Near inertial motion excited by wind change in a margin of the Typhoon 9019

An excitation of inertial oscillation in the upper layer east of course of Typhoon 9019 was fortuitously observed at three surface buoys deployed during the Ocean Mixed Layer Experiment (OMLET). The observed inertial oscillation was compared with wind fluctuation measured at Ocean Weather Station T (29°N, 135°E) which was placed at the center of a triangle with three vertexes occupied by the respective surface buoys. Inertial oscillation is effectively excited in the mixed layer at the eastern margin of the typhoon by a rapid decrease of wind rather than by prevailing strong wind. It is shown by means of a least square deviation that the inertial oscillation observed in the mixed layer has a period of 23.9 hours shorter than the local inertial period of 24.7 hours. This shorter period suggests that the inertial oscillation has the finite velocities of phase and group as an inertial internal wave. A theoretically obtained ratio of vertical component of group velocity to that of phase velocity, approximately agrees with observed value. The inertial internal wave is excited by fluctuation of divergence with near inertial period in the mixed layer.     

Phytoplankton communities in the Bering Sea and adjacent seas

Vertical distribution of phytoplankton in early warming season in the eastern Bering Sea and adjacent sea areas was investigated. In the surface layer which was under the influence of newly melted sea ice in the shelf water region of the Bering Sea in May, remarkably dense populations ofThalassiosira hyalina andT. nordenskiöldii and relatively large populations ofFragilaria andNavicula occupied large part of phytoplankton community. In June, although theThalassiosira populations sunk into the bottom layer and withered, a certain part of theFragilaria-Navicula populations was still suspended in subsurface layer. Thus,Fragilaria-Navicula were the leading components of the June community in the shelf region.In the Bering Basin region, no dense phytoplankton populations were developed until a shallow thermocline was established. In June when the shallow thermocline developed near shelf edge,Thalassiosira decipiens burst out. As the shallow thermocline extended from near shelf to central part of the Basin region with surface warming, the areas of blooming also shifted from near shelf to the central part.Contribution No. 73 from the Research Institute of North Pacific Fisheries, Hokkaido University.     

A description of short period temperature fluctuations in the upper ocean

Dynamical properties of short-period temperature fluctuations are studied. Water temperature was measured continuously at several depths at the following stations: at 38°29.5′N, 141°35.8′E (100 m depth) on the continental shelf off Miyagi Prefecture in the summer of 1967, at 35°01.8′N, 139°0.8.5′E (100 m depth) in Sagami Bay in the summer of 1968, and at 32°32.2′N, 129°53.7′E (74 m depth) in Tachibana Bay in the summer of 1970. These measurements were made with a thermistor array laid down from the R. V.Tanseimaru (Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo) which was fixed with bow and stern anchors. Significant temperature fluctuations found at the first and the third stations are thought to be due to first mode internal waves having amplitude 3 to 5 m and period 5 to 20 minutes. The wave length of the waves is estimated to be 25 m to 400 m from the observed density structure. At the second station, we found second-mode internal waves. The period, amplitude and wave length of the waves are about 30 minutes, 1.3 m and 600 m, respectively. In all cases, the spectral density of the temperature fluctuations decreases with increase in frequency. However, the decrease obey neither the ?3 power law nor the ?5/3 power law. Coherences in the temperature fluctuations between two depths of measurement in the seasonal thermocline are significantly high in the range of frequencies lower than the local Brunt-Väisälä frequency, but are low in the higher frequency range. At the first and the third stations, the difference in the level of coherences between the lower frequencies and the higher frequencies are large. Phase differences between two depths in the thermocline are small in the lower frequency range. This suggests that the first-mode internal waves are predominant over higher-mode internal waves and over other disturbances.     

Photochemistry of N2O4 Adsorbed on Ice Surfaces at 193 nm

A multi-layer deposited ice film was prepared through water vapor deposition on a Ni plate in a vacuum chamber at 90 K, and was used as it was or after annealing at 140 K. NO₂ was adsorbed as N₂O₄ approximately 90 K on the ice film prepared as above, and irradiated by 193 nm excimer laser light. The time-of-flight (TOF) spectra of the desorbed species, i.e., NO₂, NO, O₂ and O, were measured by a quadrupole mass spectrometer. The photochemical process obeyed an one-photon process. The relative yields of the products and their TOF spectra were dependent on the preparation condition of the ice film and also varied with the continuation of the laser irradiation. From the ice film annealed at 140 K, NO₂, NO and O₂ were desorbed with an approximate ratio of 1:1:0.01. From the non-annealed film, the relative yield of NO₂ was much smaller than that of NO. The TOF spectrum of NO from the non-annealed ice film consisted of distinctly different two components corresponding to the 1700 and 100 K translational temperature, respectively. The fast component was lost when additional ice was deposited on the adsorbed N₂O₄. NO was supposed to be a predissociation product from the electronically excited NO₂ prepared through the photodissociation of N₂O₄.     

Viscosity of peridotite liquid up to 13 GPa: Implications for magma ocean viscosities

The viscosity of synthetic peridotite liquid has been investigated at high pressures using in-situ falling sphere viscometry by combining a multi-anvil technique with synchrotron radiation. We used a newly designed capsule containing a small recessed reservoir outside of the hot spot of the heater, in which a viscosity marker sphere is embedded in a forsterite + enstatite mixture having a higher solidus temperature than the peridotite. This experimental setup prevents spheres from falling before a stable temperature above the liquidus is established and thus avoids difficulties in evaluating viscosities from velocities of spheres falling through a partially molten sample.

