Preferential exchange rate effect of isotopic fractionation in a melting snowpack

Stable isotope exchange processes between solid and liquid phases of a natural melting snowpack are investigated in detail by separating the liquid water from snow grains at different depths of the snowpack and collecting the bottom discharge using a lysimeter. In the melting–freezing mass exchange process between the two phases, the theoretical slope of the δD? δ¹⁸O line for newly refrozen ice is calculated to be nearly that of pore water. However, based on observations of the isotopic evolution and snow grain coarsening of the snowpack, it is demonstrated that the slope of the δD? δ¹⁸O line for newly refrozen ice is equal to that of the original ice. This is proved to be due to preferential water flow in the snowpack, which leads to relatively more deuterium and less oxygen‐18 in the mobile water than the immobile water because of the kinetic effect. Higher mass exchange rate in the mobile water region results in excess deuterium in the bulk refrozen ice, compared with the fractionation of uniform fractionation factors and exchange rate. This effect, which is termed the ‘preferential exchange rate effect of isotopic fractionation’, is shown to be larger in the lower part than the upper part of the snowpack. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Standing stocks and production rates of phytoplankton and abundance of bacteria in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Standing stocks and production rates of phytoplankton and abundance of bacteria were investigated at 39 stations in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan during four crulses in October 1993, January, April and June 1994. Primary productivity was measured by the¹³C tracer method. Photosynthetic rate varied from 0.41 to 32.1 μgC/1/h with an average value of 4.67 μgC/l/h. Annual primary production was estimated to be 218 gC/m²/year. Annual primary production in this study was 1.8 times as high as the values which were previously reported at same area. The reason for the disagreement between our primary production value and previous values is not thought to be due to the difference of methods used for measuring primary production or the different Chl.a concentrations but to the method of estimating the primary production in the euphotic zone from thein vitro measurements. The distribution of bacterial cells in surface seawater was examined during the same cruises. Bacterial cell density ranged from 0.32 to 3.4×10⁶ cells/ml. The density was relatively high in the eutrophic regions of Hiroshima Bay and Osaka Bay In addition, a high density of bacteria was also observed in an area within Suo Nada where Chl.a was relatively low. The disparity between Chla and bacterial density in Suo Nada suggests that bacterial abundance can be controlled by the availability of substrates other than phytoplankton exudate.     

Ecological aspects of hydrothermal vent animals in captivity at atmospheric pressure

Hydrothermal vent animals were kept and displayed at atmospheric pressure with an artificial hydrothermal vent system in Enoshima Aquarium, Fujisawa, Kanagawa, Japan. The artificial hydrothermal vent system was composed of a main rearing tank, a heating tank, a hot water outlet with added Na₂S as the source of H₂S, and added CO₂ for chemosynthetic bacteria and pH regulation. When the need arises, a dissolved oxygen control unit and submersible heaters can be attached. We are now rearing hydrothermal vent crabs (Austinograea yunohana), hydrothermal vent galatheid crabs (Shinkaia crosnieri), vestimentiferan tubeworms (Lamellibrachia satsuma), hydrothermal vent shrimp (Opaepele spp.), hydrothermal vent barnacles (Ashinkailepas seepiophilia and Neoverruca sp.), and tonguefish (Symphurus sp.). In the artificial hydrothermal vent tank, shrimp and crabs have been observed to cluster close to the artificial hydrothermal vent. In particular, large (adult) crabs needed a heat source to live in the aquarium over a long term. Additionally, some species (A. yunohana, S. crosnieri, Opaepele sp. and Symphurus sp.) have spawned and hatched in captivity. It is likely higher water temperatures are needed for egg and larval development compared with temperatures for adult requirements.     

Sub-Lethal Effects of Elevated Concentration of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> on Planktonic Copepods and Sea Urchins

Data concerning the effects of high CO₂ concentrations on marine organisms are essential for both predicting future impacts of the increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration and assessing the effects of deep-sea CO₂sequestration. Here we review our recent studies evaluating the effects of elevated CO₂ concentrations in seawater on the mortality and egg production of the marine planktonic copepod, Acartia steueri, and on the fertilization rate and larval morphology of sea urchin embryos, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Echinometra mathaei. Under conditions of +10,000 ppm CO₂ in seawater (pH 6.8), the egg production rates of copepods decreased significantly. The survival rates of adult copepods were not affected when reared under increased CO₂ for 8 days, however longer exposure times could have revealed toxic effects of elevated CO₂ concentrations. The fertilization rate of sea urchin eggs of both species decreased with increasing CO₂ concentration. Furthermore, the size of pluteus larvae decreased with increasing CO₂ concentration and malformed skeletogenesis was observed in both larvae. This suggests that calcification is affected by elevated CO₂ in the seawater. From these results, we conclude that increased CO₂ concentration in seawater will chronically affect several marine organisms and we discuss the effects of increased CO₂ on the marine carbon cycle and marine ecosystem. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Mapping method of rainfall-induced landslide hazards by infiltration and slope stability analysis

Landslides - By utilizing the Green-Ampt infiltration equation and the infinite slope stability model, a method for analyzing shallow slope failures caused by rainfall is developed. With rainfall...     

