In situ X-ray observations of the decomposition of brucite and the graphite–diamond conversion in aqueous fluid at high pressure and temperature

 An experimental technique to make real-time observations at high pressure and temperature of the diamond-forming process in candidate material of mantle fluids as a catalyst has been established for the first time. In situ X-ray diffraction experiments using synchrotron radiation have been performed upon a mixture of brucite [Mg(OH)₂] and graphite as starting material. Brucite decomposes into periclase (MgO) and H₂O at 3.6 GPa and 1050 °C while no periclase is formed after the decomposition of brucite at 6.2 GPa and 1150 °C, indicating that the solubility of the MgO component in H₂O greatly increases with increasing pressure. The conversion of graphite to diamond in aqueous fluid has been observed at 7.7 GPa and 1835 °C. Time-dependent X-ray diffraction profiles for this transformation have been successfully obtained. Received: 17 July 2001 / Accepted: 18 February 2002     

Coastal acoustic tomography system and its field application

The coastal acoustic tomography system (CATS), composed of five moored acoustic stations, has been constructed to measure current fields. The system is developed with special considerations in mind, including the use of Global Positioning System clock signals in the synchronization of the system clock timing among the multiple acoustic stations, and the use of the differently coded Gold sequences to identify the acoustic signals corresponding to individual stations from a received signal. The CATS was successfully applied to map the structure of strongly nonlinear tidal currents in the coastal sea. In spite of the limited spatial resolution caused by inadequate sound transmission data, the two-dimensional tidal vortices features of growth, translation, and decay processes are reconstructed through an inverse analysis of the acoustic travel time obtained among the station pairs. It is evident that the CATS is a powerful tool for measuring variable current fields generated in the coastal seas     

Cyclone activity associated with the interannual seesaw oscillation of summer precipitation over northern Eurasia

This study describes surface cyclone activity associated with the interannual variability in summer precipitation in northern Eurasia and how that activity may be connected to other climate signals. An east–west seesaw oscillation of precipitation across Siberia is the primary mode of interannual variability in the summer hydrological cycle over northern Eurasia. This variation occurs at sub-decadal timescales of about 6–8 years. The spatial characteristics of cyclone frequency and cyclone tracks at the two poles in variability [eastern Siberia (ES)-wet–western Siberia (WS)-dry and WS-wet–ES-dry] were examined, and temporal variability in regional cyclone frequency was compared to basin-scale precipitation variability. The analysis period was from 1973 to 2002, when the precipitation variability signal was predominant.Cyclone behavior suggested that the regions of enhanced (reduced) cyclone activity coincided with regions of increased (decreased) precipitation in each phase of the oscillation. Such behavior reflects the zonal displacement of the track of frequent storm activity that accompanies the changes in precipitation. Comparisons of the temporal characteristics confirmed the importance of regional cyclone frequency on precipitation variability in both eastern and western Siberia. Low-frequency changes in regional cyclone activity may produce the precipitation oscillation. We used various climate signals to explore connections between regional precipitation and cyclone activity in Siberia. Results suggest that the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) from the preceding winter is significantly and negatively correlated with summer surface cyclone frequency and precipitation over western Siberia. Enhanced (reduced) summer cyclone activity and precipitation in western Siberia follows low- (high-) winter NAO. However, the physical mechanisms linking summer cyclone activity and precipitation over western Siberia with the preceding climate conditions associated with the winter NAO remain unclear.     

Regional climatic effects according to different estimations of biogenic volatile organic compounds during the asian summer monsoon

