The structural behaviour of timber joints subjected to bi‐axial bending

This study investigates the structural performance of interior, exterior and corner traditional timber joints found in a traditional temple in Japan subjected to bi‐axial bending. A total of 36 half‐scale specimens were fabricated and tested under both uni‐axial and bi‐axial cyclic bending for comparison of their structural behaviour. The results show that the corner joints exhibit lower rotational stiffness than the interior and exterior joints. Further, connections subjected to only uni‐axial moments exhibit better performance with regard to moment resistance, energy dissipation and stiffness degradation as compared with those subjected to bi‐axial moments. Hence, this study suggests that if the timber joints are subjected to bi‐axial bending, this effect on timber joints should be considered during the design and evaluation process in the future. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Short-term flow fluctuations in Onagawa Bay,Japan, as revealed by long-term mooring observation

Short-term flow fluctuations in the southern central part of Onagawa Bay were examined using long-term mooring and hydrographic data observed during the period from May 2013 to April 2014. The short-term flow fluctuations were dominant in the periodic bands of 15–27 days and shorter than 10 days. The principal and minor components of these flow fluctuations were respectively along and across the local isobaths, which are almost parallel in the north direction. The northward flow fluctuations along the local isobaths were correlated with the northeastward wind fluctuations in both periodic bands, and these correlations were more evident from fall to winter. On the basis of these results, the northward flows are regarded as wind-induced barotropic coastal jets. On other hand, the eastward flow fluctuations across the local isobaths were related to inflow and outflow via the bay mouth or the Izushima Channel. Inflow and outflow with reverse flow at lower depths formed in summer, but those with vertically uniform flow tended to form in winter. The main summertime inflow and outflow were driven by horizontal gradients in density. These permit us to regard the main summertime inflow and outflow as gravitational circulation. Also, the summertime inflow can be intermittently caused by internal waves.     

Influence of the Oyashio Current and Tsugaru Warm Current on the circulation and water properties of Otsuchi Bay,Japan

Mooring and hydrographic observations were conducted from September 2012 to May 2014 at the mouth of Otsuchi Bay, a ria along the Pacific coast of Japan. Our observations quantitatively demonstrated that the circulation and the water properties of Otsuchi Bay are strongly influenced by the Tsugaru Warm Current (TWC) and Oyashio Current (OY) at seasonal and subseasonal time scales. Two bottom-mounted velocity profilers and temperature and salinity measurements beneath the near-surface halocline showed a counterclockwise lateral circulation pattern related to the TWC, which was enhanced from summer to autumn. From winter to early spring, the lateral circulation patterns related to the TWC weakened and the influence of the OY occasionally increased. When the OY was weak, surface flows became an overturning structure, with outflows in the upper layer and inflows in the lower layer. When the OY was strong and passed close to the Sanriku coast, the circulation became highly variable and intermittent. Intrusions of the markedly low-salinity OY water were observed on two occasions and persisted for periods of several weeks to several months. Salinity was sometimes less than 33.7, the lower limit of the typical TWC from late summer to autumn even when the TWC dominates. We suggested that this is the seasonal fluctuations of the TWC itself, as the upstream current of the Tsushima Warm Current is freshened in summer as a result of the influence of the Changjiang River. The surface water was generally fresher in the south of the bay than in the north, suggesting the Coriolis deflection of the river plume.     

Relationship between trace elements and depositional environments in shallow sediments: a case study from Southern Kanto Plain,Central Japan

Underground developments such as subways and shopping facilities have been increasing in number and magnitude in the relatively shallow subsurface of many urban areas where the earth materials commonly are composed of marine sediments. Marine sediments can contain significant amounts of toxic trace elements such as arsenic, boron, and lead. Changes in the subsurface environment caused by excavation and construction in underground developments could potentially cause these toxic elements to be dissolved into pore water of the sediments, which might lead to groundwater pollution. The purpose of this study is to investigate correlations among chemical properties of marine sediments, such as pH and electrical conductivity (EC), concentrations of toxic trace elements, and stratigraphic characteristics of the sediments. We selected three sites with different stratigraphic settings in the southern Kanto Plain around the Tokyo Metropolis. We collected core samples from shallow strata at a site in the Arakawa Lowland, southern Saitama, and at two sites in the Musashino Upland, Middle Tokyo. All sites have both marine and non-marine sediments up to 50–60 m in thickness. We determined trace element concentrations in the pore water, pH, EC, and loss on ignition. The results show that (1) the marine sediments tend to have low pH, high EC, and high sulfur concentration compared to the non-marine sediments (2) the concentration of most of the soluble heavy metals vary depending on the concentration of sulfate, the pH, and the formation processes of the strata, (3) the arsenic concentration is not related to sulfur concentration but apparently to Fe and Al concentrations, (4) the boron concentration is not related to any other properties implying that the boron level is independent of and cannot be predicted by common chemical properties, and (5) for all three sites, concentrations of most of the trace elements, EC, pH, and sulfate concentration were correlated with each other. This study shows that the concentration and potential mobilization of many toxic trace elements in marine sediments could be predicted by easily measurable pore water chemical properties such as pH and EC. This could be useful for predicting and avoiding the risk of groundwater pollution during underground development projects.     

