MIS11–19 pollen stratigraphy from the 250-m Choshi core, northeast Boso Peninsula, central Japan: Implications for the early/mid-Brunhes (400–780 ka) climate signals

Abstract   The 250-m Choshi core (CHOSHI-1), drilled from hemipelagic muds of the Inubo Group, has been physically, geochemically and tephrochronologically analyzed back to 1 Ma. We provide pollen results for the 19–169 m section of the core (400–780 ka) bracketed by the marker tephra Ty1 (equivalent to J4) and the Brunhes–Matuyama paleomagnetic boundary. The results show good agreement with the corresponding oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) profile, with high δ¹⁸O intervals dominated by boreal conifers Picea , Abies , Pinus (subgen. Haploxylon ) and Tsuga ( diversifolia ), whereas low δ¹⁸O intervals are dominated by temperate conifers Cryptomeria , Taxaceae-Cephalotaxaceae-Cupressaceae and Sciadopitys . In order to confirm pollen-climate relations for the relevant taxa, a modern surface pollen dataset for the Japanese archipelago was consulted. In this analysis, the ratios of Cryptomeria / Picea and temperate/boreal conifers serve as proxies for the 100-kyr glacial/interglacial cycle during the Middle Pleistocene. Distinct signals for marine isotope stages (MIS) 11, 12, 13–15, 16, 17 and 18–19 are recognized in accordance with the tephrochronology and δ¹⁸O of the same core. Application of the criteria to an independent pollen record from Lake Biwa provides an integrated pollen stratigraphy for mid-latitude Japan during the past 800 ky. Some degree of uncertainty remains in the chronology of the MIS13–15 interval, relating to the uncertainty in the eruption age of widespread tephra Ks11.     

On sedimentation of phosphorus in specified area outside of the Changjiang Estuary

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A case study of Kelvin-Helmholtz vortices on both flanks of the Earth's magnetotail

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) is a fundamental fluid dynamical process that develops in a velocity shear layer. It is excited on the tail-flanks of the Earth's magnetosphere where the flowing magnetosheath plasma and the stagnant magnetospheric plasma sit adjacent to each other. This instability is thought to induce vortical structures and play an important role in plasma transport there. While KHI vortices have been detected, the earlier observations were performed only on one flank at a time and questions related to dawn-dusk asymmetry were not addressed. Here, we report a case where KHI vortices grow more or less simultaneously and symmetrically on both flanks, despite all the factors that may have broken the symmetry. Yet, energy distributions of ions in and around the vortices show a remarkable dawn-dusk asymmetry. Our results thus suggest that although the initiation and development of the KHI depend primarily on the macroscopic properties of the flow, the observed enhancement of ion energy transport around the dawn side vortices may be linked to microphysical processes including wave-particle interactions. Possible coupling between macro- and micro-scales, if it is at work, suggests a role for KHI not only within the Earth's magnetosphere (e.g., magnetopause and geomagnetic tail) but also in other regions where shear flows of magnetized plasma play important roles.     

An overview of decadal climate predictability in a multi-model ensemble by climate model MIROC

Decadal climate predictability is examined in hindcast experiments by a multi-model ensemble using three versions of the coupled atmosphere-ocean model MIROC. In these hindcast experiments, initial conditions are obtained from an anomaly assimilation procedure using the observed oceanic temperature and salinity with prescribed natural and anthropogenic forcings on the basis of the historical data and future emission scenarios in the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change. Results of the multi-model ensemble in our hindcast experiments show that predictability of surface air temperature (SAT) anomalies on decadal timescales mostly originates from externally forced variability. Although the predictable component of internally generated variability has considerably smaller SAT variance than that of externally forced variability, ocean subsurface temperature variability has predictive skills over almost a decade, particularly in the North Pacific and the North Atlantic where dominant signals associated with Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) and the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) are observed. Initialization enhances the predictive skills of AMO and PDO indices and slightly improves those of global mean temperature anomalies. Improvement of these predictive skills in the multi-model ensemble is higher than that in a single-model ensemble.     

