A Challenge of Water Purification in Dokai Bay, Japan

A history of water pollution and countermeasures for water purification in Dokai Bay, Japan are reviewed. Now, Dokai Bay suffers from the occurrences of red tides and oxygen-deficiency in summer. In order to prevent the occurrences of red tides and oxygen-deficiency, an ecological numerical model has been developed. The model experiments forecast that when the phosphorus or nitrogen load from land will be cut by 90% or 95%, respectively, red tides and oxygen-deficiency will not occur in Dokai Bay. If the industrial and sewage facilities are not sufficient to cut the nutrients load to the necessary degree, we have to consider other countermeasures such as cultivating bivalves and algae in order to decrease the nutrients concentration in the bay. International co-operation related to coastal zone management is also discussed.     

Mineralogical study of brown olivine in Northwest Africa 1950 shergottite and implications for the formation mechanism of iron nanoparticles

Martian meteorites, in particular shergottites, contain darkened olivine (so‐called “brown olivine”) whose color is induced by iron nanoparticles formed in olivine during a shock event. The formation process and conditions of brown olivine have been discussed in the Northwest Africa 2737 (NWA 2737) chassignite. However, formation conditions of brown olivine in NWA 2737 cannot be applied to shergottites because NWA 2737 has a different shock history from that of shergottites. Therefore, this study observed brown olivine in the NWA 1950 shergottite and discusses the general formation process and conditions of brown olivine in shergottites. Our observation of NWA 1950 revealed that olivine is heterogeneously darkened between and within grains different from brown olivine in NWA 2737. XANES analysis showed that brown olivine contains small amounts of Fe³⁺ and TEM/STEM observation revealed that there is no SiO‐rich phase around iron metal nanoparticles. These observations indicate that iron nanoparticles were formed by a disproportionation reaction of olivine (3Fe²⁺_olivine → Fe⁰_metal + 2Fe³⁺_olivine + V_olivine, where V_olivine means a vacancy in olivine). Some parts of brown olivine show lamellar textures in SEM observation and Raman peaks in addition to those expected for olivine, implying that brown olivine experienced a phase transition (to e.g., ringwoodite). In order to induce heterogeneous darkening, heterogeneous high temperature of about 1500–1700 K and shock duration of at least ~90 ms are required. This heterogeneous high temperature resulted in high postshock temperature (>900 K) inducing back‐transformation of most high‐pressure phases. Therefore, in spite of lack of high‐pressure phases, NWA 1950 (= Martian meteorites with brown olivine) experienced higher pressure and temperature compared to other highly shocked meteorite groups.     

Colonization of Sulfurovum sp. on the gill surfaces of Alvinocaris longirostris, a deep-sea hydrothermal vent shrimp

Deep‐sea hydrothermal vents are unique light‐independent ecosystems that are sustained by chemosynthetic bacteria. For many of the invertebrates inhabiting in such environments, bacteria play essential roles in both energy acquisition and detoxification of potentially toxic gases such as H₂S. In this study, the bacterial flora present on the gills of Alvinocaris longirostris (Bresiliidae: Caridea), a shrimp inhabiting hydrothermal vents (1532 m depth) at the Hatoma Knoll of the Okinawa Trough, was investigated. Bacterial 16S rDNA fragments were successfully amplified from the gills and 70% of these fragments showed an identical pattern in the restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. These fragments were assigned to the ribotype AL‐1. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that AL‐1 forms a monophyletic clade with Sulfurovum spp. (ε‐Proteobacteria). Fluorescence in situ hybridization for AL‐1 and electron microscopy showed the presence of short‐rod bacteria lining up on the cuticular layer of the surface of the gill filaments. These results suggest that bacterial association with gills also occurs in bresiliid shrimps.     

