Latitudinal distribution of terrestrial lipid biomarkers and n-alkane compound-specific stable carbon isotope ratios in the atmosphere over the western Pacific and Southern Ocean

We investigated the latitudinal changes in atmospheric transport of organic matter to the western Pacific and Southern Ocean (27.58°N-64.70°S). Molecular distributions of lipid compound classes (homologous series of C₁₅ to C₃₅n-alkanes, C₈ to C₃₄n-alkanoic acids, C₁₂ to C₃₀n-alkanols) and compound-specific stable isotopes (δ¹³C of C₂₉ and C₃₁n-alkanes) were measured in marine aerosol filter samples collected during a cruise by the R/V Hakuho Maru. The geographical source areas for each sample were estimated from air-mass back-trajectory computations. Concentrations of TC and lipid compound classes were several orders of magnitude lower than observations from urban sites in Asia. A stronger signature of terrestrial higher plant inputs was apparent in three samples collected under conditions of strong terrestrial winds. Unresolved complex mixtures (UCM) showed increasing values in the North Pacific, highlighting the influence of the plume of polluted air exported from East Asia. n-Alkane average chain length (ACL) distribution had two clusters, with samples showing a relation to latitude between 28°N and 47°S (highest ACL values in the tropics), whilst a subset of southern samples had anomalously high ACL values. Compound-specific carbon isotopic analysis of the C₂₉ (−25.6‰ to −34.5‰) and C₃₁n-alkanes (−28.3‰ to −37‰) revealed heavier δ¹³C values in the northern latitudes with a transition to lighter values in the Southern Ocean. By comparing the isotopic measurements with back-trajectory analysis it was generally possible to discriminate between different source areas. The terrestrial vegetation source for a subset of the southernmost Southern Ocean is enigmatic; the back-trajectories indicate eastern Antarctica as the only intercepted terrestrial source area. These samples may represent a southern hemisphere background of well mixed and very long range transported higher plant organic material.     

Improvement of New Generation Sea Surface Temperature for Open ocean (NGSST-O): a new sub-sampling method of blending microwave observations

An improved version (version 1.6) of the blended optimum interpolation sea surface temperature (SST), obtained by use of infrared (IR) and microwave (MW) data of the New Generation SST for Open ocean (NGSST-O) product, has been developed. A major improvement is the introduction of a sub-sampling scheme for MW-SST with a finer grid; this has resulted in reduction of the blocky patterning occasionally found in blended SST products with finer grids. Spectral comparison of along-track sea surface height and NGSST-O suggests that mesoscale turbulence was reproduced in the updated NGSST-O in a wide wavelength range.     

Estimation of insolation over the Pacific Ocean off the Sanriku coast

Surface solar radiation over the Pacific Ocean off the Sanriku coast has been estimated using Visible and Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer data supplied by the Geostationary Meteorological Satellite 5 for September, 1996 to June, 1997, when the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner was functioning. The hourly and daily insolation is estimated with a spatial resolution of 0.01-degree grid. Thein situ surface short wave radiation obtained by the research vessel,Kofu-Maru belonging to the Japan Meteorological Agency is used for validation of the estimated insolation. It is shown that the estimated hourly and daily insolation has an rms (root mean square) error of 17.05% and 8.13%, respectively, which are the ratios between the rms error (W/m²) and the mean insolation (W/m²).     

Validation of AVHRR and TMI-derived sea surface temperature in the northern South China Sea

Satellite-derived SSTs are validated in the northern South China Sea (NSCS) using in situ SSTs from the drifting buoys and well-calibrated sensors installed on Research/Vessel(R/V) Shiyan 3. The satellite SSTs are Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) daytime SST, AVHRR nighttime SST, Tropical rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager (TMI) daytime SST and TMI nighttime SST. Availability of satellite SST, which is the ratio that the number of available satellite SST to the total ocean pixels in NSCS is calculated; annual average SST availabilities of AVHRR daytime SST, AVHRR nighttime SST, TMI daytime SST and TMI nighttime SST are 68.42%, 69.99%, 56.57% and 52.80%, respectively. Though the TMI SST availability is nearly constant throughout the year, the variations of the AVHRR SST availability are much larger because of seasonal variations of cloud cover in NSCS. Validation of the satellite-derived SSTs shows that bias±standard deviation (STD) of AVHRR SST is −0.43±0.76 and −0.33±0.79 °C for daytime and nighttime, respectively, and bias±STD of TMI SSTs is 0.07±1.11 and 0.00±0.97 °C for daytime and nighttime, respectively. It is clear that AVHRR SSTs have significant regional biases of about −0.4 °C against the drifting buoy SSTs. Differences between satellite-derived−in situ SSTs are investigated in terms of the diurnal SST cycle. When satellite-derived wind speeds decrease down below 6 m/s, the satellite SSTs become higher than the corresponding in situ SSTs, which means that the SST difference (satellite SST−Buoy SST) is positive. This wind-speed dependence of the SST difference is consistent with the previous results, which have mentioned that low wind speed coupled with clear sky conditions (high surface solar radiation) enhance the diurnal SST amplitude and the bulk-skin temperature difference.     

