Tectonic deformation buildup in folded mountain terrains in the October 23, 2004, Mid-Niigata earthquake

The October 23, 2004, Mid-Niigata Earthquake jolted central Japan, causing serious damage in a mountainous region of Pliocene sedimentary rocks. Though aftershocks distribution showed a diffused pattern, it indicated that a blind-thrust fault having a NE–SW strike and inclined towards NW was the most causative. Tectonic deformation caused by this faulting was considered to be one of the causes of flooding that occurred about 8 months after the earthquake. Precise digital elevation models (DEMs) before and after the earthquake were obtained with stereoscopy for aerial photographs and laser imaging detection and ranging technology (LIDAR), respectively, and then compared to detect elevation changes and translations. Lastly, the changes of landforms due to landslides are excluded from the estimated deformations to obtain only the components of tectonic deformations of the ground surface.     

The insensitivity of the cosmic ray galactic anisotropy to heliomagnetic polarity reversals

Using the cosmic ray sidereal and anti-sidereal diurnal variations observed underground in London and Hobart during the period 1958–1983, it is demonstrated that: (1) the phase changes of the apparent sidereal diurnal variation observed only in the Northern Hemisphere cannot be attributed to the change of the heliomagnetospheric modulation of galactic cosmic ray anisotropy caused by the polarity reversal of the solar magnetic field, but that they are due to the fluctuation of the spurious sidereal variation produced from the anisotropy responsible for the solar semi-diurnal variation; (2) the spurious sidereal variation can be eliminated from the apparent variation by using the observed anti-sidereal diurnal variation; and (3) after the elimination, the sidereal diurnal variations in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres almost coincide with each other and are stationary throughout the period, regardless of the polarity reversal of the heliomagnetosphere. The origin of the corrected sidereal variation is discussed.     

Piemontite from the manganiferous hematite ore deposits in the Tokoro Belt,Hokkaido, Japan

Summary Piemontites occur in manganiferous hematite ore deposits and radiolarian chest in the Nikoro Group, Tokoro Belt, eastern Hokkaido, Japan. The piemontite-bearing chest and ore bodies have suffered low-grade metamorphism of high pressure intermediate type. In ore bodies, piemontite forms veinlets with quartz and/or pumpellyite-(Mn²⁺) containing Mn³⁺ in Y site. In chest, piemontite occurs not only in veinlets but also in radiolarian tests with pumpellyite-(Mn²⁺). The mineral assemblages characterized by piemontite, pumpellyite-(Mn²⁺), okhotskite, hematite and bixbyite indicate that chest and ore deposits were metamorphosed under extremely highfO₂ condition. Some piemontites in ores contain as much as 1.12 Mn³⁺, and the sum of Mn³⁺ and Fe³⁺ attains 1.46 per formula unit, whereas piemontites in chest contain less (Mn³⁺ + Fe³⁺). This difference in compositions may essentially be ascribed to the difference in the host rock compositions. On the other hand, Mn³⁺ and Fe³⁺ contents of piemontites in ores vary considerably by Al (Mn³⁺, Fe³⁺) and Mn³⁺ Fe³⁺ substitutions. This phenomenon may be interpreted in terms of the local availability of Mn³⁺ and Fe³⁺ in the host rocks.The low-temperature stability limit of piemontite is evaluated from the relations between piemontite and pumpellyite and from the estimated P-T conditions of piemontite crystallization in chert and ore deposits.

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Piemontit aus den manganreichen Hematit-Lagerstätten des Tokoro-Gürtels, Hokkaido, Japan

