Down-scaled regional ocean modeling system (ROMS) for high-resolution coastal hydrodynamics in Korea

A down-scaled operational oceanographic system is developed for the coastal waters of Korea using a regional ocean modeling system(ROMS).The operational oceanographic modeling system consists of atmospheric and hydrodynamic models.The hydrodynamic model,ROMS,is coupled with wave,sediment transport,and water quality modules.The system forecasts the predicted results twice a day on a 72 h basis,including sea surface elevation,currents,temperature,salinity,storm surge height,and wave information for the coastal waters of Korea.The predicted results are exported to the web-GIS-based coastal information system for real-time dissemination to the public and validation with real-time monitoring data using visualization technologies.The ROMS is two-way coupled with a simulating waves nearshore model,SWAN,for the hydrodynamics and waves,nested with the meteorological model,WRF,for the atmospheric surface forcing,and externally nested with the eutrophication model,CE-QUAL-ICM,for the water quality.The operational model,ROMS,was calibrated with the tidal surface observed with a tide-gage and verified with current data observed by bottom-mounted ADCP or AWAC near the coastal waters of Korea.To validate the predicted results,we used real-time monitoring data derived from remote buoy system,HF-radar,and geostationary ocean color imager(GOCI).This down-scaled operational coastal forecasting system will be used as a part of the Korea operational oceanographic system(KOOS) with other operational oceanographic systems.     

前陆盆地挠曲沉降正演模型的设计与实现——以库车古近纪陆内前陆坳陷沉降分析为例

本文以二维薄板弹性挠曲模型为基础,对模型进行简化和参数优化选取,并在VC++6.0环境下采用Windows视窗设计,实现了前陆盆地挠曲沉降的正演模拟系统.应用这一系统模拟分析了库车古近纪-新近纪前陆盆地的挠曲沉降过程.模拟结果表明,库车古近纪-新近纪前陆盆地的沉降曲线总体呈上凸型,具有典型前陆盆地沉降的特点,根据沉降速率变化可以把整个沉降过程分为四个部分,分别对应盆地的四个构造层序发育阶段,每一阶段呈不同的沉降特征,相邻两阶段之间存在一盆地回弹隆升、逆冲构造活动终止期,盆地遭受广泛剥蚀形成两个构造层序之间的不整合界面.正演模拟通过将沉降过程时间离散,精细设定不同时间段的构造负载,能够精细恢复前陆盆地的沉降过程和演化.     

Enhanced a novel β-agarase production in recombinant Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) through induction mode optimization and glycerol feeding strategy

Agarases are hydrolytic enzymes that act on the hydrolysis of agar and have a broad range of applications in food,cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries. In this study, a glycerol feeding strategy based on induction mode optimization for high cell density and β-agarase production was established, which could effectively control acetate yield. First, exponential feeding strategy of glycerol with different overall specific growth rates(μ) was applied in the pre-induction phase. The results showed that the low μ(μ=0.2) was suggested to be the optimal for cell growth and β-agarase production. Second, the effects of induction temperature and the inducer concentration on cell growth and β-agarase production were investigated in the post-induction phase. When induced by isopropyl-β-d-thiogalactoside(IPTG), the strategy of 0.8 mmol/L IPTG induction at 20℃ was found to be optimal for β-agarase production. When cultivation was induced by continuous lactose feeding strategy of 1.0 g/(L·h), the β-agarase activity reached 112.5 U/mL, which represented the highest β-agarase production to date.Furthermore, the β-agarase was capable of degrading G. lemaneiformis powder directly to produce neoagarooligosaccharide, and the hydrolysates were neoagarotetraose(NA4) and neoagarohexaose(NA6). The overall research may be useful for the industrial production and application of β-agarase.     

Effects of Trichoderma harzianum YC_(459) and soil types on seed germination and seedling growth in rock slope restoration

We carried out experiments with various concentrations of Trichoderma harzianum YC459 in different soil types(forest soil, mixed soil,merchantable soil, and leaf mold soil) to evaluate its effect on seed germination and seedling establishment of four species(Festuca arundinacea Schreb., Dianthus barbatus var. asiaticus Nakai,Lespedeza cyrtobotrya Miq., and Parthenocissus tricuspidata Planch) for rock slope restoration. We also investigated the use of drilled slanted holes on the rock slopes for seedling establishment. The results showed that T. harzianum concentration had significant effects on seed germination, seedling growth, and seedling survival for all the species with different soil types. Seed germination and survival rates peaked at 5% T. harzianum concentration with leaf mold soil and decreased as T. harzianum concentration increased from 5% to 10%. Seedling survival rates of all four species were generally lowest at 0% T. harzianum concentration in all soil types.The height of F. arundinacea and L. cyrtobotrya peaked at 5% T. harzianum concentration whereas that of D. barbatus and P. tricuspidata peaked at 10%T. harzianum concentration. We concluded that 5% T. harzianum concentration with leaf mold soil is appropriate for seed germination and seedling survival rates of most species, thus enhancing seedling establishment. Practical application of the findings of this study will contribute in the vegetation restoration of steep rocks in mountain environments.     

