Diurnal sea surface temperature variation and its impact on the atmosphere and ocean: A review

The importance of the diurnal variability of sea surface temperature (SST) on air-sea interaction is now being increasingly recognized. This review synthesizes knowledge of the diurnal SST variation, mainly paying attention to its impact on the atmosphere or the ocean. Diurnal SST warming becomes evident when the surface wind is weak and insolation is strong. Recent observations using satellite data and advanced instruments have revealed that a large diurnal SST rise occurs over wide areas in a specific season, and in an extreme case the diurnal amplitude of SST exceeds 5 K. The large diurnal SST rise can lead to an increase in net surface heat flux from the ocean of 50–60 Wm⁻² in the daytime. The temporal mean of the increase exceeds 10 Wm⁻², which will be non-negligible for the atmosphere. A few numerical experiments have indicated that the diurnal SST variation can modify atmospheric properties over the Pacific warm pool or a coastal sea, but the processes underlying the modification have not yet been investigated in detail. Furthermore, it has been shown that the diurnal change of ocean mixing process near the surface must be considered correctly in order to reproduce SST variations on an intraseasonal scale in a numerical model. The variation of mixed-layer properties on the daily scale is nonlinearly related to the intraseasonal variability. The mixed-layer deepening/shoaling process on the daily scale will also be related to biological and material circulation processes.     

Temporal variability in physicochemical properties,phytoplankton standing crop and primary production for 7 years (2002–2008) in the neritic area of Sagami Bay,Japan

Seasonal and interannual variations in physicochemical properties (i.e., temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and dissolved inorganic nutrients), chlorophyll a (Chl-a), particulate carbon and nitrogen (PC and PN, respectively), and primary production were investigated in the neritic area of Sagami Bay, Kanagawa, Japan, from January 2002 to December 2008. These abiotic/biotic variables, except for NH₄ ⁺–N, repeated similar seasonal variations for all 7 years. On the basis of the analysis of data obtained on 167 sampling dates, depth-integrated primary production in this water can be easily estimated from Chl-a at the surface using the regression equations obtained in the present study. Intermittently high values of dissolved inorganic nutrients, Chl-a, PC, PN and primary productivity at the surface during the summer stratified period were induced by high freshwater discharge from the rivers after rainfalls and by the expansion of nutrient-rich Tokyo Bay Water. Temperature, salinity and dissolved inorganic nutrients showed drastic variations within a scale of a few days and/or weeks, and these variations were related to sea levels that represent the intrusion of the Kuroshio Water, Intermediate Oyashio Water or deep water from the continental slope. However, there was no consistent trend in the variations in Chl-a, PC, PN and primary production due to the complex effects of these waters.     

Evaluation of the Global Mean Sea Level Budget between 1993 and 2014

Evaluating global mean sea level (GMSL) in terms of its components—mass and steric—is useful for both quantifying the accuracy of the measurements and understanding the processes that contribute to GMSL rise. In this paper, we review the GMSL budget over two periods—1993 to 2014 and 2005 to 2014—using multiple data sets of both total GMSL and the components (mass and steric). In addition to comparing linear trends, we also compare the level of agreement of the time series. For the longer period (1993–2014), we find closure in terms of the long-term trend but not for year-to-year variations, consistent with other studies. This is due to the lack of sufficient estimates of the amount of natural water mass cycling between the oceans and hydrosphere. For the more recent period (2005–2014), we find closure in both the long-term trend and for month-to-month variations. This is also consistent with previous studies.     

A Review of Recent Updates of Sea-Level Projections at Global and Regional Scales

Sea-level change (SLC) is a much-studied topic in the area of climate research, integrating a range of climate science disciplines, and is expected to impact coastal communities around the world. As a result, this field is rapidly moving, and the knowledge and understanding of processes contributing to SLC is increasing. Here, we discuss noteworthy recent developments in the projection of SLC contributions and in the global mean and regional sea-level projections. For the Greenland Ice Sheet contribution to SLC, earlier estimates have been confirmed in recent research, but part of the source of this contribution has shifted from dynamics to surface melting. New insights into dynamic discharge processes and the onset of marine ice sheet instability increase the projected range for the Antarctic contribution by the end of the century. The contribution from both ice sheets is projected to increase further in the coming centuries to millennia. Recent updates of the global glacier outline database and new global glacier models have led to slightly lower projections for the glacier contribution to SLC (7–17 cm by 2100), but still project the glaciers to be an important contribution. For global mean sea-level projections, the focus has shifted to better estimating the uncertainty distributions of the projection time series, which may not necessarily follow a normal distribution. Instead, recent studies use skewed distributions with longer tails to higher uncertainties. Regional projections have been used to study regional uncertainty distributions, and regional projections are increasingly being applied to specific regions, countries, and coastal areas.     

26Al–26Mg chronology of high-temperature condensate hibonite in a fine-grained,Ca-Al-rich inclusion from reduced CV chondrite

Al–Mg mineral isochron studies using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) have revealed the initial ²⁶Al/²⁷Al ratios, (²⁶Al/²⁷Al)₀, for individual Ca-Al-rich inclusions (CAIs) in meteorites. We find that the relative sensitivity factors of ²⁷Al/²⁴Mg ratio for SIMS analysis of hibonite, one of the major constituent minerals of CAIs, exhibit variations based on their chemical compositions. This underscores the critical need for using appropriate hibonite standards to obtain accurate Al−Mg data. We measured the Al−Mg mineral isochron for hibonite in a fine-grained CAI (FGI) from the Northwest Africa 8613 reduced CV chondrite by SIMS using synthesized hibonite standards with ²⁷Al/²⁴Mg of ~30, ~100, and ~400. The obtained mineral isochron of hibonite in the FGI yields (²⁶Al/²⁷Al)₀ of (4.73 ± 0.09) × 10⁻⁵, which is identical to that previously obtained from the mineral isochron of spinel and melilite in the same FGI (Kawasaki et al., 2020). The uncertainties of (²⁶Al/²⁷Al)₀ indicate that the constituent minerals in the FGI formed within ~0.02 Myr in the earliest solar system. The disequilibrium O-isotope distributions of the minerals in the FGI suggest that the O-isotope compositions of the nebular gas from which they condensed underwent a transitional change from ¹⁶O-rich to ¹⁶O-poor within ~0.02 Myr in the earliest solar system. Once formed, the FGI may have been removed from the forming region within ~0.02 Myr and transported to the accretion region of the parent body.     

