The westward intrusion of south Pacific water at the western tip of the New Guinea Island

From the eastern Indonesian cruise from November 14 to 23, 2007, CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth profiler) /ADCP (acoustic Doppler current profiler)casting and seawater sampling were done at 25 stations around Waigeo Island near New Guinea Island. It was found overall westward intrusion of the south Pacific waters into the Seram Sea and southward spreading of the north and south Pacific waters into the Seram Sea. There is westward residual flow along the channel between Waigeo and New Guinea within upper 200 m with the maximum speed up to 50 cm/s, and much weaker eastward flow in the lower layer (< 10 cm/s) due to blocking by the shallow sill at the west of the Dampier Strait. The abrupt change of bottom topography induces active horizontal and vertical mixing which results in a three-layered current system with a major through-flow of -0.99 Sv (Sv = 10 6 m 3 /s) into the Seram Sea; the transports in the upper and the lower layers are -1.14 Sv and -0.24 Sv (westward), respectively, and in the middle there is a return flow with the transport of +0.39 Sv (eastward).     

Global parameter estimation of the Cochlodinium polykrikoides model using bioassay data

Cochlodinium polykrikoides is a notoriously harmful algal species that inflicts severe damage on the aquacultures of the coastal seas of Korea and Japan. Information on their expected movement tracks and boundaries of influence is very useful and important for the effective establishment of a reduction plan. In general, the information is supported by a red-tide(a.k.a algal bloom) model. The performance of the model is highly dependent on the accuracy of parameters, which are the coefficients of functions approximating the biological growth and loss patterns of the C. polykrikoides. These parameters have been estimated using the bioassay data composed of growth-limiting factor and net growth rate value pairs. In the case of the C. polykrikoides, the parameters are different from each other in accordance with the used data because the bioassay data are sufficient compared to the other algal species. The parameters estimated by one specific dataset can be viewed as locally-optimized because they are adjusted only by that dataset. In cases where the other one data set is used, the estimation error might be considerable. In this study, the parameters are estimated by all available data sets without the use of only one specific data set and thus can be considered globally optimized. The cost function for the optimization is defined as the integrated mean squared estimation error, i.e., the difference between the values of the experimental and estimated rates. Based on quantitative error analysis, the root-mean squared errors of the global parameters show smaller values, approximately 25%–50%, than the values of the local parameters. In addition, bias is removed completely in the case of the globally estimated parameters. The parameter sets can be used as the reference default values of a red-tide model because they are optimal and representative. However, additional tuning of the parameters using the in-situ monitoring data is highly required.As opposed to the bioassay data, it is necessary because the bioassay data have limitations in terms of the in-situ coastal conditions.     

EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE OF S*-WAVE*

During development of theoretical methods to compute synthetic seismograms, a new type of wave called S*-wave was discovered by Hron and Mikhailenko. This wave propagates with the shear-wave velocity and can be interpreted as a non-geometrical wave arrival with large amplitudes strongly depending on the depth of a pure P-point source. In this first experimental verification of the existence of S*-waves by means of two-dimensional model-seismics it is demonstrated that: 1. the S*-wave exists and depends on the source distance from the free surface; 2. the S*-wave is generated as an ordinary shear wave on the free surface at the point located directly above the P-source, as illustrated in the synthetic seismograms. The measured seismograms agree remarkably well with the computed ones.     

Precambrian crustal evolution in Rangrim Massif,Korean Peninsula

Petrological, chronological and geotectonic geological analysis of Precambrian metamorphic rock in Korean Peninsula shows that the remnants （ 〉3.4 Ga） of continental nuclei crust were formed in the Paleoarchean in the Rangrim Massif. In the massif, the main formation ages of continental crust range from 3.2 Ga to 2.5 Ga, its important growing period was 2.8 - 2. 5 Ga. The subsequent expansion period of the Rangrim Massif was 2. 4 - 2. 2 Ga. The division events occurred in 1.85 Ga and in the Late Paleoproterozoic-Early Mesoproterozoic, respectively. Since then the massif was relatively stable. However, the last division of the Rangrim Massif occurred at 793 Ma.     

Wave-tide-surge coupled model simulation for Typhoon Maemi

1 IntroductionThe main reason for coupling the tide and surgehydrodynamic model with a surface wave model canbe found in the physical interactions taking place inthe surface and bottom boundary layers. During thesevere storm conditions such interactions a…     

The impact of cumulus parameterizations and microphysics schemes under different combinations on typhoon track prediction

This study examines the effects of cumulus parameterizations and microphysics schemes on the track forecast of typhoon Nabi using the Weather Research Forecast model. The study found that the effects of cumulus parameterizations on typhoon track forecast were comparatively strong and the typhoon track forecast of Kain-Fritsch (KF) was superior to that of Betts-Miller (BM). When KF was selected, the simulated results would be improved if microphysics schemes were selected than otherwise. The results from Ferrier, WSM6, and Lin were very close to those in the best track. KF performed well with the simulations of the western extension and eastern contraction changes of a North Pacific high as well as the distribution and strength of the typhoon wind field.     

Fault tectonic analysis of Kii peninsula,Southwest Japan: Preliminary approach to Neogene paleostress sequence near the Nankai subduction zone

The southern part of the Outer Zone of Southwest Japan including the Kii peninsula belongs to the tectonic ‘shadow zone’, where fewer conspicuous active faults and less Quaternary sediments develop than in the Nankai subduction zone and Inner Zone of Southwest Japan. In order to study the paleostress sequence of the Kii peninsula, we analyzed fault‐slip data and tension gashes at pilot sites of Early–Middle Miocene forearc sediments and Late Cretaceous accretionary complex. According to the results, six faulting events are reconstructed in sequence: (i) east–west extension (normal faulting); (ii) east–west compression and north–south extension (strike‐slip faulting); (iii) NNW–SSE compression and ENE–WSW extension (strike‐slip faulting); (iv) northeast–southwest compression and northwest–southeast extension (strike‐slip faulting); (v) WNW–ESE compression (strike‐slip or reverse faulting); and (vi) NNE–SSW extension. The north–south to NNW–SSE trending dyke swarm of Middle Miocene age in the Kii peninsula is thought to be related to Event 3, implying that Event 3 was active at least during the Middle Miocene. Because Event 6 is recognized solely at a site, the overall latest faulting event seems to be Event 5. Assuming that the compression results from the motion of the crust or plate, the compression direction of Event 5 is in good accordance with the present‐day WNW crustal velocity vectors of the Kii peninsula. The stress trajectory map of Southeast Korea and Southwest Japan reveals that the current compression directions of the Kii peninsula correspond to the combinatory stress fields of the Himalayan and Philippine Sea tectonic domains.