The making and breaking of supercontinents: Some speculations based on superplumes, super downwelling and the role of tectosphere

The mechanisms of formation and disruption of supercontinents have been topics of debate. Based on the Y-shaped topology, we identify two major types of subduction zones on the globe: the Circum-Pacific subduction zone and the Tethyan subduction zone. We propose that the process of formation of supercontinents is controlled by super downwelling that develops through double-sided subduction zones as seen in the present day western Pacific, and also as endorsed by both geologic history and P-wave whole mantle tomography. The super-downwelling swallows all material like a black hole in the outer space, pulling together continents into a tight assembly. The fate of supercontinents is dictated by superplumes (super-upwelling) which break apart the continental assemblies. We evaluate the configuration of major supercontinents through Earth history and propose the tectonic framework leading to the future supercontinent Amasia 250 million years from present, with the present day Western Pacific region as its frontier. We propose that the tectosphere which functions as the buoyant keel of continental crust plays a crucial role in the supercontinental cycle, including continental fragmentation, dispersion and amalgamation. The continental crust is generally very thin, only about one tenth of the thickness of the tectosphere. If the rigidity and buoyancy is derived from the tectosphere, with the granitic upper crust playing only a negligible role, then supercontinent cycle may reflect the dispersion and amalgamation of the tectosphere. Therefore, supercontinent cycle may correspond to super-tectosphere cycle.     

Effects of Lime‐Based Waste Materials on Immobilization and Phytoavailability of Cadmium and Lead in Contaminated Soil

Low cost lime‐based waste materials have recently been used to immobilize metals in contaminated soils. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of oyster shells and eggshells as lime‐based waste materials on immobilization of cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) in contaminated soil, as well as their effects on metal availability to maize plants (Zea mays L.). Oyster shells and eggshells were applied to soils at 1 and 5% w/w, after which they were subject to 420 days of incubation. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) test was employed to determine the mobility of Cd and Pb in soils. The results showed that the addition of waste materials effectively reduced the metal mobility as indicated by the decrease in the concentration of TCLP‐extractable Cd and Pb, and this was mainly due to significant increases in soil pH (from 6.74 in untreated soil to 7.85–8.13 in treated soil). A sequential extraction indicated that the addition of such alkaline wastes induced a significant decline in the concentration of Cd in the exchangeable fraction (from 23.64% in untreated soil to 1.90–3.81% in treated soil), but it increased the concentration of Cd in the carbonate fraction (from 19.59% in untreated soil to 36.66–46.36% in treated soil). In the case of Pb, the exchangeable fraction was also reduced (from 0.67% in untreated soil to 0.00–0.01% in treated soil), and the fraction of Pb bound to carbonate was slightly increased (from 16.61% in untreated soil to 16.41–18.25% in treated soil). Phytoavailability tests indicated that the metal concentrations in the shoots of maize plant were reduced by 63.39–77.29% for Cd and by 47.34–75.95% for Pb in the amended soils, with no significant differences being observed for the amendment types and the application rates. Overall, these results indicate that oyster shells and eggshells can be used as low cost lime‐based amendments for immobilizing Cd and Pb in contaminated soils.     

A note on stilpnomelane mineralogy

Stilpnomelane analyses are classified into two separate groups of ferro- and ferristilpnomelanes on the H₂O(+)-Fe₂O₃/(Fe₂O₃+FeO) diagram. The relation is not comparable with that of oxyhornblende.     

Suction dynamics-induced bubbly sand under groundwater table fluctuations

Bubbly sand is found in intertidal zones and has been considered to be closely related to swash and tides. Unlike bubble structures that arise from in situ methane gas production and bubble growth in river and marine sediments due to organic matter decomposition, the formation mechanism and conditions of bubbly sand remain unresolved. The present study aims to resolve them on the basis of a conceptual model and controlled laboratory experiments. The study demonstrates that bubbly sand is a consequence of the cyclic expansion of sand under groundwater table fluctuations. The varying intensity of dynamics of suction, which is sand moisture tension defined by negative pore water pressure relative to atmospheric pressure, controls the manifestation of a full spectrum of sand behaviour relevant to the formation of bubbly sand. Namely, with increasing intensity of suction dynamics under larger groundwater table fluctuations, the sand behaviour varies from enhanced cyclic contraction, to weak contraction, loosening and expansion resulting in bubbly sand. The suction dynamics-induced cyclic expansion of sand occurs under conditions where the maximum suction developed exceeds the air-entry suction of sand such that the degree of saturation becomes lower than 60%, while the groundwater tables cyclically rise to and fall from the sediment surface. Accordingly, the sand porosity changes remarkably from dense to super-loose states of bubbly sand. These findings account for previously unanswered questions with respect to bubbly sand, both qualitatively and quantitatively, and will lead to a renewed understanding of the geological record and morphological features at waterfronts that are subject to groundwater table fluctuations.     

Multiple‐indicator study of groundwater flow and chemistry and the impacts of river and paddy water on groundwater in the alluvial fan of the Tedori River,Japan

To investigate the source, flow paths, and chemistry of rich resources of high‐quality, shallow groundwater in the alluvial fan between the Tedori and Sai rivers in central Japan, we analysed stable isotope ratios of H, O, and Sr and concentrations of major dissolved ions and trace elements in groundwater, river water, and paddy water. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios of the groundwater are related to near‐surface geology: groundwater in sediment from the Tedori River has high ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (>0.711), whereas that from the Sai River in the north of the fan has low ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios (<0.711). δ²H and δ¹⁸O values and ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios indicate that groundwater in the central and southern fans is recharged by the Tedori River, whereas recharge in the north is from the Sai River. Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, HCO₃^?, and SO₄^2? concentrations and δ²H and δ¹⁸O values in the groundwater are high in the central fan and, except for the northern area, tend to increase with distance from the Tedori River. There are linear relationships between ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio and the reciprocal concentrations of Sr²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺. These geochemical characteristics suggest that as groundwater recharged from the Tedori River flows towards the central fan, it mixes with waters derived from precipitation and paddy water that have become enriched in these components during downward infiltration. These results are consistent with our hydrological analysis and numerical simulation of groundwater flow, thus verifying the validity of the model we used in our simulation of groundwater flow. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.