Characterization of bacterial communities associated with seasonal water masses from Tongyoung in South Sea of Korea

Understanding the patterns of microbial diversity and their composition in seawater is necessary to assess the impacts of microbes on marine ecosystem. Although the potential roles of microbes in the ocean have been studied, their diversity and relationship with environmental factors remain unclear. In this study, we adopted a 16S rRNA gene tag-pyrosequencing technique to investigate the bacterial communities associated with two different water masses from Tongyoung in the South Sea of Korea. Our results revealed highly diverse bacterial communities up to 900 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) estimated from each seawater which was collected in the month of March and May, when the environmental conditions including temperature differed significantly: 7.2°C and 17.6°C in March and May, respectively. Altogether, 13 bacterial phyla were recovered from the seawater, of which Proteobacteria was the most dominant group. In addition, the value of the Shannon index, which measures the evenness of the distribution of individuals among OTUs, in May is higher than that in March, indicating that it displays a wider diversity of bacteria. Interestingly, the proportion of pathogenic bacteria was significantly increased in the month of May compared to March, suggesting that pathogenic bacteria were increasingly emerging in May. In particular, Pseudoalteromonas and Vibrio spp. were determined as major pathogenic bacteria from both water masses, of which Vibrio spp. were dominant.     

Structural evolution of the northern East China Sea Shelf Basin interpreted from cross-section restoration

The northern East China Sea Shelf Basin consists of three depressions (the Domi, Jeju, and Socotra Depressions), separated by basement highs or rises. Reconstruction of depth-converted seismic reflection profiles from these depressions reveals that the northern East China Sea Shelf Basin experienced two phases of rifting, followed by regional subsidence. Initial rifting in the Late Cretaceous was driven by the NW?CSE crustal stretching of the Eurasian plate, caused by the subduction of the Pacific plate beneath the plate margin. Major extension (~15 km) took place during the early phase of basin formation. The initial rifting was terminated by regional uplift in the Late Eocene-Early Oligocene, which was probably due to reorganization of plate boundaries. Rifting resumed in the Early Oligocene; the magnitude of extension was mild (<1 km) during this period. A second phase of uplift in the Early Miocene terminated the rifting, marking the transition to the postrift phase of regional subsidence. Up to 2,600 m of sediments and basement rock were removed by erosion during and after the second phase of uplift. An inversion in the Late Miocene interrupted the postrift subsidence, resulting in an extensive thrust-fold belt in the eastern part of the area. Subsequent erosion removed about 900 m of sediments. The regional subsidence has dominated the area since the Late Miocene.     

Seismic stratigraphy and structural analysis of the northern East China Sea Shelf Basin interpreted from multi-channel seismic reflection data and cross-section restoration

Analysis of multi-channel seismic data from the northern East China Sea Shelf Basin (ECSSB) reveals three sub-basins (Socotra, Domi, and Jeju basins), separated by structural highs (Hupijiao Rise) and faulted basement blocks. These sub-basins show a typical rift-basin development: faulted basement and syn-rift and post-rift sedimentation separated by unconformities. Four regional unconformities, including the top of acoustic basement, have been identified and mapped from multi-channel seismic data. Faults in the acoustic basement are generally trending NE, parallel to the regional structural trend of the area. The depths of the acoustic basement range from less than 1000 m in the northwestern part of the Domi Basin to more than 4500 m in the Socotra Basin and 5500 m in the Jeju Basin. The total sediment thicknesses range from less than 500 m to about 1500 m in the northwest where the acoustic basement is shallow and reach about more than 5500 m in the south.Interpretation of seismic reflection data and reconstruction of three depth-converted seismic profiles reveal that the northern ECSSB experienced two phases of rifting, followed by regional subsidence. The initial rifting in the Late Cretaceous was driven by the NW-SE crustal stretching of the Eurasian Plate, caused by the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the Eurasian Plate. Extension was the greatest during the early phase of basin formation; estimated rates of extension during the initial rifting are 2%, 6.5%, and 3.5% in the Domi, Jeju, and Socotra basins, respectively. A regional uplift terminated the rifting in the Late Eocene-Early Oligocene. Rifting and extension, although mild, resumed in the Early Oligocene; while fluvio-lacustrine deposition continued to prevail. The estimated rates of extension during the second phase of rifting are 0.7%, 0.8%, and 0.5% in the Domi, Jeju, and Socotra basins, respectively. A second phase of uplift in the Early Miocene terminated the rifting, marking the transition to the post-rift phase of regional subsidence. Regional subsidence dominated the study area between the Early Miocene and the Late Miocene. An inversion in the Late Miocene interrupted the post-rift subsidence, resulting in an extensive thrust-fold belt in the eastern part of the area. Uplift and subsequent erosion were followed by regional subsidence.     

