Interannual variations in low potential vorticity water and the subtropical countercurrent in an eddy-resolving OGCM

Interannual-to-decadal variations in the subtropical countercurrent (STCC) and low potential vorticity (PV) water and their relations in the North Pacific Ocean are investigated on the basis of a 60-year-long hindcast integration of an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model. Although vertically coherent variations are dominant for STCC interannual variability, a correlation analysis shows that an intensified STCC vertical shear accompanies lower PV than usual to the north on 25.5- to 26.1-σ_θ isopycnal surfaces, and intensified meridional density gradient in subsurface layers, consistent with Kubokawa’s theory (J Phys Oceanogr 29:1314–1333, 1999). The low-PV signals appear at least 2 years before peaks of STCC, propagating southwestward from the subduction region.     

Distribution of nitrous oxide dissolved in water masses in the eastern subtropical North Pacific and its origin inferred from isotopomer analysis

N₂O concentration and its isotopomer ratios were measured over a wide area from San Diego to Honolulu in the eastern subtropical North Pacific (ESNP). Waters in the study area had an N₂O maximum (38.2–50.5 nmol kg^?1) at 600–1000 m depth, which is similar to the profiles obtained previously in other areas in the North Pacific. We separated the seawater into five water masses (two for the surface layer, two for the middle layer, and one for the deep layer) and deduced N₂O production–consumption mechanisms in each water body by use of N₂O isotopomer ratios. The results showed that the mechanisms differ slightly among water masses. In the “coastal” surface layer, N₂O is produced by nitrification (NH₂OH oxidation). In the “open ocean” surface layer, it is produced mainly by nitrifier denitrification and to a lesser extent by nitrification under substrate-limited conditions. In both “upwelling” and “open ocean” middle layers it is produced mainly by denitrification and to a lesser extent by nitrifier denitrification. It is also partly reduced. In the deep layer, it is produced predominantly by denitrification with partial reduction. In this way, isotopomers aid elucidation of production–consumption mechanisms of N₂O in the sea even though the mechanisms cannot always be ascertained.     

Rainfall variability may modify the effects of long-term exclosure on vegetation in Mandalgobi,Mongolia

Starting in 2005, we examined differences in vegetation for three consecutive years across an airport fence that separated heavily grazed areas from areas in which grazing had been excluded for 24 years in Mandalgobi, Mongolia. We performed repeated-measures analysis separately on two community types (dominated by Allium polyrrhizum and Achnatherum splendens, respectively) to compare the effects of fencing and year on the cover of different plant functional types. There was a significant fence × year interaction for grass cover in the Allium type (but not the Achnatherum type), due to greater cover of grasses inside the fence only when rainfall was sufficient during the growing season. The effect of grazing exclusion on perennial forb cover was confounded by a significant fence × year interaction in both types. In 2007, perennial forbs were found outside the fence, but had almost disappeared inside the fence, resulting in this interaction. Annual forbs only had much greater cover values inside the fence than outside in 2006, also resulting in a significant fence × year interaction in both community types. This study thus suggests that the high rainfall variability in arid and semi-arid rangelands may modify the effects of long-term exclosure on vegetation.     

Estimating the impact parameters of cosmic dust particles using a piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate detector

A cosmic dust detector for installation on a satellite is currently being developed using piezoelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT), which can possess both functions of the collector and the transducer. The characteristics of the PZT detector have been studied by bombarding it with hypervelocity particles supplied by a Van de Graaff accelerator. The front surface of the detector used in this study was covered with a white paint to reduce any increase in the temperature due to the solar radiation. There was a linear relationship between the rise time of the signal produced by the detector and the particle's velocities, which were above 10 km/s on impact. This implies that individual particle velocities on impact can be inferred through the empirical formula derived from the data obtained from the PZT detector.     

Are small rodents key promoters of ecosystem restoration in harsh environments? A case study of abandoned croplands on Mongolian grasslands

We focused on the potential contribution of fossorial rodents to recovery of degraded abandoned Mongolian croplands. From field observations and the literature, we determined that plant litter and soil crusting were the main factors preventing establishment or growth of the perennial grass Elymus chinensis (Poaceae) on these croplands. We hypothesized that small fossorial rodents such as Mongolian gerbils promote grass establishment and growth by clearing litter and destroying crusts. We designed a path model linking number of burrows to patch size and plant volume of E. chinensis. As we hypothesized, small rodents increased the patch size of E. chinensis through reduction of litter cover. However, unexpectedly, we could not find significant effects on E. chinensis via crust thickness. Our results suggest that litter removal by the rodents gave E. chinensis suitable space that was free of competitors; this allowed expansion of the E. chinensis patches. Any effect of soil crusting on plant volume could not be explained simply by the variables we used, probably because some other mechanism, such as temporal variation in the crust, was involved. We demonstrate that small rodents are key agents in the recovery of degraded grasslands.     

