Whole rock geochemistry and Sr isotopic compositions of Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks in the Inner Zone of the Southwest Japan Arc

Pre-Cretaceous metasedimentary rocks occurring in the Inner Zone of the Southwest Japan Arc can be divided into three major groups, namely, high P/T metamorphic (Renge and Suo belts), low P/T metamorphic (Hida-Oki, Ryoke and Higo belts), and accretionary terranes (Akiyoshi, Maizuru, Mino-Tamba, and Ashio belts). Major and trace element compositions of most of the sedimentary rocks are typical of relatively mature sedimentary rocks, although abundances of ferromagnesian elements also suggest the presence of a significant mafic to intermediate igneous component. The sedimentary rocks with older Nd model ages (> 2.0 Ga) have high εSr values and major and trace element geochemical signatures typical of mature sediments, whereas those with younger model ages (< 1.45 Ga) have low εSr values and immature geochemical characteristics. With the exception of Hida samples, the sedimentary rocks from other districts have geochemical and isotopic features intermediate between the rocks with old and young Nd model ages. Some of the Hida samples have old Nd model ages, but others are influenced by younger rock fragments and have immature geochemical features. Based on combined isotopic and geochemical evidence, Inner Zone sedimentary rocks with older Nd model ages are interpreted to have been derived from felsic upper continental crustal materials such as Sino-Korean or northwest Yangtze craton granitoids. Compositions of rocks with younger Nd model ages reflect addition of mafic to intermediate detritus, such as island arc basalts and andesites. The rocks with intermediate Nd model ages may have formed in and around the Asian continental margin. The Hida metasedimentary rocks may have been derived from several terranes of varying age and geochemical composition.     

Climatic and environmental changes at southeastern coast of Lake Biwa over past 3000 years, inferred from borehole temperature data

In order to infer past climatic change in central Japan, we measured temperatures in a borehole at the Karasuma site, on the southeastern coast of Lake Biwa, and reconstructed sediment surface temperature history during the last 3000 years. The reconstructed temperature history shows apparent Medieval Warm Period, Little Ice Age, and contemporary temperature warming. However, the large amplitude of the temperature changes up to 4-5 K cannot be explained by past climatic change only, suggesting that there was some other cause of the larger amplitude temperature changes. The onsets of temperature decrease in the late 12th century a.d. and temperature increase in the mid 17th century a.d. appear to coincide with occurrences of two destructive earthquakes (1185 and 1662 a.d.) that caused water level changes of Lake Biwa. It suggests that the reconstructed sediment surface temperature history reflects the environmental change due to tectonically induced water level changes of the lake. If the annual mean of the ground surface temperature was higher than that of the bottom water temperature in a shallow part of the lake, which is consistent with the present-day data, the large amplitude of the sediment surface temperature change may be attributed to a combined effect of past climatic and environmental changes. Thus, we suggest that the borehole temperature at the Karasuma site preserves information not only on past climate changes but also on environmental changes due to tectonically induced water level changes.     

Factors controlling the temporal variation of fatty acids in piculate matter during a phytoplankton bloom in a marine mesocosm

Fatty acids present in suspended particles were examined following the onset of a phytoplankton bloom in an experimental marine mesocosm set up in Patricia Bay, Saanich Inlet, British Columbia, Canada. The predominantly diatom bloom, triggered by the addition of nutrients at the commencement of the experiment, was succeeded by several other phytoplankton forms, which in turn led to changes in particulate chl a, and organic carbon, and nitrogen within the experimental enclosure. An examination of individual fatty acids indicated that the variation of individual fatty acids can be classified into three groups, although the variation pattern of individual fatty acids differed from one another. An attempt was made to establish the factors controlling particulate fatty acid concentrations by principal component analysis. After Varimax rotation, six factors were extracted, of which four factors contributed to 83% of the data matrix. These were mainly dependent on the source of the particles i.e., diatoms, dinoflagellates, and bacteria.Fatty acid concentrations obtained by analysis of different lipid class fractions indicated that the production of fatty acids was distinctly related to the growth stage of the phytoplankton bloom. Fatty acids in triglycerides peaked during stationary phase, whereas fatty acids in polar lipids were high during the stage of an increase of phytoplankton biomass. However, fatty acid composition in both lipid classes changed under the influence of species succession of the phytoplankton population. This strongly suggested that species succession of the phytoplankton exerted the most significant control on fatty acid composition of particulate matter.     

