Response of a simple two-layer ocean to divergent and rotational wind stress

Response of an unbounded two-layer ocean to traveling atmospheric disturbances is analytically investigated. Under the assumption that (1) lower layer is motionless, (2) each layer is homogeneous and in hydrostatic balance, (3) the Coriolis parameter is constant, and (4) the density difference between the two layers is small compared to the density itself, the one-dimensional Klein-Gordon's equation is solved analytically for both the divergent and rotational wind stress. Numerical examples of the wake pattern of the upwelling behind the regional divergent and rotational wind fields are also represented.The results may be summarized as follows: (1) the effect of the divergent wind stress is dominant when the forced Rossby numberR ₀ (the ratio of the frequency of the wind stress to the Coriolis parameter) is larger than unity unless the Mach numberM (the ratio of the traveling velocity of the wind stress to the internal gravitational velocity) is far less than unity, (2) the effect of the rotational wind stress is important, when the forced Rossby numberR ₀ is less than unity.     

Comparison of the acid-base responses to CO2 and acidification in Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

To investigate whether the biological toxicity of aquatic hypercapnia is due to the direct effects of CO2 or to the effects of acidification of seawater by CO2, the Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) was subjected to seawater equilibrated with a gas mixture of air containing 5% CO2 (pH 6.18) or seawater acidified to the same pH with 1 N H2SO4. All the fish died within 72 h in the CO2 exposure group, whereas no mortality occurred in the acid group. Acid-base parameters as well as plasma ion concentrations were severely perturbed in the CO2 exposure group, whereas they were minimally affected in the acid group. These results clearly demonstrate that the mortality in the CO2 group is a direct result of the elevated levels of dissolved CO2 and not to the effects of the reduced water pH.     

Automated cloud tracking system for the Akatsuki Venus Climate Orbiter data

Japanese Venus Climate Orbiter, Akatsuki, is cruising to approach to Venus again although its first Venus orbital insertion (VOI) has been failed. At present, we focus on the next opportunity of VOI and the following scientific observations.We have constructed an automated cloud tracking system for processing data obtained by Akatsuki in the present study. In this system, correction of the pointing of the satellite is essentially important for improving accuracy of the cloud motion vectors derived using the cloud tracking. Attitude errors of the satellite are reduced by fitting an ellipse to limb of an imaged Venus disk. Next, longitude–latitude distributions of brightness (cloud patterns) are calculated to make it easy to derive the cloud motion vectors. The grid points are distributed at regular intervals in the longitude–latitude coordinate. After applying the solar zenith correction and a highpass filter to the derived longitude–latitude distributions of brightness, the cloud features are tracked using pairs of images. As a result, we obtain cloud motion vectors on longitude–latitude grid points equally spaced. These entire processes are pipelined and automated, and are applied to all data obtained by combinations of cameras and filters onboard Akatsuki. It is shown by several tests that the cloud motion vectors are determined with a sufficient accuracy. We expect that longitude–latitude data sets created by the automated cloud tracking system will contribute to the Venus meteorology.     

Origin of the ocean on the Earth: Early evolution of water D/H in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere

The origin of the Earth's ocean has been discussed on the basis of deuterium/hydrogen ratios (D/H) of several sources of water in the Solar System. The average D/H of carbonaceous chondrites (CC's) is known to be close to the current D/H of the Earth's ocean, while those of comets and the solar nebula are larger by about a factor of two and smaller by about a factor of seven, respectively, than that of the Earth's ocean. Thus, the main source of the Earth's ocean has been thought to be CC's or adequate mixing of comets and the solar nebula. However, those conclusions are correct only if D/H of water on the Earth has remained unchanged for the past 4.5 Gyr. In this paper, we investigate evolution of D/H in the ocean in the case that the early Earth had a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, the existence of which is predicted by recent theories of planet formation no matter whether the nebula remains or not. Then we show that D/H in the ocean increases by a factor of 2-9, which is caused by the mass fractionation during atmospheric hydrogen loss, followed by deuterium exchange between hydrogen gas and water vapor during ocean formation. This result suggests that the apparent similarity in D/H of water between CC's and the current Earth's ocean does not necessarily support the CC's origin of water and that the apparent discrepancy in D/H is not a good reason for excluding the nebular origin of water.     

