Occurrence of Spadella cephaloptera During One Year at Ischia Island (Gulf of Naples)

Abstract. The life cycle of the benthic arrowworm, Spadella cephaloptera , which inhabits the Posidonia meadow at Ischia (Gulf of Naples, Italy), was examined by a one-year systematic sampling survey and by laboratory culture. The seasonal fluctuations in abundance and the reproductive characteristics indicate that there were two generations of S. cephaloptera in one year; these generations have a different life span. The habitat of S. cephaloptera depends on the growth of the Posidonia meadow; the influence of different factors on the S. cephaloptera population, especially of the Posidonia vagile fauna, is discussed.     

Evolving fluid composition during prograde metamorphism in subduction zones: A new approach using carbonate-bearing assemblages in the pelitic system

The changing XCO₂ in fluids during the progressive metamorphism in Sanbagawa belt of the Cretaceous subduction zone, Japan, was estimated by a newly proposed method. The subduction zone meta-sediments are characterized commonly by four-phase assemblages in the CaO–NaAlO₂–KAlO₂–Al₂O₃ system with excess quartz and a CO₂–H₂O binary fluid phase. Using the common assemblage of calcite–albite–muscovite–clinozoisite, XCO₂ of the fluid was estimated to be from about 0.0001–0.0005 (the lowest grade chlorite zone), through 0.004–0.01 (garnet zone), 0.01–0.05 (albite–biotite zone) to 0.06–0.2 (oligoclase–biotite zone).The paragenetic relationship of meta-sediments from the subduction zones was compared in a wide P–T range to cover the stability fields of aragonite and jadeite. As a result, an excellent P–T–XCO₂ relationship was delineated to serve as a quantitative monitor for the evolving fluid composition during the progressive metamorphism in subduction zones.     

Geothermal constraints on the hydrological regime of the TAG active hydrothermal mound, inferred from long-term monitoring

During August 1994 to March 1995, a period that included ODP Leg 158 drilling, bottom-water and sub-bottom temperatures were continuously logged by a long-term temperature monitoring system ‘Daibutsu’ at the base of the central black-smoker complex (CBC) and within the low heat flow zone at the TAG hydrothermal mound on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The temperature of hydrothermal fluid at CBC was also measured with a small high-temperature probe ‘Hobo’. Bottom-water temperature variations measured with Daibutsu at both sites have predominant semi-diurnal periods, causing the sub-bottom temperatures to fluctuate at these periods with reduced amplitudes and phase delays at sub-bottom depths. Seawater entrainment into the mound has been previously suggested at the low heat flow zone. We quantitatively evaluate the seawater entrainment rate at both sites from a one-dimensional numerical model, combined with a heat conduction model for the semi-diurnal variations. The entrainment rate of seawater at the base of CBC is estimated as 1.3±0.5×10⁻⁵ m/s, at least from August 17 to 30, 1994. On the other hand, the seawater entrainment rate at the low heat flow zone was undetected by long-term temperature monitoring at shallow sub-bottom depth. Nevertheless an increase in heat flow observed at the low heat flow zone during ODP drilling can be interpreted as a decrease in the entrainment rate of seawater. Before ODP Leg 158, Daibutsu measured three sub-bottom temperature anomalies at the base of CBC not derived from bottom-water temperature variations and Hobo also detected a CBC fluid temperature anomaly, indicating some natural changes in fluid flow within the mound. Daibutsu and Hobo also measured temperature anomalies during and after drilling at the ODP TAG-1 area. The Hobo temperature anomalies are inferred to have occurred when the cold fluid entrained through the drill holes at TAG-1 site reached or cooled the main fluid path to CBC. The entrained seawater through the drill holes appears to have contributed to dissolution and precipitation of anhydrite within the mound and perhaps affected the local permeability structure inside the mound. The temperature anomalies measured with Daibutsu at the base of CBC may have been induced by the change in the fluid flow pattern as a result of such permeability changes within the mound.     

Shear wave velocity measurement during a standard penetration test

An experiment was carried out to develop a technique to measure shear wave velocity simultaneously with the standard penetration test popular in soil engineering. In the standard penetration test an impact at the bottom of a borehole is produced by weight dropping and may be expected to generate seismic waves. A three-component geophone was set on the ground surface near the borehole and the waves generated were recorded with a magnetic recorder at successive depths of the penetration test. The predominance of the SV wave obtained with this simple method was assured by measurement of the particle orbit. Signal amplitudes decrease with depth and become less than the noise level at a certain depth. Therefore records from deeper sources must be processed to disclose the shear waves. Since waveforms of SV events generated by blows of the penetration test at a given depth are very similar, the signal to noise ratio would be expected to be improved by a stack of wave trains. A paste-up of the radial component after stacking was compared with that before stacking and a refinement was clearly recognized. A vertical distribution of shear wave velocity was obtained by reading the onset time at each depth. Shear wave velocities thus obtained were compared with N values from the standard penetration test and specific resistivities from electrical logging in the same borehole. The data were mutually consistent. This experiment showed that a convenient, precise shear wave velocity measurement can be conducted during the routine work of a standard penetration test.     

