M2 tidal currents near the continental shelf margin in the East China Sea

Time series of velocity and water temperature were measured at three stations on the continental shelf, on the shelf margin and on the slope off the northwest Tokunoshima in December 1980 to study influences of the slope on tides.Tidal currents with semidiurnal periods were dominant at the stations on the shelf and shelf margin. However, semidiurnal components in temperature fluctuations were dominant at the stations on the shelf margin and the slope. We estimated horizontal currents due to semidiurnal internal tides from the vertical distribution of water density and temperature, assuming that the temperature fluctuations were caused by the vertical displacement of water particles due to semidiurnal internal tides. The tidal ellipses at the station on the shelf and the phase relation of the tidal currents between the two stations on the shelf and shelf margin indicated that the M₂ surface tide on the shelf was a Sverdrup wave propagating to the northwest.Semidiurnal tidal currents on the slope were also caused by tides of surface and internal modes. Furthermore, the axis of the tidal ellipse was not perpendicular to the co-tidal line estimated by Ogura (1934) but rather parallel to the isobaths on the slope, which shows a striking effect of the bottom topography on the tidal currents.     

Skewed Occurrence Frequency of Water Temperature and Salinity in the Subarctic Regions

In a previous paper (Oguma and Nagata, 2002), it was shown that frequency distributions of temperature and salinity in the sea off Sanriku Coast, Japan are skewed, and sometimes observed values exceed m + 5σ (m = mean, σ = standard deviation). This means that, if we apply a 3σ criterion for a range check, many real data would be lost. We have expanded our analysis to the subarctic North Pacific, the subarctic North Atlantic and their surrounding areas, by computing the distributions of skewness and kurtosis. It is found that the region of high positive skewness extends in an east-north-east direction in the Mixed Water Region from off Sanriku, and reaches to about 155°E. A high negative skewness zone is recognized along the southern margin of the Kuroshio Extension. These are thought to be generated by the breaking of the meander of the Kuroshio Extension and subsequent ejection of warm and cold eddies to the north and south, respectively. Other high positive skewness areas are found to the south of Kuril Islands and in the Japan Sea. These are generated due to very sharp vertical gradients of temperature and salinity. The situation in the North Atlantic is very similar to the North Pacific, though the detailed nature is changed due to differences of oceanographic condition. The effect of grid size on the skewed nature of the distribution is also discussed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Primary productivity in the offshore Oyashio in the spring and summer 1990

Primary productivity was measured byin situ method using¹³C in the offshore Oyashio region in the spring (May) and summer (September) of 1990. Most of the values were within the range of 0.1 to 4 gC 1^–1 h^–1 although a very large value, 7.96 gC l^–1 h^–1, was observed in summer. Most daily primary production fell within the range of 372 to 633 mgC m^–2 d^–1 although a very large value, 2,109 mgC m^–2 d^–1, was observed around the frontal area in summer. Chlorophylla (Chl.a) exceeded 1 g l^–1 in many cases, and the maximum was 4.61 g l^–1 in spring and 7.53 g l^–1 in summer. Most primary productivity per unit Chl.a (photosynthetic assimilation ratio) was within the range of 0.1 to 3 gC gChl.a ^–1 h^–1 although higher values, 3–6 gC gChl.a ^–1 h^–1, were observed where small-size phytoplanktons (<2 m) were dominant. These results were compared with results obtained until now in the Oyashio region. The values beyond the range obtained so far in the offshore region were also observed in this study. Furthermore, it was pointed out that the size composition of phytoplankton community has significant influence on the results of Chl.a and photosynthetic assimilation ratio in the Oyashio region.     

Critical accretion flow of gas onto compact stars

The critical accretion flow of gas onto compact stars with mass of 0.6M is investigated by numerical integrations of the time-dependent hydrodynamic equations in the sphericallysymmetric and optically thick case. For the compact stars surrounded by such a dense cloud of gas, the radiation pressure force decelerates the infall gas significantly and free fall regime of the gas is not at all attained. This results in incident low velocities at the standing shock front close to the stellar surface, low temperatures of the gas around the compact stars, and no X-ray in white dwarfs but soft X-rays in neutron stars, respectively. Some applications of the results to the X-ray sources are discussed.     

Stable Isotopic Information on Calcareous Pelitic Rocks in the Tizapa Volcanogenic Massive Sulfide Deposit Area, the United Mexican States

Abstract: Tizapa volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) deposit is hosted in greenschist facies metamorphic rocks; footwall is green schist of felsic to mafic metavolcanic rocks and hanging wall is graphite schist of metasedmentary pelitic rock. Pb-Pb dating of ore samples indicates 103. 4Ma to 156. 3Ma for the age of mineralization (JICA/MMAJ, 1991).     

