Spectroscopic ellipsometric study of the optical properties of Ag2O film prepared by direct-current magnetron reactive sputtering

The Ag₂O film, as-deposited by direct-current magnetron reactive sputtering at a substrate temperature of 150 °C, clearly shows a preferential orientation (111), and is capable of lowering the threshold value of the thermal decomposition temperature to about 200 °C, which is helpful to its application in optical and magneto-optical storage. This paper fits its optical constants in terms of a general oscillator model by using measured ellipsometric parameters. The fitted oscillator energy 2.487 eV is close to the optical direct interband transition energy value of the Ag₂O film determined by Tauc equation; whereas, the fitted oscillator energy 4.249 eV is far from the fitted plasma oscillator energy 4.756 eV by single-oscillator energy. The photoluminescence spectrum centred at about 2.31 eV indicates a direct-energy gap photoluminescence mechanism of the Ag₂O film.     

Prediction of surface ocean pCO2 from observations of salinity, temperature and nitrate: The empirical model perspective

This paper evaluates whether a thermodynamic ocean-carbon model can be used to predict the monthly mean global fields of the surface-water partial pressure of CO₂ (pCO_2SEA) from sea surface salinity (SSS), temperature (SST), and/or nitrate (NO₃) concentration using previously published regional total inorganic carbon (C_T) and total alkalinity (A_T) algorithms. The obtained pCO_2SEA values and their amplitudes of seasonal variability are in good agreement with multi-year observations undertaken at the sites of the Bermuda Atlantic Timeseries Study (BATS) (31°50’N, 60°10’W) and the Hawaiian Ocean Time-series (HOT) (22°45’N, 158°00’W). By contrast, the empirical models predicted C_T less accurately at the Kyodo western North Pacific Ocean Time-series (KNOT) site (44°N, 155°E) than at the BATS and HOT sites, resulting in greater uncertainties in pCO_2SEA predictions. Our analysis indicates that the previously published empirical C_T and A_T models provide reasonable predictions of seasonal variations in surface-water pCO_2SEA within the (sub) tropical oceans based on changes in SSS and SST; however, in high-latitude oceans where ocean biology affects C_T to a significant degree, improved C_T algorithms are required to capture the full biological effect on C_T with greater accuracy and in turn improve the accuracy of predictions of pCO_2SEA.     

Oxygen fluxes in the Norwegian Atlantic Current

Oxygen and phosphate measurements from two sections across the Norwegian Atlantic Current, the Gimsøy-NW section from 67.5°N 9°E to 71.5°N 1°E and the Bjørnøya-W section along 74.5°N from 7 to 15°E, are used to estimate oxygen fluxes in the surface layer and between the atmosphere and the ocean. Vertical entrainment velocities of 0.9 m day⁻¹ for the winter season and 0.1 m day⁻¹ for the summer season are found and applied to the upper 300 m. The resulting oxygen fluxes to the surface layer driven by this vertical mixing are 0.58±0.05 and 0.27±0.02 mol O₂ m⁻² year⁻¹ at the Gimsøy-NW and Bjørnøya-W sections, respectively. Oxygen fluxes to the surface layer due to phytoplankton production are 2.6 and 3.4 mol O₂ m⁻² year⁻¹, which represent the net community production at the two sections. Estimated uncertainties in these numbers are ±15%. The surface water is a sink for atmospheric oxygen during fall and winter and a source during the productive season for both sections. On an annual basis there is a net uptake of oxygen from the atmosphere, 3.4±0.4 mol O₂ m⁻² year⁻¹ at the Gimsøy-NW section and 4.9±0.5 mol O₂ m⁻² year⁻¹ at the Bjørnøya-W. A decrease in temperature of 1°C to 1.5°C seen between the Gimsøy-NW section and the Bjørnøya-W section is the main reason for the increased atmospheric flux of oxygen at the latter section. An oxygen budget made for the area bounded by the two sections gives a net advective flux of oxygen out of the area of approximately 10 mol O₂ m⁻² year⁻¹. The increased concentration of oxygen corresponding to the decrease in surface layer temperatures going northwards in the Norwegian Atlantic Current is mainly attributed to the air–sea oxygen exchange and phytoplankton production in this area.     

