A 27-kyr record of environmental change in central Asia inferred from the sediment record of Lake Hovsgol,northwest Mongolia

Geochemistry of a sediment core from Lake Hovsgol, northwest Mongolia provides a continuous, 27-kyr history of the response of the lake and the surrounding catchment to climate change. Principle component (PC) analysis of 19 major and trace elements, total inorganic carbon (TIC), and total organic carbon (TOC) in the bulk sediment samples revealed that the 21 chemical components can be grouped into four assemblages—group-1: Na, Mg, Ca, Sr, and TIC, hosted in carbonate minerals (calcite, dolomite, and magnesian calcite); group-2: Ni, Cu, and Zn, recognized as biophilic trace metals, and TOC; group-3: Al, K, Ti, V, Fe, Rb, Cs, Ba, and Pb, composed of rock-forming minerals; and group-4: Cr, Mn, and As, sensitive to the redox condition of the sediment. The four element assemblages originated from three relevant processes. Group-1 and group-2 components are authigenic products and comprise the end member on the PC-1 score, whose variation reflects changes in the water volume, i.e. the balance between precipitation and evaporation (P/E). Group-3 components from detrital materials of the catchment contribute to the PC-2 score, whose variability indicates erosion/weathering intensity in the drainage basin, which might be controlled by the amount of vegetation cover associated with moisture change. The group-4 components of redox-sensitive elements contribute to the PC-3 score and are not an end member because of their small amount. The first two PC scores suggest a sequential record of paleo-moisture evolution in central Asia. The P/E balance in the Lake Hovsgol region, inferred from the PC-1 score, gradually increased during the glacial/interglacial transition. This resembles climate change of the North Atlantic region on the glacial–interglacial scale, but does not reflect the abrupt climate shifts such as the warm Bølling-Allerød and the cold Younger Dryas of the North Atlantic on the millennial scale. A periodic variation of ~8.7 kyr was observed in the PC-2 score profile of detrital input to Lake Hovsgol over the last glacial and Holocene. The decrease in detrital input coincided with the copious supply of moisture from the Asian monsoon regime and the North Atlantic westerly winds to the Baikal drainage basin, which includes Lake Hovsgol. Our geochemical records from Lake Hovsgol demonstrate that the climate system of interior continental Asia was strongly influenced by change on both Milankovitch and sub-Milankovitch scales.     

Implications of a non-adiabatic density gradient for the Earth's viscoelastic response to surface loading

The response of a viscoelastic Earth to the melting of the Late Pleistocene ice sheets has been the subject of a number of investigations employing PREM. In PREM, a non-adiabatic density gradient (NADG) exists in the upper mantle, and to understand the implications of this model it is thus important to examine the effects of this NADG on the Earth's response to surface loads. This paper is based on the assumption that the contribution to the depth dependence of the density that is not due to self-compression is due to compositional change. This contribution is referred to as 'non-adiabatic'. We evaluate the effects of a non-adiabatic density jump (NADJ) for the 670  km discontinuity and the NADG in the upper mantle by adopting a compressible earth model with both a compositional density gradient and a density jump. Numerical calculations based on these models indicate that the magnitude of the Earth's response associated with the NADG is much smaller than that associated with the NADJ at 670  km depth. It is also confirmed that the higher modes associated with the NADJ and the NADG are much more sensitive to the existence of an elastic lithosphere than the fundamental modes associated with the density jumps at the surface and core–mantle boundary.     

The sea surface temperature product algorithm of the Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) and its accuracy

The Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) aboard the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) can observe ocean color and sea surface temperature (SST) simultaneously. This paper explains the algorithm for the OCTS SST product in the NASDA OCTS mission. In the development of the latest, third version (V3) algorithm, the OCTS match-up dataset plays an important role, especially when the coefficients required in the MCSST equation are derived and the equation form is adjusted. As a result of the validation using the OCTS match-up dataset, the algorithm has improved the root mean square (rms) error of the OCTS SST up to 0.698°C although some problems remain in the match-up dataset used in the present study.     

Quantitative micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy of wet sediment based on the X‐ray absorption and emission theories: Its application to freshwater lake sedimentary sequences

Micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy of marine and lake sedimentary sequences can provide detailed palaeoenvironmental records through element intensity proxy data. However, problems with the effects of interstitial pore water on the micro‐X‐ray fluorescence intensities have been pointed out. This is because the X‐ray fluorescence intensities are measured directly at the surfaces of split wet sediment core samples. This study developed a new method for correcting X‐ray fluorescence data to compensate for the effects of pore water using a scanning X‐ray analytical microscope. This involved simultaneous use of micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy and an X‐ray transmission detector. To evaluate the interstitial pore water content from the X‐ray transmission intensities, a fine‐grained sediment core retrieved from Lake Baikal (VER99‐G12) was used to prepare resin‐embedded samples with smooth surfaces and uniform thickness. Simple linear regression between the linear absorption coefficients of the samples and their porosity, based on the Lambert–Beer law, enabled calculation of the interstitial pore spaces and their resin content with high reproducibility. The X‐ray fluorescence intensities of resin‐embedded samples were reduced compared with those of dry sediment samples because of: (i) the X‐ray fluorescence absorption of resin within sediment; and (ii) the sediment dilution effects by resin. An improved micro‐X‐ray fluorescence correction equation based on X‐ray fluorescence emission theory considers the instrument's sensitivity to each element, which provides a reasonable explanation of these two effects. The resin‐corrected X‐ray fluorescence intensity was then successfully converted to elemental concentrations using simple linear regression between the data from micro‐X‐ray fluorescence scanning spectroscopy and from the conventional analyzer. In particular, the calculated concentration of SiO₂ over the depth of the core, reflecting diatom/biogenic silica concentration, was significantly changed by the calibrations, from a progressively decreasing trend to an increasing trend towards the top of the core.     

Impacts of assimilated data on reanalysis climatology

Impacts of the observing systems and meteorological parameters on a reanalyzed climatology are investigated using an assimilation algorithm based on the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/Department of Energy (NCEP/DOE) reanalysis system. The one-year analyzed climatology is generated in a standard analysis using all of the observations, which is named the control run. Additional climatology data sets are produced by selectively choosing observational systems or meteorological variables in the reanalysis system. It is found that the radiosonde-only observation is sufficient for reproducing the reanalysis climatology. Satellite observations have no significant contribution to the large-scale fields. The importance of meteorological variables on the analyzed climatology is temperature, wind, and moisture in that order, where the mass observation is found to have a greater impact on the analyzed climatology than wind. It is, however, noted that the moisture field demonstrates a profound influence on the surface hydroclimate such as cloud cover, radiation flux, and land surface temperature.     

Intelligent seismic isolation system using air bearings and earthquake early warning

Recently strong seismic waves or long period seismic waves have been observed in various earthquakes that occurred in Japan. As a result improvements of existing seismic isolation systems are deemed necessary. The present study proposed an intelligent seismic isolation system encompassing air bearings and earthquake early warning (EEW) system. Such system exhibits adequate isolation performance. The air bearings are isolation device that may render infinite the superstructure natural period by floating them, and the EEW is applied for a trigger of isolation. This paper illustrates the proposed system and discusses the experimental results of a test carried out with the system. Laboratory tests carried out in the present research demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed base isolated systems and prove its efficacy in mitigating the effects of three-dimensional seismic waves. For example, the system suppressed the horizontal response acceleration of an isolation target to 38% of input acceleration.     

A determination of the Dalton and Stanton numbers over a saturated barley field

In order to determine the values of the Dalton and the Stanton numbers, an observational study was made over a saturated barley field in the Hachirogata. flat reclaimed land located in the northern part of Japan. The mean height of the barley was about 11 cm; the roughness height for momentum was determined from the mean wind profiles as 4.24 ± 0.18 cm and the zero-plane displacement height as 0 cm. Under neutral stratification and a saturated surface, the reciprocals of the Dalton and Stanton numbers, Da^-1 and St^-1, were estimated. The results show that the mean value of St^-1 is 12.1, and the ratio of the bulk transfer coefficient for heat to that for momentum. C _H/C_M, is 0.53, which are not entirely incompatible with the few results available from past observations. The mean value of Da^- is 38.2. This value is larger than St^-1, and fits reasonably well with the semi-empirical equation proposed by Brutsaert (1975a,b).     

Latitudinal distribution of soil CO2 efflux and temperature along the Dalton Highway,Alaska

In this paper, we investigate spatial variations in soil CO₂ efflux and carbon dynamics across five sites located between 65.5°N and 69.0°N in tundra and boreal forest biomes of Alaska. Growing and winter mean CO₂ effluxes for the period 2006–2010 were 261 ± 124 (Coefficients of Variation: 48%) and 71 ± 42 (CV: 59%) gCO₂/m², respectively. This indicates that winter CO₂ efflux contributed 24% of the annual CO₂ efflux over the period of measurement. In tundra and boreal biomes, tussock is an important source of carbon efflux to the atmosphere, and contributes 3.4 times more than other vegetation types. To ensure that representativeness of soil CO₂ efflux was determined, 36 sample points were used at each site during the growing season, so that the experimental mean fell within ±20% of the full sample mean at 80% and 90% confidence levels. We found that soil CO₂ efflux was directly proportional to the seasonal mean soil temperature, but inversely proportional to the seasonal mean soil moisture level, rather than to the elevation-corrected July air temperature. This suggests that the seasonal mean soil temperature is the dominant control on the latitudinal distribution of soil CO₂ efflux in the high-latitude ecosystems of Alaska.