Recovery of entire shocked samples in a range of pressure from ~100 GPa to Hugoniot elastic limit

We carried out laser shock experiments and wholly recovered shocked olivine and quartz samples. We investigated the petrographic features based on optical micrographs of sliced samples and found that each recovered sample comprises three regions, I (optically dark), II (opaque), and III (transparent). Scanning electron microscopy combined with electron backscattered diffraction shows that there are no crystal features in the region I; the materials in the region I have once melted. Moreover, numerical calculations performed with the iSALE shock physics code suggest that the boundary between regions II and III corresponds to Hugoniot elastic limit (HEL). Thus, we succeeded in the recovery of the entire shocked samples experienced over a wide range of pressures from HEL (~10 GPa) to melting pressure (~100 GPa) in a hierarchical order.     

Impact Experiments on Porous Icy-Silicate Cylindrical Blocks and the Implication for Disruption and Accumulation of Small Icy Bodies

Impact strength and cratering ejecta were studied for porous targets of pure ice and icy-silicate mixture in order to clarify the accumulation and destruction (shattering) condition of small icy bodies. The icy projectile impacted on the cylindrical targets with the porosity up to 55% at a velocity of 150 to 670 m/s at −10°C. The porosity dependence of the impact strength and that of the maximum ejecta velocity were measured in each type of these targets. As a result, the maximum ejecta velocity normalized by the impact velocity (V_e-max/V_i) is found to depend only on the porosity (φ), irrespective of the target type; a relationship is derived to be V_e-max/V_i=−2.17φ+1.29. The impact strength of pure ice increased with increased target porosity, but that of mixture target had an opposite trend; that is, the strength decreased with increased porosity. These porosity dependencies of the impact strength could be explained by the porosity dependence of the physical parameters such as impact pressure, pressure decay, and static strength. Finally, the accumulation of small icy bodies is discussed to show that the collisional events can be divided into three types by the porosity and the collision velocity according to our experimental results: mass loss, rubble pile formation, and regolith formation (compaction).     

Roles of Physical Processes in the Carbon Cycle Using a Simplified Physical Model

A simplified physical model is proposed in this article to describe differences among basins in substance distributions which were not well described by previous simplified models. In the proposed model, the global ocean is divided into the Pacific/Indian Ocean (PI), the Atlantic Ocean (AT), the Southern Ocean and the Greenland/Iceland/Norwegian Sea. The model is consisted of five physical parameters, namely the air-sea gas exchange, the thermohaline circulation, the horizontal and vertical diffusions, and the deep convection in the high-latitude regions. Individual values of these parameters are chosen by optimizing model distribution of natural ¹⁴C as a physical tracer. The optimal value for a coefficient of vertical diffusion in the low-latitude region is 7.5 × 10^–5 [m²s^–1]. Vertical transports by the Antarctic Bottom Water and the North Atlantic Deep Water are estimated at 1.0 Sv and 9.0 Sv. Global-mean air-sea gas exchange time is calculated at 9.0 years. Using these optimal values, vertical profiles of dissolved inorganic carbon without biological production in PI and AT are estimated. Oceanic responses to anthropogenic fluctuations in substance concentrations in the atmosphere induced by the industrialization and nuclear bomb are also discribed, i.e., the effects appear significantly in AT while a signal is extremely weak in PI. A time-delay term is effective to make the PI water older near the bottom boundary.     

Was the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake preceded by aseismic preslip? Examination of seafloor vertical deformation data near the epicenter

Ocean-bottom pressure records obtained near the epicenter of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake were examined to test whether the earthquake was preceded by substantial precursory crustal deformation. The seafloor data enabled us to search for small-scale preslip near the epicenter that would be difficult to identify from terrestrial geodetic data. After treating the data to reduce nontectonic fluctuations, we obtained a time series of seafloor vertical deformation in the epicentral region with a noise level of 2–4 cm. No significant crustal deformation related to preslip was detected in the period of roughly a day before the mainshock, whereas postseismic deformation associated with the largest foreshock 2 days before the mainshock was apparent. From our quantitative estimate of the sensitivity of the seafloor network in detecting slip on the plate interface, we conclude that the Tohoku-Oki earthquake was not preceded by preslip with moment release greater than moment magnitude (Mw) 6.2 in the vicinity of the hypocenter or greater than Mw 6.0 along the subduction interface near the trench.     

