Null broadening with snapshot-deficient covariance matrices in passive sonar

Adaptive-array beamforming achieves high resolution and sidelobe suppression by producing sharp s in the adaptive beampattern. Large-aperture sonar arrays with many elements have small resolution cells; interferers may move through many resolution cells in the time required for accumulating a full-rank sample covariance matrix. This leads to "snapshot-deficient" processing. In this paper, the -broadening technique originally developed for an ideal stationary problem is extended to the snapshot-deficient problem combined with white-noise constraint (WNC) adaptive processing. Null broadening allows the strong interferers to move through resolution cells and increases the number of degrees of freedom, thereby improving the detection of weak stationary signals.     

Observational evidence of the upwelling off cape shioyazaki in Fukushima Prefecture,Japan

Using serial observations, evidence of the existence of upwelling in the region between the northeast flowing Kuroshio and the coast of Ibaraki and Fukushima Prefectures is presented. The complex and variable oceanic condition in this region sometimes conceals some of the evidence of upwelling. Evidence of upwelling can be seen in the distributions of temperature and salinity, and more clearly in those of dissolved oxygen and phosphate. The average position of the upwelling region is just off Cape Shioyazaki in Fukushima Prefecture. Such an upwelling phenomenon may be a general oceanic feature characteristic of the region at the poleward edge of western boundary currents.     

Effects of an Artificial Breakwater on the Distributions of Planktonic Microbial Communities

The summer distributions of planktonic microbial communities (heterotrophic and phtosynthetic bacteria, phtosynthetic and heterotrophic nanoflagellates, ciliate plankton, and microphytoplankton) were compared between inner and outer areas of Lake Sihwa, divided by an artificial breakwater, located on the western coast of Korea, in September 2003. The semienclosed, inner area was characterized by hyposaline surface water (<17 psu), and by low concentrations of dissolved oxygen (avg. 0.4 mg L¹) and high concentrations of inorganic nutrients (nitrogenous nutrients >36 μM, phosphate <4 μM) in the bottom layer. Higher densities of heterotrophic bacteria and nanoflagellates also occurred in the inner area than did in the outer area, while microphytoplankton (mainly diatoms) occurred abundantly in the outer area. A tiny tintinnid ciliate, Tintinnopsis nana, bloomed into more than 10⁶ cells L¹ at the surface layer of the inner area, while its abundance was much lower (10³-10⁴ cells L¹) in the outer area of the breakwater. Ciliate abundance was highly correlated with heterotrophic bacteria (r = 0.886, p < 0.001) and heterotrophic flagellates (r = 0.962, p < 0.001), indicating that rich food availability may have led to theT. nana bloom. These results suggest that the breakwater causes the eutrophic environment in artificial lakes with limited flushing of enriched water and develops into abundant bacteria, nanoflagellates, and ciliates.     

3D gravity modelling for Anyongbok Seamount in the East Sea

A seamount chain with an approximately WNW trend is observed in the northeastern Ulleung Basin. It has been argued that these seamounts, including two islands called Ulleung and Dok islands, were formed by a hotspot process or by ridge related volcanism. Many geological and geophysical studies have been done for all the seamounts and islands in the chain except Anyongbok Seamount, which is close to the proposed spreading ridge. We first report morphological characteristics, sediment distribution patterns, and the crustal thickness of Anyongbok Seamount using multibeam bathymetry data, seismic reflection profiles, and 3D gravity modeling. The morphology of Anyongbok Seamount shows a cone shaped feature and is characterized by the development of many flank cones and flank rift zones. The estimated surface volume is about 60 km³, and implies that the seamount is smaller than the other seamounts in the chain. No sediments have been observed on the seamount except the lower slope, which is covered by more than 1,000 m of strata. The crustal structure obtained from a 3D gravity modeling (GFR = 3.11, SD 3.82 = mGal) suggests that the seamount was formed around the boundary of the Ulleung Plateau and the Ulleung Basin, and the estimated crustal thickness is about 20 km, which is a little thicker than other nearby seamounts distributed along the northeastern boundary of the Ulleung Basin. This significant crustal thickness also implies that Anyongbok Seamount might not be related to ridge volcanism.     

Water mass formation variability in the intermediate layer of the east sea

Long-term variability in the intermediate layer of the eastern Japan Basin has been investigated to understand the variability of water mass formation in the East Sea. The simultaneous decrease of temperature at shallower depths and oxygen increasing at deeper depths in the intermediate layer took place in the late 1960’s and the mid-1980’s. Records of winter sea surface temperatures and air temperatures showed that there were cold winters that persisted for several years during those periods. Therefore, it was assumed that a large amount of newly-formed water was supplied to the intermediate layer during those cold winters. Close analysis suggests that the formation of the Upper Portion of Proper Water occurred in the late 1960’s and the Central Water in the mid-1980’s.     

