Eddy activities of the surface layer in the western North Pacific detected by satellite altimeter and radiometer

Geosat radar altimeter data during the first year (from November 1986 to November 1987) of its Exact Repeat Mission are analyzed to estimate the eddy kinetic energy and propagation characteristics of anomalies of sea surface dynamic topography (SSDT) for the western North Pacific. SSDT anomalies are compared with anomalies of sea surface temperature (SST) derived from NOAA satellite radiometer data. The eddy kinetic energy (K _e ) is large in the Kuroshio stationary meander region and Kuroshio Extension region. In the downstream region of the Kuroshio Extension,K _e is especially large on the upstream and downstream sides of prominent bathymetric features. In the interior region of the subtropical gyre is found a zonal tongue of largeK _e at around 20–20°N. Westward propagation is dominant in the SSDT and SST anomaly field at mid-latitudes. Longitude-time lag correlation diagrams reveal the coincidence of SSDT and SST anomalies statistically, which fact suggests the baroclinic nature of the anomalies. Zonal phase speeds of SSDT anomalies are approximately equal to the theoretical speeds of baroclinic first-mode long Rossby waves, but the meridional variation of observed phase speeds does not follow the simple theoretical variation of decreasing speeds monotonously with increasing latitudes.     

Unsteady flows in Io’s atmosphere caused by condensation and sublimation during and after eclipse: Numerical study based on a model Boltzmann equation

The behavior of Io’s atmosphere during and after eclipse is investigated on the basis of kinetic theory. The atmosphere is mainly composed of sulfur dioxide (SO₂) gas, which condenses to or sublimates from the frost of SO₂ on the surface depending on the variation of surface temperature (～90–114 K). The atmosphere may also contain a noncondensable gas, such as sulfur monoxide (SO) or oxygen (O₂), as a minor component. In the present study, an accurate numerical analysis for a model Boltzmann equation by a finite-difference method is performed for a one-dimensional atmosphere, and the detailed structure of unsteady gas flows caused by the phase transition of SO₂ is clarified. For instance, the following scenario is obtained. The condensation of SO₂ on the surface, starting when eclipse begins, gives rise to a downward flow of the atmosphere. The falling atmosphere then bounces upward when colliding with the lower atmosphere but soon falls again. This process of falling and bounce back of the atmosphere repeats during the eclipse, resulting in a temporal oscillation of the macroscopic quantities, such as the velocity and temperature, at a fixed altitude. For a pure SO₂ atmosphere, the amplitude of the oscillation is large because of a fast downward flow, but the oscillation decays rapidly. In contrast, for a mixture, the downward flow is slow because the noncondensable gas adjacent to the surface hinders the condensation of SO₂. The oscillation in this case is weak but lasts much longer than in the case of pure SO₂. The present paper is complementary to the work by Moore et al. (Moore, C.H., Goldstein, D.B., Varghese, P.L., Trafton, L.M., Stewart, B. [2009]. Icarus 201, 585–597) using the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method.     

Petrology of kaersutite-bearing ultramafic and mafic inclusions in Iki Island,Japan

Kaersutite-bearing peridotite, clinopyroxenite, gabbro and hornblendite inclusions up to 5 cm in size and megacrysts of kaersutite, andesine and titanomagnetite occur in alkali basalt scoria at Takenotsuji, Iki Island, Japan. New analyses are presented for seven kaersutite-bearing basaltic rocks, three inclusions, three clinopyroxenes and six kaersutites.From the petrography and chemistry of the inclusions and recent experimental work at high pressures and temperatures on natural rock systems, it is suggested that kaersutite-bearing inclusions have been produced from alkali basalt magmas under hydrous conditions at a depth of about 25 to 30 km in the lowest part of the crust.     