Validation of wind speeds and significant wave heights observed by the TOPEX altimeter around Japan

The wind speeds and significant wave heights observed by the TOPEX altimeter during the first 30 repeat cycles (for about 10 months) are validated by comparing with the data obtained at Japanese Ocean Data Buoy stations. The values of Kuband ⁰ observed by the altimeter show good agreement with those estimated from the buoy wind speed using the modified Chelton-Wentz algorithm. The wind speeds derived from the Ku-band ⁰ using the algorithm agree well with the buoy data with an rms difference of 1.99 ms^–1. The significant wave heights observed by the altimeter have a systematic bias of 0.3 m.     

Accretion and tectonic erosion processes revealed by the mode of occurrence and geochemistry of greenstones in the Cretaceous accretionary complexes of the Idonnappu Zone, southern central Hokkaido, Japan

The Cretaceous accretionary complexes of the Idonnappu Zone in the Urakawa area are divided into five lithological units, four of which contain greenstone bodies. The Lower Cretaceous Naizawa Complex consists of two lithologic units. The Basaltic Unit (B‐Unit) is a large‐scale tectonic slab of greenstone, consisting of depleted tholeiite similar to that of the Lower Sorachi Ophiolite (basal forearc basin ophiolite) in the Sorachi‐Yezo Belt. The Mixed Unit of Naizawa Complex (MN‐Unit) contains oceanic island‐type alkaline greenstones which occur as slab‐like bodies and faulted blocks with tectonically dismembered trench‐fill sediments. Repeated alternations of the two units in the Naizawa Complex may have been formed by the collision of seamounts with forearc ophiolitic body (Lower Sorachi Ophiolite) in the trench. The Upper Cretaceous Horobetsugawa Complex structurally underlies the Naizawa Complex in its original configuration, and it also contains greenstone bodies. Greenstones in the MH‐Unit occur as blocks and sedimentary clasts in a clastic matrix, and exhibit depleted tholeiite and oceanic‐island alkaline basalt/tholeiite chemistry. This unit is interpreted as submarine slide and debris flow deposits. Greenstones in the PT‐Unit occur at the base of several chert‐clastic successions. Most of the greenstones are severely sheared and show normal‐type mid‐ocean ridge basalt composition. The PT‐Unit greenstones are considered to have been derived from abyssal basement peeled off during accretion. The different accretion mechanism of the greenstones in the Naizawa and Horobetsugawa complexes reflects temporal changes in subduction zone conditions. Seamount accretion and tectonic erosion were dominant in the Early Cretaceous, due to highly oblique subduction of the old oceanic crust and minimal sediment supply. Whereas, thick sediments with minor mid‐ocean ridge basalt and olistostrome accreted in the Late Cretaceous, due to near‐orthogonal subduction of young oceanic crust with voluminous sediment supply.     

Enrichment of alkanes within a phytoplankton bloom during an in situ iron enrichment experiment in the western subarctic Pacific

