Age compositions of flatfish stocks as determined by a new otolithometric method, its application in the estimation of growth, spawning potential and fisheries management

We developed an ageing methodology and examined age composition of three flatfish stocks inhabiting the Seto Inland Sea, Japan. Ages were difficult to determine for three-lined tongue sole (Cynoglossus abbreviates) and ridged-eye flounder (Pleuronichthys cornutus) because the first year annulus ring was often indistinct; therefore, we used directional change in otolith growth to distinguish it. Sectioning and etching methods were powerful tools for identifying annual checks for red tongue sole (Cynoglossus joyneri). Using these ageing methods, we determined age–length relationships and growth curves. The age composition of the populations studied and of the landings showed that a large proportion of the latter consisted of individuals under the mean age of sexual maturity, thereby reducing the percent spawning potential ratio (%SPR) to ≈ 20% for all species. These findings suggest that fishing pressure on immature fish is leading to overfishing of these flatfish stocks.     

Phytoplankton community reorganization driven by eutrophication and warming in Lake Biwa

We compiled and analyzed long-term data, including chemical, physical and phytoplankton community data, for the Lake Biwa ecosystem from 1962 to 2003. Analyses on environmental data indicate that Lake Biwa had experienced intensified eutrophication (according to total phosphorus concentration) in the late 1960s and returned to a less eutrophic status around 1985, and then exhibited rapid warming and thus increased water column stability since 1990. Total phytoplankton cell volume largely followed the trend of total phosphorus concentration, albeit short-term fluctuations existed. However, phytoplankton community shifted dramatically in response to those changes of environmental states. These shifts were cause by changes in trophic status driven by phosphorus loadings and physical properties in the water column driven by warming. Moreover, most phytoplankton species did not show a strong linear correlation with environmental variables, suggesting nonlinear transitions among different states.     

A 27-kyr record of environmental change in central Asia inferred from the sediment record of Lake Hovsgol,northwest Mongolia

Geochemistry of a sediment core from Lake Hovsgol, northwest Mongolia provides a continuous, 27-kyr history of the response of the lake and the surrounding catchment to climate change. Principle component (PC) analysis of 19 major and trace elements, total inorganic carbon (TIC), and total organic carbon (TOC) in the bulk sediment samples revealed that the 21 chemical components can be grouped into four assemblages—group-1: Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, and TIC, hosted in carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite, and magnesian calcite); group-2: Ni, Cu, and Zn, recognized as biophilic trace metals, and TOC; group-3: Al, K, Ti, V, Fe, Rb, Cs, Ba, and Pb, composed of rock-forming minerals; and group-4: Cr, Mn, and As, sensitive to the redox condition of the sediment. The four element assemblages originated from three relevant processes. Group-1 and group-2 components are authigenic products and comprise the end member on the PC-1 score, whose variation reflects changes in the water volume, i.e. the balance between precipitation and evaporation (P/E). Group-3 components from detrital materials of the catchment contribute to the PC-2 score, whose variability indicates erosion/weathering intensity in the drainage basin, which might be controlled by the amount of vegetation cover associated with moisture change. The group-4 components of redox-sensitive elements contribute to the PC-3 score and are not an end member because of their small amount. The first two PC scores suggest a sequential record of paleo-moisture evolution in central Asia. The P/E balance in the Lake Hovsgol region, inferred from the PC-1 score, gradually increased during the glacial/interglacial transition. This resembles climate change of the North Atlantic region on the glacial–interglacial scale, but does not reflect the abrupt climate shifts such as the warm Bølling-Allerød and the cold Younger Dryas of the North Atlantic on the millennial scale. A periodic variation of ~8.7 kyr was observed in the PC-2 score profile of detrital input to Lake Hovsgol over the last glacial and Holocene. The decrease in detrital input coincided with the copious supply of moisture from the Asian monsoon regime and the North Atlantic westerly winds to the Baikal drainage basin, which includes Lake Hovsgol. Our geochemical records from Lake Hovsgol demonstrate that the climate system of interior continental Asia was strongly influenced by change on both Milankovitch and sub-Milankovitch scales.     

Seasonal variation of <Superscript>228</Superscript>Ra/<Superscript>226</Superscript>Ra ratio in surface water from the East China Sea and the Tsushima Strait

A total of 21 surface water samples were collected on the east side of the East China Sea (ECS) (3 sites) and at the Tsushima Strait (1 site), and ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra activities were measured using low-background γ-spectrometry. The ²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra ratios among the samples exhibited notable seasonal variation (²²⁸Ra/²²⁶Ra = 0.2–2.6) accompanying changes of salinity (31.7–34.7). Seasonal water circulation within the ECS is hypothesized to cause the change by altering the mixing ratio of ²²⁸Ra-rich continental shelf water and ²²⁸Ra-poor Kuroshio water.     