Bidirectional loading hybrid tests of square cross‐sections of steel bridge piers

Steel rectangular section columns with stiffened plates are commonly used for elevated highway bridges in the urban areas of Japan. The seismic design of bridge piers is usually performed by dynamic analysis in the horizontal direction using various independent directional seismic acceleration data. However, this simple treatment does not reflect the effect of bilateral loading as a structural response to inelastic interaction. In this study, unidirectional and bidirectional loading hybrid tests were conducted to examine the seismic response and performance of square cross‐sections of steel bridge piers subjected to bidirectional seismic accelerations. Comparison of the results of unidirectional and bidirectional loading tests revealed that the maximum load is the same as the average of unidirectional loading in the NS and EW directions; however, the maximum response displacement and residual displacement increase in proportion with hard to soft ground types. Moreover, a modified seismic design is proposed considering these bidirectional loading effects. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Titanochondrodite and titanoclinohumite derived from the upper mantle in the Buell Park kimberlite,Arizona, USA

Titanoclinohumite, titanochondrodite, and associated Na-bearing tremolite occurring as crystal fragments in the Buell Park kimberlite are not likely crystallization products of a kimberlite magma. They more likely formed as phases in hydration assemblages of peridotite at temperatures below 700 ° C and pressures below 18 kbar. The crystals were dispersed in kimberlite as rock fragments were comminuted during transport to the surface.     

A GIS-based study toward forecast of suburban forest change

At a time when the concept of ‘human and environmental symbiosis’ has taken on much significance, protection of suburban forests (i.e. forests adjacent to or near developed areas) is a topic that has drawn much attention. Suburban forests have, since ancient times, been places where people have gathered firewood and cultured trees. As a result, the vegetation of suburban forests is only partially natural and continues to change as the forms of human activity in and around them changes. Accurate forecasts of how suburban forests will change are, therefore, an important element in the debate over how to protect them. In this study, a suburban forest was analyzed with laser radar sensing, multi-spectrum scanning, digital photogrammetry analysis, aerial photograph interpretation, and a field survey. Data gathered using these techniques were compiled on a GIS to forecast future changes in the forest. Aerial photographs taken over the past 50 years were analyzed to illuminate changes in the forest over that period. Specifically, comparisons of precise Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) measured by using digital photogrammetry workstations made it possible to estimate growth in forest height. The possible future conversion of such results to estimates of amounts of carbon dioxide consolidated by forests should be very significant for discussions of global environmental problems. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Acoustic properties of deformed rocks in the Nobeoka thrust,in the Shimanto Belt,Kyushu, Southwest Japan

Laboratory measurements for compressional and shear wave velocities (Vp and Vs, respectively) and porosity were conducted with core samples from the Nobeoka Thrust Drilling Project (NOBELL) under controlled effective pressure (5–65 MPa at 5 MPa intervals) and wet conditions. Samples were classified according to deformation texture as phyllite, foliated cataclasite, or non‐foliated cataclasite. Measured values of Vp, Vs, and porosity are within a range of 5.17–5.57 km/s, 2.60–2.71 km/s, and 2.75–3.10 %, respectively, for phyllite; 4.89–5.23 km/s, 2.46–2.57 km/s, and 3.58–4.53 %, respectively, for foliated cataclasite; and 4.90–5.32 km/s, 2.51–2.63 km/s, and 3.79–4.60 %, respectively, for non‐foliated cataclasite, which are all consistent with the previous laboratory experiments conducted with outcrop samples under dry conditions. However, our results also indicate higher Vp and Vs and lower porosity than those measured by the previous studies that adopted the wire‐line logging methods. The variations in Vp, Vs, and porosity are controlled by deformation structure and are greater for phyllite and foliated cataclasite than for non‐foliated cataclasite.     