Thickness of the mixed bottom layer in the Northern Atlantic

The thickness of the mixed bottom boundary layer (BBL) has been analyzed based on the CTD data at transoceanic sections in abyssal waters of the Northern Atlantic. The measurements were carried out at two transoceanic sections approximately along 48° N (ASV-99) and 5° N (AI-2000) in 1999 and 2000. These data, and the WOCE data obtained at four zonal sections (AR7E and AR12 along 57° N, AR01 along 24.5° S, and A06 along 7.5° N), were used for the calculation of the statistical characteristics of the BBL??s thickness H _B . The probability distribution function F(H _B ) was close to lognormal. The mean value ??H _B ?? at different latitudes was in the range from 30 to 60 m. The averaged BBL thickness = 46.1 m. The BBL??s thickness was about 1% of the ocean??s depth D; the ratio H _B /D was the minimum (0.8%) near the equator and increased up to 1.6% in the polar latitudes.     

Rare earth elements and Opal/CaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ratio of sinking particles observed with a time-series sediment trap at the mouth of Tokyo Bay

A time-series sediment trap was deployed from December 1994 to February 2002 at the mouth of Tokyo Bay (35°03′ N, 139°40′ E; water depth, 850 m). Sinking particles were obtained with a time interval of one week at a depth of approximately 100 m above the sea floor. Observed total mass fluxes varied from 3.3 to 226.7 g/m²/day with an average of 28.0 g/m²/day. Concentrations of rare earth elements, Al, Ca and Si in particulate materials were measured. The combustible fraction at 450°C is assumed to be equivalent to the organic matter content. Contents of biogenic materials, namely organic matter, opal and calcium carbonate, were about 30% and the content of lithogenic material was about 70%. Using La/Yb ratios of particles from the sediment trap and Tama-gawa River and surface sediment of Tokyo Bay, it was estimated that about 50% of the lithogenic particles collected in the sediment trap at the mouth of Tokyo Bay originated from resuspended surface sediment in Tokyo Bay. An increasing trend of Opal/CaCO₃ ratio in the sinking particles was found in the spring season. It is suggested that the relative increase of diatoms is due to the decreasing dissolved inorganic nitrogen input into Tokyo Bay.     

North Pacific Subtropical Mode Waters Observed in Long XBT Cross Sections along 32.5°N Line

The S/V Shoyo, of the Hydrographic Department, Japan Coast Guard, has conducted high-density expendable bathythermograph (XBT) measurements along the 32.5°N line in the North Pacific every year from 1990 to 1993 as a part of the Japanese-World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE). These XBT data are analyzed here, focusing on year-to-year variations of the inventory and core layer temperature (CLT) of the North Pacific subtropical mode water (NPSTMW). Large year-to-year changes are found in the NPSTMW CLTs estimated in longitudes between 140°E and 160°E. CLT values were found of 17.4°C in 1990, 17.1°C in 1991, 17.3°C in 1992 and 17.6°C in 1993. Inspection of the wintertime westerlies over the formation area and sea surface temperature distribution revealed that this change in CLT can be qualitatively attributed to the strength of atmospheric cooling in the formation area in the previous winter. Although a large year-to-year variation of NPSTMW inventory was also found, it is hard to state any relationship between CLT and atmospheric forcing. There is a possibility that different observational seasons may affect the inventory. It has also been found that the thermocline depth in 1991 was shallower in the sea area east of 180° than in 1992 and 1993. Associated with this change, the North Pacific central mode water (NPCMW), characterized by thermostad with temperatures ranging from 14°C to 11°C, appears in the sea area east of 180° in the 1992 and 1993 cross sections. The 1993 cross section, which ranged from the Japanese coast to the west coast of North America, possessed another thermostad in the surface layer, with a temperature of about 17°C in the eastern part of the cross section, off California. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The density functional calculations on the structural and electronic properties of the endohedral fullerene dimer (N2@C60)2

The generalised gradient approximation based on density functional theory is used to study the structural and electronic properties of the endohedral fullerene dimer (N₂@C₆₀)₂. Four N atoms sit at the cage centres in the form of two N_2 molecules. The density of states and Mulliken charge analysis explore that the energy levels from -6 to -10 eV are mainly influenced by the N₂ molecules.     