Suppressing bias and drift of coastal circulation models through the assimilation of seasonal climatologies of temperature and salinity

Recently Thompson et al. (2006. A simple method for reducing seasonal bias and drift in eddy resolving ocean models. Ocean Modelling 13, 109–125.) proposed a new method for suppressing the bias and drift of ocean circulation models. The basic idea is to nudge the model toward gridded climatologies of observed temperature and salinity in prescribed frequency–wavenumber bands; outside of these bands the model's dynamics are not directly affected by the nudging and the model state can evolve prognostically. Given the restriction of the nudging to certain frequency–wavenumber bands, the method is termed spectral nudging. The frequency–wavenumber bands are chosen to capture the information in the climatology and thus are centered on the climatological frequencies of zero, one cycle per year and its harmonics, and also low wavenumbers (reflecting the smooth nature of gridded climatologies). The new method is applied in this study to a fully nonlinear, 3D baroclinic circulation model of the continental shelves and inland seas of Atlantic Canada and the northeast US. It is shown that the scheme can suppress drift and bias in a nine month integration (February–October, 2002) while still allowing realistic evolution of tides, surges and wind and tide-driven coastal upwelling. It is also shown that density stratification can affect significantly tidal elevations in some regions. The implications for ocean hindcasting and short-term forecasting are discussed.     

Determination of the second critical end point in silicate-H2O systems using high-pressure and high-temperature X-ray radiography

To determine the second critical end point in silicate-H₂O systems, a new method for the direct observations of immiscible fluids has been developed using a synchrotron X-ray radiography technique. High-pressure and high-temperature experiments were carried out with a Kawai-type, double-stage, multi-anvil high-pressure apparatus (SPEED-1500) installed at BL04B1, SPring-8, Japan. The Sr-plagioclase (SrAl₂Si₂O₈)-H₂O system was used as an illustrative example. A new sample container composed of a metal (Pt) tube with a pair of lids, made of single crystal diamonds, was used under pressures between 3.0 and 4.3 GPa, and temperatures up to ∼1600°C. The sample in the container could be directly observed through the diamond lids with X-ray radiography. At around 980 to 1060°C and pressures between 3.0 and 4.0 GPa, light gray spherical bubbles moving upward through the dark gray matrix were observed. The light gray spheres that absorb less X-rays represent an aqueous fluid, whereas the dark gray matrix represents a silicate melt. These two immiscible phases (aqueous fluid and silicate melt) were observed up to 4.0 GPa. At 4.3 GPa, no bubbles were observed. These observations suggest that the second critical end point in the Sr-plagioclase-H₂O system occurs at around 4.2 ± 0.2 GPa and 1020 ± 50°C. Our new technique can be applied to the direct observations of various systems with two coexisting fluids under deep mantle conditions.     

A laboratory study of Equotip surface hardness measurements on a range of sandstones: What influences the values and what do they mean?

The Equotip rebound tester is a simple, non-destructive technique to measure the surface hardness of materials. Having a low impact energy gives the Equotip advantages over the commonly used Schmidt Hammer on weathered rock and stone. In this study we have investigated the influence of different parameters (sample size, moisture content and surface roughness) on the surface hardness values obtained from freshly cut blocks of four types of sandstone. In a series of laboratory experiments both Single Impacts (SIM) and Repeat Impacts (RIM) methods have been used with C and D probes (which have different impact energies). Our results show that whilst sample size is of great importance we find that smaller samples can be reliably evaluated than previously reported. Moisture contents are also found to exert a more important influence on both SIM and RIM results than previously thought, with up to 26% lower hardness values recorded on saturated vs dry sandstone. Conversely, we find that surface roughness (over Sz values of 100 to 800 microns) does not have a significant impact on SIM measurements collected using the D probe. Both SIM and RIM data are found to be good proxies for compressive strength and open porosity, with SIM data collected with the C probe showing the best fits. Data collected using 3D microscopy helps visualize and quantify the small impact marks created by the Equotip and confirms that these are much reduced when using the C vs D probe. The results highlight the benefits of the Equotip to studies of the nature and deterioration of sandstone, the need for careful evaluation of any confounding factors which might influence the values obtained, and illustrate the different advantages of C and D probes. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Recent advances in researches on physiologically active substances in holothurians

