The role of meso-scale eddies in mixed layer deepening and mode water formation in the western North Pacific

Distributions of mixed layer depths around the centers of anti-cyclonic and cyclonic eddies in the North Pacific Ocean were composited by using satellite-derived sea surface height anomaly data and Argo profiling float data. The composite distributions showed that in late winter, deeper mixed layers were more (less) frequently observed inside the cores of the anti-cyclonic (cyclonic) eddies than outside. This relationship was the clearest in the region of 140°E–160°W and 35°N–40°N, where the temperature and salinity of the deep mixed layers were similar to those of the lighter variety of central mode water (L-CMW). A simple one-dimensional bulk mixed layer model showed that both strong sea-surface heat and momentum fluxes and weak preexisting stratification contributed to formation of the deep mixed layer. These conditions were associated with the anti-cyclonic eddies, suggesting that these eddies are important in the formation of mode waters, particularly L-CMW.     

Multi-scale modeling of CO2 dispersion leaked from seafloor off the Japanese coast

A numerical simulation was conducted to predict the change of pCO₂ in the ocean caused by CO₂ leaked from an underground aquifer, in which CO₂ is purposefully stored. The target space of the present model was the ocean above the seafloor. The behavior of CO₂ bubbles, their dissolution, and the advection-diffusion of dissolved CO₂ were numerically simulated. Here, two cases for the leakage rate were studied: an extreme case, 94,600 t/y, which assumed that a large fault accidentally connects the CO₂ reservoir and the seafloor; and a reasonable case, 3800 t/y, based on the seepage rate of an existing EOR site. In the extreme case, the calculated increase in ΔpCO₂ experienced by floating organisms was less than 300 ppm, while that for immobile organisms directly over the fault surface periodically exceeded 1000 ppm, if momentarily. In the reasonable case, the calculated ΔpCO₂ and pH were within the range of natural fluctuation.     

Predictability of storm wave heights in the ice-free Beaufort Sea

A predictability study on wave forecast of the Arctic Ocean is necessary to help identify hazardous areas and ensure sustainable shipping along the trans-Arctic routes. To assist with validation of the Arctic Ocean wave model, two drifting wave buoys were deployed off Point Barrow, Alaska for two months in September 2016. Both buoys measured significant wave heights exceeding 4 m during two different storm events on 19 September and 22 October. The NOAA-WAVEWATCH III^? model with 16-km resolution was forced using wind and sea ice reanalysis data and obtained general agreement with the observation. The September storm was reproduced well; however, model accuracy deteriorated in October with a negative wave height bias of around 1 m during the October storm. Utilising reanalysis data, including the most up-to-date ERA5, this study investigated the cause: grid resolution, wind and ice forcing, and in situ sea level pressure observations assimilated for reanalysis. The analysis has found that there is a 20% reduction of in situ SLP observations in the area of interest, presumably due to fewer ships and deployment options during the sea ice advance period. The 63-member atmospheric ensemble reanalysis, ALERA2, has shown that this led to a larger ensemble spread in the October monthly mean wind field compared to September. Since atmospheric physics is complex during sea ice advance, it is speculated that the elevated uncertainty of synoptic-scale wind caused the negative wave model bias. This has implications for wave hindcasts and forecasts in the Arctic Ocean.     

Production of the Blood Pressure Lowing Peptides from Brown Alga ( Undaria pinnatifida )

1 IntroductionIncreased blood pressure appears to be one of theprimary risk factors of circulatory organ diseases suchas encepharo-apoplexy, encepharo-infarction and cardi-ac infraction. Angiotensin-I-converting enzyme (ACE)plays an important role in the rennin-angiotensin sys-tem by regulating blood pressure. Antihypertensivedrugs such as captopril and enalapril are potent ACEinhibitors (Ondetti et al., 1977). Recently, severalinhibitory peptides derived from food proteins havebeen isolat…     

The Grenvillian and Pan-African orogens: World's largest orogenies through geologic time, and their implications on the origin of superplume

The Neoproterozoic Earth was shaped largely by the Grenvillian and Pan-African orogenies. Out of these, the Grenvillian orogeny has long been regarded to be of minor nature in terms of global-scale orogenic episodes, whereas the Pan-African orogeny has been widely recognized in many continental fragments, although not in major parts of Asia. Based on chronological information in zircons from major river mouths across several important terrains of the globe, we show here that the Grenvillian orogeny contributed significantly to the formation of the continental crust. The time period between 0.6 Ga and 0.8 Ga marked the climax at the dawn of the Pan-African orogeny. Continental crust formed in this period is concentrated in the Pan-African orogenic belts widely across the globe. These regions were widespread over the half hemisphere of the globe, and were subsequently reduced in size after they moved to form Laurasia. The normalized frequency distribution of zircon ages from river-mouth sand over the world clearly demonstrates that Neoproterozoic and (0.9–0.6 Ga) and Grenvillian (1.3–1.0 Ga) peaks define the largest population. This means that extensive subduction, and hence active plate tectonics, might have operated through these periods. The zircon study has also brought to light new regions of the Grenvillian orogenic belts, particularly in the continents which are now covered by thick Phanerozoic sedimentary basins. Based on the new locations of Grenvillian orogens identified in this study, and using the distribution patterns as a marker bed, we propose revised paleogeographic configurations of the Rodinia and Gondwana supercontinents.Our results demonstrate that the Neoproterozoic was the most active period of crust formation in the Earth. The cold basins, formed right after the assembly of Rodinia, exhibit a basin chain fringing the northern periphery of Rodinia, which turned into sites of mantle upwellings and led to the rifting and separation of the supercontinental assembly. The continents then moved northwards after the formation of Gondwana at ca. 540 Ma, and enlarged the northern half of the supercontinent Pangea since 250 Ma.Based on the results, we also evaluate the role of supercontinents in the mechanism of generation of superplumes addressing the enigma that the coldest mantle right above the Core–Mantle Boundary turns to the hottest one over a period of several hundreds of million years. Slab graveyard formed by the Pan-African subduction can be imaged through P-wave tomography. We postulate that the high-velocity anomaly in the D” layer underneath Gondwana has now transformed to the low-V regions to generate the African superplume. The tectonic history of solid Earth in the Phanerozoic seems to be controlled by the slab graveyards formed by the Grenvillian orogeny ca. 1.0 Ga.     