Spatial and temporal variations in summer precipitation in Japanese mountain areas

We examined spatial and temporal variations in precipitation measured during summer season between 1976 and 2007 for 28 stations located in mountain areas across Japan using the amount of precipitation (Pr), the mean depth of precipitation events (η), and the inverse of the mean interval times (λ). We obtained positive correlations between the period mean Pr (Pr ) and the period mean η ( ) and between Pr and the period mean λ ( ) for the 28 stations. Pr was more strongly related to than to , indicating the spatial variations in Pr that are primarily related to the variations in . In addition, Pr was more strongly related to η than to λ for most stations on the basis of data for 1976–2007, indicating that the year‐to‐year variations in Pr are primarily related to η. We also examined temporal trends in Pr, η and λ for 1976–2007 and found no systematic trends for 23 of the 28 stations, suggesting long‐term trends that are not common in mountain areas of Japan. The relationships between Pr and and between Pr and η presented in this study enable us to generate a temporal precipitation distribution pattern based on only Pr and Pr data, respectively. Furthermore, probabilistic stochastic hydrological models require precipitation characteristics as input; thus, this study contributes to the determination of hydrological cycles and their possible future changes in Japanese mountain areas and therefore to water resource management. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurement of iodine-129 in seawater samples collected from the Japan Sea area using accelerator mass spectrometry: Contribution of nuclear fuel reprocessing plants

The concentrations of ¹²⁹I in seawater samples from two sites (off Sekine and the Toyama Bay) in the Japan Sea were determined by accelerator mass spectrometry. The observed concentrations exceed amounts expected from natural origin and globally distributed fallout due to nuclear weapons testing. Because the fraction of natural origin and global fallout is 2% and 8.9–13.8%, respectively, the residual more than 80% of the concentration must come primarily from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants. This result indicates a rapid distribution of ¹²⁹I through atmospheric transport on a global scale. The depth distribution of ¹²⁹I at the Toyama Bay in the Japan Sea shows that the ¹²⁹I maximum is in the mixed layer and that concentrations decrease with depth. The inventory of ¹²⁹I in water column is four times higher than that measured in the Gulf of Mexico which has almost the same depth at the Toyama Bay. This higher inventory probably reflects: (1) the rapid water sinking in the Japan Sea, (2) the difference of distance in sampling locations with respect to major ¹²⁹I releasing plants and (3) the strong increase in emissions from nuclear fuel reprocessing plants after the profile of the Gulf of Mexico was taken.     

Does measuring azimuthal variations in sap flux lead to more reliable stand transpiration estimates?

Stand transpiration (E) estimated using the sap‐flux method includes uncertainty induced by variations in sap flux (F) within a tree (i.e. radial and azimuthal variations) and those between trees. Unlike radial variations, azimuthal variations are not particularly systematic (i.e. higher/lower F is not always recorded for a specific direction). Here, we present a theoretical framework to address the question on how to allocate a limited number of sensors to minimize uncertainty in E estimates. Specifically, we compare uncertainty in E estimates for two cases: (1) measuring F for two or more directions to cover azimuthal variations in F and (2) measuring F for one direction to cover between‐tree variations in F. The framework formulates the variation in the probability density function for E (σ_E) based on F recorded in m different azimuthal directions (e.g. north, east, south and west). This formula allows us to determine the m value that minimizes σ_E. This study applied the framework to F data recorded for a 55‐year‐old Cryptomeria japonica stand. σ_E for m = 1 was found to be less than the values for m = 2, 3 and 4. Our results suggest that measuring F for one azimuthal direction provides more reliable E estimates than measuring F for two or more azimuthal directions for this stand, given a limited number of sensors. Application of this framework to other datasets helps us decide how to allocate sensors most effectively. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Measurements of time-averaged intensity of water motion with plaster balls

Water motion is a very important environment surrounding marine organisms. It is, however, difficult to measure currents with a propeller type of current meters in seagrass or seaweed beds in shallow waters. Therefore, we elaborate the measuring method of time-averaged intensity of water motion with plaster balls invented by Muus (1968) to set them at several depths at short vertical intervals in shallow waters. Theoretical examination is also made on the relation between speed of steady flow and dissolution rate of plaster balls by experiments in a circuit tank. These experiments revealed that the temporal rate of decrease in the 1/2 power of wet weight of plaster balls excluding a rod supporting the plaster ball was proportional to the speed of steady flow in the tank. On the basis of this relation, we propose the method for estimating the time-averaged intensity of water motion by converting the loss of wet weight of plaster ball to the speed of steady flow bringing equivalent loss. Since this method is simple and convenient, it can be applied to obtaining environmental indices of water motion not only in seagrass or seaweed forests, but also in fishing grounds culturingporphyra, yellow tail (Seriola quinqueradiata) or oysters.     

Interannual variation of evapotranspiration in an eastern Siberian larch forest

In a deciduous larch forest in eastern Siberia, the mean and standard deviation of the total evapotranspiration (E) during May to September (day of year (DOY) = 121–274) for 2003–2006 were 181.5 and 26.4 mm, respectively. The interannual variation (IAV) in the total E was caused by the IAV in E for the canopy‐foliated period (DOY = 164–253), not by the IAV in the dates of leaf expansion and leaf fall. For the years with higher total E, E in the canopy‐foliated period was consistently higher, which corresponded to the higher soil water content in these years. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.