Fragmentation model dependence of collision cascades

Mass depletion of bodies through successive collisional disruptions (i.e., collision cascade) is one of the most important processes in the studies of the asteroids belt, the Edgeworth-Kuiper belt, debris disks, and planetary formation. The collisional disruption is divided into two types, i.e., catastrophic disruption and cratering. Although some studies of the collision cascades neglected the effect of cratering, it is unclear which type of disruption makes a dominant contribution to the collision cascades. In the present study, we construct a simple outcome model describing both catastrophic disruption and cratering, which has some parameters characterizing the total ejecta mass, the mass of the largest fragment, and the power-law exponent of the size distribution of fragments. Using this simple outcome model with parameters, we examine the model dependence of the mass depletion time in collision cascades for neglect of coalescence of colliding bodies due to high collisional velocities. We find the cratering collisions are much more effective in collision cascades than collisions with catastrophic disruption in a wide region of the model parameters. It is also found that the mass depletion time in collision cascades is mainly governed by the total ejecta mass and almost insensitive to the mass of the largest fragment and the power-law exponent of fragments for a realistic parameter region. The total ejecta mass is usually determined by the ratio of the impact energy divided by the target mass (i.e. Q-value) to its threshold value for catastrophic disruption, as well as in our simple model. We derive a mass depletion time in collision cascades, which is determined by of the high-mass end of collision cascades. The mass depletion time derived with our model would be applicable to debris disks and planetary formation.     

Late Precambrian and Early Cambrian in the East European platform

Carbon suboxide polymers reacted with hydroxylamine and ammonia under UV irradiation in aqueous medium to form amino acids such as glycine, alanine, serine, threonine, aspartic acid and glutamic acid. This finding suggests that carbon suboxide is a new candidate as starting material for the synthesis of biomolecules on the primitive earth.     

ADCP application for long-term monitoring of coastal water

Three kind of application of ADCP is reported for long-term monitoring in coastal sea. (1)The routine monitoring of water qualities. The water quality and ADCP echo data (600 kHz) observed in the long-term are analgzed at MT (Marine Tower) Station of Kansai International Airport in the Osaka Bay, Japan. The correlation between the turbidity and echo intensity in the surface layer is not good because air bubbles generated by breaking wave are not detected by the turbidity meter, but detected well by ADCP. When estimating the turbidity consists ofplankrton population from echo intensity, the effect of bubbles have to be eliminated. (2) Monitoring stirring up of bottom sediment. The special observation was carried out by using following two ADCP in the Osaka Bay, One ADCP was installed upward on the sea. The other ADCP was hanged downward at the gate type stand about 3 m above from the bottom. At the spring tide, high echo intensities indicating the stirring up of bottom sediment were observed. (3) The monitoring for the boundary condition of water mixing at an estuary. In summer season, the ADCP was set at the mouth of Tanabe Bay in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. During the observation, water temperature near the bottom showed remarkable falls with interval of about 5～7d. When the bottom temperature fell, the inflow current with low echo intensity water appears at the bottom layer in the ADCP record. It is concluded that when occasional weak northeast wind makes weak coastal upwelling at the mouth of the bay, the combination ofupwelling with internal tidal flow causes remarkable water exchange and dispels the red tide.     

OCTOPUS,an Octo parameter underwater sensor,for use in biological oceanography studies

A realtime monitoring system for observing physical, biological, and optical oceanographic parameters in shallow waters was developed. It consists of a CTD with oxygen sensor, anin situ fluorometer, anin situ transmissometer, and anin situ quanta meter together with an on-deck quanta meter. The system is also equipped with a water sampling device. Water sampling can be done during the upward cast on the basis of depth profiles of temperature, salinity, oxygen,in situ fluorescence, transmittance, and underwater irradiance taken during the downward cast.     

Statistical study on the local equilibrium between wind and wind waves by using data from ocean data buoy stations

The local equilibrium between the wind and wind waves, which is defined by a range of the coefficient of the 3/2-power law between the non-dimensional significant wave height and period, is statistically investigated by using wind and wave data obtained at four ocean data buoy stations in the seas near Japan. The friction velocity is calculated from the wind speed measured at one height together with the significant wave period by using formulas of the wave dependent drag coefficient proposed by Tobaet al. (1990). The data for small waves or for weak winds indicate that the waves do not satisfy the criterion for the local equilibrium, because they may be affected by changing winds or remotely generated swells. In the seas near Japan, the data which satisfy the local equilibrium are about 6% through a year. Otherwise swells are dominant in most situations. Changing winds also cause deviations from the local equilibrium. The degree of satisfaction of the local equilibrium can be classified by ranges of the significant wave height. As the significant wave height exceeds 4 m, the local equilibrium is more frequently satisfied.     

Statistical properties of microwave backscattering from laboratory wind-wave surfaces

The microwave backscattering from wind-wave surfaces is observed in a windwave tunnel under various conditions of the wind and wind waves, and its statistical features are investigated. The dependence of the backscattered power on the wind speed and the incident angle shows similar features to those predicted by models proposed previously. However, the dependence of the backscattered power on the incident angles also corresponds to the asymmetrical feature of the wind-wave surfaces with respect to the wind direction. The spectral analyses of time series of the backscattered intensity show that the propagating speed of fine structures of the wind-wave surface contributing to the backscattering at large incident angles does not coincide with the phase speed of the freely propagating Braggwaves. Atupwind incidence, the surface structures of wind waves contributing to the backscattering propagates with the dominant waves at their phase speed. This result is inconsistent with the two-scale model in which the Bragg waves are simply superimposed on longer waves, but is consistent with the results of optical observation by Ebuchiet al. (1987). At downwind incidence, the propagating speed is slower than the phase speed of the dominant waves.     

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.     

Seasonal Variation of Space/Time Statistics of Short-Term Sea Surface Temperature Variability in the Kuroshio Region

Spatial and temporal scales of sea surface temperature (SST) variations in the Kuroshio region have been investigated using a satellite-based one-year merged SST product. Targeting short-term variations with temporal scales of less than a year, decorrelation scales, which are defined as the e-folding scale of SST variability, have been derived as functions of regional positions and calendar months. We assumed that the autocorrelation function of SST has anisotropic Gaussian characteristics in the space-time domain. Resultant spatial and temporal decorrelation scales range from 1 to 3° and 2 to 3 days, respectively. They are strongly inhomogeneous, anisotropic and time-dependent. These characteristics are attributed to the oceanic and atmospheric disturbances. Spatial decorrelation scales are determined mainly by strong atmospheric forcing in the study region. In the area with dominant atmospheric forcing, the spatial scales are larger than those in the other regions. Those in the regions with dynamical oceanographic disturbances are as small as 1°. Signal-to-noise ratios are also large where the atmospheric forcing is strong, while they are small where the oceanic signals are active.