During the Subarctic Pacific Iron Experiment for Ecosystem Dynamics Study ΙΙ (SEEDS-II), we monitored variations in the concentrations of non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), CH₃Cl, N₂O, and CH₄ within a phytoplankton bloom. Stable isotopic compositions were also determined to evaluate the sources of the variations. Although there was little variation in either the concentrations or the stable isotopic compositions of alkenes, CH₃Cl, N₂O, and CH₄ during the 23-day observation period, alkane concentrations increased substantially as the phytoplankton bloomed. The column-integrated quantities of alkanes increased to 3 times pre-bloom levels for C₂H₆, 5 times for C₃H₈, and 20 times for n-C₄H₁₀. The δ¹³C values of both C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ remained almost constant while concentrations increased, whereas that of n-C₄H₁₀ increased by about 12‰. To evaluate the sources of the alkanes produced during the bloom, we compared their δ¹³C values with those of alkanes produced in axenic phytoplankton cultures in our laboratory. We concluded that during the SEEDS-ΙΙ experiment the major portions of C₂H₆ and C₃H₈ were produced during the autolysis of diatoms cells, whereas n-C₄H₁₀ was produced during autolysis of other phytoplankton cells such as cryptophytes and dinoflagellates.     

Modification of SAR spectra associated with surface wind fields in the sea off the Kii Peninsula: A case study

Using surface wave parameters and a high-resolution surface wind field derived from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image mode data, we have investigated the spatial modification of SAR spectra. We found a surface wind front, formed by sheltering effect of the Kii Mountains, separating high and low wind-speed regions in a sea area of an European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS) SAR image off the Kii Peninsula. A swell system propagating westward dominates in the whole sea area covered by the SAR image. The wavelength retrieved from the SAR spectra in the sheltered (non-sheltered) region is longer (shorter). Since the distributions of surface wave parameters and surface wind speed are so well correlated, it can be considered that the SAR spectra are modified differently by the sheltered/non-sheltered surface winds. In order to examine the phenomena observed on the SAR image we have estimated the wind-wave SAR spectrum using the SAR surface winds, a wind-wave spectrum model and a SAR wave imaging model. We assume that the SAR spectrum related to the swell is homogeneous in the area imaged by SAR, and that the SAR spectrum of the wind-wave components causes the observed SAR spectra modification. Differences between the observed SAR spectra and the estimated SAR spectra in the sheltered and non-sheltered regions agree well with each other. In the present case, it can be concluded that the observed SAR spectra can be regarded as a linear combination of the wind-wave SAR spectra and the swell SAR spectra.     

Retrieval of surface wave parameters from sar images and their validation in the coastal seas around Japan

We have developed a scheme to retrieve surface wave parameters (wave height and wave propagation direction) from European Remote-Sensing Satellite (ERS) Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) image mode data in coastal seas around Japanese coastlines. SAR spectra are converted to surface wave spectra of swell-dominated or wind-wave dominated cases. The SAR spectrum and SAR-derived wind speed are used to derive the surface wave spectrum. The wind-wave dominated case and swell-dominated case are differentiated by a wind speed of 6 m/s, and processed in different ways because of their different degree of nonlinearity. It is indicated that the cutoff wavelength for retrieval of the wind-wave dominated spectrum is proportional to the root of significant wave height, which is consistent with the results of previous studies. We generated 66 match-ups using the SAR sub-images and the in-situ surface wave parameters, which were measured by wave gauges installed in near-shore seas. Among them, there are 57 swell-dominated cases, and 9 wind-wave dominated cases. The significant wave heights derived from SAR and from in-situ observation agree with the bias of 0.09 m, the standard deviation of 0.61 m and the correlation coefficient of 0.78. The averaged absolute deviation of wave propagation directions is 18.4°, and the trend of the agreement does not depend on the wave height. These results demonstrate that the SAR surface wave spectrum retrieved by the present system can be used to observe the surface wave field in the coastal seas around Japan.     

Hourly sea surface temperature retrieval using the Japanese Geostationary Satellite,Multi-Functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT)

An algorithm has been developed for retrieving sea surface temperature (SST) from hourly data transmitted from the Japanese Advanced Meteorological Imager (JAMI) aboard a Japanese geostationary satellite, Multi-functional Transport Satellite (MTSAT)-1R. Threshold tests screening cloudy pixels are empirically adjusted to cases of daytime with/without sun glitter, and nighttime. The Non-Linear SST (NLSST) equation, including several new additional terms, is used to calculate MTSAT SST. The estimated SST is compared with drifting and moored buoy measurements, with the result that the bias of the MTSAT SST is nearly 0.0°K. The root mean square (rms) error is about 0.8°K, and it is 0.7°K under the condition that the satellite zenith angle is less than 50°. It is demonstrated that the hourly MTSAT SST produced by the algorithm developed here captures diurnal SST variations in the equatorial sea in mid-November 2006.