Oceanic Rossby waves induced by the meridional shift of the ITCZ in association with ENSO events

This study investigated the eastern Pacific Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) as an atmospheric forcing to the ocean by using various observed and reanalysis data sets over 29 years. Climatologically, a zonal band of positive wind stress curl (WSC) with a 10° meridional width was exhibited along the ITCZ. A southward shift of the positive WSC band during the El Niño phase induced a negative (positive) WSC anomaly along the northern (southern) portion of the ITCZ, and vice versa during the La Niña phase. This meridional dipole accounted for more than 25 % of interannual variances of the WSC anomalies (WSCAs), based on analysis of the period 1993–2008. The negative (positive) WSCA in the northern portion of the ITCZ during the El Niño (La Niña) phase was collocated with a positive (negative) sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) that propagated westward as a Rossby wave all the way to the western North Pacific. This finding indicates that this off-equatorial Rossby wave is induced by the WSCA around the ITCZ. Our analysis of a 1.5-layer reduced gravity model revealed that the Rossby waves are mostly explained by wind stress forcing, rather than by reflection of an equatorial Kelvin wave on the eastern coastal boundary. The off-equatorial Rossby wave had the same SSHA polarity as the equatorial Kelvin wave, and generation of a phase-preserving Rossby wave without the Kelvin wave reflection was explained by meridional movement of the ITCZ. Thus, the ITCZ acts as an atmospheric bridge that connects the equatorial and off-equatorial oceanic waves.     

The nature of megafaunal extinctions during the MIS 3–2 transition in Japan

The nature of late Quaternary megafaunal extinctions has been the subject of intense debate since the 1960s. Traditionally, scientists cite either climatic changes or human predation as the primary reason for worldwide megafaunal extinctions. In many island cases (e.g., Madagascar, New Zealand), scientists have had a tendency to lean toward humans as being the direct or indirect dominant cause for the relatively quick extirpation of indigenous megafaunas. This study evaluates the record for megafaunal (e.g., Palaeoloxodon, Mammuthus, Sinomegaceros) extinctions in the Japanese islands and draw the tentative conclusion that: (1) humans directly and/or indirectly influenced the extinction of some large herbivores; and (2) the megafaunal extinctions likely began earlier than originally proposed; during the marine isotope stage (“MIS”) 3–2 transition (～30–20 ka) rather than during the MIS 2–1 (～15–10 ka) shift that roughly coincides with the advent of the Jomon period in Japan. However, we temper our findings due to the current paucity of sites in Japan that have associated archaeology and vertebrate paleontological materials that date to the MIS 3–2 transition.     

Tropospheric adjustment to increasing CO2: its timescale and the role of land–sea contrast

Physical processes responsible for tropospheric adjustment to increasing carbon dioxide concentration are investigated using abrupt CO₂ quadrupling experiments of a general circulation model (GCM) called the model for interdisciplinary research on climate version 5 with several configurations including a coupled atmosphere–ocean GCM, atmospheric GCM, and aqua-planet model. A similar experiment was performed in weather forecast mode to explore timescales of the tropospheric adjustment. We found that the shortwave component of the cloud radiative effect (SWcld) reaches its equilibrium within 2 days of the abrupt CO₂ increase. The change in SWcld is positive, associated with reduced clouds in the lower troposphere due to warming and drying by instantaneous radiative forcing. A reduction in surface turbulent heat fluxes and increase of the near-surface stability result in shoaling of the marine boundary layer, which shifts the cloud layer downward. These changes are common to all experiments regardless of model configuration, indicating that the cloud adjustment is primarily independent of air–sea coupling and land–sea thermal contrast. The role of land in cloud adjustment is further examined by a series of idealized aqua-planet experiments, with a rectangular continent of varying width. Land surface warming from quadrupled CO₂ induces anomalous upward motion, which increases high cloud and associated negative SWcld over land. The geographic distribution of continents regulates the spatial pattern of the cloud adjustment. A larger continent produces more negative SWcld, which partly compensates for a positive SWcld over the ocean. The land-induced negative adjustment is a factor but not necessary requirement for the tropospheric adjustment.     

Summertime land–sea thermal contrast and atmospheric circulation over East Asia in a warming climate—Part II: Importance of CO2-induced continental warming

In this the second of a two-part study, we examine the physical mechanisms responsible for the increasing contrast of the land–sea surface air temperature (SAT) in summertime over the Far East, as observed in recent decades and revealed in future climate projections obtained from a series of transient warming and sensitivity experiments conducted under the umbrella of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5. On a global perspective, a strengthening of land–sea SAT contrast in the transient warming simulations of coupled atmosphere–ocean general circulation models is attributed to an increase in sea surface temperature (SST). However, in boreal summer, the strengthened contrast over the Far East is reproduced only by increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration. In response to SST increase alone, the tropospheric warming over the interior of the mid- to high-latitude continents including Eurasia are weaker than those over the surrounding oceans, leading to a weakening of the land–sea SAT contrast over the Far East. Thus, the increasing contrast and associated change in atmospheric circulation over East Asia is explained by CO₂-induced continental warming. The degree of strengthening of the land–sea SAT contrast varies in different transient warming scenarios, but is reproduced through a combination of the CO₂-induced positive and SST-induced negative contributions to the land–sea contrast. These results imply that changes of climate patterns over the land–ocean boundary regions are sensitive to future scenarios of CO₂ concentration pathways including extreme cases.     

