deeper than 100 m. This study provides us a conclusion that the intermediate water of the Kuroshio is strongly mixed on the shelf slope and then upwelled to form the ridge-like distribution of water masses with low temperature and high silica content at the shelf edge.     

A note on internal wavetrains and the associated undulation of the sea surface observed upstream of seamounts

An internal wavetrain, generated by a tidal current in superposition with the Tsushima Warm Current, has been observed by use of an acoustic echo-sounder upstream of the Shichiri-Ga-Sone Seamounts in the East Tsushima Strait of the Japan Sea. The sea surface above the internal wavetrain was simultaneously observed and was found to be undulated at the wavelength of the internal wave.     

X-ray observation of the Jovian impacts of comet Shoemaker - Levy 9

An ASCA observation of the Jovian impact of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 is reported. Four impacts of H, L, Q1 and R were observed and four impacts of B, C, G, and Q2 were observed within 60 minutes after their impacts. No significant flaring of X-ray emission was observed. Upper limit X-ray fluxes of 90 % confidence level, averaged 5 minutes just after the impacts, were 2.4 × 10^–13 erg sec^–1 cm^–2, 3.5 × 10^–13 erg sec^–1 cm^–2, 1.6 × 10^–13 erg sec^–1 cm^–2 and 2.9 × 10^–13 erg sec^–1 cm^–2 for the impacts of H, L, Q1 and R, respectively, in the 0.5(0.7 for H and Q1)–10 keV energy range. However, a hint of X-ray enhancement around Jupiter from July 17 to July 19 was detected with about 2 6 × 10^–14 erg sec^–1 cm^–2 in the 0.5–10 keV energy range.     

Controlled experiment in the ionosphere with a rocket-borne plasma gun

A controlled active experiment was performed by a plasma gun on-board a rocket to study the plasma stream across the magnetic field in space. A mother and daughter system was employed. An 8 kV 0.8 μF (25 J) capacitor bank on the daughter rocket was discharged every 12 s and about 10¹⁶ ion and electron pairs were ejected. A plasma signal was detected on the electron temperature probe. The propagation speed of the plasma stream is estimated to be 10⁶ cm/s, considerably lower than that obtained in the prelaunch test. The amplitude of the plasma signal decays as the inverse square of the mutual distance between the mother and daughter rockets and this decay is much slower than the free streaming. The importance of the geomagnetic field on the plasma propagation in space is discussed.     

Estimation of the annual primary production of the lichen Cetrariella delisei in a glacier foreland in the High Arctic, Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard

The fruticose lichen Cetrariella delisei is among the dominant lichen species in the deglaciated High Arctic areas of Svalbard. As part of a study of carbon cycling in the High Arctic, we aimed to estimate the primary production of lichen in a deglaciated area in Ny-Ålesund, Svalbard (79° N), by examining the effects of abiotic factors on the net photosynthesis ( Pn ) and dark respiration ( R ) rates of C. delisei . Experiments were conducted in the snow-free season of 2000 using an open-flow gas exchange system with an infrared gas analyser. Positive photosynthetic activities were observed on rainy days or soon after rainfall when the thallus water content was high, whereas photosynthetic activities dropped below the detectable limit on clear days because of the low thallus water content. Under a sufficiently high thallus water content and close to light saturation, Pn was nearly constant over a wide temperature range of 4–20 °C, while R increased with increasing temperature. We constructed a model for estimating the net primary production ( NPP ) of lichen based on the relationships between abiotic factors and the CO₂ exchange rate. The mean, minimum and maximum NPP values in the snow-free season, estimated using meteorological data obtained from 1995–2003, were 5.1, 1.0 and 8.4 g dry wt. m⁻² snow-free season⁻¹, respectively. These results suggest that NPP is highly variable and the contribution of lichen to carbon input is small compared with that of vascular plants and mosses in the study site.