Experiments have been performed between 2.8 and 13 GPa at temperatures ranging from 2043 to 2523 K. Measured viscosities range from 0.019 (± 0.004) to 0.13 (± 0.02) Pa s. At constant temperature, viscosity increases with increasing pressure up to  8.5 GPa but then decreases between  8.5 and 13 GPa. The change in the pressure dependence of viscosity is likely associated with structural changes of the liquid that occur upon compression. By combining our results with recently published 0.1 MPa peridotite liquid viscosities [D.B. Dingwell, C. Courtial, D. Giordano, A. Nichols, Viscosity of peridotite liquid, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 226 (2004) 127–138.], the experimental data can be described by a non-Arrhenian, empirical Vogel-Fulcher-Tamman equation, which has been modified by adding a term to account for the observed pressure dependence of viscosity. This equation reproduces measured viscosities to within 0.08 log₁₀-units on average. We use this model to calculate viscosities of a peridotitic magma ocean along a liquid adiabat to a depth of  400 km and discuss possible effects on viscosity at greater pressures and temperatures than experimentally investigated.     

ENSO modulation by mountain uplift

How climate changes will modify the behavior of El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is one of the important questions in future climate projections. An investigation under different climate forcing gives us a good insight on the mechanism of ENSO variability and its changes. In this paper, sensitivity on ENSO by progressive mountain uplift is investigated with an atmosphere–ocean coupled general circulation model. We used eight different mountain heights: 0% (no mountain), 20, 40, 60, 80, 100 (control run), 120, and 140%. Land–sea distribution is the same for all experiments and all mountains in the world are uniformly varied. Systematic changes in precipitation and circulation fields as well as SST are obtained with progressive mountain uplift. In the summertime, the precipitation area moved inland of the Asian continent with mountain uplift, while the Pacific subtropical anticyclone and associated trade winds became stronger. The western Pacific warm pool and ENSO also systematically changed. When the mountain height is low, a warm pool is located over the central Pacific due to weak trade winds in the Pacific. The model ENSO is strongest, its frequency longest, and is most periodic in the no mountain run. The model ENSO becomes weaker, shorter and less periodic when the mountain height increases. Strengthening the mean state trade winds and narrowing meridional extent of equatorial wind and ocean response by mountain uplift would be responsible for ENSO modulation.     

The distribution of manganese and iron between ilmenite and granitic magma in the Ôsumi Peninsula,Japan

Manganoan ilmenite with a variable manganese content occurs as an early accessory constituent of granitic rocks in the Ôsumi Peninsula, southern Kyushu. Electron probe micro-analysis of a grain containing highest manganese gives the structural formula (Fe _1.23 ²⁺ Mn _0.81 ²⁺ ) (Ti_1.97) O₆, if all of the manganese and iron are in the divalent state. The manganese content of manganoan ilmenite increases with an increase of the differentiation index of host rocks, however, the amount of ilmenite tends to decrease with the increase of the same index. The mode of occurrence of the ilmenite suggests that it is the first mafic mineral to precipitate from the magma. The average value of the distribution coefficient of manganese and ferrous iron between ilmenite and granitic magma is 5.5, if the Mn/Fe ratio of the granitic rocks represents that of granitic magma. The variation in the FeO and MnO contents against the differentiation index for granitic rocks of the Ôsumi Peninsula, and the value of the distribution coefficient, show that high manganoan ilmenite is stable in the most differentiated granitic rock of the Ôsumi Peninsula.     

Determination of Ge, As, Se and Te in Silicate Samples Using Isotope Dilution-Internal Standardisation Octopole Reaction Cell ICP-QMS by Normal Sample Nebulisation

A method for the determination of Ge, As, Se and Te in silicate samples using isotope dilution-internal standardisation (ID-IS) octopole reaction cell (ORC) ICP-QMS by normal sample nebulisation was developed. The method does not involve either hydride generation or ion exchange. Germanium, Se and Te were determined by isotope dilution (ID), and As was determined by ID-IS. A silicate sample with an added Ge-Se-Te spike was digested with an HF-HNO₃-HBr mixture, dried, re-dissolved with HF and the supernatant liquid was directly aspirated into an ORC-ICP-QMS instrument with He or H₂ gas. No matrix effects were observed down to a dilution factor (DF) of ∼ 70 for Ge, Se and Te and DF of ∼ 1000 for As, which resulted in 3s detection limits in silicates of 2, 1, 0.1 and 4 ng g⁻¹, respectively. Advantages of the method are the simple sample introduction as well as a capability of determining S, Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sn, Sb, Hf and Ta by ID-IS-ICP-QMS/SFMS from the same solution. Furthermore, the total sample solution consumption was only 0.253 ml with DF = 2000. Therefore, only a 0.13 mg test portion was required. To demonstrate the applicability of this technique, Ge, As, Se and Te in eight silicate reference materials were determined, as well as S, Ti, Zr, Nb, Mo, Sn, Sb, Hf and Ta in four carbonaceous chondrites.