用1Hz GPS观测数据推导中强震震源过程的能力:2008年日本岩手—宫城内陆地震例子

通过反演研究2008年日本岩手—宫城内陆地震（M～6.9）,说明了用1Hz全球定位系统（GPS）观测数据推导中强震（M6级）震源过程的能力。比较了此次地震采样率为1Hz的GPS观测波形,发现与强震仪记录波形有很好的一致性。由于震源区及其周围有足够多的GPS台站很好地记录到了地面运动,因而使我们仅仅采用1Hz的GPS观测数据就可进行波形反演。反演的结果与大地测量和强震仪数据联合反演的结果相当一致,如地震矩（Mw～6.9）、累积滑动量分布和破裂传播等。这种一致性证明,采样率为1Hz的GPS观测数据不仅能用来推导M6级中强震破裂过程的动态特征,而且能用来推导其持久（或静态）的滑动。     

Isotopic tracers for water masses in the coastal region of eastern Hokkaido

In this study we used two stable isotopes, δ¹³C and δ¹⁸O, for water mass classification in the coastal region off eastern Hokkaido. δ¹³C* values, which were corrected for the biological effect, and δ ¹⁸O values up to 300 m depth suggested that the isotopic character of the onshore and offshore water in the southern Okhotsk Sea, the Nemuro Strait and the western North Pacific could be explained by the mixing of three source waters: the Oyashio water (OYW), Soya Warm Current water (SWCW) and East Sakhalin Current water (ESCW). In summer, δ ¹³C*-δ ¹⁸O plots indicated mixing between SWCW from the southern Okhotsk Sea and OYW in the Pacific coast of southeastern Hokkaido, while temperature-salinity plots of the onshore water showed minimal difference from the offshore OYW. In winter, on the other hand, the mixed water of ESCW and OYW (or SWCW) appeared in the Pacific coastal region, distributed as cold, low salinity onshore water. Finally, we estimated mixing ratios of OYW, SWCW and ESCW in the coastal region of western North Pacific using their mean values of δ ¹³C* and δ ¹⁸O as endmembers. These results suggest seasonal and yearly changes of water mass combination en route from the southern Okhotsk Sea to the western North Pacific.     

Spectrum of the relic neutrino background from past supernovae and cosmological models

It is greatly expected that the relic neutrino background from past supernovae will be detected by Superkamiokande (SK) which is now under construction. We calculate the spectrum and the event rate at SK systematically by using the results of simulations of a supernova explosion and reasonable supernova rates. We also investigate the effect of a cosmological constant, Λ, on the spectrum, since some recent cosmological observations strongly suggest the existence of Λ. We find following results. (1) The spectrum has a peak at about 3 MeV, which is much lower than that of previous estimates (6–10 MeV). (2) The event rate at SK in the range from 10 MeV to 50 MeV, where the relic neutrinos from past supernovae are dominant, is about 25h₅₀²(R_SN/0.1 yr⁻¹)(n_Gh₅₀⁻³/0.02 Mpc⁻³) events per year, where R_SN is the supernova rate in a galaxy, n_G is the number density of galaxies, and h₅₀ = H₀/(50 km/s Mpc), where H₀ is the Hubble constant. (3) The event rate is almost insensitive to Λ. The flux increases in the low energy side (< 10 MeV) with increasing Λ, but decreases in the high energy side (> 10 MeV) in models in which the integrated number of supernovae in one galaxy is fixed.     

Ostwald ripening of garnet in high P/T metamorphic rocks

This paper presents a theoretical formulation of Ostwald ripening of garnet and discusses the importance of the process during high pressure and low temperature (high P/T) metamorphism. The growth rate of garnet due to Ostwald ripening is formulated for the system consisting of minerals and an intergranular medium. Crystal size distribution (CSD) of garnets are examined and compared with the theoretical distribution for Ostwald ripening. Two types of CSDs are recognized. One is consistent with the theoretical prediction of size distribution while the other is wider than the theoretical distribution. The former CSD applies to samples in which garnets show homogeneous spatial distributions. The latter CSD applies to samples in which garnets show heterogeneous spatial distributions such as in clusters or layers. These relations suggest that the heterogeneity of spatial distributions results in a heterogeneity of concentration of garnet, causing the wide distributions. The mean diameter (dg) has a large variation in samples having narrow distributions. Ostwald ripening explains well the similar patterns of CSD in these samples with different dg because of a scaling law. Compositional profiles of garnets with different size are consistent with Ostwald ripening rather than nucleation and growth kinetics. This suggests that the CSDs result from Ostwald ripening. Magnitude of heating rate will determine which mechanism controls CSD. Nucleation and growth kinetics are dominant when heating rate is large. On the other hand, Ostwald ripening is dominant when heating rate is small. CSDs of garnets in high P/T metamorphic rocks are consistent with the latter case.     

Caprella watch: a new approach for monitoring butyltin residues in the ocean

A comparative study on the butyltin levels in various organisms showed that marked bioaccumulation occurs in certain lower trophic levels; i.e. from seawater to phytoplankton and into caprellid amphipods, Caprella spp. Caprella spp., which inhabit algal communities and aquaculture beds in the subtidal zone, are small crustaceans with reduced movement and a life-span of less than 3 months. These characteristics indicate that Caprella spp. may be well-suited for monitoring butyltin residue changes over small spatial and temporal scales. Two groups of organisms, mussels and neogastropods, have been mainly used for monitoring butyltin in shallow water ecosystems. These invertebrates mainly inhabit the intertidal zone where the butyltin levels vary widely depending on the immersion period and exposure to the sea surface microlayer. Monitoring using neogastropods may also over estimate exposures after restrictions on tributyltin, since neogastropods show an irreversible response to residue changes owing to their long life-spans. Thus, we propose usage of Caprella spp. to monitor temporal and spatial changes in baseline concentrations of butyltins.     

