Large but variable particulate flux in the Antarctic Ocean and its significance for the chemistry of Antarctic water

Settling particles were collected at 1,460 m and 3,760 m depth in the Antarctic Ocean with sediment traps of time series type. The total deployment period of 40 days was divided into four terms of 10 days each. Seawater samples were collected both at deployment and retrieval of the traps at each site. During the 42 days the concentration of silicate in the surface water decreased by 32%, whereas those of nitrate and phosphate decreased by only 4–5%. The total particulate flux in the Antarctic Ocean is the largest among those hitherto observed in the world ocean. The time variation of the particulate flux at 1,460 m depth almost coincided with that at 3,760 m. The settling particles were comprised roughly of 80% biogenic silica, 15% organic matter and 5% other substances including sea salt. The clay fraction was only 0.05% at 1,460 m depth. The settling flux of biogenic silica agrees fairly well with the calculated rate of change in the concentration of silicate in the surface 100 m. Thus it is concluded that preferential propagation of diatoms reduces the concentration of silicate prior to other nutrients in the Antarctic Ocean.     

Age determination of marine sediments in the western North Pacific by as partic acid chronology

The ages of fossil planktonic foraminifera,Pulleniatina obliquiloculata, in sediments (core 3bPC) from the western North Pacific were determined by aspartic acid chronology, which uses the racemization reaction rate constant of aspartic acid (k_Asp). Aspartic acid racemization-based ages (Asp ages) ranged from 7,600 yrBP at the surface, to 307,000 yrBP at a depth of 352.9 cm in the sediments. This sediment core was also dated by the glacial-interglacial fluctuation of δ¹⁸O chronology, and the ages determined by both chronologies were compared. The ages derived from aspartic acid chronology and δ¹⁸O stratigraphy were more or less consistent, but there appeared to be some differences in age estimates between these two dating methods at some depths within the core. In the core top sediments, the likely cause for the age discrepancy could be the loss of the surface sediment during sampling of the core. At depths of 66.3 and 139 cm within the core, Asp ages indicated reduced sedimentation rates duringca. 60,000-80,000 yrBP andca. 140,000–190,000 yrBP. The maximum age differences in both chronologies are 33,000 yr and 46,600 yr during each of these periods. These anomalous reductions in sedimentation rates occurring during these periods could possibly be related to some geological events, such as an increased dissolution effect of the calcium carbonate in the western North Pacific. Another possible reason for these age differences could be the unreliability in δ¹⁸O ages of core 3bPC as they were estimated by δ¹⁸O ages of another core, 3aPC.     

Seasonal changes in the mesozooplankton biomass and community structure in subarctic and subtropical time-series stations in the western North Pacific

Seasonal changes in mesozooplankton biomass and their community structures were observed at time-series stations K2 (subarctic) and S1 (subtropical) in the western North Pacific Ocean. At K2, the maximum biomass was observed during the spring when primary productivity was still low. The annual mean biomasses in the euphotic and 200- to 1000-m layers were 1.39 (day) and 2.49 (night) g C m^?2 and 4.00 (day) and 3.63 (night) g C m^?2, respectively. Mesozooplankton vertical distribution was bimodal and mesopelagic peak was observed in a 200- to 300-m layer; it mainly comprised dormant copepods. Copepods predominated in most sampling layers, but euphausiids were dominant at the surface during the night. At S1, the maximum biomass was observed during the spring and the peak timing of biomass followed those of chlorophyll a and primary productivity. The annual mean biomasses in the euphotic and 200- to 1000-m layers were 0.10 (day) and 0.21 (night) g C m^?2 and 0.47 (day) and 0.26 (night) g C m^?2, respectively. Copepods were dominant in most sampling layers, but their mean proportion was lower than that in K2. Mesozooplankton community characteristics at both sites were compared with those at other time-series stations in the North Pacific and with each other. The annual mean primary productivities and sinking POC fluxes were equivalent at both sites; however, mesozooplankton biomasses were higher at K2 than at S1. The difference of biomasses was probably caused by differences of individual carbon losses, population turnover rates, and trophic structures of communities between the two sites.     

An upper limit on the mass of a primordial star due to the formation of an H ii region: the effect of ionizing radiation force

We investigate analytically the formation of an H  ii region in the accreting envelope of a newborn star. Special care is taken to examine the role of ionizing radiation force. This effect modifies velocity and density distributions, and thereby affects the expansion of the H  ii region. As a result, the upper limit of the stellar mass imposed by the growth of an H  ii region around a forming star is increased by a larger factor than the previous estimate. In particular, for a star forming out of metal-free gas, this mechanism does not impose a firm upper limit on its mass.     

Latitudinal Distribution of CO2 Fugacity along 175°E in the North Pacific in 1992–1996

In order to examine latitudinal distribution and seasonal change of the surface oceanic fCO₂, we analyzed the data obtained in the North Pacific along 175°E during the NOPACCS cruises in spring and summer of 1992–1996. Except for around the equator where the fCO₂ was significantly affected by the upwelling of deep water, the latitudinal distribution of fCO₂ showed distinctive seasonal variation. In the spring, the fCO₂ decreased and then increased going southward with the minimum value of about 300 µatm around 35°N, while in the summer, the fCO₂ displayed high variability, showing minimum and maximum values at latitudes of around 44° and 35°N, respectively. It was also found that the fCO₂ was well correlated with the SST, but the relationship between the two was different for different hydrographic regions. In the subpolar gyre, the frontal regions between the Water-Mass Front and the Kuroshio bifurcation front, and between the Kuroshio bifurcation front and the Kuroshio Extension current, SST, DIC and TA influenced the seasonal fCO₂ change through seasonally-dependent biological activities and vertical mixing and stratification of seawater. In the central subtropical gyre and the North Equatorial current, the seasonal fCO₂ change was found to be produced basically by changes in SST and DIC. The summertime oceanic fCO₂ generally increased with time over the period covered by this study, but the increased rate was clearly higher than those expected from other measurements in the western North Pacific.     