Ventilation of the North Pacific subtropical pycnocline and mode water formation

The annual subduction rate of the North Pacific was calculated based on isopycnally averaged hydrographic climatology (HydroBase), high-resolution winter mixed-layer climatology (NWMLC), and various wind stress climatologies from ship reports, numerical weather prediction products, and satellite products. The calculation was performed using Lagrangian coordinates in the same manner as in previous works, except a less smoothed oceanic climatology (HydroBase and NWMLC) was used instead of a World Ocean Atlas. Differences in the wind stress climatologies have very little effect on subduction rate estimates. The subduction rate census for density classes showed peaks corresponding to subtropical mode water (STMW), central mode water (CMW), and eastern subtropical mode water (ESTMW). The deeper mixed layer and the associated sharper mixed-layer fronts in the present climatology resulted in a larger lateral induction, which boosted the subduction rate, especially for the potential density anomaly (σ_θ) range of the lighter STMW (25.0 < σ_θ < 25.2 kg m⁻³) and lighter CMW (26.0 < σ_θ < 26.2 kg m⁻³), compared to previous estimates. The renewal time of permanent pycnocline water was estimated as the volume of water divided by the subduction rate for each σ_θ class: 2–4 years for ESTMW (24.5 < σ_θ < 25.2 kg m⁻³), 2 years for the lighter STMW (25.0 < σ_θ < 25.3 kg m⁻³), 5–9 years for the denser STMW (25.3 < σ_θ < 25.6 kg m⁻³), 10–20 years for the lighter CMW (26.0 < σ_θ < 26.2 kg m⁻³), 20–30 years for the middle CMW (26.2 < σ_θ < 26.3 kg m⁻³), and 60 years or longer for the denser CMW (26.3 < σ_θ < 26.6 kg m⁻³). A comparison of the water volume and subduction rate in potential temperature–salinity (θ–S) space indicated that the upper permanent pycnocline water (25.0 < σ_θ < 26.2 kg m⁻³) was directly maintained by nondiffusive subduction of winter surface water, including STMW and lighter CMW. The lower permanent pycnocline water (26.2 < σ_θ < 26.6 kg m⁻³) may be maintained through the subduction of fresher and colder water from the subarctic–subtropical transition region and subsequent mixing with saltier and warmer water. Diagnosis of the potential vorticity (PV) of the subducted water demonstrated that the low PV of STMW was mainly due to the large subduction rate, whereas that of both ESTMW and CMW was due mainly to the small density advection rate (cross-isopycnal flow). Additionally, a relatively large subduction rate probably contributes to the low PV of part of the lighter CMW (ESTMW) formed in the region around 38°N and 170°W (28°N and 145°W), which is characterized by a relatively thick winter mixed layer and an associated mixed-layer front, causing a large lateral induction rate.     

Origin of the Tonaru body in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt,SW Japan

Zircon U–Pb dating of the Tonaru metagabbro body in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt, southwest Japan, suggests that igneous events at ca 200–180 Ma were involved in the protolith formation. The trace element compositions of the Tonaru zircons are enriched in U (a fluid‐mobile element) and Sc (an amphibole‐buffered element), and depleted in Nb (a fluid‐immobile element), suggesting that the parental magmas related to the Tonaru metagabbros formed in an arc setting. Integration of our results with previous studies of the metasedimentary rocks in the Tonaru body clearly indicates that the protoliths of the Tonaru body were produced by oceanic‐arc magmatism. With the previous geochronological and geological studies, the tectono‐magmatic–metamorphic history of the Tonaru and other mafic bodies in the Sanbagawa metamorphic belt may be summarized as follows: (i) the protolith formation by the oceanic‐arc magmatic event had occurred at 200–180 Ma; (ii) the protoliths were accreted in the trench at ca 130–120 Ma; and (iii) they were completely subducted into the depth of the eclogite‐facies condition after 120 Ma.     

不同类型生态系统水热碳通量的监测与研究

亚太地区环境革新战略项目(APEIS) 在中国5种主要生态系统类型区(草地: 海北、耕地: 禹城、稻田: 桃源、林地: 千烟洲、荒漠: 阜康) 建立了一个以连续观测能量、水分和碳素通量为中心,包括气象、水文、土壤、植被等各项生态要素的监测网络系统,被称之为APEIS-FLUX系统。作者首先对APEIS-FLUX系统的观测数据进行了初步分析,表明该系统稳定可靠,它可以实时地提供高质量、高精度、长期而连续的通量及生态要素的观测数据。对数据的比较清楚地反映出了不同生态系统类型区的水热碳通量的差异性。其次,利用APEIS-FLUX数据对美国航空航天局(NASA) 的MODIS数据产品进行比较验证后发现,除部分产品如地表面温度(MOD11) 等与观测数据较吻合以外,大部分数据产品如土地覆盖(MOD12),叶面积指数(MOD15) 和光合速率与净第一性生产力(MOD17) 等都与观测数据相差深远,有必要对其处理程序和模式进行修正。为此,我们利用APEIS-FLUX的数据作为MOD15和MOD17的生成模型(BIOME-BGC) 的输入数据,并对该模型的有关参数进行了修订。结果表明,该模式在通过修正后,可以很好地模拟植被的生长过程及其相应的水热碳循环过程。