The geochemistry of lead in rivers,estuaries and the continental shelf of the Southeastern United States

Transport by southeastern rivers has insignificant influence on the lead concentration of southeastern shelf waters. If the rate of mobilization and transport of lead by these rivers is representative of uncontaminated fluvial transport during the Pleistocene, only about 5% of the prehistoric output of lead to the North Atlantic can be accounted for by river input.Lead concentrations in southeastern shelf waters are similar to those of North Atlantic Water from the upper 1000 m, which is probably similar to the intrusion source water for the shelf. Atmospheric inputs to the shelf of the same magnitude as observed for the Western North Atlantic are difficult to reconcile given the residence time of shelf waters and their lead concentration unless the rate of loss of lead to shelf sediments is about the same as the atmospheric flux.     

Evidence for high-Ca boninite magmatism from Paleogene primitive low-K tholeiite, Mukoojima, Hahajima Island group, southern Bonin (Ogasawara) forearc, Japan

Abstract   High-Ca boninitic inclusions are found in primitive low-K tholeiite from Mukoojima (Mukoo-Jima), an islet in the Hahajima Island group, Bonin (Ogasawara) forearc, Japan. While Chichijima Island group, 50 km north of Hahajima Island group, is well known as a type locality of boninite, there has been no report of boninitic rocks from the Hahajima Island group. The high-Ca boninitic inclusions are aphanitic and contain olivine, Ca-rich clinopyroxene, plagioclase, chromian spinel, opaque minerals and dark brown glass. The mode of occurrence of the inclusions and host tholeiite under the microscope indicates mingling of these two magmas, suggesting intimate association in space and time of the boninite and primitive tholeiite magmas around the Hahajima Island group in Paleogene time. Primitive compositions and slightly different Sr and Nd isotopic ratios suggest that these two magmas are derived from two distinct mantle sources. These two mantle sources were present at the same time around the Hahajima Island group, southern Bonin forearc. The source of the high-Ca boninite was higher in water content and/or shallower in depth compared to that of the primitive tholeiite.     

Possibility of recent changes in vertical distribution and size composition of chlorophyll-a in the western North Pacific region

Our analysis of the last three decades of retrospective data of vertical distributions and size composition of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) over the western North Pacific has revealed significant changes of three indices related to Chl-a during summer season, as follows: (1) decreasing linear trend of the proportion of Chl-a in surface layer to that of the whole water column by 0.4 and 2.3% year⁻¹ in the subtropical area along 137°E (STA₁₃₇) during 1972 to 1997 and in the Kuroshio Extension area along 175°E (KEA₁₇₅) during 1990 to 2001; (2) increasing linear trend of the depth of subsurface Chl-a maximum (DCM) by 0.4 and 2.6 m year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅; and (3) decreasing linear trend of larger-size Chl-a (>3 μm) by 0.1 and 2.5% year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. Water density (σ _θ ) at 75 m depth had also decreased by 0.006 and 0.05 year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. The ratio of biogenic opal to biogenic CaCO₃ in the sinking flux decreased by 0.015 year⁻¹ in the subtropical region from 1997 to 2005. These findings may indicate that the subsurface chlorophyll maximum is deepening and larger phytoplankton such as diatoms has been decreasing during the past decade, associated with the decreasing density of surface water caused by warming in the western North Pacific, especially in the summer.     

Transport of copper from the Bering Sea to the northwestern North Pacific

Dissolved copper concentrations in surface waters of the Bering Sea ranged from 106 to 882 ngl^–1. Higher concentrations were found in continental shelf waters. In the northwestern North Pacific dissolved copper ranged from 54 to 140 ngl^–1. Particulate copper concentrations varied regionally and seasonally from 6 to 79 ngl^–1. Regionally averaged particulate copper concentrations decreased from 175 to 33g g^–1 against an increase in suspended materials because of the dilution effects of biological fractions. Apparent sporadic increases in copper concentrations were found in the mixing area of the Kuroshio and the Oyashio waters. The feature is attributed to the lateral distribution of different water types rather than to the upwelling of deeper waters by eddies. In the same area west of 160E, waters with high concentrations of dissolved copper (96±9 ngl^–1) were found. Their origin appears to be the continental shelf of the Bering Sea. In spite of intensive biological activity, a considerable fraction of copper added to shelf waters was transported to the area off Japan via the circulation in the Bering Sea and the Oyashio current.     

Late Triassic ammonoid Sirenites from the Sabudani Formation in Tokushima,Southwest Japan,and its biostratigraphic and paleobiogeographic implications

Discovery of Sirenites senticosus (Dittmar) in the upper part of the Sabudani Formation of the Kurosegawa Belt, Kito area, Tokushima Prefecture, Japan, establishes a late Early Carnian age for this part of the stratigraphic unit. Because S. senticosus was mainly distributed in the Tethyan region, its occurrence provides evidence that Late Triassic ammonoids of Japan had strong affinities with those of the Tethyan faunas. This finding clearly differs from the biogeographic distribution of contemporary bivalves in the region, which are referred to as the Kochigatani bivalve faunas, and show strong affinities to faunas of the Boreal region.     

Mesoscale structures of two types of cold-air outbreaks over the East China Sea and the effect of coastal sea surface temperature

Two types of cold-air outbreaks over the Yellow and East China Seas are investigated using a regional mesoscale model. Distinct patterns of surface turbulent heat fluxes and precipitation are identified between the two cases. The sea surface heat flux and frictional velocity are strongly influenced by mesoscale differences between high- and low-resolution datasets of sea surface temperature (SST). The influence of the SST difference on atmospheric water is spread to the downstream area of the outbreak with the phase transition of water. The air mass transformation around 800?hPa over the Kuroshio is partly influenced by the upstream SST difference. In particular, the SST difference near the mouth of the Yanzi River strongly modifies the air mass around Taiwan. Thus, in addition to the Kuroshio front, the mesoscale Chinese coastal SST structure is also important in the air mass transformation over the East China Sea.     

Levels and distribution of polybrominated diphenyl ethers and organochlorine compounds in sea turtles from Japan

Three species of sea turtles (green, hawksbill and loggerhead turtles) stranded along the coasts or caught (by-catch) around Ishigaki Island and Kochi, Japan were collected between 1998 and 2006 and analyzed for six organohalogen compounds viz., PBDEs, PCBs, DDTs, CHLs, HCHs and HCB. The present study is the first and foremost to report the occurrence of organohalogen compounds in the sea turtles from Japan. Among the compounds analyzed, concentrations of PCBs, DDTs and CHLs were the highest in all the turtle samples. PBDEs were ubiquitously present in all the turtle species. Comparing with the other two species, concentrations of organohalogens in green turtle were relatively low and decreasing trend in the concentrations were noted with increasing carapace length. Concentrations of OCs in sea turtles from the coasts of Ishigaki Island and Kochi were relatively low as compared to those from other locations in the world.     

软岩的强度—变形—时间之间关系的试验分析

对软岩和有不连续面的软岩试样进行一系列固结不排水三轴压缩和蠕变试验,测定并分析了它们在正常固结和超固结状态下的应变软化性状、蠕变特性和残余强度的变化规律。探讨了软岩中存在的不连续面对应力－应变关系、残余强度特性和蠕变应变速率的影响。