The temporal record and sources of atmospherically deposited fly-ash particles in Lake Akagi-konuma,a Japanese mountain lake

Fly-ash particles comprising spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCP) and inorganic ash spheres (IAS), produced from industrial fossil-fuel combustion, are found in lake sediments throughout the world where they provide an historical record of atmospheric pollutant deposition. These particles have been widely used to assess the temporal and spatial distribution of industrial atmospheric pollution in both freshwater and terrestrial environments in Europe and the USA. However, there have been very few palaeolimnological fly-ash studies undertaken in Japan and none in Japanese mountain lakes. Here, we present the historical SCP and IAS records from a radiometrically dated sediment core taken from Lake Akagi-konuma (36°31′ 54″N, 139°11′ 32″E; elevation 1,470 m) located 100 km north-west of Tokyo. Meteorological data and back trajectory analyses confirm potential sources both within Japan and further afield in China and South Korea. SCP contamination began in the 1950s and increased rapidly to a peak in the mid-1980s. It is thought this represents contamination of Japanese origin, principally oil-fired power stations within 150 km of the lake. The profile of IAS, almost solely coal-derived, shows a rapid increase in the 1970s, in contrast to the record of coal consumption in Japan. The IAS record is therefore thought to reflect long-range transport from coal combustion sources in eastern China which started to expand in the 1970s. This raises concerns over the potential impact on Japanese mountain areas from recent rapid increases in, and predicted acceleration of, emissions from this industrial process. The scale of SCP contamination recorded in Lake Akagi-konuma is equivalent to moderately impacted mountain lakes in Europe, but is at the upper end of the range for remote lakes in the western United States.     

Frequency–Magnitude Distribution of −3.7 ≤ M W ≤ 1 Mining-Induced Earthquakes Around a Mining Front and b Value Invariance with Post-Blast Time

We investigated frequency-magnitude distribution (FMD) of acoustic emissions (AE) occurring near an active mining front in a South African gold mine, using a catalog developed from an AE network, which is capable of detecting AEs down to M _W  ?5. When records of blasts were removed, FMDs of AEs obeyed a Gutenberg?Richter law with similar b values, not depending on post-blasting time from the initial 1-min interval through more than 30 h. This result denies a suggestion in a previous study (Richardson and Jordan Bull Seismol Soc Am, 92:1766–1782, 2002) that new fractures generated by blasting disturb the size distribution of background events, which they interpreted as slip events on existing weak planes. Our AE catalog showed that the GR law with b ～ 1.2 was valid between M _W  ?3.7 and 0 for AEs around the mining front. Further, using the mine’s seismic catalog, which covers a longer time period of the same area, we could extend the validity range of the GR law with the same b value up to M _W 1.     

Nd isotopic composition in the central North Pacific

Three vertical profiles of seawater concentration and isotopic composition of Nd were determined for the western to central North Pacific Ocean.In the subarctic oceanic region, at depths greater than 500 m, one vertical profile of Nd isotopic composition was indistinguishable from most previously reported profiles from here. The data indicate a rather homogeneous Nd isotopic composition in the subarctic oceanic region at middle to deep depths (>500 m). Two stations in the subtropical oceanic region exhibited similar Nd isotopic composition profiles to those previously reported. The maxima ε_Nd values at depths of 800-1000 m (ε_Nd = −3.4 to −2.7), which correspond to the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), are found at both subtropical stations. This implies a ubiquitous distribution of NPIW showing a radiogenic ε_Nd value in the North Pacific. The subsurface minimum at a depth of ∼200 m, which indicates the penetration of the North Pacific Tropical Water (NPTW) with an unradiogenic Nd isotopic signal, was observed at one station in the western Pacific. This station had much lower ε_Nd than the central station at depths around 5000 m, suggesting the greater prominence of Antarctic Bottom Water (AABW) in the western subtropical Pacific than in the central to eastern subtropical Pacific.Results of a model calculation assuming boundary exchange indicate that the Hawaiian Islands play an important role in supplying radiogenic Nd to the central Pacific, similar to some continental margins.We show that Nd isotopic composition is a versatile tracer for ocean circulation and the geochemical cycle of Nd in the North Pacific. Further studies on the distribution of Nd isotopic composition in the Pacific Ocean, including the Southern Pacific, will better elucidate the circulation and geochemical cycle of Nd in the Pacific.     