Initial Examination of AltiKa's Individual Echoes

The AltiKa altimeter records the reflection of K_a-band radar pulses from the Earth's surface, with the commonly used waveform product involving the summation of 96 returns to provide average echoes at 40 Hz. Occasionally there are one-second recordings of the complex individual echoes (IEs), which facilitate the evaluation of on-board processing and offer the potential for new processing strategies. Our investigation of these IEs over the ocean confirms the on-board operations, whilst noting that data quantization limits the accuracy in the thermal noise region. By constructing average waveforms from 32 IEs at a time, and applying an innovative subwaveform retracker, we demonstrate that accurate height and wave height information can be retrieved from very short sections of data. Early exploration of the complex echoes reveals structure in the phase information similar to that noted for Envisat's IEs.     

Influence of Late Quaternary depositional environments on the structure of nannofossil assemblages in the Titanic area (northwestern Atlantic)

The nannofosssil assemblages have been analyzed in five cores taken from the Titanic area of the northwestern Atlantic (∼41°–42° N, ∼47°–50° W, water depths >3500 m) during cruises 41 and 43 of the R/V Akademik Mstislav Keldysh in 1998 and 2000. They correlate the host sediments with the upper Pleistocene-Holocene Emiliania huxleyi zone. The changes in the structure of the nannofossil assemblages and the lithological characteristics such as the content of biogenic CaCO₃, the abundance of ice-rafted debris, and the grain-size composition were used for the high-resolution stratigraphy of sections with defining marine isotopic stages 1–3 of the last 24 kyr. A characteristic feature of the nannofossil assemblages from this area is their enrichment with the cold-resistant species Coccolthus pelagicus during the warm climatic stages and the lack of allochthonous coccolitophorid remains.     

Modeled interactions of mesoscale eddies with the East Pacific Rise: Implications for larval dispersal

Larval transport from distant populations is essential for maintenance and renewal of populations in patchy and disturbed ecosystems such as deep-sea hydrothermal vents. We use quasi-geostrophic modeling to consider the potential for long-distance dispersal of hydrothermal vent larvae in mesoscale eddies interacting with the northern East Pacific Rise. Modeled eddy dynamics were similar to the observed propagation dynamics of Tehuantepec eddies, including their ability to cross the ridge. Simulated surface anticyclones were associated with coherent cyclones in the deep layer with relatively strong current velocities that could significantly increase the dispersal potential of passive particles. Eddy interactions with ridge topography further enhanced tracer dispersal along the ridge axis through shearing and elongation of the eddy core. Simulations suggest that the passage of an eddy would result in local loss from the vent field and aggregate transport with potential enhancement of dispersal between vent fields separated by up to 270 km. Based on the latitude at which most Tehuantepec eddies cross the ridge, eddy-induced flows would enhance connectivity between the 13°N, 11°N, and 9°N vent fields along the East Pacific Rise asymmetrically with higher transport from northern vent fields to southern vent fields.     

2008年夏季加拿大海盆净二氧化碳吸收量评估

The third Chinese National Arctic Research Expedition(CHINARE) was conducted in the summer of 2008.During the survey,the surface seawater partial pressure of CO_2(pCO_2) was measured,and sea water samples were collected for CO_2 measurement in the Canada Basin.The distribution of pCO_2 in the Canada Basin was determined,the influencing factors were addressed,and the air-sea CO_2 flux in the Canada Basin was evaluated.The Canada Basin was divided into three regions:the ice-free zone(south of 77°N),the partially ice-covered zone(77°–80°N),and the heavily ice-covered zone(north of 80°N).In the ice-free zone,pCO_2 was high(320 to 368μatm,1 μatm=0.101 325 Pa),primarily due to rapid equilibration with atmospheric CO_2 over a short time.In the partially ice-covered zone,the surface pCO_2 was relatively low(250 to 270 μatm) due to ice-edge blooms and icemelt water dilution.In the heavily ice-covered zone,the seawater pCO_2 varied between 270 and 300 μatm due to biological CO_2 removal,the transportation of low pCO_2 water northward,and heavy ice cover.The surface seawater pCO_2 during the survey was undersaturated with respect to the atmosphere in the Canada Basin,and it was a net sink for atmospheric CO_2.The summertime net CO_2 uptake of the ice-free zone,the partially ice-covered zone and the heavily ice-covered zone was(4.14±1.08),(1.79±0.19),and(0.57±0.03) Tg/a(calculated by carbon,1Tg=10~(12) g),respectively.Overall,the net CO_2 sink of the Canada Basin in the summer of 2008 was(6.5±1.3) Tg/a,which accounted for 4%–10% of the Arctic Ocean CO_2 sink.     