Interannual fluctuations in recruitment of walleye pollock in the Oyashio region related to environmental changes

The Japanese Pacific walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) stock is the largest stock of this species in Japanese waters. It is a key component of the Oyashio ecosystem. In southern Hokkaido waters, these fish spawn mainly during January and February near the mouth of Funka Bay (FB), and most eggs and larvae are transported into FB. During midsummer juvenile pollock migrate along the southern coast of Hokkaido to a nursery ground on the continental shelf off eastern Hokkaido (Doto area). However, some eggs and larvae are transported southward to the Tohoku region (TR). Transport depends largely on the Oyashio, which generally flows southward along the eastern coasts of Hokkaido and Tohoku. Thus, this stock has two different recruitment routes: FB–Doto and FB–TR. In the 1980s, when the southward flow of the Oyashio was strong, the number of age-2 pollock estimated from a virtual population analysis (VPA) indicated that recruitment to the entire stock remained at a medium level. In the 1990s, when the Oyashio weakened, strong year-classes occurred in 1991, 1994, and 1995, but not in the latter half of the 1990s. Juvenile catches in the TR by commercial fisheries, which can be taken as indices of recruitment level via FB–TR, were high during the 1980s and decreased in the 1990s. Although there was no significant difference in the average number of recruits between the 1980s and the 1990s as estimated from a VPA, the recruitment patterns differed between the two decades. Here, we propose that recruitment routes of this stock shifted in response to environmental changes.     

Comparison of organotin accumulation in the masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou accompanying migratory histories

In order to examine the accumulation pattern of organotin compounds (OTs) accompanying the migration pattern in diadromous fish, tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT) compounds and their derivatives were determined in the liver, muscle, gill, and ovary tissues of both sea-run and freshwater-resident masu salmon, which are of the same species, Oncorhynchus masou. Their migratory histories were estimated using strontium (Sr) and calcium (Ca) analysis in the otolith. A significant difference in the mean Sr:Ca ratio from the core to the edge of the otolith was found between sea-run and freshwater-resident masu salmon. The TBT concentration in the liver was significantly higher than that in the other tissues in both sea-run and freshwater-resident fishes. In sea-run masu salmon, the TBT concentrations in all tissues except for the ovary were significantly higher than in those of freshwater-resident individuals. In the sea-run type, the percentage of TBT was higher than that of the freshwater-resident type. The TPT concentration in the liver of the sea-run type was also significantly higher than that in the other tissues, while that in the gill of the freshwater-resident type was significantly higher than that in the other tissues except for the ovary. The TPT concentrations found in the liver and muscle of the sea-run type were significantly higher than those in the freshwater-resident type, whereas the values of the gill in the sea-run type were significantly lower than those in the freshwater-resident fish examined. The percentage of TPT in the sea-run type was higher than that of the freshwater-resident type. These results suggest that the sea-run O. masou has a higher ecological risk of TBT and TPT exposure than the freshwater-residents during their life history.     

Spatial variation in sap flow velocity in semiarid region trees: its impact on stand‐scale transpiration estimates

In this study, we aimed to clarify spatial variations in xylem sap flow, and to determine the impacts of these variations on stand‐scale transpiration (E) estimates. We examined circumferential and radial variations in sap flow velocity (F_d) measured at several directions and depths in tree trunks of black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) and native oak (Quercus liaotungensis), both of which have ring‐porous wood anatomy, in forest stands on the Loess Plateau, China. We evaluated the impacts of circumferential variations in F_d on stand‐scale transpiration estimates using a simple scaling exercise. We found significant circumferential variations in F_d in the outermost xylem in both species (coefficients of variation = 20–45%). For both species, F_d measured at the inner xylem was smaller than that of the outermost xylem and the F_d at the depth of > 10 mm was almost zero. The simple exercises showed that omitting circumferential variations in F_d affected the E estimate by 16–21%, which was less than the effects of omitting within‐tree radial and tree‐to‐tree variations in F_d in both species. These results suggest that circumferential variations in F_d can be a minor source of error for E estimates compared with within‐tree radial and tree‐to‐tree variations in F_d, regardless of the significant circumferential variations. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Condensation and aggregation of solar corundum and corundum‐hibonite grains

Abstract— Forty‐three corundum grains (1–11 μm in size) and 5 corundum‐hibonite grains with corundum overgrown by hibonite (4–7 μm in size), were found in the matrix of the mineralogically pristine, ungrouped carbonaceous chondrite Acfer 094 by using cathodoluminescence imaging. Some of the corundum and corundum‐hibonite grains occur as aggregates of 2 to 6 grains having similar sizes. The oxygen isotopic compositions of some of the corundum‐bearing grains suggest their solar nebula origin. ²⁶Al‐²⁶Mg systematics of one corundum grain showed the canonical initial ²⁶Al/²⁷Al ratio, also suggesting a solar nebula origin. Quantitative evaluation of condensation and accretion processes made based on the homogeneous nucleation of corundum, diffusion‐controlled hibonite formation, collisions of grains in the nebula, and critical velocity for sticking, indicates that, in contrast to the hibonite‐bearing aggregates of corundum grains, the hibonite‐free corundum aggregates could not have formed in the slowly cooling nebular region with solar composition. We suggest instead that such aggregates formed near the protosun, either in a region that stayed above the condensation temperature of hibonite for a long time or in a chemically fractionated, Ca‐depleted region, and were subsequently physically removed from this hot region, e.g., by disk wind.