Summer monsoon rainfall scenario over Bangladesh using a high-resolution AGCM

Summer monsoon rainfall was simulated by a global 20 km-mesh atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), focusing on the changes in the summer monsoon rainfall of Bangladesh. Calibration and validation of AGCM were performed over Bangladesh for generating summer monsoon rainfall scenarios. The model-produced summer monsoon rainfall was calibrated with a ground-based observational data in Bangladesh during the period 1979–2003. The TRMM 3B43 V6 data are also used for understanding the model performance. The AGCM output obtained through validation process made it confident to be used for near future and future summer monsoon rainfall projection in Bangladesh. In the present-day (1979–2003) climate simulations, the high-resolution AGCM produces the summer monsoon rainfall better as a spatial distribution over SAARC region in comparison with TRMM but magnitude may be different. Summer monsoon rainfall projection for Bangladesh was experimentally obtained for near future and future during the period 2015–2034 and 2075–2099, respectively. This work reveals that summer monsoon rainfall simulated by a high-resolution AGCM is not directly applicable to application purpose. However, acceptable performance was obtained in estimating summer monsoon rainfall over Bangladesh after calibration and validation. This study predicts that in near future, summer monsoon rainfall on an average may decrease about ?0.5 % during the period 2015–2034 and future summer monsoon rainfall may increase about 0.4 % during the period 2075–2099.     

Western Arctic primary productivity regulated by shelf-break warm eddies

The response of phytoplankton to the Beaufort shelf-break eddies in the western Arctic Ocean is examined using the eddy-resolving coupled sea ice–ocean model including a lower-trophic marine ecosystem formulation. The regional model driven by the reanalysis 2003 atmospheric forcing from March to November captures the major spatial and temporal features of phytoplankton bloom following summertime sea ice retreat in the shallow Chukchi shelf and Barrow Canyon. The shelf-break warm eddies spawned north of the Barrow Canyon initially transport the Chukchi shelf water with high primary productivity toward the Canada Basin interior. In the eddy-developing period, the anti-cyclonic rotational flow along the outer edge of each eddy moving offshore occasionally traps the shelf water. The primary production inside the warm eddies is maintained by internal dynamics in the eddy-maturity period. In particular, the surface central area of an anti-cyclonic eddy acquires adequate light, nutrient, and warm environment for photosynthetic activity partly attributed to turbulent mixing with underlying nutrient-rich water. The simulated biogeochemical properties with the dominance of small-size phytoplankton inside the warm eddies are consistent with the observational findings in the western Arctic Ocean. It is also suggested that the light limitation before autumn sea ice freezing shuts down the primary production in the shelf-break eddies in spite of nutrient recovery. These results indicate that the time lag between the phytoplankton bloom in the shelf region following the summertime sea ice retreat and the eddy generation along the Beaufort shelf break is an important index to determine biological regimes in the Canada Basin.     

Hawaiian double volcanic chain triggered by an episodic involvement of recycled material: Constraints from temporal Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopic trend of the Loa-type volcanoes

The two parallel loci of recent Hawaiian volcanoes, Kea and Loa, have been regarded as the best targets to interpret the chemical structure of an upwelling mantle plume derived from the lower mantle. Here we show that the Sr–Nd–Hf–Pb isotopic data of the shield-building lavas along the Loa locus form a systematic trend from the main shield stage of Koolau (> 2.9 Ma) to the active Loihi volcanoes. During the growth of the Koolau volcano, the dominant material in the melting region successively changed from the proposed KEA, DMK (depleted Makapuu), to EMK (enriched Makapuu) components. The proportion of EMK, dominated by a recycled mafic component, is typified by some Koolau Makapuu-stage and some Lanai lavas. Subsequently, the EMK component decreased and LOIHI component increased toward the Loihi lavas. The temporal coincidence between the episodically elevated magma production rate and the abrupt appearance of the typical Loa-type lavas that is restricted to the last 3 Myr should be linked to magma genesis. We suggest that the abrupt appearance of Loa-type magmatism should be attributed to the transient incorporation of the relatively dense recycled material and surrounding less degassed lower mantle material that accumulated near the core–mantle boundary into the upwelling plume. This episodic involvement could have been trigged by episodic thermal pulses and buoyancy increases in the plume. The continuous appearance of Kea-type lavas during the long history of Hawaiian-chain magmatism and the larger magma volume of Kea-type lavas relative to that of the Loa-type lavas in the last 3 Myr indicate that the Kea locus is closer to the thermal centre of the Hawaiian plume relative to that of the Loa locus.     

