Two modes of climatic control in the Holocene stalagmite record from the Japan Sea side of the Japanese islands

The Holocene stalagmite FG01 collected at the Fukugaguchi Cave in Itoigawa, central Japan provides a unique high‐resolution record of the East Asian winter monsoon. Because of the climate conditions on the Japan Sea side of the Japanese islands, the volume of precipitation during the winter is strongly reflected in the stalagmite δ¹⁸O signal. Examination of the carbon isotopes and the Mg/Ca ratio of FG01 provided additional information on the Holocene climate in Itoigawa, which is characterized by two different modes separated at 6.4 ka. Dripwater composition and the correlation between the δ¹³C and Mg/Ca data of FG01 indicate the importance of prior calcite precipitation (PCP), a process that selectively eliminated ¹²C and calcium ions from infiltrating water from CO₂ degassing and calcite precipitation. In an earlier period (10.0–6.4 ka), an increase in soil pCO₂ associated with warming and wetting climate trends was a critical factor that enhanced PCP, and resulted in an increasing trend in the Mg/Ca and δ¹³C data and a negative correlation between the δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O profiles. A distinct peak in the δ¹³C age profile at 6.8 ka could be a response to an increase of approximately 10% in C4 plants in the recharge area. At 6.4 ka, the climate mode changed to another, and correlation between δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C became positive. In addition, a millennial‐scale variation in δ¹⁸O and pulsed changes in δ¹³C and Mg/Ca became distinct. Assuming that δ¹⁸O and PCP were controlled by moisture in the later period, the volume of precipitation was high during 6.0–5.2, 4.4–4.0, and 3.0–2.0 ka. In contrast, the driest interval in Itoigawa was during 0.2–0.4 ka, and broadly corresponds to the Little Ice Age.     

Environmental controls on phytoplankton production in coastal ecosystems: A case study from Tokyo Bay

Phytoplankton biomass and primary production were examined in their environmental context, for a semi-enclosed bay (Tokyo Bay, Japan) using data from monthly samples collected over a three-year period. Heavy precipitation and high surface temperatures in the late spring and summer gave rise to a highly-stratified water-column and stimulated a series of phytoplankton blooms, whereas during the winter, a weakly-stratified and deeply-mixed water-column led to a rapid decline in phytoplankton biomass under light-limited growth conditions. By incorporating pigment, photophysiological and optical data into a primary production model we show that daily, water-column primary production ranges from ∼160 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ to 7600 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹. High water turbidity and deep vertical mixing, both separately and in concert, limit the light available for algal growth over much of the year. Annual primary production varied from 370 to 580 g C m⁻² y⁻¹. The relative influences of nutrient limitation and light limitation are assessed. A model is developed that describes this in an explicit manner using photophysiological parameters.     

The Weathering of Granodiorite Porphyry in the Thiel Mountains, Inland Antarctica

The weathering of granodiorite porphyry is examined in the extremely cold and dry environment of the inland part of Antarctica. Weathering features include granular disintegration, rock varnish, and sheeting. Sheeting has gradually proceeded since the exposing of the nunatak, but the other types of weathering have not actively advanced in recent times.
Granular disintegration primarily comprises the release of individual crystals. The mechanism of this release is that cracks are created along crystal boundaries and cleavages in phenocrysts mainly due to differential thermal expansion. Plagioclase and hypersthene are released more readily than quartz. Disintegration of plagioclase has produced many prism-shaped holes, 0.5 to 2.0 mm in length, while fine-grained quartz crystals, 0.05 to 0.1 mm in diameter, are incidentally released without cracking.
The reddish brown (10R4/4) rock varnishes result from oxidation and consist of limonite, which fills cracks and penetrates into crystals. Ferrous iron in hypersthene, biotite, ilmenite and magnetite is transformed into limonite by oxidation. Manganese is not found in the varnishes. Sulfur, which is important for oxidation and which may have originated from adhered snow, is concentrated on the surface of the rock.
Sheeting has precipitated rock falls, and has gradually formed a gray mosaic on the varnished wall. The sheeting was caused by gravitational body force, which is internal stress of the rock body due to the mass of the overburden.