Infiltration pattern in a regolith–fractured bedrock profile: field observation of a dye stain pattern

We examined the infiltration pattern of water in a regolith–bedrock profile consisting of two overburdens (OB1 and OB2), a buried rice paddy soil (PS), two texturally distinctive weathered materials (WM1 and WM2) and a fractured sedimentary rock (BR), using a Brilliant Blue FCF dye tracer. A black‐coloured coating in conducting fractures in WM1, WM2 and BR was analysed by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The dye tracer penetrated to greater than 2 m depth in the profile. The macropore flow and saturated interflow were the major infiltration patterns in the profile. Macropore flow and saturated interflow were observed along fractures in WM1, WM2 and BR and at the dipping interfaces of PS–WM1, PS–WM2 and PS–BR respectively. Heterogeneous matrix flow occurred in upper overburden (OB1) and PS. Compared with OB1, the coarser textured OB2 acted as a physical barrier for vertical flow of water. The PS with low bulk density and many fine roots was another major conducting route of water in the profile. Manganese oxide and iron oxide were positively identified in the black coating material and had low crystallinity and high surface area, indicating their high reactivity with conducting contaminants. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A GIS-based logistic regression model in rock-fall susceptibility mapping along a mountainous road: Salavat Abad case study, Kurdistan, Iran

This study describes the application of logistic regression to rock-fall susceptibility mapping along 11?km of a mountainous road on the Salavat Abad saddle, in southwest Kurdistan, Iran. To determine the factors influencing rock-falls, data layers of slope degree, slope aspect, slope curvature, elevation, distance to road, distance to fault, lithology, and land use were analyzed by logistic regression analysis. The results are shown as rock-fall susceptibility maps. A spatial database, which included 68 sites (34 rock-fall point cells with value of 1 and 34 no rock-fall point cells with value of 0) was developed and analyzed using a Geographic Information System, GIS. The results are shown as four classes of rock-fall susceptibility. In this study, distance to fault, lithology, slope curvature, slope degree, and distance to road were found to be the most important factors affecting rock-fall. It was concluded that about 76?% of the study area can be classified as having moderate and high susceptibility classes. Rock-fall point cells were used to verify results of the rock-fall susceptibility map using success curve rate and the area under the curve. The verification results showed that the area under the curve for rock-fall susceptibility map is 77.57?%. The results from this study demonstrated that the use of a logistic regression model within a GIS framework is useful and suitable for rock-fall susceptibility mapping. The rock-fall susceptibility map can be used to reduce susceptibility associated with rock-fall.     

Property-based redevelopment and gentrification: The case of Seoul, South Korea

The urban experiences of South Korea in times of its rapid urbanisation and economic growth show that wholesale redevelopment had been a dominant approach to urban renewal, leading to redevelopment-induced gentrification. This was led by a programme known as the Joint Redevelopment Programme, transforming urban space that was once dominated by informal settlements into high-rise commercial housing estates. This paper tries to explain how this approach was possible at city-wide scale in its capital city, Seoul. Through the examination of redevelopment processes in a case study neighbourhood, it puts forward three arguments. First, the development potential arising from the rent gap expansion through under-utilisation of dilapidated neighbourhoods provided material conditions for the sustained implementation of property-based redevelopment projects. Second, this paper critically examines the dynamics of socio-political relations among various property-based interests embedded in redevelopment neighbourhoods, and argues that external property-based interests have enabled the full exploitation of development opportunities at the expense of poor owner-occupiers and tenants. Third, South Korea had been noted for its strong developmental state with minimum attention to redistributive social policies. The Joint Redevelopment Programme in Seoul was effectively a market-oriented, profit-led renewal approach, in line with a national housing strategy that favoured increased housing production and home-ownership at the expense of local poor residents’ housing needs.     

226Ra in phosphate nodules from the Peru/Chile seafloor

²²⁶Ra and other uranium-series radionuclides have been measured in a suite of marine phosphorite samples from the upwelling area off Peru/Chile by gamma-ray spectrometry and radiochemical techniques. Our results lead to the following conclusions: (1) phosphorite nodules typically show unidirectional growth at rates of 1 to 10 mm/Kyr; (2) very young samples (less than a few thousand years) contain slight excess amounts of ²²⁶Ra probably derived from pore fluids; and (3) slow but persistent leakage of ²²⁶Ra out of phosphate nodules occurs resulting in systematically lower ²²⁶Ra ages compared to ²³⁰Th ages for samples older than about twenty thousand years. Radium fluxes from these phosphate nodules appear to be 1 to 3 orders of magnitude less than those calculated for deep-sea sediments and ferromanganese nodules.