Future Projections of Precipitation Characteristics in East Asia Simulated by the MRI CGCM2

Projected changes in precipitation characteristics around the mid-21st century and end-of-the-century are analyzed using the daily precipitation output of the 3-member ensemble Meteorological Research Institute global ocean-atmosphere coupled general circulation model (MRI-CGCM2) simulations under the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A2 and B2 scenarios. It is found that both the frequency and intensity increase in about 40% of the globe, while both the frequency and intensity decrease in about 20% of the globe. These numbers differ only a few percent from decade to decade of the 21st century and between the A2 and B2 scenarios. Over the rest of the globe (about one third), the precipitation frequency decreases but its intensity increases, suggesting a shift of precipitation distribution toward more intense events by global warming. South China is such a region where the summertime wet-day frequency decreases but the precipitation intensity increases. This is related to increased atmospheric moisture content due to global warming and an intensified and more westwardly extended North Pacific subtropical anticyclone, which may be related with an E1 Nin^-o-like mean sea surface temperature change. On the other hand, a decrease in summer precipitation is noted in North China, thus augmenting a south-to-north precipitation contrast more in the future.     

Secondary metabolites of cyanobacteriaNostoc sp.

Cyanobacteria attracted much attention recently because of their secondary metabolites with potent biological activities and unusual structures. This paper reviews some recent studies on the isolation, structural, elucidation and biological activities of the bioactive compounds from cyanobacteriaNostoc species.

     

Vertical structure of hard X-ray flare

This paper presents studies of the vertical structure of hard X-ray flares for two contrasting examples. The 1981 May 13 flare contained a coronal hard X-ray source which was located above 50000 km above the photosphere. On the other hand, the 1981 July 20 flare had a chromospheric double source structure in the initial phase. Electrons in this case were able to stream freely from the corona to the chromosphere.     

Effects of partial meridional barriers on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current—Buoyancy-driven three-layer model

The transport and vertical structure of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) are examined, especially the component of the current driven by buoyancy, by using a three-layer model. We investigate the effects of the South American peninsula, the island arc to the east, and the Macquarie ridge, which are modeled as partial meridional barriers overlapping meridionally each other. We found that the buoyancy-driven component is given as a function of the transport out of the Weddell Sea (S _W ) and the sum of the transports into the North Atlantic (S _A ) and the North Pacific (S _P ) out of the Southern Ocean. The buoyancy-driven current flows westward, ifS _W andS _A +S _P are positive. The transport depends on the value ofS _W more thanS _A +S _P by one order of magnitude within a realistic range of parameters. The most predominant term in the transport equation is inversely proportional to the difference between the Coriolis parameters at the tips of the partial meridional barriers. Thus, the magnitude of the transport strongly depends on the overlapping length of the meridional barriers. The eastward current of the ACC is driven by the predominant eastward wind stress in the Southern Ocean, although a part of the wind-driven component is canceled by the westward buoyancy-driven component. The vertical structure of the ACC is found to be attributed to the surface wind-driven circulation and the deep and bottom buoyancy-driven circulation.     

Long-term monitoring of the sedimentary processes in the central part of Sagami Bay, Japan: rationale, logistics and overview of results

