Elemental and isotopic abundances of lithium in chondrule constituents in the Allende meteorite

Elemental and isotopic abundances of lithium in chondrule constituents in the Allende CV3 meteorite were determined using secondary ion mass spectrometry. Olivines and mesostasis dominated by a feldspathic phase are depleted in Li ( and , respectively). In contrast, low-Ca pyroxenes and mesostasis dominated by a Na-rich phase are enriched in Li ( and , respectively) and the interchondrule matrix is generally enriched in Li ( on average). The Li isotopic abundance of olivine ranges from to 21. The spatial distributions of elemental and isotopic abundances of Li in olivines within individual chondrules exhibit no systematic pattern. This suggests that the distribution of Li in olivine was not disturbed during aqueous alteration or thermal metamorphism on the Allende meteorite parent body. Although mesostasis is the last crystallizing phase from a chondrule melt and is expected to be enriched in Li, in the Allende meteorite it is generally depleted in Li. We suggest that during aqueous alteration on the CV asteroid, Li in mesostasis was leached out by aqueous fluids. The Li-enriched Na-rich mesostasis was probably produced later by infiltration of Na-rich fluids. It seems likely that aqueous fluids sequestered alkali elements from the Allende-chondrite region in the CV parent asteroid, although significant amounts of Li are preserved in ferrous olivine in the interchondrule matrix.     

Monitoring of position of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait using sea level data

Properties of the index of position of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait, named the Kuroshio position index (KPI), were examined using sea-level data during 1984–92. The index is KPI=(X+M _x )/(Y+M _y whereX(Y) is the anomaly of sea-level difference of Nakanoshima (Naze) minus Nishinoomote from the 1984–92 meanM _x (M _y ). The correlation with the latitude of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait concluded that the KPI withM _x /M _y =0.83 and realisticM _y (100±40 cm) best indicates the position of the Kuroshio axis in the strait. The KPI withM _x =83 cm andM _y =100 cm was newly called the KPI as the best index. Using daily values of this KPI, the relation between the position of the Kuroshio in the strait and the large meander of the Kuroshio shown by Kawabe (1995) was confirmed and studied in detail. A large meander forms (ends) 3.3 (5.1) months after a northward (southward) shift of the Kuroshio in the Tokara Strait. Yet, a temporary southward shift with a duration of ten to twenty days does not finish the large-meander (LM) path. At the LM formation, a small meander southeast of Kyushu begins to move eastward associated with the northward shift. The processes of LM formation and decay are started by the meridional move of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait. The Kuroshio axis at the FES line during the LM path is located farther north by 7 latitude than that during the non-large-meander (NLM) path. The latitude during the LM formation (decay) stage is a little higher (lower) than that during the LM (NLM) period, though the Kuroshio still takes an NLM (LM) path.     

Basin-To-Basin and Year-To-Year Variation of Temperature and Salinity Characteristics in the East Sea (Sea of Japan)

Analysis of CTD data from four CREAMS expeditions carried out in summers of 1993–1996 produces distinct T-S relationships for the western and eastern Japan Basin, the Ulleung Basin and the Yamato Basin. T-S characteristics are mainly determined by salinity as it changes its horizontal pattern in three layers, which are divided by isotherms of 5°C and 1°C; upper warm water, intermediate water and deep cold water. Upper warm water is most saline in the Ulleung Basin and the Yamato Basin. Salinity of intermediate water is the highest in the eastern Japan Basin. Deep cold water has the highest salinity in the Japan Basin. T-S curves in the western Japan Basin are characterized by a salinity jump around 1.2–1.4°C in the T-S plane, which was previously found off the east coast of Korea associated with the East Sea Intermediate Water (Cho and Kim, 1994). T-S curves for the Japan Basin undergo a large year-to-year variation for water warmer than 0.6°C, which occupies upper 400 m. It is postulated that the year-to-year variation in the Japan Basin is caused by convective overturning in winter. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Water masses and currents of deep circulation southwest of the Shatsky Rise in the western North Pacific

We conducted full-depth hydrographic observations in the southwestern region of the Northwest Pacific Basin in September 2004 and November 2005. Deep-circulation currents crossed the observation line between the East Mariana Ridge and the Shatsky Rise, carrying Lower Circumpolar Deep Water westward in the lower deep layer (θ<1.2 °C) and Upper Circumpolar Deep Water (UCDW) and North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW) eastward in the upper deep layer (1.3–2.2 °C). In the lower deep layer at depths greater than approximately 3500 m, the eastern branch current of the deep circulation was located south of the Shatsky Rise at 30°24′–30°59′N with volume transport of 3.9 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s⁻¹) in 2004 and at 30°06′–31°15′N with 1.6 Sv in 2005. The western branch current of the deep circulation was located north of the Ogasawara Plateau at 26°27′–27°03′N with almost 2.1 Sv in 2004 and at 26°27′–26°45′N with 2.7 Sv in 2005. Integrating past and present results, volume transport southwest of the Shatsky Rise is concluded to be a little less than 4 Sv for the eastern branch current and a little more than 2 Sv for the western branch current. In the upper deep layer at depths of approximately 2000–3500 m, UCDW and NPDW, characterized by high and low dissolved oxygen, respectively, were carried eastward at the observation line by the return flow of the deep circulation composing meridional overturning circulation. UCDW was confined between the East Mariana Ridge and the Ogasawara Plateau (22°03′–25°33′N) in 2004, whereas it extended to 26°45′N north of the Ogasawara Plateau in 2005. NPDW existed over the foot and slope of the Shatsky Rise from 29°48′N in 2004 and 30°06′N in 2005 to at least 32°30′N at the top of the Shatsky Rise. Volume transport of UCDW was estimated to be 4.6 Sv in 2004, whereas that of NPDW was 1.4 Sv in 2004 and 2.6 Sv in 2005, although the values for NPDW may be slightly underestimated, because they do not include the component north of the top of the Shatsky Rise. Volume transport of UCDW and NPDW southwest of the Shatsky Rise is concluded to be approximately 5 and 3 Sv, respectively. The pathways of UCDW and NPDW are new findings and suggest a correction for the past view of the deep circulation in the Pacific Ocean.     