Zusammenfassung Piemontite treten in manganführenden Hämatitlagerstätten und Radiolariten in der Nikoro-Gruppe des Tokoro-Gürtels, Ost-Hokkaido, Japan; auf. Die Piemontit-füh-renden Radiolarite und Erzkörper zeigen eine niedrig temperierte (Low-grade Bereich), Hochdruck (intermediate-type)-Metamorphose. In den Erzkörpern bildet Piemontit Gänge zusammen mit Quarz und/oder Mn³⁺ (in der Y-Position)-führendem Pumpellyit-(Mn²⁺). In den Radiolariten tritt Piemontit nicht nur in Gängen, sondern auch zusammen mit Pumpellyit-(Mn²⁺) in Radiolarien auf. Die Mineralparagenese Piemontit, Pumpellyit-(Mn²⁺), Okhotskit, Hämatit und Bixbyit deutet darauf hin, daß die Radiolarite und Erzlagerstätten unter hohenfO₂-Bedingungen metamorphisiert worden sind.In den Erzkörpern enthalten einige Piemontite bis zu 1.12 Mn³⁺ und die Summe von Mn³⁺ und Fe³⁺ erreicht 1.46 pro Formeleinheit. Die Piemontite in den Radiolariten zeigen geringere Mn³⁺ + Fe³⁺ Gehalte. Diese Unterschiede in der Zusammensetzung sind auf die unterschiedlichen Trägergesteine zurückzuführen. Außerdem variieren die Mn³⁺ und Fe³⁺-Gehalte der Piemontite in den Erzkörpern deutlich auf Grund der Substitution von Al (Mn³⁺, Fe³⁺) und Mn³⁺ Fe³⁺. Dieses Phänomen kann durch die lokale Verfügbarkeit von Mn³⁺ und Fe³⁺ im Trägergestein interpretiert werden.Die niedrige Temperatur-Stabilität von Piemontit kann durch die Assoziation Piemontit-Pumpellyit und durch die bestimmten P-T-Bedingungen der Piemontit-Kristallisation in den Radiolariten und Erzlagerstätten abgeschätzt werden.

     

Initial attack of large-scaled tsunami on ship motions and mooring loads

In this paper, we propose a numerical simulation procedure of moored ship motions due to initial attack of large-scaled tsunamis and investigate the effects on the motions and mooring loads. The effect of methodology on selection of tsunami wave components and of the drag forces are then considered by using the numerical simulation method, applying to several case studies for LNG-carrier. Large ship motions and excessive mooring loads beyond the safe working loads are induced by the resonant tsunami wave components in the sway and surge motions and drag forces.     

Production and degradation of fluorescent dissolved organic matter derived from bacteria

Dynamics of fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) in ocean environments has received attention over the past few decades. Although it has appeared that in situ production of oceanic FDOM is mainly due to bacteria, the production and bio- and photodegradation processes of bacterial FDOM have not been elucidated. In this study, a culture experiment with bacteria was carried out to assess the production and biodegradation processes of bacterial FDOM. Photodegradation of bacterial FDOM and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was also examined by exposure to a solar simulator. Bacterial FDOM consists of six components which were determined by parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Fluorescence intensities of protein-like FDOM increased with the bacterial biomass, but the increases of humic-like FDOM lagged behind the protein-like FDOM by 5–10 days. Exposure to simulated sunlight caused significant decreases in fluorescence intensities of all components; 52–94% of the initial intensities were lost during 24 h. While, the DOC concentration exhibited a small decrease through the experiment (1.9–11.1%). These results showed that photodegradability of bacteria derived DOC was much less than the fluorescence, indicating that the lifetime of bacteria-derived DOC is much longer than the length estimated by the fluorescence. The role of photobleached FDOM derived from bacteria may be significant in the biogeochemical cycle at the surface layer.     

Interannual variations of the Hawaiian Lee Countercurrent induced by potential vorticity variability in the subsurface

Interannual variations of the Hawaiian Lee Countercurrent (HLCC) in the 2000s were investigated using satellite and Argo profiling float observations. The satellite-observed sea surface height shows that the geostrophic eastward current was anomalously strong to the west away from Hawaii in 2003 and 2005. However, the trade winds and the orographic wind curl dipole in the lee of Hawaii that drives the climatological mean HLCC were not particularly strong in these years, suggesting that the accelerations of the HLCC were not caused by the wind stress curl forcing around Hawaii and subsequent Rossby wave propagation. Using Argo observations, we found negative potential vorticity (PV) anomalies in the subsurface north of the HLCC in these 2 years. The pycnocline is lifted northward as low PV waters of different densities stack up in the vertical, and the HLCC is then accelerated via the thermal wind. The intensification and/or southward intrusion of the eastern subtropical mode water and subtropical mode water seem to have induced negative PV anomalies in 2003 and 2005, respectively. Using high-resolution ocean simulations, we confirmed the migrations of PV anomalies and their contributions to the HLCC accelerations. Although the HLCC is located away from the cores of major mode waters, our results suggest that interannual variations of the HLCC are affected by those of mode waters.     