Isotope dilution sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry combined with extraction chromatography for rapid determination of 241Am in marine sediment samples: A case study in Sagami Bay, Japan

²⁴¹Am is a useful tracer for understanding biogeochemical processes in the marine environment. ²⁴¹Am also poses a potential radiation threat to human health due to the continuous increase of its concentration in the global environment. We report a rapid analytical method for determining ²⁴¹Am in marine sediments using isotope dilution sector-field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (SF-ICP-MS) combined with a high-efficiency sample introduction system (APEX-Q). A selective CaF₂ co-precipitation procedure followed by TRU extraction chromatography was employed to effectively remove the major sediment matrix and to pre-concentrate ²⁴¹Am. We achieved an extremely low detection limit of 0.32 fg/g or 0.041 mBq/g (for 1 gram sediment), which is better than that of alpha spectrometry, and it allowed the accurate determination of ²⁴¹Am in low-level marine sediment samples. The accuracy and precision of the developed analytical method was evaluated using a laboratory prepared Am isotope standard solution and Ocean Sediment reference material (IAEA-368). The results were satisfactory. For sediment samples, overall chemical recoveries varied from 60–90%. The developed method was applied to the study of ²⁴¹Am depth distribution in Sagami Bay, Japan, where we observed different depth profiles between ²⁴¹Am activity and ^239+240Pu activity.     

Improving the prospects for detecting extrasolar planets in gravitational microlensing events in 2002

Gravitational microlensing events of high magnification have been shown to be promising targets for detecting extrasolar planets. However, only a few events of high magnification have been found using conventional survey techniques. Here we demonstrate that high-magnification events can be readily found in microlensing surveys using a strategy that combines high-frequency sampling of target fields with on-line difference imaging analysis. We present 10 microlensing events with peak magnifications greater than 40 that were detected in real-time towards the Galactic bulge during 2001 by the Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics (MOA) project. We show that Earth-mass planets can be detected in future events such as these through intensive follow-up observations around the event peaks. We report this result with urgency as a similar number of such events are expected in 2002.     

Diurnal variability of thermospheric N and NO

A model for diurnal variations of neutral and ionic nitrogen compounds in the thermosphere is reconstructed on the basis of a new photochemical aspect on N(²D), together with new observations of the NO density. The NO density so far measured must be reduced by a factor 2, due to a revision of the fluorescence coefficient for the NO γ-band airglow. Incorporating the quenching reaction of N(²D) with O in the model calculation results in a reduction of the NO density at heights as low as 100 km. These two effects are combined to lead to an evaluation that the N(²D) quantum yield for various possible reactions is as large as 0.9. A smaller rate coefficient for the quenching reaction than that measured in the laboratory, i.e. 1.0 × 10^?12cm³sec^?1 is favourable for the recent NO observation in the early morning, as well as the observed emission rates of the 5200 A airglow from N(²D) The present model predicts a significant day-to-night variation of N and NO densities at heights above 100 km. Below 100 km, the NO density is fairly stable because of its long chemical time constant. Since the rate coefficient for the conversion of N(⁴S) to NO is highly temperature dependent, the relative population of N(⁴S) and NO is very sensitive to the thermospheric temperature variation. Large variations of both N(⁴S) and NO densities due to the temperature change could occur especially at night. The model is in good agreement with the NO observations so far available in low and middle latitudes, as well as the N observation by the use of a rocket in the twilight.     

Heat-Mitigation Effects of Irrigated Rice-Paddy Fields Under Changing Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Based on a Coupled Atmosphere and Crop Energy-Balance Model

Boundary-Layer Meteorology - Known as the heat-mitigation effect, irrigated rice-paddy fields distribute a large fraction of their received energy to the latent heat during the growing season. The...     

