Geochemical significance of lipids and lipid-derived substructures interlaced in kerogen

Young kerogens isolated from seven freshwater lakes, six river mouths and four marine surface sediments were subjected to pyrolysis in vacuo. Their pyrolysates were trapped and separated subsequently for determination of hydrocarbons, fatty acids and alcohols. The abundances, carbon number distributions of long (C₁₂) polymethylene chain lipid compounds and relative abundances of pristenes are proposed as possible indices applicable to discrimination between young kerogens from freshwater lacustrine and marine sediments. Some oil-shale kerogens of Eocene and Permian age were pyrolyzed in the same way, where the chain-length distributions of the pyrolysis products showed similar trends as those observed for the pyrolysis of young kerogens.     

Accurate computation of gravitational field of a tesseroid

We developed an accurate method to compute the gravitational field of a tesseroid. The method numerically integrates a surface integral representation of the gravitational potential of the tesseroid by conditionally splitting its line integration intervals and by using the double exponential quadrature rule. Then, it evaluates the gravitational acceleration vector and the gravity gradient tensor by numerically differentiating the numerically integrated potential. The numerical differentiation is conducted by appropriately switching the central and the single-sided second-order difference formulas with a suitable choice of the test argument displacement. If necessary, the new method is extended to the case of a general tesseroid with the variable density profile, the variable surface height functions, and/or the variable intervals in longitude or in latitude. The new method is capable of computing the gravitational field of the tesseroid independently on the location of the evaluation point, namely whether outside, near the surface of, on the surface of, or inside the tesseroid. The achievable precision is 14–15 digits for the potential, 9–11 digits for the acceleration vector, and 6–8 digits for the gradient tensor in the double precision environment. The correct digits are roughly doubled if employing the quadruple precision computation. The new method provides a reliable procedure to compute the topographic gravitational field, especially that near, on, and below the surface. Also, it could potentially serve as a sure reference to complement and elaborate the existing approaches using the Gauss–Legendre quadrature or other standard methods of numerical integration.     

A pre-screened and normalized multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis for mapping impervious surface area in Lake Kasumigaura Basin,Japan

The impervious surface area (ISA) has emerged not only as an indicator of the degree of urbanization, but also as a major indicator of environmental quality for drainage basin management. However, since almost all of the methods for estimating ISA have been developed for urban environments, it is questionable whether these methods can be successfully applied to drainage basins, such as those found in Japan, which usually have more complicated vegetation components (e.g. paddy field, plowed field and dense forest). This paper presents a pre-screened and normalized multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis (PNMESMA) method, which includes a new endmember selection strategy and an integration of the normalized spectral mixture analysis (NSMA) and multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis (MESMA), for estimating the ISA fraction in Lake Kasumigaura Basin, Japan. This new proposed method is superior to the previous methods in that the estimation error of the proposed method is much smaller than the previous SMA- or NSMA-based methods for drainage basin environments. The overall root mean square error was reduced to 5.2%, and no obvious underestimation or overestimation occurred for high or low ISA areas. Through the assessment of environmental quality in Lake Kasumigaura Basin using the ISA fraction, the results showed that the basin has been in the impacted category since 1987, and that in the two decades since, the environmental quality has continued to decline. If this decline continues, then Lake Kasumigaura Basin will fall into the degraded category by 2017.     

Applying empirical methods in site classification,using response spectral ratio (H/V): A case study on Iranian strong motion network (ISMN)

Shear wave velocity, measured recently at 107 strong motion stations, is a new empirical basis in the applicability investigation of empirical classification techniques. These stations are classified considering Iranian Practice Code criteria (Standard 2800). To check the applicability of empirical methods, three different empirical techniques are applied to re-classify the stations using previously determined site classes. The first method is based only on the determination of peak periods at each station. It is found that the fundamental periods in different site categories are within the ranges proposed by Japanese Road Association. The second one is upon the site classification index (SI), suggested by Zhao et al. In this study, a new site index term is proposed for quantitative site classification using the empirical H/V spectral ratio (here after HVRS) method. It is shown that the results from this scheme are comparable with those obtained by applying the method of Zhao et al. and are more reliable than the results from using only peak periods. A large number of strong motion stations are classified in Iran for more control of proposed SI applicability. The mean response spectral ratio curves for all data of ISMN stations are found to be fairly consistent with those obtained by Zhao et al. The results show the practicability and efficiency of the proposed method in site classification. However, more shear wave measurements and further information, like surface geology, borehole data etc., are still needed to clarify the uncertainties of such empirical schemes.     

An empirical spectral ground-motion model for Iran

A new ground-motion prediction equation for 5%-damped horizontal spectral acceleration applicable to Iran is presented. On the basis of analysis of variance (ANOVA), selected West-Eurasian records are added to an existing dataset of Iranian accelerometric data to yield a ground-motion prediction equation applicable at wider ranges of magnitude and distance. The advantages of using this model rather than those proposed previously for Iran are discussed by considering the distribution of residuals against the explanatory variables, magnitude and distance. The applicability of the proposed model, as well as those of several other models developed for shallow crustal environments, is also investigated by means of statistical tools. The results reveal the overall suitability of the new model as well as the validity of models developed using mainly Eurasian strong-motion records. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi: ) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Population Development of the DinoflagellatesCeratium furca andCeratium fusus during Spring and Early Summer in Iwa Harbor, Sagami Bay, Japan