Dynamical response to supernova-induced gas removal in spiral galaxies with dark matter halo

We investigate the dynamical response, in terms of disc size and rotation velocity, to mass loss by supernovae in the evolution of spiral galaxies. A thin baryonic disc having the Kuzmin density profile embedded in a spherical dark matter halo having a density profile proposed by Navarro, Frenk & White is considered. For the purpose of comparison, we also consider the homogeneous and   r ⁻¹  profiles for dark matter in a truncated spherical halo. Assuming for simplicity that the dark matter distribution is not affected by mass-loss from discs and the change of baryonic disc matter distribution is homologous, we evaluate the effects of dynamical response in the resulting discs. We found that the dynamical response only for an adiabatic approximation of mass-loss can simultaneously account for the rotation velocity and disc size as observed particularly in dwarf spiral galaxies, thus reproducing the Tully–Fisher relation and the size versus magnitude relation over the full range of magnitude. Furthermore, we found that the mean specific angular momentum in discs after the mass-loss becomes larger than that before the mass-loss, suggesting that the mass-loss would most likely occur from the central disc region where the specific angular momentum is low.     

The anisotropy of cosmic ray arrival directions around 10 eV

Anisotropy in the arrival directions of cosmic rays with energies above 10¹⁷ eV is studied using data from the Akeno 20 km² array and the Akeno Giant Air Shower Array (AGASA), using a total of about 114 000 showers observed over 11 years. In the first harmonic analysis, we have found a strong anisotropy of 4% around 10¹⁸ eV, corresponding to a chance probability of 0.2% after taking the number of independent trials into account. with two-dimensional analysis in right ascension and declination, this anisotropy is interpreted as an excess of showers near the directions of the Galactic Center and the Cygnus region.     

Mg-vacant structural modules and dilution of the symmetry of hydrous wadsleyite, β-Mg2–xSiH2xO4 with 0.00≤x≤0.25

The crystal structures of the two hydrous wadsleyite crystals with formulae, Mg_1.75SiH_0.50O₄ (0.5H–β) and Mg_1.86SiH_0.28O₄ (0.3H–β) have been analyzed in this study. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction data showed that the unit cells of the 0.3H–β and the 0.5H–β are metrically monoclinic with a slight distortion from the orthorhombic cell but their intensity distributions conform to the orthorhombic symmetry within the limit of experimental errors. The Fourier and the difference Fourier syntheses were calculated. Small but significant Fourier peaks were found at the site, Si2, in a normally vacant tetrahedral void adjacent to Mg3 site as reported for the monoclinic hydrous wadsleyite by Smyth et al.. From the comparison of the hydrous and anhydrous wadsleyite structures, the Mg-vacant structural modules were found to be the building units for the structure of hydrous wadsleyite. The dilution of symmetry from orthorhombic to monoclinic in the hydrous wadsleyite structure is interpreted qualitatively due to lack of mirror perpendicular to the a axis in the module. The mode of arrangement of the Mg-vacant structural modules interprets the symmetry and hydrogen content of the hydrous wadsleyite and gives the structural relationship between hydrous wadsleyite and hydrous ringwoodite. Received: 8 May 1998 / Revised, accepted: 3 October 1998     

Spheroidal weathering of granite porphyry with well‐developed columnar joints by oxidation,iron precipitation,and rindlet exfoliation

Spheroidal weathering, one of the important rock weathering styles, has been attributed to chemical weathering by the water from joint surfaces, and mechanical aspects of the weathering have not been well addressed. We made an investigation on spheroidal weathering of Miocene granite porphyry with well‐developed columnar joints and found that this spheroidal weathering proceeds through chemical processes and accompanying mechanical processes. The investigation of the textures, physical properties, mineralogy, and chemistry of the porphyry revealed the presence of a brown band on the surface margins of corestones, representing the oxidation of pyrite and chlorite, and the precipitation of iron hydroxides, and the consequent generation of micro‐cracks within the band. During weathering, oxidation progresses inwards from joints that surround the rindlets, including both high‐angle columnar and low‐angle planar joints, and causes rounding of the unweathered interior portion of the rock. Microscopic observations of the brown band embedded with fluorescent resin show that pores are first filled with iron hydroxides, and that micro‐cracks then form parallel to the oxidation front in the outer portion of the brown band. Iron hydroxide precipitation increases the P‐wave velocity in the brown band, while micro‐crack formation decreases the tensile strength of the rock. Where the brown band has thickened to ~6 cm, the micro‐cracks are connected to one another to create continuous cracks, which separate the rindlets from the corestone. Micro‐crack formation parallel to the corestone surface may be attributed to compressive stresses generated by small amounts of volumetric expansion due to the precipitation of iron hydroxides in the brown band. Earth surface is under oxidizing environments so that precipitation of iron hydroxides commonly occurs; the spheroidal weathering in this paper is a typical example of the combination of chemical and mechanical processes under such environments. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.