Effectivity of dissolved SF6 tracer for clarification of rainfall–runoff processes in a forested headwater catchment

Understanding rainfall‐runoff processes is crucial for prevention and prediction of water‐related natural disasters. Sulfur hexafluoride (SF₆) is a potential tracer, but few researches have applied it for rainfall‐runoff process studies. We observed multiple tracers including SF₆ in spring water at 1‐ to 2‐hr intervals during rainstorm events to investigate the effectivity of SF₆ tracer in rainfall–runoff studies through the clarification of rainfall–runoff process. The target spring is a perennial spring in a forested headwater catchment with an area of 0.045 km² in Fukushima, Japan. The relationship between the SF₆ concentration in spring water and the spring discharge volume was negative trend; the SF₆ concentration in spring water becomes low as the spring discharge volume increases especially during rainstorms. The hydrograph separation using SF₆ and chloride ion tracers was applied for determining the contribution of principal sources on rainfall–runoff water. It suggested more than 60% contribution of bedrock groundwater at the rainfall peak and high percentage contribution continued even in the hydrograph recession phase. Based on observed low SF₆ concentration in groundwater after heavy rainfall, the replacement of groundwater near the spring with bedrock groundwater is indicated as a mechanism for water discharge with low SF₆ concentration during rainfall events. Consequently, rainstorm events play an important role as triggers in discharging water stored in the deeper subsurface area. In addition, SF₆ tracer is concluded as one of the strongest tracers for examining rainfall–runoff process studies. And, therefore, this study provided new insights into the dynamics of groundwater and its responses to rainfall in terms of SF₆ concentration variance in water in headwater regions.     

Global surface layer salinity change detected by Argo and its implication for hydrological cycle intensification

We investigated changes in the global distribution of surface-layer salinity by comparing 2003–2007 Argo-float data with annual mean climatological surface-layer salinity data for 1960–1989 from the World Ocean Database 2005. The two datasets showed similar patterns, with low values in subpolar and tropical regions and higher values in the subtropics. The recent Argo data indicate that the contrast between low and high salinity has intensified in all areas except the subpolar North Atlantic. The intensified contrast of the surface layer salinity was maintaining for 2003–2007. Using a simple method, we attempted to estimate evaporation and precipitation changes on the basis of surface-layer salinity changes. The results show a high probability that the global hydrological cycle has increased in the past 30 years.     

Improved description of global mixed-layer depth using Argo profiling floats

A global data set describing the gridded mixed-layer depth (MLD) in 10-day intervals was produced using high-quality Argo float data from 2001 to 2009. The characteristics and advantages provided by the new MLD data set are described here, including a comparison based on two different thresholds and using data sets of different vertical and temporal resolution. The MLD in the data set was estimated on the basis of a shallower depth of the iso-thermal layer (TLD) or iso-pycnal layer (PLD), calculated using the finite difference method. The MLD data are incorporated into 2° × 2° grid in the global ocean, including marginal seas. Also, two threshold values were used to examine differences in the MLD and its seasonal temporal variability. The characteristics and advantages of using the Argo 10-day intervals to determine the MLD were then confirmed by comparing those data with the station buoy daily means and the Argo monthly means. With respect to vertical and temporal resolutions, the Argo 10-day data has two distinct advantages: (1) improved representation of the MLD vertical change due to high vertical resolution, especially during periods of large MLD variability and (2) more detailed representation of the temporal change in MLD than achieved with the Argo monthly mean data, especially from winter to spring in mid and high latitudes. These advantages were maintained in the case of a larger threshold despite the fact that the MLD is rather deep and the detailed variation in its distribution differs depending on the season and location. This study also investigated the relative influence of TLD and PLD to the MLD calculation for each grid. Generally, the MLD is primarily determined based on the PLD at low and mid latitudes (TLD > PLD), whereas the TLD is more important at high latitudes, especially in winter (TLD < PLD). In the case of a larger threshold, the area of the larger PLD influence spreads polewards because of the greater effect of salinity in winter. Although there are some differences in the effect of temperature and salinity in estimations of the MLD, both are indispensable factors for the MLD estimations even at different thresholds.     

Wrapround Multiple Reflectors over the Seafloor in the Gas Hydrate Area: A Possible Indicator of Methane Plume

Ocean Science Journal - Seismic wraparound multiples which are produced by the previous shot and trapped between the sea surface and flat seabed in the two-dimensional marine seismic reflection...