Stepwise enrichment of 15N along food chains: Further evidence and the relation between δ15N and animal age

The isotopic composition of nitrogen was measured in marine and fresh-water animals from the East China Sea, The Bering Sea, Lake Ashinoko and Usujiri intertidal zone. Primary producers, showed average δ¹⁵Nversus atmospheric nitrogen of +5.0%. (+3.4 to +7.5) in the Bering Sea and Lake Ashinoko, and +6.8%. (+6.0 to +7.6) in Usujiri intertidal zone. Blue green algae from the East China Sea show an average ?0.55%. (?0.8 to +1.2). All consumers, Zooplankton, fish and bird exhibited Stepwise enrichment of ¹⁵N with increasing trophic level. The ¹⁵N enrichment at a single feeding process ranged from +1.3 to +5.3 averaging +3.4 ± 1.1%.. This isotopic fractionation seems to be independent of habitat.The effect of age in animals was obtained by analyzing two marine mussels. The soft tissue nitrogen showed +2.0%. enrichment relative to that of primary producers, and the magnitude was almost constant with shell ages ranging from 0 to 8 years.A similar ¹⁵N enrichment occurs in all Molluscs, Crustaceans, Insecta, Amphibia, Fish, Ave and Mammal species regardless of the difference in the form of excreted nitrogen and in laboratory cultured fish, brine shrimp and mice (+2.9 to +4.9%.). The excreted ammonia from guppy was sufficiently light to balance the concentration of ¹⁵N to animal body.     

Carbon isotopic thermometry calibrated by dolomite-calcite solvus temperatures

The temperature dependence of carbon isotopic fractionations between calcite and graphite, and between dolomite and graphite are calibrated by the calcite-dolomite solvus geothermometry using marbles collected from the contact metamorphic aureole in the Kasuga area, central Japan. The carbon isotopic fractionations (Δ¹³C_Cc-Gr and Δ¹³C_DoGr) systematically decrease with increasing metamorphic temperature. The concordant relationships between the fractionations and solvus temperatures are approximately linear with T^?2 over the temperature range. 400° to 680°C: Δ¹³C_CcGr (%.) = 5.6 × 10⁶ × T^?2 (K) ? 2.4 Δ¹³C_DoGr (%.) = 5.9 × 10⁶ × T^?2 (K) ? 1.9 These systematic relationships between fractionation and temperature suggest that carbon isotopic equilibria between carbonates and graphite were attained in many cases. The equation for the calcite-graphite system has a slope steeper than Bottinga's (1969) results. It is, however, in good agreement with that of Valley and O'Neil (1981) in the temperature range from 600° to 800°C.Because of the relatively high sensitivity to temperature, these isotopic geothermometers are useful for determining the temperatures in moderate- to high-grade metamorphosed carbonate rocks.     

Transient flexural vibrations of a timoshenko column supported by an elastic half-space

Transient flexural vibrations of an elastic column supported by an elastic half-space are investigated analytically under the condition that an arbitrarily shaped free-field lateral acceleration is given as an input. Applying the Timoshenko theory to the column and making use of Laplace transformations with respect to time and numerical inverse Laplace transformations, the time histories of the column free end acceleration are presented. Numerical results obtained from the Timoshenko theory are compared with those of a previous paper¹ (applying the Bernoulli-Euler theory to the column), and the effects of column slenderness and foundation stiffness on the transient flexural vibrations of the column are clarified.     

Photometric and photo accoustic measurement of the absorbance of micro-organisms and its relation to the micro-organism-grain hypothesis

Absorption ofE. Coli and other micro-organisms are measured by the standard optical spectroscopy and by the photo-accoustic method. The former method does not yield an extinction peak at =220 nm but yields a weak one at =270 nm, while by the latter method absorption peaks at =220 nm and a weaker one at =270 nm have been found for the spore of Bacillus subtilis. The well-known amino-acid, triptophan shows absorption peaks at =220 and 280 nm. It is tentatively concluded that for the micro-organism model of interstellar grains to be viable, they may have to be spores rather than ordinary cells.     

Natural abundance of 15N in particulate organic matter in the North Pacific Ocean

The abundance of ¹⁵N in particulate organic matter in the euphotic layer of the North Pacific Ocean was investigated. δ¹⁵N values ranged from ?1.7 to +9.7% relative to atmospheric nitrogen. ¹⁵N contents in plankton samples collected in the central and northwestern North Pacific were inversely correlated with concentrations of NO^?₃. The ¹⁵N contents of Trichodesmium sp. (?1.7 to +0.5%) and associated Zooplankton (ca. + 2%) were low, suggesting the significance of nitrogen supply via molecular nitrogen fixation which is assumed to involve little isotope fractionation. The variation of ¹⁵N in particulate organic nitrogen in the euphotic layer of the ocean can be explained by biochemical isotope fractionation in the assimilation of nitrate and fixation of molecular nitrogen.