Knowledge engineering application in the problem of supporting a large mirror

We propose an application of knowledge engineering in the problem of active supporting for a large mirror. To reduce calculating load and to shorten cycle time, we divide the system hierarchically into a managing central controller and many autonomous local controllers, and use reasoning instead of dynamical analysis. The reasoning is based upon pattern matchings between observed error pattern and test patterns in the knowledge base.Paper presented at the Symposium on the JNLT and Related Engineering Developments, Tokyo, November 29–December 2, 1988.     

On Structure and Temporal Variation of the Bifurcation Current off the Kii Peninsula

The Kii Bifurcation Current is often found along the southwest coast of the Kii Peninsula, and its frequency of occurrence reaches about 70% in the period from 1988 to 1996 (Takeuchi et al., 1998a). In order to clarify the structure and short-period variability of the Kii Bifurcation Current, detailed observations were made four times on board the R/V Seisui-maru of Mie University on October 29–31, 1996, on June 24–26, 1997, October 14–16, 1997, and December 3–4, 1997. The measured horizontal structure of the Kii Bifurcation Current indicates that the eastern portion of the Current (eastward flow near Cape Shionomisaki) consists of a part of the current zone of the Kuroshio. It is shown that the current structure, including the Kii Bifurcation Current in the vicinity of Cape Shionomisaki, is stable when the Kuroshio is flowing in a stationary straight path, but that the current structure is considerably changed when small-scale eddies pass by the cape. Such short-period variation can be monitored by using the daily variation of the sea level difference between Kushimoto and Uragami. In particular, in the case of October 29–31, 1996, when an eminent small-scale eddy passed by Cape Shionomisaki, and when the Kuroshio axis tentatively moved southwards about 50 km apart from the coast, the Kii Bifurcation Current seems to have disappeared.     

Deformation behaviour of a large underground cavern

Summary The Imaichi underground power station, with a cross sectional area of 1420 m², which is now under construction by Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc., is one of the largest underground caverns in the world. Due to the considerable depth of the over-burden of 400 m, the horseshoe-shaped section was adopted for the first time in Japan to minimize excesive stress concentration on the surrounding bedrock and keep loosened zones to a minimum.The bedrock consists of sandstone, slate, siliceous sandstone and breccia. The rock is generally hard and compact, with few fractured zones which may have an adverse influence on the excavation of the cavern.The supporting system of the cavern consists of prestressed rock anchors, rock bolts and shotcrete.Approximately 800 instruments, mainly multiple stage extensometers, were used to monitor behaviour of the surrounding rock during excavation of the cavern. With the exception of some cracks which occurred in a portion of the shotcrete when about half the height of the cavern had been excavated, excavation work was completed without any major trouble. In spite of the symmetrical shape of the cavern, the deformation behaviour of the surrounding rock during excavation was remarkedly asymmetric. The reason for this was concluded to be the peculiar deformation behaviour exhibited by Breccia during stress relief, as shown by in-situ rock tests, etc., and analysis of deformation data after completion of the excavation work.     

Characterization of Magnetically Zoned Pluton, Tsushima, Japan

Abstract: Systematic measurements of magnetic susceptibility were carried out at the outcrops of the Uchiyama granitic pluton, Tsushima Islands. The pluton consists of hornblende-biotite granodiorite and biotite granite. It intrudes concordantly along an anticline axis of the Taishu Group in middle Miocene (16. 10. 5 Ma), and crops out in five areas. The results show that the low magnetic susceptibility facies (LM–facies, <100A-10^-6 emu/g) always occurs in the peripheral part of the pluton, while the high magnetic susceptibility facies (HM–facies, > 250 A 10^-6 emu/g) occupies the core through the medium magnetic susceptibility zone (MM–facies). It is pointed out that the pluton forms a magnetic zoning within a single plutonic body.
Chemical compositions of the granitoids show no conspicuous differences in major elements among the LM–, MM–, and HM–facies. Biotites from the LM–, MM–, and HM-facies also indicate uniform compositions with Fe/(Fe+Mg)=0. 6.
The pluton is principally surrounded by black mudstones of the Lower Formation of the Taishu Group, which is deltaic to shallow sea sediments of the Eocene to early Miocene age, and the carbon contents in them were analyzed. The analyses show that carbon was mostly decomposed and lost in the hornfels zone, while mudstones in the non-hornfels zone usually contain 0. 5 to 0. 7 % C.
From these facts, it is concluded that the magnetically zoned pluton at Tsushima was formed by an external volatile buffer system such as CH₄–CO₂ during the solidifying magma process.