Variation of the partial pressure of CO2 in surface water from Kuroshio to Oyashio and the relation between environmental factors and the partial pressure at 144°E off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific in May, 1997

Partial pressure of CO₂ in surface sea water (pCO₂) was measured continuously off Sanriku in May, 1997 by a new pCO₂ measurement system. We have examined the relation of pCO₂ to physical factors such as temperature, salinity and density, chemical and biological factors such as nutrients and carbonate system and chlorophylla. In the Kuroshio region pCO₂ was not correlated to physical, chemical and biological factors in the range of 260 to 290 μatom. In transition water (Tr1) between Kuroshio and the Oyashio second branch, pCO₂ was weakly correlated to physical factors and strongly correlated to nutrients. In transition water (Tr2) between the Oyashio first and second branches, pCO₂ was highly correlated to temperature (SD: 10.9 μatom) and salinity (SD: 8.6 μatom) and also to nutrients. In transition water (Tr1+Tr2), pCO₂ was highly multivariately correlated to temperature (T), salinity (S), chlorophylla (CH) (or nitrate+nitrite (N)) as follows, pCO₂(μatom)= 10.8×T(°C)+27.7×S+2.57CH(μg/1) −769, R²= 0.86, SD = 20.9, or pCO₂(μatom)= 3.9×T(°C)+25.5×S+16.0NO₃(μM) −686, R²= 0.99, SD = 6.4. Moreover, pCO₂ was predicted by only two factors, one physical (S) and the other chemical/biological (N) as follows: pCO₂ (μatom)=32.8×S+19.4N−908, R²=0.97, SD=8.4. The pH measured at 25°C was well correlated with normalized pCO₂ at a fixed temperature. In the Oyashio region pCO₂ was decreased to 160 μatom, probably because of spring bloom, but was not correlated linearly to chlorophylla. The results obtained showed the possibility of estimating pCO₂ of the Oyashio and transition regions in May by satellite remote sensing of SST, but the problem of estimation of pCO₂ in Kuroshio water remains to be solved.     

Hydrodynamics of oil jets without and with dispersant: Experimental and numerical characterization

In this paper, we present the analysis of an underwater horizontal oil jet experimental measurement and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) using the Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes (RANS) equations. Two oil subsurface releases were conducted: one with crude oil and another with crude oil premixed with dispersant at the dispersant to oil ratio (DOR) of 1:20. The jet profile was captured by a camera at moderate resolution, and the instantaneous velocity was measured by a Vectrino Profiler. The velocity components, turbulence kinetic energy, and turbulence dissipation rate from the experiment agreed well with those from the CFD simulation using the k-epsilon turbulence model. The spread angle of the jet was found to be around 21° and 24° from the experiment measurement, for oil without dispersant and oil with dispersant, respectively. The latter is close to the angle of miscible jets at 23°. The jet profile of oil with dispersant had a smaller buoyancy than that without dispersant, which is probably due to the large water entrainment for the oil with dispersant jet. The cross sections of the jet for both cases gradually became flattened with distance, as the plume turned upward.     