Intergrowth textures of diaplectic glass and crystal in shock-loaded P-anorthite

The intergrowth of diaplectic glass and primitive anorthite has been observed in fragments shocked to 300 kbar. The textures observed by electron microscopy are similar to those produced in shocked quartz crystals. The diffuseness of reflections, related to antiphase domains, show no noticeable change in comparison with unshocked specimens. These results indicate that no gradual change in original domain size occurs and that the transformation of primitive anorthite to diaplectic glass occurs abruptly.     

An experimental study of non-equilibrium vapour condensation in a shock-tube

Filmwise non-equilibrium condensation of methanol vapour is investigated on a shock-tube endwall behind a reflected shock wave. The theoretical prediction of a transition phenomenon during the growth of a liquid film is experimentally demonstrated: the film grows approximately in proportion to the time at the early stages after the reflection of the shock wave and, after a transition period, it grows in proportion to the square root of the time. The condensation parameter of the vapour is obtained from the conformity between experiment and theory. It is found that the condensation parameter of the methanol vapour is of the magnitude of one tenth of the value for the complete capture of the molecules on the liquid surface.     

Biodiversity loss in benthic macroinfaunal communities and its consequence for organic mercury trophic availability to benthivorous predators in the lower Hudson River estuary, USA

Organic mercury such as methylmercury is not only one of the most toxic substances found in coastal ecosystems but also has high trophic transfer efficiency. In this study, we examined implications of chronically altered benthic macroinfaunal assemblages for organic mercury trophic availability (based on organic mercury intracellular partitioning) to their predators in the Arthur Kill-AK (New York, USA). Despite low species diversity, both density and biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates in AK were significantly higher than those at the reference site. Disproportionately high biomass of benthic macroinvertebrates (mostly polychaetes) in the northern AK resulted in a more than twofold increase (‘ecological enrichment’) in the trophically available organic mercury pool. These results suggest that altered benthic macroinfaunal community structure in AK may play an important role in organic mercury trophic availability at the base of benthic food webs and potentially in mercury biogeochemical cycling in this severely urbanized coastal ecosystem.     

Timeline analysis and wavelet multiscale analysis of the AKARI All-Sky Survey at 90 μm

We present a careful analysis of the point-source detection limit of the AKARI All-Sky Survey in the WIDE-S 90-μm band near the North Ecliptic Pole (NEP). Timeline analysis is used to detect IRAS ( Infrared Astronomy Satellite ) sources and then a conversion factor is derived to transform the peak timeline signal to the interpolated 90-μm flux of a source. Combined with a robust noise measurement, the point-source flux detection limit at signal-to-noise ratio  (S/N) > 5  for a single detector row is  1.1 ± 0.1 Jy  which corresponds to a point-source detection limit of the survey of ∼0.4 Jy.
Wavelet transform offers a multiscale representation of the Time Series Data ( tsd ). We calculate the continuous wavelet transform of the tsd and then search for significant wavelet coefficients considered as potential source detections. To discriminate real sources from spurious or moving objects, only sources with confirmation are selected. In our multiscale analysis, IRAS sources selected above 4σ can be identified as the only real sources at the Point Source Scales. We also investigate the correlation between the non- IRAS sources detected in timeline analysis and cirrus emission using wavelet transform and contour plots of wavelet power spectrum. It is shown that the non- IRAS sources are most likely to be caused by excessive noise over a large range of spatial scales rather than real extended structures such as cirrus clouds.     

Petrology of peridotite xenoliths in lamprophyre from Shingu,Southwestern Japan: Implications for origin of Fe-rich mantle peridotites

Summary Xenoliths of harzburgite, lherzolite, dunite and wehrlite (= Group I rocks) in lamprophyre dikes from Shingu are accompanied by large amounts of ultramafic-mafic xeno liths with Al- and Ti-rich clinopyroxene and/or kaersuite (websterite, clinopyroxenite, kaersutite rock, gabbro and anorthosite) (= Group II rocks). The latter rocks often crosscut the Group I rocks as veinlets, indicating that Group II rocks are younger. Although harzburgites and lherzolite from Shingu have ordinary modal compositions, the constituent minerals have extraordinary chemical characteristics; low Mg and Cr and high Ti, Al and Fe³⁺. Fo values of olivine range from 91 to 77. Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratios of spinel are lower than 0.5 even in harzburgites. Fe³⁺/(Cr+Al+Fe³⁺) atomic ratios of spinel are sometimes over 0.1. TiO₂ contents of clinopyroxene often exceed 0.5 wt%. These characteristics are revealed when Group I rocks are veined or selvaged by Group 11 rocks; chemical compositions of minerals in peridotites systematically change forwards the latter. This strongly suggests that injections of melts with alkali basaltic affinity which had precipitated Group 11 rocks resulted in diffusion metasomatism on the Group I rocks.It is likely that the metasomatized peridotites are widespread underneath the areas where alkali basalt magmatism had fluorished, such as southwestern Japan. Some of Fe-rich lherzolite and harzburgite xenoliths reported in the literature are possibly metasomatites.