Determination of Carbonate Carbon in 41 International Geochemical Reference Samples by Coulometric Method

The carbonate-carbon (CO₂) content of forty-one geochemical reference samples has been determined by coulometric method following acid treatment of the sample for releasing CO₂. The method is superior to the conventional methods in speed, accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and the coverage of CO₂ range. The results on NBS limestone samples agree well with the certified values. The precision of the method is 0.5 % r.s.d., and the practical detection limit is 10 ppm C.     

Species delimitation in the green algal genus Codium (Bryopsidales) from Korea using DNA barcoding

Codium, one of the largest marine green algal genera, is difficult to delimit species boundary accurately based on morphological identification only. DNA barcoding is a powerful tool for discriminating species of seaweeds. The plastid elongation factor TU(tuf A) is considered as maker to perform DNA barcoding of green algal species than rbc L gene due to universality and rapid evolution rate. We conducted DNA barcoding application to Codium specimens from the Jeju Island, Korea to overcome the limit of morphological identification and to confirm the species diversity. As a result of applying tuf A marker, we newly generated fifty-five tuf A barcodes to resolve eight species. Tuf A marker exhibited 6.1%–21.8% interspecific divergences, wider than the gap of rbc L exon 1,3.5%–11.5%. Molecular analysis of rbc L exon 1 sequences of Codium revealed eight distinct species like tuf A analysis separated in five phylogenetic groups. DNA barcoding of the genus Codium using tuf A marker is more helpful to overcome the limit of morphological identification, and this is more potential to reveal cryptic species and to resolve the relationships among subspecies than rbc L analysis alone. The complement of tuf A barcoding and rbc L analyses including morphology for the genus Codium in the northwestern Pacific will give much more reliable achievement for discovering species diversity and resolving the phylogenetic relationships.     

Simulation of the extreme waves generated by typhoon Bolaven (1215) in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea

Record-breaking high waves occurred during the passage of the typhoon Bolaven (1215) (TYB) in the East China Sea (ECS) and Yellow Sea (YS) although its intensity did not reach the level of a super typhoon. Winds and directional wave measurements were made using a range of in-situ instruments mounted on an ocean tower and buoys. In order to understand how such high waves with long duration occurred, analyses have been made through measurement and numerical simulations. TYB winds were generated using the TC96 typhoon wind model with the best track data calibrated with the measurements. And then the wind fields were blended with the reanalyzed synoptic-scale wind fields for a wave model. Wave fields were simulated using WAM4.5 with adjustment of C_d for gust of winds and bottom friction for the study area. Thus the accuracy of simulations is considerably enhanced, and the computed results are also in better agreement with measured data than before. It is found that the extremely high waves evolved as a result of the superposition of distant large swells and high wind seas generated by strong winds from the front/right quadrant of the typhoon track. As the typhoon moved at a speed a little slower than the dominant wave group velocity in a consistent direction for two days, the wave growth was significantly enhanced by strong wind input in an extended fetch and non-linear interaction.     

Meteorites at Meridiani Planum provide evidence for significant amounts of surface and near‐surface water on early Mars

Abstract– Six large iron meteorites have been discovered in the Meridiani Planum region of Mars by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity in a nearly 25 km‐long traverse. Herein, we review and synthesize the available data to propose that the discovery and characteristics of the six meteorites could be explained as the result of their impact into a soft and wet surface, sometime during the Noachian or the Hesperian, subsequently to be exposed at the Martian surface through differential erosion. As recorded by its sediments and chemical deposits, Meridiani has been interpreted to have undergone a watery past, including a shallow sea, a playa, an environment of fluctuating ground water, and/or an icy landscape. Meteorites could have been encased upon impact and/or subsequently buried, and kept underground for a long time, shielded from the atmosphere. The meteorites apparently underwent significant chemical weathering due to aqueous alteration, as indicated by cavernous features that suggest differential acidic corrosion removing less resistant material and softer inclusions. During the Amazonian, the almost complete disappearance of surface water and desiccation of the landscape, followed by induration of the sediments and subsequent differential erosion and degradation of Meridiani sediments, including at least 10–80 m of deflation in the last 3–3.5 Gy, would have exposed the buried meteorites. We conclude that the iron meteorites support the hypothesis that Mars once had a denser atmosphere and considerable amounts of water and/or water ice at and/or near the surface.     

Development of a skill assessment tool for the Korea operational oceanographic system

A standard skill assessment(SA) tool was developed and implemented to evaluate the performance of operational forecast models in the Korea operational oceanographic system.The SA tool provided a robust way to assess model skill in the system by comparing predictions and observations,and involved the computation of multiple skill metrics including correlation and error skills.User-and system-based acceptance criteria of skill metrics were applied to determine whether predictions were acceptable for the system.To achieve this,the tool produced a time series comparison plot,a skill score table,and an advanced summarized diagram to effectively demonstrate the multiple skill scores.Moreover,the SA was conducted to evaluate both atmospheric and hydrodynamic forecast variables.For the atmospheric variables,acceptable error criteria were preferable to acceptable correlation criteria over short timescales,since the mean square error overwhelmed the observation variance.Conversely,for the hydrodynamic variables,acceptable root mean square percentage error(e.g.,p erms) criteria were preferable to acceptable error(e.g.,erms) criteria owing to the spatially variable tidal intensity around the Korean Peninsula.Furthermore,the SA indicated that predetermined acceptance error criteria were appropriate to satisfy a target central frequency(fc) for which errors fell within the specified limits(i.e.,the fc equals 70%).