Forced convection accompanying wind waves

Wind-wave tunnel experiments reveal, by use of techniques of the flow visualization, that wind waves are accompanied by the wind drift surface current with large velocity shear and with horizontal variation of velocity relative to the wave profile. The surface current converges from the crest to a little leeward face of the crest, making a downward flow there, even though the wave is not breaking. Namely, wind waves are accompanied by forced convections relative to the crests of the waves. Since the location of the convergence and the downward flow travels on the water surface as the crest of the wave propagates, the motion as a whole is characterized by turbulent structure as well as by the nature of water-surface waves. In this meaning, the term of real wind waves is proposed in contrast with ordinary water waves. The study of real wind waves will be essential in future development of the study of wind waves.     

Late Quaternary activity of faults and recurrence interval of earthquakes in the eastern Hokuriku region, northern central Japan, on the basis of precise cryptotephra analysis of fluvial terrace sequences

About 2000 active faults are known to exist within the land area of Japan. Most of these active faults have deformed the topographic surfaces which were formed in the late Quaternary, including fluvial terraces; and the formative ages of these terraces are estimated mainly by tephrochronology. Fluvial terraces in the eastern Hokuriku region, comprising the Toyama, Tonami, and Kanazawa Plains, northern central Japan, are widely distributed and have been deformed by reverse active faults. The formative age of terraces in this area has not been reported, as volcanic ash deposits are rarely visible within terrace deposits and the overlying loamy soil, and outcrops of fluvial terraces are quite scarce in this area. In the present study, we carried out a drilling survey on these terraces to obtain samples of the overlying loamy soil and upper part of terrace deposits. From these samples, we extracted some well-known widespread volcanic ash, from which we were able to estimate the approximate age of the terraces and the vertical slip rate of the active faults. Late Quaternary fluvial terraces in eastern Hokuriku are divided into 12 levels: Terraces 1 to 12 in descending order. Widespread tephras such as the Kikai-Tozurahara Tephra (K-Tz: 95 ka) are contained in the lowest part of the loamy soil in Terrace 4 and the Daisen-Kurayoshi Pumice (DKP: 55 ka) is present in the lowest part of the loamy soil in Terrace 6. From the ages and the vertical displacements of the fluvial terraces, the late Quaternary average vertical slip rates of active faults in eastern Hokuriku are estimated to be 0.2–0.9 mm/year (Uozu fault), 0.1–0.4 mm/year (Kurehayama fault), 0.1–0.3 mm/year (Takashozu fault), 0.1–0.4 mm/year (Hohrinji fault), and 0.5–0.8 mm/year (Morimoto-Togashi fault). We also estimated the recurrence interval of earthquakes related to active faults from displacement per event and ages of terraces and no significant difference in vertical displacement per single earthquake for different active faults, and recurrence intervals tend to be inversely proportional to vertical displacement rates. This study demonstrates that a combination of drilling of loamy soil and precise cryptotephra analysis of fluvial terraces can be used to estimate the formative age of the terraces and the average slip rate of active faults in areas where volcanic ash deposits are rare.     

Geological relationship between Anyui Metamorphic Complex and Samarka terrane,Far East Russia

The Anyui Metamorphic Complex (AMC) of Cretaceous age is composed of metachert, schist, gneiss, migmatite and ultramafic rocks, and forms a dome structure within the northernmost part of the Jurassic accretionary complex of the Samarka terrane. The two adjacent geological units are bounded by a fault, but the gradual changes of grain size and crystallinity index of quartz in chert and metachert of the Samarka terrane and the AMC, together with the gradual lithological change, indicate that at least parts of the AMC are metamorphic equivalents of the Samarka rocks. Radiolarian fossils from siliceous mudstone of the Samarka terrane indicates Tithonian age (uppermost Jurassic), and hence, form a slightly later accretion. This signifies that the accretionary complex in the study area is one of the youngest tectonostratigraphic units of the Samarka terrane. The relationship between the Samarka terrane and AMC, as well as their ages and lithologies, are similar to those of the Tamba–Mino–Ashio terrane and Ryoke Metamorphic Complex in southwest Japan. In both areas the lower (younger) part of the Jurassic accretionary complexes were intruded and metamorphosed by Late Cretaceous granitic magma. Crustal development of the Pacific‐type orogen has been achieved by the cycle of: (i) accretion of oceanic materials and turbidites derived from the continent; and (ii) granitic intrusion by the next subduction and accretion events, accompanied by formation of high T/P metamorphic complexes.     