全球海洋碳循环三维数值模拟研究

基于海洋环流模式POP和生物地球化学模型OCMIP-2,建立了全球海洋碳循环模式,并用于对全球海洋碳循环的模拟研究。该模式在大气CO₂为283×10-6条件下,积分3 100 a,达到工业革命前的平衡态。在此基础上,用历史时期观测的大气CO₂浓度进行强迫,模拟了历史时期的海洋碳循环。模拟的无机碳浓度、总碱度与基于观测得到的结果基本一致,模式能够较好地模拟全球碳循环过程。模拟结果表明,在北半球中高纬度和南半球的中纬度,海洋是大气CO₂的主要汇区;在赤道南北纬20°之间和南大洋50°S以南,海洋表现为大气CO₂的源区。在1980s海洋吸收CO₂速率(以C计)为1.38 Pg/a,1990s为1.55 Pg/a。海洋中人为碳在北大西洋含量最大,向下到达海底并向南输运到30°N附近;在南极附近,浓度较小,深度达到3 000 m;在中纬度,人为碳被限制在温跃层以上。     

Ocean temperature climate off North‐East New Zealand

The ocean temperature field off the north‐east coast of New Zealand is studied to quantify the annual cycle and reveal the intra‐ and inter‐annual variability. The data used are repeat expendable bathythermograph (XBT) sections between Auckland and either Suva or Honolulu which have been collected quarterly since 1986. These sections give temperature measurements between the surface and 800 m and Auckland and 30°S from 1986 to August 1999. The mean and annual cycle are compared with those from the NOAA World Ocean Atlas (WOA98). The results are similar; however WOA98 lacks the horizontal resolution to fully discern the East Auckland Current and North Cape Eddy, while the XBT analysis lacks the temporal resolution to discern higher frequency intra‐annual signals. The temperature variability in the mixed layer is dominated by the annual cycle, which accounts for 80–90% of the variance. The amplitude of the annual cycle diminishes rapidly with depth, from 2.8°C at the surface, to c. 0.1°C at 180 m. The phase of the annual cycle is retarded with depth, with peak temperatures occurring in February at the surface and in June/July at 180 m. Removing the annual cycle from the time series reveals the more subtle inter‐ and intra‐annual variability. This variability is of the order of 1°C in the upper 50 m, decreasing to 0.3°C at 400–500 m. The surface layer was cold between 1991 and 1994 (c. 0.7°C cooler than average), and 0.7°C warmer than average in 1999. The deeper ocean shows a different signal, being up to 0.3°C cooler in 1990–92, 0.3°C warmer in 1998, and c. 0.2°C warmer than average in 1999. The inter‐annual mixed layer variability is highly correlated with the Southern Oscillation Index and also with inter‐annual terrestrial air temperature and wind measurements from northern New Zealand. In contrast, at higher intra‐annual frequencies, the mixed layer variability is not correlated with air and wind measurements. At these higher frequencies, the air temperature is better correlated with the sea surface temperature (SST) than with the bulk mixed layer temperature.     

Volcanic rock alterations of the Kwanza Basin,offshore Angola - Insights from an integrated petrological,geochemical and numerical approach

The Lower Cretaceous presalt section of the Kwanza Basin (Angola) is in the spotlight following the discoveries of petroleum systems in this basin, and more generally in the South Atlantic. These systems are mostly composed of continental carbonates in close association with volcanic rocks. This work is focused on the study of an offshore Kwanza presalt volcanic sequence characterized as Valanginian trachytic subaerial lava flows. A detailed petrological analysis of the altered trachyte in association with fluid inclusion microthermometry was conducted in order to depict the initial mineralogy (albite, sanidine, titanomagnetite) and obtain a paragenetic sequence (quartz, siderite, kaolinite, calcite). Thermodynamic equilibrium modelling of the trachytes alteration by meteoric fluids, over a range of temperatures (25 °C–200 °C) and CO₂ partial pressure (pCO₂: 0.01 mbar to 100 bar), were performed with PHREEQC, and compared to the observed paragenetic sequence. Some numerical simulations reflect the observed paragenesis. As a result, the pCO₂ is constrained by the occurrence of siderite (from 0.1 bar at 50 °C to 30 bar at 125 °C) and kaolinite (from 0.2 bar at 50 °C to 1.2 bar at 125 °C). The simulations emphasize the need for a high pCO₂ in the hydrothermal system, to achieve the observed trachyte transformation. After reaching equilibrium with the trachytes, the simulated fluids highlight a mid-alkaline to near neutral pH with high Fe, HCO₃+CO₃, and alkali concentrations. The palaeofluids could have evolved from Ca- and Mg-rich to Ca- and Mg-poor with increasing temperature. Inversely, Si concentrations are positively correlated with increasing temperatures. This methodology, integrating a petrological approach and numerical simulations, proves to be a powerful tool leading to better understanding of the proxies (pCO₂, temperature, redox conditions) controlling paragenesis. To push further, these simulations are also a step toward improved understanding of palaeofluid evolutions in presalt systems and better prediction of reservoir quality.     