In this report, we reviewed recent literature on physiologically active substances from sea cucumbers （SCs） and their activities together with results obtained from our study. Preventive properties against lipid metabolism were reported in rats using a whole SC preparation with no particular constituent specified. Administration of the preparation lowered serum and hepatic cholesterol levels and improved the HDL/LDL ratio. These functions may be attributed to the stimulatory effect of the extract on the secretion of cholesterol in feces. Novel fucosylated chondroitin sulfates （FCSs） from Ludwigothurea grisea significantly induced fibroblast growth factor 2-dependent angiogenesis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells （HUVECs）. The proangiogenetic activity seemed attributable to the action of the sulfated fucose branches on the polysaccharide. SCs contain mycosporine-like amino acids （MAAs） that are capable of absorbing UV. A biogenetic precursor of MAAs was first reported in SCs. The anti-proliferative effects of a branched chain fatty acid from a sea cucumber on prostate cancer cells was reported with the activity of 5-lipoxygenase. Glycosphingolipid constituents in SCs have been systematically analyzed over the past ten years. The results showed that the gangliosides in several SCs differed from those of mammals in that a sialic acid of SC gangliosides directly binded to glucose of cerebroside. Neuritogenic activity of the glycosphingolipids was demonstrated in vitro experiments and may lead to the development of therapeutic products for neurological disorders. Our study also showed that sphingoid bases, the hydrolyzed products of glycosphingolipids from SCs, induced significant apoptosis in several tumor cell lines.     

Effect of stratification on tidal circulation over the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of St. Lawrence: a numerical study using a three-dimensional shelf circulation model

A three-dimensional shelf circulation model is used to examine the effect of seasonal changes in water-column stratification on the tidal circulation over the Scotian Shelf and Gulf of St. Lawrence. The model is driven by tidal forcing specified at the model’s lateral open boundaries in terms of tidal sea surface elevations and depth-averaged currents for five major tidal constituents (M₂, N₂, S₂, K₁, and O₁). Three numerical experiments are conducted to determine the influence of baroclinic pressure gradients and changes in vertical mixing, both associated with stratification, on the seasonal variation of tidal circulation over the study region. The model is initialized with climatological hydrographic fields and integrated for 16 months in each experiment. Model results from the last 12 months are analyzed to determine the dominant semidiurnal and diurnal tidal components, M₂ and K₁. Model results suggest that the seasonal variation in the water-column stratification affects the M₂ tidal circulation most strongly over the shelf break and over the deep waters off the Scotian Shelf (through the development of baroclinic pressure gradients) and along Northumberland Strait in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (through changes in vertical mixing and bottom stress). For the K₁ constituent, the baroclinic pressure gradient and vertical mixing have opposing effects on the tidal circulation over several areas of the study region, while near the bottom, vertical mixing appears to play only a small role in the tidal circulation.     

Variations in the thermal conductivities of surface sediments in the Nankai subduction zone off Tokai, central Japan

We investigated the relationship between variations in the thermal conductivity of surface sediments and the topography in the Nankai subduction zone off Tokai, central Japan, the easternmost part of the Nankai subduction zone, which has an accretionary prism with varied topography. We analyzed sediment thermal conductivity data obtained from the trough floor and accretionary prism. Variations in the thermal conductivity of sediments were related to the topographic features formed by accretionary prism development. Thermal conductivities of 1.1?W/m?K were measured on the trough floor where thick terrigenous turbidites have been deposited. The thermal conductivity of Nankai Trough floor sediments decreases from northeast to southwest along the trough, probably because of the decreased grain size and/or changes in sediment mineral composition. High thermal conductivities (??1.0?W/m?K) were measured in fault scarps on the accretionary prism. A landward increase in these values on the prism may be explained by decreased porosity of the sediments attributable to tectonic deformation during accretionary prism development. At the base of the fault scarp of the frontal thrust, low thermal conductivities (<0.9?W/m?K) were measured, likely reflecting the high porosity of the talus deposits. Low thermal conductivity (0.9?W/m?K) was also measured in slope basins on the accretionary prism, likely also related to the high porosity of the sediments. Our results demonstrate that, for accurate heat flow measurement in an area of varied topography, the geothermal gradient and the thermal conductivity of the sediments must be measured within regions with similar topographic features.