Species composition and spatial distribution of euphausiids of the yellow sea and relationships with environmental factors

We investigated species composition and spatial distribution of the euphausiid community in the Yellow Sea and identified the relationship with environmental factors (temperature, salinity, chlorophyll a, nitrate, phosphate, and silicate) using bimonthly data from June, 1997 to April, 1998. The environment varied during the sampling period. In warm seasons, thermocline was well developed rendering lower temperature and higher salinity and nutrient concentrations in the bottom layer. During cold seasons the water column was well mixed and no such vertical stratification was noted. Horizontal distribution of temperature, however, differed slightly between near-coast and offshore areas because of the shallow depth of the Yellow Sea, and between southern and northern areas because of the intrusion of water masses such as Yellow Sea Warm Current and Changjiang River Diluted Water. Four euphausiid species were identified:Euphausia pacifica, E. sanzoi, Pseudeuphausia sp. andStylocheron affine. E. sanzoi andS. affine were collected, just one juvenile each, from the southern area in June and December, respectively.Pseudeuphausia sp. were collected in the eastern area all the year round except June.E. pacifica occurred at the whole study area and were the predominant species, representing at least 97.6% of the euphausiid abundance. Further, the distribution pattern of the species was varied in regards to developmental stages (adult, furcilia, calyptopis, egg). From spring to fall,E. pacifica adults were abundant in the central area where the Yellow Sea Bottom Cold Water prevailed. Furcilia and calyptopis extended their distribution into nearly all the study area during the same period. From late fall to winter, adults were found at the near-coastal area with similar pattern for furcilia and calyptopis. The distribution pattern ofE. pacifica was consistent regarding temperature, salinity, and three nutrients during the sampling period, whereas chlorophyll a showed a different pattern according to the developmental stages. The nutrients should indirectly affect via chlorophyll a and phytoplankton concentration. With respect to these results, we presented a scenario about how the environmental factors along with the water current affect the distribution ofE. pacifica in the Yellow Sea.     

Instrumentation and Numerical Analysis of Cylindrical Diaphragm Wall Movement During Deep Excavation at Coastal Area

The lateral deflection of a cylindrical diaphragm wall and the associated ground movement induced by deep excavation are analyzed by performing site instrumentations and numerical analyses in the coastal area of Korea. Wall lateral deflection, rebar stress, and pore water pressure were measured and analyzed in eight directions. Variations of soil properties with the decrease of confining pressure are compared by performing various in situ tests before ad after excavation. To calculate the wall lateral deflection accurately, the effects of small strain nonlinearity, confining pressure, and the hysteresis loading/unloading loop developed during excavation are considered in the proposed numerical analysis. By comparing numerical results with measured ones, the importances of considering small strain nonlinearity and confining pressure reduction in the nonlinear (FEM) are emphasized. Also, the effects of wall stiffness on the performance of cylindrical diaphragm walls are studied for future similar excavation in the coastal area.     

Deformation-induced garnet zoning

Compositional zoning patterns in garnet porphyroblasts from kyanite-bearing samples of the Devonian Littleton Formation, north-central Massachusetts, reveal complex patterns of growth that are related to multiple deformation and metamorphic events. Garnet porphyroblasts exhibit asymmetrical and irregular zoning patterns in X_Mn, X_Ca and Fe/(Fe + Mg). Zoning reversals in Mn and Fe/(Fe + Mg) and patch distribution in Ca appear to occur around the boundaries of the textural zones. Also, the compositions of the garnet at the textural boundaries are variable for all traverses. These observations suggest that the garnet zoning was not only modified from diffusion processes, but was also influenced by pre-existing microfabrics through the effects of preferential dissolution and resorption in partial disequilibrium. Relationships between chemical and textural truncations indicate that the zoning patterns of garnet were strongly modified from preferential dissolution and precipitation during the development of successive foliations that occurred in zones of high strain/stress (cleavage seams) and zones of low strain/stress, respectively.     

Geochemistry of soils of King George Island, South Shetland Islands, West Antarctica: Implications for pedogenesis in cold polar regions

Fine fractions of soils on the Barton Peninsula, King George Island, West Antarctica have been forming during the last 6000 yr since the last deglaciation. Texturally, they are mostly composed of mineral and rock fragments with some volcanic ashes, which are also indicated by geochemical compositions representing for the nonclay silicate minerals and low values of chemical index of alteration. No significant changes are observed in major- and trace element abundances. Such geochemical characteristics suggest that chemical weathering of bedrocks on the Barton Peninsula seems insignificant and that the soils are composed of physically weathered mineral and rock fragments which are mixed with eolian additions of volcanic ashes and Patagonian dusts. Chondrite-normalized rare earth element (REE) distribution patterns of the Barton Peninsula soils are slightly different from those of bedrocks, indicating that the REE abundances and characteristics were influenced by eolian additions. Mixing calculations, which mass-balance the REEs, suggest that volcanic ashes blown from Deception Island were the major eolian contributor, followed by atmospheric dusts sourced from Patagonia, South America. Even in the warmer and humid climatic conditions in the maritime Antarctic region, the chemical weathering of bedrocks appears to be insignificant, probably due to the relatively short duration of weathering since the last deglaciation.     

Metagenomic approach revealed effects of forest thinning on bacterial communities in the forest soil of Mt. Janggunbong,South Korea

The soil microbiome that plays important ecological roles in mountains and forests is influenced by anthropogenic and natural causes. Human activity, particularly harvesting or thinning, affects the soil microbiome in forests by altering environmental conditions, such as vegetation, microclimate, and soil physicochemical properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects on forest thinning on the diversity and composition of the soil bacterial community. From next-generation sequencing results of the 16S rRNA gene, we examined differences in soil bacterial diversity and community composition before and after thinning at Mt. Janggunbong, South Korea. We identified 40 phyla, 103 classes, 192 orders, 412 families, 947 genera, and 3,145 species from the soil samples. Acidobacteria and Proteobacteria were the most dominant bacterial phyla in the forest soil of Mt. Janggunbong. Soil bacterial diversity measures (richness, Shannon diversity index, and evenness) at the phylum level increased after thinning, whereas species-level taxonomic richness decreased after thinning. Thinning provided new opportunities for bacterial species in Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia, Nitrospirae, and other nondominant bacterial taxa, especially for those not found in Mt. Janggunbong before thinning, to settle and adapt to the changing environment. Our results suggested that thinning affected the diversity and composition of soil bacterial communities in forests and mountains.