Phytoremediation of Sb,As, Cu,and Zn from Contaminated Water by the Aquatic Macrophyte Eleocharis acicularis

Sb, As, Cu, and Zn toxicity and contamination have become a growing concern in recent years. Phytoremediation, a plant based and cost effective technology, may be an effective approach in the cleanup of water contaminated by these metals. In this study, the aquatic macrophyte Eleocharis acicularis was used in laboratory and field experiments to assess its capability to accumulate Sb, As, Cu, and Zn, and thereby investigate its potential application in phytoremediation. The results showed that E. acicularis adapted well to water contaminated by these metals. The removal rates of Sb, As, Cu, and Zn in the laboratory experiment were 3.04, 2.75, 0.417, and 1.49 μg/L/day, respectively. The highest concentrations of these metals accumulated in E. acicularis after 10 days of the laboratory experiment were 6.29, 6.44, 20.5, and 73.5 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. Only 8% of As, 12% of Sb, 87% of Cu and 93% of Zn removed from the water were used by E. acicularis. The highest concentrations of Sb, As, Cu, and Zn accumulated in E. acicularis after 10 wk of the field experiment were 76.0, 22.4, 33.9, and 266 mg/kg dry weight, respectively. The results indicate that E. acicularis has the ability to accumulate Sb, As, Cu, and Zn from contaminated water.     

Diurnal Cycle of Sound Scatterers and Measurements of Turbidity Using ADCP in Beppu Bay

From September 20 to 22 in 1994, the vertical profiles of echo intensity and three-component velocities were measured with a bottom-mounted 300 kHz broadband acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in Beppu Bay in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. A very strong thermocline was observed from 50 to 60 m. A pronounced diurnal cycle of backscatter strength (BS) was found above the thermocline. However, it was not found under the thermocline where there was a lack of dissolved oxygen. We suggest that the diurnal cycle of BS is caused by the vertical migration of zooplankton. The downward and upward migration occurred in early morning and late afternoon, respectively. The migration speeds estimated from BS isopleth displacements were about 1 cm s^–1. Further, the contribution of turbidity (Tur) to BS was examined by separating out the effect of migrating zooplankton. There was a significant correlation between BS and turbidity under the thermocline. The maximum contributions of the Tur, migrating zooplankton and non-migrating plankton on BS were estimated at 3, 12, 25 dB, respectively. These data suggest that when using an ADCP to estimate Tur, it is very important to consider carefully the backscatter signal from zooplankton.     

Wind Fields over Funka Bay and Their Effect on Water Circulation in the Bay

Horizontal wind fields over Funka Bay during cold air outbreaks were simulated using a 3-D meso-scale atmospheric model. The simulated wind fields over the bay have a positive curl in the north and a negative curl in the south. These wind fields were used to simulate the current in Funka Bay using a barotropic ocean model. The simulated current pattern was composed of two vortices—one with anti-clockwise vorticity in the north and the other with clockwise vorticity in the south—and was in the opposite direction to that simulated by the uniform wind fields. This is because the wind stress curl effect on the vorticity production in Funka Bay opposes and overwhelms the bathymetry torque effect during cold air outbreaks. These results show that the non-uniformity of the wind fields caused by the land topography around a shallow lake or bay cannot be neglected in simulating its currents.     