A series of 60-year numerical experiments starting from 1851 was conducted using a global climate model coupled with an aerosol-cloud-radiation model to investigate the response of the Asian summer monsoon to variations in the secondary organic aerosol (SOA) flux induced by two different estimations of biogenic volatile organic compound (BVOC) emissions. One estimation was obtained from a pre-existing archive and the other was generated by a next-generation model (the Model of Emissions of Gases and Aerosols from Nature, MEGAN). The use of MEGAN resulted in an overall increase of the SOA production through a higher rate of gasto-particle conversion of BVOCs. Consequently, the atmospheric loading of organic carbon (OC) increased due to the contribution of SOA to OC aerosol. The increase of atmospheric OC aerosols was prominent in particular in the Indian subcontinent and Indochina Peninsula (IP) during the pre- and early-monsoon periods because the terrestrial biosphere is the major source of BVOC emissions and the atmospheric aerosol concentration diminishes rapidly with the arrival of monsoon rainfall. As the number of atmospheric OC particles increased, the number concentrations of cloud droplets increased, but their size decreased. These changes represent a combination of aerosol-cloud interactions that were favorable to rainfall suppression. However, the modeled precipitation was slightly enhanced in May over the oceans that surround the Indian subcontinent and IP. Further analysis revealed that a compensating updraft in the surrounding oceans was induced by the thermally-driven downdraft in the IP, which was a result of surface cooling associated with direct OC aerosol radiative forcing, and was able to surpass the aerosolcloud interactions. The co-existence of oceanic ascending motion with the maximum convective available potential energy was also found to be crucial for rainfall formation. Although the model produced statistically significant rainfall changes with locally organized patterns, the suggested pathways should be considered guardedly because in the simulation results, 1) the BVOC-induced aerosol direct effect was marginal; 2) cloud-aerosol interactions were modeldependent; and 3) Asian summer monsoons were biased to a nonnegligible extent.     

Interpretation of El Niño–Southern Oscillation‐related precipitation anomalies in north‐western Borneo using isotopic tracers

We examined rainfall anomalies associated with the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in northern Sarawak, Malaysia, using the oxygen isotopic composition of rainfall. Two precipitation‐sampling campaigns were conducted for isotope analysis: (a) at the Lambir Hill National Park (4.2° N, 114.0° E) from July 2004 to October 2006 and (b) at the Gunung Mulu National Park (3.9° N, 114.8° E) from January 2006 to July 2008. The records from these campaigns were merged with a previously published rainfall isotope dataset from Gunung Mulu site to create a 7‐year‐long record of the oxygen isotopic composition of Sarawak rainfall. The record exhibits clear intraseasonal variations (ISVs) with periods ranging from 10 to 70 days. The ISVs of 10‐ to 90‐day band‐pass filtered oxygen isotopic composition are linked to the synoptic‐scale precipitation anomalies over the southern South China Sea (SCS). The lead–lag correlation map of precipitation with the filtered oxygen isotope anomalies shows that an anomalous wet condition responsible for the decrease in oxygen isotopic composition appears over the SCS in association with the passage of north‐eastward propagation of the boreal summer intraseasonal oscillation (BSISO) in the summer monsoon season. The anomalous wet condition in spring is connected with eastward‐propagating Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO), whereas the sustained wet condition in winter is responsible for the occurrence of the Borneo vortex (BV) over the SCS. ENSO modulates the frequency of these synoptic conditions on a seasonal and longer time scale, showing a strong correlation between the seasonal isotopic anomalies and the Southern Oscillation index. We therefore discern, from the significant correlation between the isotope anomalies and area‐averaged Sarawak rainfall anomalies (R = ?0.65, p < 0.01), that ENSO‐related precipitation anomalies are linked to the seasonal modulation of the BSISO and MJO activity and BV genesis.     

Implementation of an optimized Cassegrain system for radio telescopes

We present the antenna design for a radio interferometer, the Arcminute Microkelvin Imager, together with its beam pattern measurement. Our aim was to develop a low-cost system with high aperture efficiency and low ground spill across the frequency range 12–18 GHz. We use a modified Cassegrain system consisting of a commercially available paraboloidal primary mirror with a diameter of 3.7 m, and a shaped secondary mirror. The secondary mirror is oversized with respect to a ray optics design and has a surface that is bent towards the primary near its outer edge using a square term for the shaping. The antennas are simple to manufacture and therefore their cost is low. The design increased the antenna gain by approximately 10 per cent compared to a normal Cassegrain system while still maintaining low contamination from ground spill and using a simple design for the horn.     