Si2O2 molecule: structure of ground state and the excited properties under different external electric fields

Geometry and vibrational frequencies of the ground state of Si₂O₂ molecule are studied using density function theory (DFT) at the level of cc-pvtz and 6-311++G^**. It is found that the optimizing value by B3lyp/cc-pvtz is closer to the experimental data. The excited properties under different external electric fields are also investigated by the time-dependent-DFT method. Transitions from the ground state of Si₂O₂ molecule to the first singlet state under different external electric fields can take place more easily. The corresponding absorption spectral line is about 360 nm in wavelength and the excitation energy is about 3.4 eV.     

Magnetostriction of Fe81Ga19 oriented crystals

The effect of the orientation on the magnetostriction in Fe₈₁Ga₁₉ alloy has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. The Fe₈₁Ga₁₉ [001] and [110] oriented crystals were prepared and the magnetostriction was measured under different pre-stress. The saturation magnetostriction of the [001] oriented crystal increases from 170×10^-6 to 330×10^-6 under the pre-stress from 0 to 50 MPa. The [110] oriented crystal has a saturation magnetostriction from 20×10^-6 to 140×10^-6 with the compressive pre-stress from 0 to 40 MPa. The magnetostriction of [001] and [110] oriented crystals has been simulated based on the phenomenological theory. The domain rotation path has been determined and the resultant magnetostriction calculated under different pre-stress. The experimental and simulated results both show that the [001] oriented crystal exhibits better magnetostriction than [110] oriented crystal. The enhancement of the saturation magnetostriction by the compressive pre-stress in the [110] oriented crystal is higher than that in the [001] oriented crystal.     

Long-term bottom water warming in the north Ross Sea

We measured potential temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen profiles from the surface to the bottom at two locations in the north Ross Sea (65.2°S, 174.2°E and 67.2°S, 172.7°W) in December 2004. Comparison of our data with previous results from the same region reveals an increase in potential temperature and decreases in salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration in the bottom layer (deeper than 3000 m) over the past four decades. The changes were significantly different from the analytical precisions. Detailed investigation of the temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and σ ₃ value distributions and the bottom water flow in the north Ross Sea suggests a long-term change in water mass mixing balance. That is to say, it is speculated that the influence of cool, saline, high-oxygen bottom water (high-salinity Ross Sea Bottom Water) formed in the southwestern Ross Sea has possibly been decreased, while the influences of relatively warmer and fresher bottom water (low-salinity Ross Sea Bottom Water) and the Adélie Land Bottom Water coming from the Australia-Antarctic Basin have increased. The possible impact of global warming on ocean circulation needs much more investigation.     

Distribution coefficient of Mg2+ ions between calcite and solution at 10–50°C

The distribution coefficient (λ_Mg) of Mg²⁺ ions between calcite and solution was found to be 0.012 ± 0.001 (10°C), 0.014 ± 0.001 (15°C), 0.019 ± 0.001 (25°C), 0.024 ± 0.001 (30°C), 0.027 ± 0.001 (35°C) and 0.040 + 0.003 (50°C). This indicates a remarkable dependence on temperature. The effect of the Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ molar ratio in a parent solution on λ_Mg for calcite is small, where the molar ratio lies in the range 0.04-2. However, the λ_Mg value for aragonite tends to decrease with increasing Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratio in the parent solution. The largest Mg content of calcite in the Ca(HCO₃)₂-Mg²⁺ → calcite system is around 2 mol% in the temperature range 10–50°C. Neither homogeneous nor heterogeneous distribution laws hold for aragonite precipitation, and the temperature effect on the coprecipitation of Mg²⁺ ions with aragonite is very small.