Deformations of geodetic networks in gravity-invariant and potential-invariant representations

The analysis of deformations and reductions of the geodetic networks in general gravity-invariant and potential-invariant representations of the actual gravity field of the Earth by normal (theoretical) gravity field has been presented. It has been shown that the linearized formulae of the scale factor and linearized formulae of the transformed azimuth and zenith distance induce the conformal character of transformation of three-dimensional networks in isozenithal-type of gravity-invariant representation. In isozenithal-type of gravity-invariant and potential-invariant representations the two-dimensional (horizontal) networks are transformed conformally. In isoparametric cases of gravity-invariant and potential-invariant representations, the two-dimensional networks are transformed equivalently with respect to the scale and angles, but non-conformally.     

Performance evaluation of a ground-source heat pump system utilizing a flowing well and estimation of suitable areas for its installation in Aizu Basin,Japan

Development of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system with higher efficiency, and evaluation of its operating performance, is essential to expand the growth of GSHP systems in Japan. A closed-loop GSHP system was constructed utilizing a flowing (artesian) well as a ground heat exchanger (GHE). The system was demonstrated for space-heating and space-cooling of a room (area 126.7 m²) in an office building. The average coefficient of performance was found to be 4.5 for space-heating and 8.1 for space-cooling. The maximum heat exchange rate was 70.8 W/m for space-heating and 57.6 W/m for space-cooling. From these results, it was determined that a GSHP system with a flowing well as a GHE can result in higher performance. With this kind of highly efficient system, energy saving and cost reduction can be expected. In order to assess appropriate locations for the installation of similar kinds of GSHP systems in Aizu Basin, a suitability map showing the distribution of groundwater up-flowing areas was prepared based on the results of a regional-scale three-dimensional analytical model. Groundwater up-flowing areas are considered to be suitable because the flowing well can be constructed at these areas. Performance evaluation of the GSHP system utilizing the flowing well, in conjunction with the prepared suitability map for its installation, can assist in the promotion of GSHP systems in Japan.     

Book review

Although visible bands of high-resolution multispectral imagery are used for bathymetry, the relative utility of different bands is poorly understood. Therefore, we evaluated the relative utility of the six visible bands of WorldView-2. We statistically selected the visible bands that gave the best accuracy under different situations, tallying how often each band was included in the best combination. The average frequency was greater than 50% for every band and differed between bands by only 17%. We conclude that all visible bands are useful for remote sensing of water depth, although the utility depends on the image and number of training pixels available.     

Size distributions of chondrules and dispersed droplets caused by liquid breakup: An application to shock wave conditions in the solar nebula

We present the results of an aerodynamic liquid dispersion experiment using initially molten silicate samples. We investigate the threshold of breakup and the size distribution of dispersed droplets. The breakup threshold is consistent with the previous experiments using water and a mixture of water and glycerol. Also, we confirm the previous results that the size distributions of dispersed droplets are represented by an exponential form and that the characteristic size of dispersed droplets is related to the dynamic pressure of high-velocity gas flow. The size distribution has a similar form to that of chondrules, though the experiment is not exactly corresponding to the shock heating models for chondrule formation that consider solid precursors which are molten by the shocks. The experimental results indicate that, if liquid chondrule-precursors were dispersed by high-velocity flow, the dynamic pressure of the flow is ∼10 kPa. A chondrule formation condition in a shock-wave heating model suggests that this pressure can be realized at the regions within ∼1 AU in the minimum solar-nebula mass models. However, if the nebula had a larger mass and gravitational instabilities occurred, this pressure may be realized in the spiral arms at 2-3 AU and chondrules may be formed in asteroid belt.     

Breakup of liquids by high velocity flow and size distribution of chondrules

As a new approach to understanding the chondrule formation process, we carried out aerodynamic experiments in which a liquid layer was attached to solid cores, and the breakup of this layer occurred by means of the interaction with a high-velocity gas flow. The size distribution of the dispersed droplets was investigated and compared with the size distributions of chondrules. Both distributions had an exponential form. Using the experimental results, the hydrodynamic pressure to produce the chondrule size distributions was estimated to be ∼ 10⁴ Pa.