Two contrasting magmatic types coexist after the cessation of back-arc spreading

Amongst island arcs, Izu–Bonin is remarkable as it has widespread, voluminous and long-lived volcanism behind the volcanic front. In the central part of the arc this volcanism is represented by a series of seamount chains which extend nearly 300 km into the back-arc from the volcanic front. These back-arc seamount chains were active between 17 and 3 Ma, which is the period between the cessation of spreading in the Shikoku Basin and the initiation of currently active rifting just behind the Quaternary volcanic front. In this paper we present new age, chemical and isotopic data from the hitherto unexplored seamounts which formed furthest from the active volcanic front. Some of the samples come from volcanoes at the western limit of the back-arc seamount chains. Others are collected from seamounts of various sizes which lie on the Shikoku Basin crust (East Shikoku Basin seamounts). The westernmost magmatism we have sampled is manifested as a series of volcanic edifices that trace the extinct spreading centre of the Shikoku Basin known as the Kinan Seamount Chain (KSC).Chemically, enrichment in fluid-mobile elements and depletion in HFSE relative to MORB indicates that the back-arc seamount chains and the East Shikoku Basin seamounts have a significant contribution of slab-derived material. In this context these volcanoes can be regarded as a manifestation of arc magmatism and distinct from the MORB-like lavas of the Shikoku back-arc basin. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages range from 15.7 to 9.6 Ma for the East Shikoku Basin seamounts, indicating this arc magmatism started immediately after the Shikoku Basin stopped spreading.Although the KSC volcanoes are found to be contemporaneous with the seamount chains and East Shikoku Basin seamounts, their chemical characteristics are very different. Unlike the calc-alkaline seamount chains, the KSC lavas range from medium-K to shoshonitic alkaline basalt. Their trace element characteristics indicate the absence of a subduction influence and their radiogenic isotope systematics reflect a mantle source combining a Philippine Sea MORB composition and an enriched mantle component (EM-1). One of the most remarkable features of the KSC is that their geochemistry has a distinct temporal variation. Element ratios such as Nb/Zr and concentrations of incompatible elements such as K₂O increase with decreasing age and reach a maximum at ca. 7 Ma when the KSC ceased activity.Based on the chemical and temporal information from all the data across the back-arc region, we have identified two contrasting yet contemporaneous magmatic provinces. These share a tectonic platform, but have separate magmatic roots; one stemming from subduction flux and the other from post-spreading asthenospheric melting.     

花岗岩变形破坏的阶段性模型--应力速度及预存微裂纹密度对断层形成过程的影响

依据对具有较高微裂纹密度的筑波花岗岩和极低微裂纹密度的花岗斑岩 2种极端的岩石标本、在等应力速率的快速加载 (约 6MPa/min)和蠕变加载 (轴向应力保持在约 95 %破坏强度 ) 2个极端的加载条件下的实验结果 ,讨论了预存微裂纹密度与加载速度对多晶质结晶岩变形破坏过程的影响。实验中利用高速多通道声发射波形数字记录系统 (每秒可记录多达 5 0 0 0个声发射事件的 32通道波形 ) ,获得了岩石标本破坏前微破裂活动的详细时空分布数据。声发射的发生率、震级 -频度关系中的b值及震源的空间分布揭示出岩石变形破坏过程中微破裂活动具有 3个典型阶段 :初期阶段、第 2阶段和成核阶段。尤其是在成核阶段 ,还观测到发生率和b值有大幅度前兆性起伏。一般而言 ,在相同加载条件下预存微破裂密度越高 ,或对同一岩石加载速度越慢 ,对应的断层成核过程就越长 ,因此最终破坏的可预报性也越高。为了进一步探讨微破裂活动的阶段性特征及其物理本质 ,还利用亚临界破裂扩展模型对声发射数据进行了理论分析