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Petrologie von Peridotit-Xenolithen in Lamprophyren von Shingu, Südwest-Japan: Hinweise auf die Herkunft Fe-reicher Mantel-Peridotite

Zusammenfassung In lamprophyrischen Gängen von Shingu kommen Xenolithe von Harzburgit, Lherzolith, Dunit and Wehrlit (= Gesteinsgruppe I) vor. Sie werden von einer Vielzahl von ultramaf-isch-mafischen Xenolithen mit Al- and Ti-reichem Klinopyroxen and/oder Kaersutit (Websterit, Klinopyroxenit, Kaersutit-Gestein, Gabbro and Anorthosit) (=Gesteinsgruppe II) begleitet, die die Xenolithe der Gruppe I häufig gangförmig durchkreuzen, was auf ein jü ngeres Alter der Gesteinsgruppe II hinweist. Obwohl die Harzburgite and Lherzolithe von Shingu übliche modale Mineralbestände aufweisen, sind die Mineralchemismen außergewöhnlich: Niedrige Mg- and Cr- and hohe Ti-, Al- and Fe³⁺-Gehalte. Die Fo-Gehalte von Olivin reichen von 91 bis 77. Die Cr/(Cr+Al)-Atom-Verhältnisse der Spinelle sind kleiner als 0,5, sogar in den Harzburgiten; die Fe³⁺/(Cr+Al+Fe³⁺)-Atom-Verhaltnisse teilweise größer als 0,1. Der TiO₂-Gehalt im Klinopyroxen ist meist über 0,5 Gew.%. Diese Charakteristika zeigen sich dort, wo die Gesteinsgruppe II die Gesteinsgruppe I durchschlägt oder kontaktiert. Der Mineralchemismus in den Peridotiten ändert sich dabei systematisch. Es wird vermutet, daß Schmelzinjektionen mit alkali-basaltischer Affinität, von denen die Gesteinsgruppe II herstammt, eine Diffusions-Metasomatose der Gesteinsgruppe I verursacht hat.Es wird angenommen, daß metasomatisierte Peridotite an der Basis von alkali-basaltischem Magmatismus weft verbreitet sind, wie zum Beispiel in Südwest-Japan. Einige in der Literatur aufscheinende Fe-reiche Lherzolith- and Harzburgit-Xenolithe sind möglicherweise metasomatisch entstanden.

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With 6 Figures     

Depositional Age of a Fossil Whale Bone from São Paulo Ridge,South Atlantic Ocean,Based on Os Isotope Stratigraphy of a Ferromanganese Crust

Whale carcasses (whale falls) deposited on the deep seafloor are associated with a distinctive biotic community. A fossil whale bone recovered from São Paulo Ridge, South Atlantic Ocean, during cruise YK13–04 Leg 1 of R/V Yokosuka was covered by a ferromanganese (Fe–Mn) crust approximately 9 mm thick. Here, we report an age constraint for this fossil bone on the basis of Os isotopic stratigraphy (¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratio) of the Fe–Mn crust. Major‐ and trace‐element compositions of the crust are similar to those of Fe–Mn crusts of predominantly hydrogenous origin. Rare earth element concentrations in samples of the crust, normalized with respect to Post‐Archean average Australian Shale, exhibit flat patterns with positive Ce and negative Y anomalies. These results indicate that the Fe–Mn crust consists predominantly of hydrogenous components and that it preserves the Os isotope composition of seawater at the time of its deposition. ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os ratios of three Fe–Mn crust samples increased from 0.904 to 1.068 in ascending stratigraphic order. The value of 1.068 from the surface slice (0–3 mm depth in the crust) was identical to that of present‐day seawater within error (~1.06). The value of 0.904 from the basal slice (6–9 mm) equaled seawater values from ca. 4–5 Ma. Because it is unknown how long the bone lay on the seafloor before the Fe–Mn crust was deposited, the Os stratigraphic age of ca. 5 Ma is a minimum age of the fossil. This is the first application, to our knowledge, of marine Os isotope stratigraphy for determining the age of a fossil whale bone. Such data may offer valuable insights into the evolution of the whale‐fall biotic community.