A new interpretation of the 1304 Å triplet airglow intensity ratio with the fine structure levels O3Pj) in local thermodynamic equilibrium

The intensity ratios of the 1304 Å triplet airglow of atomic oxygen observed by Fastie and Crosswhite (1964) are interpreted on the basis of the radiative transfer formulation for a model with complete frequency redistribution in a Voigt line profile. A model for the fine structure levels $\text{O(}{}^3\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{j}}\text{)}$ in local thermodynamic equilibrium is favorable to the observed intensity ratios, as far as a Voigt profile is applicable. In view of large cross sections as calculated theoretically by Allison and Burke (1969), the mutual relaxation among the ³P_j levels should occur rapidly enough to allow the population in the ³P_j levels to be in thermodynamic equilibrium with the ambient neutral gases.     

Numerical simulation of organic chemicals in a marine environment using a coupled 3D hydrodynamic and ecotoxicological model

For ecotoxicological risk assessment in a marine ecosystem, we constructed a coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic and ecotoxicological model (EMT-3D), and applied it to Tokyo Bay. The model was calibrated with field data obtained in 2002. The results of sensitivity analysis for dissolved Bisphenol A showed that biodegradation rate was the most important factor for concentration change. Bioconcentration coefficient was the most important factor for Bisphenol A in phytoplankton. Therefore, the parameters must be carefully considered in the modeling. The mass balance results showed that standing stocks of Bisphenol A in water, in particulate organic carbon and in phytoplankton are 7.85 x 10(4), 1.78 x 10(2) and 3.44 x 10(-1) g, respectively. With respect to flux, biodegradation in the water column had the highest value of 1.06 x 10(3) g/day, and next were effluent to the open sea, partition to particulate organic carbon, and bioconcentration in phytoplankton.     

Graphitization of carbonaceous matter during metamorphism with references to carbonate and pelitic rocks of contact and regional metamorphisms,Japan

This study is an attempt to correlate the graphitization process of carbonaceous matter during metamorphism with metamorphic grade. Graphitization can be parameterized using crystal structure and chemical and isotopic compositions. The extent of graphitization could be characterized mainly by temperature, duration of metamorphism and rock composition. We compared the graphitization trends for two metamorphic terrains, a contact aureole of the Kasuga area and a regional metamorphic terrain of high-temperature/low pressure type of the Ryoke metamorphic terrain in Northern Kiso area, Central Japan, and for two different lithologies (carbonate and pelite), using X-ray diffractogram, DTA-TG analysis, and chemical and stable isotope analyses. During contact metamorphism, graphitization and carbon isotopic exchange reactions proceeded simultaneously in pelitic and carbonate rocks. The decreases in basal spacing d(002) of the carbonaceous matter in carbonate rocks is greatly accelerated at temperatures higher than about 400° C. Furthermore, carbon isotopic ratios of graphite in carbonate rocks also change to ¹³C-enriched values implying exchange with carbonates. The beginning of this enrichment of ¹³C in the carbonaceous matter coincides with an abrupt increase of the graphitization processes. Carbon isotopic shifting up to 5 in pelites could be observed as metamorphic temperature increased probably by about 400° C. Carbonaceous matter in pelitic rocks is sometimes a mixture of poorly crystallized organic matter and well-crystallized graphite detritus. DTA-TG analysis is an effective tool for the distinction of detrital graphitic material. Two sources for the original carbon isotopic composition of carbonaceous matter in pelites in the Kasuga contact aureole can be distinguished, about-28 and-24 regardless of the presence of detrital graphite, and were mainly controlled by depositional environment of the sediments. Graphitization in limestones and pelitic rocks in regional metamorphism proceeds further than in a contact aureole. In the low-temperature range, the differences in extent of graphitization between the two metamorphic regions is large. However, at temperatures higher than 600° C, the extent of graphitization in both regions is indistinguishable. The degree of graphitization is different in limestones and pelitic rocks from the Ryoke metamorphic terrain. We demonstrate that the graphitization involves a progressive re-construction process of the crystal structure. The sequence of the first appearance of crystal inter planar spacing correlates with the metamorphic grade and indicates the crystal growth of three-dimensional structured graphite.