Microstructurally controlled monazite chronology of ultrahigh-temperature granulites from southern India: Implications for the timing of Gondwana assembly

Ultrahigh‐temperature (UHT) granulite facies rocks from the Achankovil Shear Zone area and the southern domain of the Madurai Granulite Block in South India contain monazite useful for in situ microprobe U–Pb dating. The UHT rocks examined consist of garnet + cordierite (retrograde) + quartz + mesoperthite + biotite + plagioclase + Fe‐Ti oxides ± orthopyroxene ± sillimanite and accessory zircon and monazite. Sillimanite occurs only as inclusions in garnet. Microstructural observations suggest garnet, orthopyroxene, spinel and mesoperthite are products of peak metamorphism. Post‐peak formation of cordierite ± orthopyroxene ± quartz and cordierite + spinel + Fe‐Ti oxides assemblages is also observed. Geothermobarometry on orthopyroxene and garnet‐orthopyroxene bearing assemblages suggest peak UHT conditions of T = 940–1040°C and P = 8.5–9.5 kbar. This was followed by a retrograde stage of 3.5–4.5 kbar and 720 ± 60°C, estimated from garnet‐cordierite assemblages. A small population of rounded, probably detrital, monazites in these rocks yield ages from Meso‐ to Neoproterozoic indicating a heterogeneous source. The youngest associated spot ages are 660–600 Ma suggesting protolith deposition up to ca 600 Ma. In contrast, the vast majority of monazites that crystallized during the latest metamorphic event show late Neoproterozoic to Cambrian ages. Probability‐density plots of monazite age data show a ‘peak’ between 533 and 565 Ma, but this peak need not reflect a particular thermal event. Collating ages from homogenous metamorphic monazites associated with minerals stable at peak P‐T conditions suggests peak metamorphism in these rocks occurred at 580–600 Ma. Together with a re‐evaluation of available data from adjacent granulite blocks in southern India, these data suggest the main metamorphic event coinciding with the suturing of India with the Gondwana amalgam probably occurred 580–600 Ma. The 500–550 Ma ages commonly reported in previous studies might represent post‐peak thermal events.     

Altitudinal Distribution Of 20 Persistent Meteor Trains: Estimates Derived From Metro Campaign Archives

Observations of persistent meteor trains are limited because of the extreme rarity of the phenomenon. The altitudinal distribution of persistent trains has previously been investigated via limited instances of simultaneous observation from multiple sites, however, a statistical study of persistent trains has yet to be realized. The meteor train observation (METRO) campaign was established in Japan in 1998 to obtain images of persistent trains. From 1998 to 2002, the METRO campaign, involving Japanese amateur collaborators, captured more than 400 image sequences of persistent trains, resulting in 53 simultaneous multi-site observations. Several Japanese observers were involved in imaging persistent trains prior to the METRO campaign, producing 6 simultaneous observations over the period 1988–1997. In this paper, simultaneous multi-site observations of high spatial and temporal resolution are used to determine, via triangulation, the altitudinal distribution of persistent trains for 20 events. The altitudinal range of 2 Orionid trains was slightly higher than that of 18 Leonid trains. The Leonid train data reveal no clear dependence of upper and lower altitude on the brightness of the associated fireball. The upper altitude of the 18 observed Leonid trains were almost invariant with respect to local time (LT) of observation, however, a possible dependence of lower altitude on LT of observation was also found, indicating a near-constant penetrating path-length in the upper atmosphere for each train. The average upper altitude of persistent Leonid trains was 99.8 km, while the average central altitude was 93.0 km. These trends are probably determined by atmospheric conditions such as the abundance of O and O₃.     

Local time asymmetries of the SSC-associated hydromagnetic variations at the geosynchronous altitude

167 SSC events have been studied by using the data observed at the multiple-satellites at the geosynchronous altitude. The strong local time asymmetry of the SSC amplitude which was found by Kokubun (1983) has been confirmed. The pronounced local time asymmetry has also been found with the direction of the initial movement of Psc magnetic pulsations. Those local time effects are interpreted by the intensification of the magnetopause surface current during a SSC event, and by the distance between the geosynchronous satellite and the surface current. It has also been clarified that the SSC signal propagates with a speed of 400–700 km s^?1 across the field lines in the magnetosphere as suggested by Wilken et al. (1982).