Characteristics of coastal trapped waves along the southern and eastern coasts of Australia

The spatial structures and propagation characteristics of coastal trapped waves (CTWs) along the southern and eastern coasts of Australia are investigated using observed daily mean sea level data and results from a high-resolution ocean general circulation model (OGCM), and by conducting sensitivity studies with idealized numerical models. The results obtained from the sea level observations show that shortterm variations, with a typical period of 1 to 2 weeks, dominate the sea level variability in the southern half of Australia. The signal propagates anticlockwise around Australia with a propagation speed of 4.5 m/s or faster in the western and southern coasts and 2.1 to 3.6 m/s in the eastern coast. Strong seasonality of the wave activity, with large amplitude during austral winter, is also observed. It turns out that the waves are mainly generated by synoptic weather disturbances in the southwestern and southeastern regions. The numerical experiment with idealized wind forcing and realistic topography confirms that the propagating signals have characteristics of the CTW both in the southern and eastern coasts. Sensitivity experiments demonstrate that the difference in the phase speed between the coasts and reduction of the amplitude of the waves in the eastern coast are attributed to the different shape of the continental shelf in each region. The structures and the propagation characteristics of the CTWs around Australia are well reproduced in OFES (OGCM for the Earth Simulator) with dominant contribution from the first mode, although meso-scale eddies may modify the structure of the CTWs in the eastern coast. It is also found that generation or reinforcement of the waves by the wind forcing in the southern part of the eastern coast is necessary to obtain realistically large amplitude of the CTWs in the eastern coast.     

The role of resource recycling

Resource recycling reduces the amount of waste discharged into the global environment. The waste reduction achieved by thorough recycling is substantial. Recycling is thus an inseparable part of global environmental protection.We human beings have used mineral resources since the birth of our species. The quantities and increasingly complex forms in which mineral resources have been used at different times in our prehistory and history serve as indices of civilization's advancement. But on the eve of the 21st century, environmental pollution and global warming stemming from spiraling resource and energy consumption pose serious dilemmas for humanity. The rapidity with which our resource consumption has increased approximates exponential growth.The worsening condition of the earth's environment because of massive resource and energy consumption is the result of activity at many stages of production, from the mining of mineral resources to the manufacture of finished products; the culmination of the process is the disposal of products as waste after their use. As we shall see from examples given in this paper, efforts are being made to solve this problem through recycling; but in many areas the problems remain incompletely solved or unsolved altogether.     

Influence of the east-west component of the interplanetary magnetic field on the intensity of the auroral electrojet

Analysis of interplanetary data has been made to evaluate the influence of the Biny component of the IMF on the magnitude of the AL index, especially with reference to the contribution of B_y in the reconnection process between the IMF and geomagnetic fields in the dayside part of the magnetosphere. The results of the analysis showed that the effect of Biny on AL is predominantly of a different type from that expected by the current theory of reconnection, and the B_y effect of the latter type was found to be much less significant in magnitude than the theory predicts. The discrepancy may be resolved if the region where the reconnection takes place has an elongated shape.     

Polarity Reversal Time of the Magnetic Dipole Component of the Sun in Solar Cycle 24

The Sun’s general magnetic field has shown polarity reversal three times during the last three solar cycles. We attempt to estimate the upcoming polarity reversal time of the solar magnetic dipole by using the coronal field model and synoptic data of the photospheric magnetic field. The scalar magnetic potential of the coronal magnetic field is expanded into a spherical harmonic series. The long-term variations of the dipole component ( $g^{0}_{1}$ ) calculated from the data of National Solar Observatory/Kitt Peak and Wilcox Solar Observatory are compared with each other. It is found that the two $g^{0}_{1}$ values show a similar tendency and an approximately linear increase between the Carrington rotation periods CR 2070 and CR 2118. The next polarity reversal is estimated by linear extrapolation to be between CR 2132.2 (December 2012) and CR2134.8 (March 2013).     

Downstream transition of the Tsushima Current west of Kyushu in summer

In order to clarify detailed current structures west of Kyushu, ADCP measurements were carried out in July and September 1990 by the quadrireciprocal method (Katoh, 1988) for removing diurnal and semidiurnal tidal flows from observed flows. On the basis of these results, together with data of routine oceanographic observations, we study the downstream transition of the Tsushima Current west of Kyushu in summer. In the southwest of the Goto Islands, a northward current identified as the Tsushima Current was clearly found. In the south of Cheju, a westward current bifurcated from the Tsushima Current. In the northwest of the Goto Islands, the Tsushima Current narrowed and its velocity became strengthened. Salinity of the Tsushima Current water was much diluted by a current from the Cheju Strait. Near the west coast of the Goto Islands, a countercurrent bifurcating from the Tsushima Current often occurred. The volume transport of the Tsushima Current was 2.3 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³s^–1) on the northern side of latitude 31°N. The substantial bifurcation of the Tsushima Current toward the Eastern and Western Channels of the Tsushima Strait occurred in the vicinity of Tsushima. The volume transport through the Western Channel was two to three times larger than that through the Eastern Channel. The baroclinic component in volume transport of the Tsushima Current west of Kyushu was much smaller than that in the Japan Sea.