Pipe–soil interaction for segmented buried pipelines subjected to dip faults

This paper describes an investigation of pipe–soil interaction equations suggested by currently used pipeline seismic design codes and the applicability of these equations to segmented pipelines. The results of computer‐aided analyses were compared to results obtained in full‐scale experiments on a segmented ductile iron pipeline 93 mm in diameter and 15 m in length. The pipeline was installed 600 mm below the ground surface in a sandy soil compacted to two different subgrade reaction values. The type of fault considered was a reverse fault with an intersection angle of 60° with the pipeline, and the fault movement was a total of 350 mm in three same steps in the fault trace direction. The findings of this study demonstrate the necessity of considering the nature of soil behavior in pipe–soil interaction equations and the effects of connection joints on the integrated response of pipelines to fault‐induced ground deformations. A new combination of equations constituting a direction‐wise selection from among the equations proposed by currently used guidelines is introduced as a new series to describe pipe–soil interaction for segmented pipelines and is verified using the results of full‐scale experiments. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance evaluation of a ground-source heat pump system utilizing a flowing well and estimation of suitable areas for its installation in Aizu Basin,Japan

Development of a ground-source heat pump (GSHP) system with higher efficiency, and evaluation of its operating performance, is essential to expand the growth of GSHP systems in Japan. A closed-loop GSHP system was constructed utilizing a flowing (artesian) well as a ground heat exchanger (GHE). The system was demonstrated for space-heating and space-cooling of a room (area 126.7 m²) in an office building. The average coefficient of performance was found to be 4.5 for space-heating and 8.1 for space-cooling. The maximum heat exchange rate was 70.8 W/m for space-heating and 57.6 W/m for space-cooling. From these results, it was determined that a GSHP system with a flowing well as a GHE can result in higher performance. With this kind of highly efficient system, energy saving and cost reduction can be expected. In order to assess appropriate locations for the installation of similar kinds of GSHP systems in Aizu Basin, a suitability map showing the distribution of groundwater up-flowing areas was prepared based on the results of a regional-scale three-dimensional analytical model. Groundwater up-flowing areas are considered to be suitable because the flowing well can be constructed at these areas. Performance evaluation of the GSHP system utilizing the flowing well, in conjunction with the prepared suitability map for its installation, can assist in the promotion of GSHP systems in Japan.     

Timing of Himalayan ultrahigh-pressure metamorphism: sinking rate and subduction angle of the Indian continental crust beneath Asia

Coesite relics were discovered as inclusions in clinopyroxene in eclogite and as inclusions in zircon in felsic and pelitic gneisses from Higher Himalayan Crystalline rocks in the upper Kaghan Valley, north‐west Himalaya. The metamorphic peak conditions of the coesite‐bearing eclogites are estimated to be 27–32 kbar and 700–770 °C, using garnet–pyroxene–phengite geobarometry and garnet–pyroxene geothermometry, respectively. Cathodoluminescence (CL) and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging distinguished three different domains in zircon: inner detrital core, widely spaced euhedral oscillatory zones, and thin, broadly zoned outermost rims. Each zircon domain contains a characteristic suite of micrometre‐sized mineral inclusions which were identified by in situ laser Raman microspectroscopy. Core and mantle domains contain quartz, apatite, plagioclase, muscovite and rutile. In contrast, the rim domains contain coesite and minor muscovite. Quartz inclusions were identified in all coesite‐bearing zircon grains, but not coexisting with coesite in the same growth domain (rim domain). ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U zircon ages reveal that the quartz‐bearing mantle domains and the coesite‐bearing rim were formed at c. 50 Ma and 46.2 ± 0.7 Ma, respectively. These facts demonstrate that the continental materials were buried to 100 km within 7–9 Myr after initiation of the India–Asia collision (palaeomagnetic data from the Indian oceanic floor supports an initial India‐Asia contact at 55–53 Ma). Combination of the sinking rate of 1.1–1.4 cm year^?1 with Indian plate velocity of 4.5 cm year^?1 suggests that the Indian continent subducted to about 100 km depth at an average subduction angle of 14–19°.