Estimation of particulate organic carbon flux in relation to photosynthetic production in a shallow coastal area in the Seto Inland Sea

Sediment trap experiments were carried out three times from 1999 to 2000, in the western part of the Seto Inland Sea (Suo-Sound), Japan. We investigated both the particulate flux and the composition of chemical substances in the sediment trap samples. Based on the results, we discuss the origin of particulate organic carbon (POC) collected by the sediment traps in a coastal area. Moreover, we purposed to estimate the flux of the portion of the POC that is derived from phytoplankton photosynthesis. The fluxes of POC varied between 677 and 3424 mgC m(-2) d(-1). Significant positive correlations between POC and aluminum (Al) fluxes suggested that these components show almost the same behaviour. The mean value of the Al flux was about eight times higher than that of Al burial rates on the sediment surface. Therefore, it seems that the POC flux observed with the sediment traps was considerably overestimated. Moreover, judging from the fact that Al is a typical terriginous element, it seems that most of the POC collected in the sediment traps derived from the re-suspended surface sediment or sediment transported laterally from shallow flanks such as intertidal mudflats. The fluxes of chlorophyll a (Chl a) were independent of the POC fluxes, and a relatively consistent correlation was found between Chl a abundance in the water column and the Chl a flux. Moreover, surface sediment Chl a content was approximately 100 times lower than that of suspended matter. Therefore, resuspension and terriginous contributions to Chl a collected in sediment traps are likely to be negligible. The POC content in the trap samples varied between 22.4 and 70.7 mg g(-1) dry weight. The variations of POC contents were positively correlated with the Chl a contents: POC(mg g(-1))=76.5 x Chl a(mg g(-1)) + 26.0 (r=0.95, p<0.01, n=9). This result shows that POC contents strongly corresponded with phytoplankton and their debris. It was also considered that the fraction of POC derived from phytoplankton primary production could be estimated as Chl a content times a certain factor. In this study, we estimated the flux of the portion of the POC originating from phytoplankton production by multiplying the Chl a fluxes by 76.5 (the mean POC:Chl a ratio in the trap samples). These values varied between 308 and 758 mgC m(-2) d(-1), and accounted for 35.1+/-21.2% of total POC flux. Although the amount of POC that originates from phytoplankton photosynthesis was a small portion of total POC flux, it seems to be a large portion of potential primary production in the water column.     

High-resolution seismic stratigraphy of the Yamato Basin, Japan Sea and its geological application

Abstract High-resolution seismic stratigraphy of the Yamato Basin, Japan Sea, was successfully established using core-log-seismic data integration. The construction of synthetic seismograms by the combination of physical properties and well-log data from the Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 797 was the key to accomplishing the high-resolution seismic stratigraphy. To achieve resolution comparable with well-log data and core lithology, single channel seismic reflection data taken from ODP underway geophysics were reprocessed, and then carefully compared with synthetic seismogram, core and well log profiles to identify seismic units. Ten seismic stratigraphic units were identified at the site, and seismic stratigraphic interpretation was successfully extended from the site to the nearby area along the Yamato Basin margin. The opal-A/opal-CT (biogenic silica/metastable diagenetic silica) boundary has different appearances at places from strong to weak, and mostly discontinuous. One of the significant results achieved from this study is clear distinction of the opal-A/CT boundary from a very strong reflector, which appears at 22 m below the opal-A/CT boundary. Through well-log and physical properties characterization of the different units, resistivity was found to be the best indicator of diatom content and with gamma-ray it also is an indicator of chert layers in the opal-CT zone. Velocity is not greatly effected by diatom ooze in the opal-A zone, however, it shows strong peaks and has an indirect relationship with gamma-ray in the opal-CT zone. Finally, successful correlation of Gamma-ray Attenuation Porosity Evaluator density and resistivity peaks with strong seismic reflectors from upper and lower stratified layers may provide new information on the late Neogene paleoceanography of the Japan Sea in high-resolution scale.     

Palynological evidence for late Holocene environmental change on the Gimhae fluvial plain,Southern Korean peninsula: Reconstructing the rise and fall of Golden Crown Gaya State

This paper presents the results of detailed studies of palynomorphs recovered from two cores collected near the Yeanri burial mound on the Gimhae fluvial plain. Two local pollen zones were recognized on the basis of variations in the palynofloral assemblage: a lower Pollen Zone I, dominated by a Pinus‐Quercus assemblage, and an upper Pollen Zone II, dominated by a Pinus‐Quercus‐Gramineae assemblage. The palynological and molluscan analyses indicate that the depositional environments changed from a lower intertidal flat of a shallow bay environment to an upper intertidal flat in a shallow bay (before 1280 ± 110 ¹⁴C yr B.P.), and finally to a fluvial plain similar to that of today. This environmental change may have resulted from uplift along the Yangsan Fault. Afterward, the exposed area was modified by human activities, as indicated by a sudden increase in grassland herbaceous pollen grains. The loss of this bay likely had a dramatic effect on the Golden Crown Gaya State (3rd–7th centuries A.D.), which used it as a major port for regional trade, and may explain why it eventually merged with the Shilla State. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.