日本北海道Koryu矿山浅成低温热液Au-Ag矿化的成因

Koryu矿山位于北海道南西部,为一浅成低温热液型Au-Ag石英脉型矿床.矿床产于中新世黑色泥岩中的东西向剪切带内.矿床含有8个主要脉体,总体呈东西走向,在水平、垂直方向上均发生结构、构造的变化.1号脉和3号脉中冰长石K-Ar年龄为0.8~1.2 Ma,表明矿化时代为更新世.根据矿脉体的穿插关系和脉内矿物共生关系得出矿区有2期矿化,早期矿化可分3个阶段（即E-Ⅰ,E-Ⅱ,E-Ⅲ）,晚期矿化可分成7个阶段（即L-Ⅰ,L-Ⅱ,L-Ⅲ,L-Ⅳ,L-Ⅴ,L-Ⅵ,L-Ⅶ）.宽矿脉体由多阶段矿化组成,Au-Ag矿化主要与L-Ⅲ阶段矿化密切相关.早期矿化形成的特征矿物为钙菱镁矿、钙锰辉石及少量矿石矿物;晚期矿化形成大量矿石矿物.含AuAg的矿物主要为银金矿、螺状硫银矿-辉硒银矿、硫锑铜银矿-硫砷铜银矿、浓红银矿-淡红银矿、辉铜银矿、马硫铜银矿、碲银矿和黝铜矿.而脉石矿物为绿泥石、蒙脱石、石英.区内许多成矿阶段均含富气相流体包裹体,这表明沸腾作用在整个过程中间歇发生.早期矿化温度（263~283℃）稍高于晚期矿化温度（246~260℃）.成矿溶液盐度为0.5%~6.0% NaCl当量,尽管CO₂含量在晚期矿化阶段达0.4%（质量分数）.这些特征表明成矿流体最大压力为3.1~6.8 M Pa,相当于古潜水面下430~850 m深度.石英形态学结合流体包裹体研究证实流体沸腾作用反复发生,导致SiO₂过饱和,形成结构各异的二氧化硅矿物.在脉体形成过程中,SiO₂重结晶形成石英.稳定同位素资料、矿物共生组合特征、石英结构特征和流体包裹体特征综合研究得出Koryu金-银矿床成矿模式如下：矿床矿化分为明显的两期,即早期和晚期,分别对应类型1和类型2两种热液流体.早期流体具相对高的W¹⁸O值（-5.3‰~-4.7‰）,温度不低于260℃;晚期流体W¹⁸O值相对偏低（-9.3‰~-6.0‰）,温度250℃以上.类型1流体发生深部循环,淋滤Ca和M n元素,在早期矿化过程中形成钙菱镁矿、钙锰辉石.与浅成水混合的类型2流体沿新通道上升,富含Au、Ag元素.在晚期矿化过程中,流体上升至沸腾带（ < 850 m）,金、银在250℃沉淀成矿.     

Short-term fluctuations south of Japan and their relationship with the Kuroshio path: 8- to 36-day fluctuations

To detect short-term fluctuations south of Japan, we applied wavelet analysis to ocean reanalysis data of the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 with a horizontal resolution of 1/36°. It was found that fluctuations of the 8- to 36-day period band appear as frontal waves in the Kuroshio Current. The amplitude of the fluctuations increases toward the downstream of Cape Shionomisaki. The fluctuations have a wavelength of about 300 km, and the signals propagate eastward. The fluctuations of the 8- to 36-day period band are stronger during the period of the nearshore non-large-meander Kuroshio path than during the period of the offshore non-large-meander Kuroshio path. We suggest that the 8- to 36-day fluctuation is a result of the instability of the accelerated velocity of the Kuroshio Current downstream of Cape Shionomisaki.     

July 2020 heavy rainfall in Japan: effect of real-time river discharge on ocean circulation based on a coupled river-ocean model

Ocean Dynamics - In July 2020, a stationary atmospheric front over Japan caused persistent, nearly continuous rain for most of the month that resulted in new historical highest rainfall records in...     

Rapid shoreline progradation followed by vertical foredune building at Pedro Beach,southeastern Australia

At Pedro Beach on the southeastern coast of Australia a series of foredune ridges provides an opportunity to explore the morphodynamic paradigm as it applies to coastal barrier systems using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, ground penetrating radar (GPR) and airborne LiDAR topography. A series of sandy dune-capped ridges, increasing in height seawards, formed from c. 7000 years ago to c. 3900 years ago. During this time the shoreline straightened as the embayment filled and accommodation space for Holocene sediments diminished. Calculation of Holocene sediment accumulation above mean sea level utilising airborne LiDAR topography shows a decline in average sediment supply over this time period coupled with a decrease in shoreline progradation rate from 1.2 m/yr to 0.38 m/yr. The average ridge ‘exposure lifetime’ during this period increases resulting in higher ridges as dune-forming processes have longer to operate. Increasing exposure to wave and wind energy also appears to have resulted in higher ridges as the sheltering effect of marginal headlands was diminished. An inherited disequilibrium shoreface profile will drive onshore accumulation of sandy sediments forming a prograded barrier; however, if there is no longer ‘accommodation space’ for sediment, this will be an overriding factor causing the cessation of progradation, as occurred c. 3900 years ago at Pedro Beach. Excess sediment in the nearshore zone after 3900 years ago may have been moved northward to nourish downdrift beaches in the compartment. A high outer foredune has formed through vertical accretion after 500 years ago, evidenced by GPR subsurface structures and OSL ages, with a distinct period of vertical and lee slope accretion and dated to the period 1890–1930 AD. The increased dune sediment transport resulting in foredune building is attributed to recent human disturbance. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.