26Al–26Mg chronology of high-temperature condensate hibonite in a fine-grained,Ca-Al-rich inclusion from reduced CV chondrite

Al–Mg mineral isochron studies using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have revealed the initial ²⁶Al/²⁷Al ratios, (²⁶Al/²⁷Al)₀, for individual Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) in meteorites. We find that the relative sensitivity factors of ²⁷Al/²⁴Mg ratio for SIMS analysis of hibonite, one of the major constituent minerals of CAIs, exhibit variations based on their chemical compositions. This underscores the critical need for using appropriate hibonite standards to obtain accurate Al−Mg data. We measured the Al−Mg mineral isochron for hibonite in a fine-grained CAI (FGI) from the Northwest Africa 8613 reduced CV chondrite by SIMS using synthesized hibonite standards with ²⁷Al/²⁴Mg of ~30, ~100, and ~400. The obtained mineral isochron of hibonite in the FGI yields (²⁶Al/²⁷Al)₀ of (4.73 ± 0.09) × 10⁻⁵, which is identical to that previously obtained from the mineral isochron of spinel and melilite in the same FGI (Kawasaki et al., 2020). The uncertainties of (²⁶Al/²⁷Al)₀ indicate that the constituent minerals in the FGI formed within ~0.02 Myr in the earliest solar system. The disequilibrium O-isotope distributions of the minerals in the FGI suggest that the O-isotope compositions of the nebular gas from which they condensed underwent a transitional change from ¹⁶O-rich to ¹⁶O-poor within ~0.02 Myr in the earliest solar system. Once formed, the FGI may have been removed from the forming region within ~0.02 Myr and transported to the accretion region of the parent body.     

Contribution of benthic microalgae to the whole water algal biomass and primary production in Suo Nada,the Seto Inland Sea,Japan

Biomass and primary productivity of benthic microalgae (BMA) and planktonic algae in Suo Nada, the western part of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan were compared in terms of unit area with regard to their seasonal and spatial distribution in 2002. Judging from light compensation depth and water depth, the southwestern part of Suo Nada was considered to be a potential habitat for BMA. Whereas the contribution of sedimented planktonic algae was high in biomass at the sediment surface, BMA was obviously significant both in biomass and primary production in the shallow southwestern part. However, the contribution of BMA to the total biomass in the entire water column was 7% in winter and 2% in summer. The primary production of BMA varied between 4.0 and 74.0 mg C m⁻² d⁻¹ in the southwestern part, accounting for 2–12% of the whole water column primary production. The ecological roles of BMA in the Suo Nada ecosystem are discussed, such as reduction of benthic nutrient flux, oxidation of surface sediments and feed for higher animals.     

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1674987114000280

Characteristic infrasound waves observed at Antarctic stations demonstrate physical interaction involving environmental changes in the Antarctic continent and the surrounding oceans.A Chaparraltype infrasound sensor was installed at Syowa Station(SYO;39°E,69°S),East Antarctica,as one of the projects of the International Polar Year(IPY2007—2008).Data continuously recorded during the three seasons in 2008—2010 clearly indicate a contamination of the background oceanic signals(microbaroms)with peaks between 4 and 10 s observed during a whole season.The peak amplitudes of the microbaroms have relatively lower values during austral winters,caused by a larger amount of sea-ice extending around the L(u|")tzow-Holm Bay near SYO,with decreasing ocean wave loading effects.Microbaroms measurements are useful tool for characterizing ocean wave climate,complementing other oceanographic and geophysical data.A continuous monitoring by infrasound sensors in the Antarctic firmly contributes to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty(CTBT) in the southern high latitude,together with the Pan-Antarctic Observations System(PAntOS) under the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research(SCAR).Detailed measurements of the infrasound waves in Antarctica,consequently,could be a new proxy for monitoring regional environmental change as well as the temporal climate variations in the polar regions.     

Numerical analysis of soilbags under compression and cyclic shear

This paper presents a finite element model for analysing the behaviour of granular material wrapped with polyethylene bags under vertical compression and cyclic shearing. The simple Mohr–Coulomb model is used to represent the soil behaviour. The polyethylene bag is represented by a linear-elastic–perfect-plastic model. The soil-bag interface is modelled with contact constraints. The main purpose of the numerical analysis is to validate the anticipated performance of soilbags under various loading conditions and hence the effectiveness of soilbags as a method of ground improvement.     

Climate and vegetation in Hokkaido, northern Japan, since the LGM: Pollen records from core GH02-1030 off Tokachi in the northwestern Pacific

Vegetation and climate since the LGM in eastern Hokkaido were investigated based on a pollen record from marine core GH02-1030 from off Tokachi in the northwestern Pacific. We also examined pollen spectra in surface samples from Sakhalin to compare and understand the climatic conditions of Hokkaido during the last glacial period. Vegetation in the Tokachi region in the LGM (22–17 ka) was an open boreal forest dominated by Picea and Larix. During the last deglaciation (17–10 ka), vegetation was characterized by abundant Betula. In the Kenbuchi Basin, central Hokkaido, a remarkable increase of Larix and Pinus occurred in the LGM and the last deglaciation, which was assigned as the “Kenbuchi Stadial.” Comparison of climatic data between the core GH02-1030 and that of Kenbuchi Basin demonstrates that variations in temperature and precipitation were larger in inland Hokkaido than in the maritime area of the Pacific coast. During the LGM in the Tokachi region, the August mean temperature was about 5 °C lower, and annual precipitation was about 40% lower than today. In the Kenbuchi Basin, central Hokkaido, the August mean temperature was about 8 °C lower, and annual precipitation was half that of today. During the last deglaciation, August mean temperatures were about 3 °C lower, and annual precipitation was about 30% lower than today in the Tokachi region. In the Kenbuchi Basin, August mean temperatures were about 5–8 °C lower, and annual precipitation was about 40–60% lower than today. Cold ocean water and a strengthened summer monsoon after 15 ka may have resulted in the formation of advection fogs, reduced summer temperatures, and a decrease in the seasonal temperature difference in the Tokachi district, which established favorable maritime conditions for Betula forests.