Water and flow variations in Sagami Bay under the influence of the Kuroshio path

Variations of water and flow in Sagami Bay in relation to the Kuroshio path variations are examined by using 100m-depth temperature and salinity data from 25 stations as well as sea level data from five stations (Minami-Izu, ItÔ, Ôshima, Aburatsubo, Mera). In regard to temperature, anomalies from the mean seasonal variations are used. Results show that water properties are clearly different between the three typical paths of the Kuroshio. The difference is more remarkable in temperature than in salinity; temperature is higher during the typical large-eander (LM) path, and lower during the offshore non-large-meander (NLM) path, compared with the nearshore NLM path. Temperature anomaly and salinity distributions, as well as the Ôshima minus Minami-Izu and Ôshima minus Mera sea-level differences strongly suggest that the flows during the typical LM path are distributed as hitherto described in past studies, that is, water in the mouth region of the bay flows clockwise around Ôshima from the west channel to the east channel, and a counterclockwise eddy exists in the interior. On the other hand, flows during the nearshore and offshore NLM paths seem to be quite different from those during the typical LM path; velocities are very weak, and the directions of circulation is frequently reversed. This tendency also can be seen during parts of LM period in which the Kuroshio takes a non-typical LM path.Water properties in Sagami Bay are most characteristic during transitions between nearshore and offshore NLM paths. During transitions from nearshore to offshore NLM paths, temperatures are extremely high as a whole in the bay, while during reverse transitions, both temperatures and salinities are very low in the entire region.     

Cassini VIMS observations of latitudinal and hemispheric variations in Saturn’s infrared auroral intensity

The intensity of Saturn’s infrared aurora is investigated using Cassini VIMS images acquired during October 2006–February 2009. Polar and main oval auroral regions were defined in both hemispheres, which extend between 0–10° and 10–25° co-latitude, respectively. Average intensities were computed for these regions and compared. While the northern and southern main oval regions covered a similar range of intensities, the southern main oval was on average more intense by a factor of ∼1.3. The emission from the southern polar region was usually less intense than the main oval emissions, while this was only the case for approximately half of the northern hemisphere images. The northern hemisphere polar region displayed intensities more than twice as high as those in the south and the difference between the two hemispheres was most pronounced on the dayside. In general, more intense polar emissions were accompanied by more intense main oval emissions. Possible explanations for the hemispheric and latitudinal differences are discussed in terms of particle energies and fluxes, ionospheric conductivity, temperature and magnetic field strength.     

The Southern Annular Mode and opposite-phased Basin Mode of the Southern Ocean circulation

Over the Southern Ocean the dominant modes of the atmospheric field are known as the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) or Antarctic Oscillation, and the Pacific South American (PSA) pattern. Statistical analysis of sea surface wind (SSW) from satellite observation revealed two leading modes of SAM-like and PSA patterns. In the high latitudes, the SAM-like pattern of the SSW had a large amplitude over the Bellingshausen Basin and Australian-Antarctic Basin, with opposite phase between the two basins. On the intraseasonal time scale, large-scale sea surface height (SSH) also had notable variability, showing a basin-scale anti-phase mode over the two basins. To explain the response of oceanic variations to these atmospheric modes, we analyzed the relationship between the dominant modes of wind stress and large-scale SSH on the intraseasonal time scale. The SAM-like pattern of wind stress was correlated with the SSH variation over the two basins. The SSH basin mode was most simply explained by a simple barotropic response to the SAM-like mode of wind stress, with the curl of opposite phase between the two basins. We conclude that the zonal asymmetry of the wind field of the SAM plays an important role in driving the antiphase SSH basin modes.     

The possibly massive symbiotic system V 1329 Cygni

A new radial velocity curve of V 1329 Cyg has been obtained from emission lines originating around an evolved star. The latter might be faced by an M-type mate, whose mass is larger than 23±6 solar masses. The system seems at |Z|>250 pc from the galactic plane. The 6830 unidentified band, found in V 1329 Cyg and among BQ [ ] stars, symbiotic stars and a few planetary nebulae, could be used as a diagnostic tool to identify very evolved stars. The close similarity of the optical spectrum of V 1329 Cyg to that of the optical counterpart of GX 1+4 is remarkable.On leave from Nagoya University, Japan.