Deep-sea benthic ecosystems are mainly sustained by sinking organic materials that are produced in the euphotic zone. “Benthic-pelagic coupling” is the key to understanding both material cycles and benthic ecology in deep-sea environments, in particular in topographically flat open oceanic settings. However, it remains unclear whether “benthic-pelagic coupling” exists in eutrophic deep-sea environments at the ocean margins where areas of undulating and steep bottom topography are partly closely surrounded by land. Land-locked deep-sea settings may be characterized by different particle behaviors both in the water column and in relation to submarine topography. Mechanisms of particle accumulation may be different from those found in open ocean sedimentary systems. An interdisciplinary programme, “Project Sagami”, was carried out to understand seasonal carbon cycling in a eutrophic deep-sea environment (Sagami Bay) with steep bottom topography along the western margin of the Pacific, off central Japan. We collected data from ocean color photographs obtained using a sea observation satellite, surface water samples, hydrographic casts with turbidity sensor, sediment trap moorings and multiple core samplings at a permanent station in the central part of Sagami Bay between 1997 and 1998. Bottom nepheloid layers were also observed in video images recorded at a real-time, sea-floor observatory off Hatsushima in Sagami Bay. Distinct spring blooms were observed during mid-February through May in 1997. Mass flux deposited in sediment traps did not show a distinct spring bloom signal because of the influence of resuspended materials. However, dense clouds of suspended particles were observed only in the spring in the benthic nepheloid layer. This phenomenon corresponds well to the increased deposition of phytodetritus after the spring bloom. A phytodetrital layer started to form on the sediment surface about two weeks after the start of the spring bloom. Chlorophyll-a was detected in the top 2 cm of the sediment only when a phytodetritus layer was present. Protozoan and metazoan meiobenthos increased in density after phytodetritus deposition. Thus, “benthic-pelagic coupling” was certainly observed even in a marginal ocean environment with undulated bottom topography. Seasonal changes in features of the sediment-water interface were also documented.     

Sterols of the suspended matters in sea water

The present study deals with the content and composition of sterols of the marine-suspended matter in the surface sea water of Kagoshima-Bay. The suspended matters were separated into 3 fractions by filtration with the glass and millipore filters. The sterols in each fraction were analyzed by gas-liquid chromatography on 1.5 % SE-30. The results obtained are as follows: 1) The sterol contents ranged from 2.3 to 20.5g/liter of sea water. 2) Cholesterol was usually present as a predominant sterol in both suspended and dissolved matters. 3) A relatively large amount of other sterols such as 22-dehydro-cholesterol, campesterol, stigmasterol,-sitosterol, and fucosterol were occasionally detected.     

Thermoelastic properties of chromium oxide Cr<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> (eskolaite) at high pressures and temperatures

A new synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of chromium oxide Cr₂O₃ (eskolaite) with the corundum-type structure has been carried out in a Kawai-type multi-anvil apparatus to pressure of 15 GPa and temperatures of 1873 K. Fitting the Birch–Murnaghan equation of state (EoS) with the present data up to 15 GPa yielded: bulk modulus (K _0,T0), 206 ± 4 GPa; its pressure derivative K′_0,T , 4.4 ± 0.8; (?K _0,T /?T) = ?0.037 ± 0.006 GPa K^?1; a = 2.98 ± 0.14 × 10^?5 K^?1 and b = 0.47 ± 0.28 × 10^?8 K^?2, where α _0,T  = a + bT is the volumetric thermal expansion coefficient. The thermal expansion of Cr₂O₃ was additionally measured at the high-temperature powder diffraction experiment at ambient pressure and α _0,T0 was determined to be 2.95 × 10^?5 K^?1. The results indicate that coefficient of the thermal expansion calculated from the EoS appeared to be high-precision because it is consistent with the data obtained at 1 atm. However, our results contradict α ₀ value suggested by Rigby et al. (Brit Ceram Trans J 45:137–148, 1946) widely used in many physical and geological databases. Fitting the Mie–Grüneisen–Debye EoS with the present ambient and high-pressure data yielded the following parameters: K _0,T0 = 205 ± 3 GPa, K′_0,T  = 4.0, Grüneisen parameter (γ ₀) = 1.42 ± 0.80, q = 1.82 ± 0.56. The thermoelastic parameters indicate that Cr₂O₃ undergoes near isotropic compression at room and high temperatures up to 15 GPa. Cr₂O₃ is shown to be stable in this pressure range and adopts the corundum-type structure. Using obtained thermoelastic parameters, we calculated the reaction boundary of knorringite formation from enstatite and eskolaite. The Clapeyron slope (with \({\text{d}}P/{\text{d}}T = - 0.014\) GPa/K) was found to be consistent with experimental data.