Effectivity of dissolved SF6 tracer for clarification of rainfall–runoff processes in a forested headwater catchment

Understanding rainfall‐runoff processes is crucial for prevention and prediction of water‐related natural disasters. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is a potential tracer, but few researches have applied it for rainfall‐runoff process studies. We observed multiple tracers including SF₆ in spring water at 1‐ to 2‐hr intervals during rainstorm events to investigate the effectivity of SF₆ tracer in rainfall–runoff studies through the clarification of rainfall–runoff process. The target spring is a perennial spring in a forested headwater catchment with an area of 0.045 km² in Fukushima, Japan. The relationship between the SF₆ concentration in spring water and the spring discharge volume was negative trend; the SF₆ concentration in spring water becomes low as the spring discharge volume increases especially during rainstorms. The hydrograph separation using SF₆ and chloride ion tracers was applied for determining the contribution of principal sources on rainfall–runoff water. It suggested more than 60% contribution of bedrock groundwater at the rainfall peak and high percentage contribution continued even in the hydrograph recession phase. Based on observed low SF₆ concentration in groundwater after heavy rainfall, the replacement of groundwater near the spring with bedrock groundwater is indicated as a mechanism for water discharge with low SF₆ concentration during rainfall events. Consequently, rainstorm events play an important role as triggers in discharging water stored in the deeper subsurface area. In addition, SF₆ tracer is concluded as one of the strongest tracers for examining rainfall–runoff process studies. And, therefore, this study provided new insights into the dynamics of groundwater and its responses to rainfall in terms of SF₆ concentration variance in water in headwater regions.     

Geochemical characteristics of ores and surface waters for environmental risk assessment in the Pinpet iron deposit,southern Shan State,Myanmar

Mining operations in the Pinpet Fe deposit, which is the second‐largest Fe deposit in Myanmar, are currently suspended, in part because of possible contamination of heavy metals and hazardous elements (e.g., Fe, As, Cu, Zn, and U) into the surrounding aquatic environment and associated public concern. However, a scientific investigation of the source and degree of contamination in streams near the deposit has not yet been conducted. Therefore, we quantified heavy‐metal and hazardous‐element concentrations of stream waters and sediments in stream beds, and measured the speciation and concentration of these metals in deposit Fe ores using the sequential extraction method, to better understand the influence of mining activities on the surrounding environment. Geochemical results for Nan‐tank‐pauk stream and its tributaries indicate that the chemical compositions of their waters are controlled by carbonate bedrock and that no detectable contamination has occurred as a result of mining activity or hematite and limonite ore beneficiation processes in either the wet or dry seasons. All measured heavy‐metal and hazardous‐element concentrations were below the World Health Organization standards for drinking water and the proposed national drinking water quality standards in Myanmar. Bulk chemical compositions of stream‐bed and tailings dam sediments show that As, Zn, and Cu concentrations are similar to those in uncontaminated sediments. Results of bulk mineralogical and chemical analyses of ore samples reveal that some limonite ore samples contain substantial amounts of As (up to 2 wt%). However, sequential extraction results indicate that most (>90%) of the As in these As‐rich ores is hosted in insoluble fractions (e.g., crystalline Fe hydroxides and clays). Therefore, arsenic is unlikely to be released into the aquatic environment by interacting with water during ore beneficiation processes should the mine resume operations.     

Improved description of global mixed-layer depth using Argo profiling floats

A global data set describing the gridded mixed-layer depth (MLD) in 10-day intervals was produced using high-quality Argo float data from 2001 to 2009. The characteristics and advantages provided by the new MLD data set are described here, including a comparison based on two different thresholds and using data sets of different vertical and temporal resolution. The MLD in the data set was estimated on the basis of a shallower depth of the iso-thermal layer (TLD) or iso-pycnal layer (PLD), calculated using the finite difference method. The MLD data are incorporated into 2° × 2° grid in the global ocean, including marginal seas. Also, two threshold values were used to examine differences in the MLD and its seasonal temporal variability. The characteristics and advantages of using the Argo 10-day intervals to determine the MLD were then confirmed by comparing those data with the station buoy daily means and the Argo monthly means. With respect to vertical and temporal resolutions, the Argo 10-day data has two distinct advantages: (1) improved representation of the MLD vertical change due to high vertical resolution, especially during periods of large MLD variability and (2) more detailed representation of the temporal change in MLD than achieved with the Argo monthly mean data, especially from winter to spring in mid and high latitudes. These advantages were maintained in the case of a larger threshold despite the fact that the MLD is rather deep and the detailed variation in its distribution differs depending on the season and location. This study also investigated the relative influence of TLD and PLD to the MLD calculation for each grid. Generally, the MLD is primarily determined based on the PLD at low and mid latitudes (TLD > PLD), whereas the TLD is more important at high latitudes, especially in winter (TLD < PLD). In the case of a larger threshold, the area of the larger PLD influence spreads polewards because of the greater effect of salinity in winter. Although there are some differences in the effect of temperature and salinity in estimations of the MLD, both are indispensable factors for the MLD estimations even at different thresholds.