To examine the population development of the dinoflagellates, Ceratium furca and Ceratium fusus, daily field monitoring was conducted between April and July 2003 in the temperate coastal water of Sagami Bay, Japan. During the study period, the concentrations of C. furca were always lower than those of C. fusus. A sharp increase in the densities of both species was recorded on 5 May showing the maximum cell concentrations (C. furca = 14,800 cells L^-1, C. fusus = 49,600 cells L^-1). In the 7 days prior to the May bloom of the Ceratium species (29 April to 1 May), the highest density of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans was observed. Additionally, a second bloom of C. fusus occurred on 22 July. Here, two causes of the significant increases in the Ceratium populations during the two blooming periods (first time; 1 to 8 May, second time; 15 to 22 July) are presented. First, an increase in the nutrients of the surface layer regenerated by the breakdown of blooms by N.scintillans could be considered as a major cause of the population increase of the two Ceratium species. Second, a decrease in salinity (to 27 psu) was correlated with the later bloom ofC. fusus. These results suggest that the population development of the two Ceratium species requires nutrients regenerated after the reduction of the diatom population byN. scintillans and, forC. fusus, continuous low salinity conditions, compared to other environmental factors during the rainy season. Key words: Ceratium furca; Ceratium fusus; Noctiluca scintillans; Bloom process; Environmental factor     

Fast Procedure Solving Universal Kepler's Equation

We developed a procedure to solve a modification of the standard form of the universal Kepler’s equation, which is expressed as a nondimensional equation with respect to a nondimensional variable. After reducing the domain of the variable and the argument by using the symmetry and the periodicity of the equation, the method first separates the case where the solution is so small that it is given an inverted series. Second, it separates the cases where the elliptic, parabolic, or hyperbolic standard forms of Kepler’s equation are suitable. Here the separation is done by judging whether detouring these nonuniversal equations will cause a 1-bit loss of information to their nonuniversal solutions or not. Then the nonuniversal equations are solved by the author’s procedures to solve the elliptic Kepler’s equation (Fukushima, 1997a), Barker’s equation (Fukushima, 1998), and the hyperbolic Kepler’s equation (Fukushima, 1997b), respectively. And their nonuniversal solutions are transformed back to the solution of the universal equation. For the rest of the case, we obtain an approximate solution by solving roughly the approximated cubic equation as we did in solving Barker’s equation. Then the correction to the approximate solution is obtained by Halley’s method precisely. There the special function appeared in the universal equation is rewritten into a combination of similar special functions of small arguments, so that they are efficiently evaluated by their Taylor series. Numerical measurements showed that, in the case of Intel Pentium II processor, the new method is 10–25 times as fast as Shepperd’s method (Shepperd, 1985) and 7–13 times as fast as the standard Newton method. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nitrate pollution of groundwater in the Yellow River delta,China

Nitrate pollution of groundwater in the Yellow River delta, China is an important issue related not only to nitrate dispersion and health concerns but also to mass transport and interactions of groundwater, sea, and river waters in the coastal area. The spatial distribution of nitrate, nitrate sources, and nitrogen transformation processes were investigated by field surveys and geochemical methods. Nitrate occurred mainly in shallow layers and had a spatial distribution coinciding with geomorphology and land/water use. Irrigation water from the Yellow River and anthropogenic waste are two main nitrogen sources of nitrate in the delta, and both denitrification and mixing processes could take place according to characteristics identified by ionic and isotopic data.     

Nitrate pollution from agriculture in different hydrogeological zones of the regional groundwater flow system in the North China Plain

A survey of the quality of groundwater across a broad area of the North China Plain, undertaken in 1998 to 2000, indicates that nitrate pollution is a serious problem affecting the drinking water for a vast population. The use of nitrogen (N)-fertilizer in agriculture has greatly increased over the past 20 years to meet the food needs of the rapidly expanding population. During the study, 295 water samples were collected from wells and springs to determine the water chemistry and the extent of nitrate pollution. High concentrations of nitrate, especially in a recharge area along the western side, but also in the vicinity of Beijing and locally in other parts of the plain, pose a serious problem for the drinking water supply. In places, the nitrate concentration exceeds the maximum for safe drinking water of 45 mg/L. The intense use of N-fertilizer and the widespread use of untreated groundwater for crop irrigation contribute greatly to the problem, but no doubt the disposal of industrial and municipal waste into streams and infiltrating the aquifer also contribute to the problem; however, the lack of data prevents evaluation of those sources. In the recharge area, nitrate is found at depths of as much as 50 m. Near Beijing, relatively high concentrations of nitrate occur at depths of as much as 80 m. In the discharge area, in the vicinity of the Yellow River, high concentrations of nitrate occur at depths of <8 m.

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Electronic Supplementary Material Supplementary Material is available in the online version of this article at

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Resumen Contaminacíon de nitratos a causa de prácticas agrícolas en diferentes zonas hidrogeológicas del sistema de flujo regional de aguas subterráneas en la planice del norte de China. Un estudio de la calidad del agua subterránea en una zona amplia de la planice del norte de China se llevó a cabo entre 1998 y el año 2000. Este estudio indica que la contaminación de nitratos es un problema grave que afecta el agua potable de una vasta población. El uso de fertilizantes a base de nitratos en la agricultura ha aumentado considerablemente durante los últimos 20 años para satisfacer las necesidades alimentices de la creciente población. Durante el estudio, se tomaron 295 muestras de pozos de agua y manantiales para determinar la química de las aguas y el grado de contaminación por nitratos. Altas concentraciones de nitratos, especialmente en una zona de recarga a lo largo del lado oeste, asì como en la cercanía a Pekín y en zonas locales en otras partes de la planicie, presentan un problema serio al sumunistro de agua potable. En ciertos lugares, la concentracióon de nitratos excede el nivel máximo de seguridad para el agua potable 45 mg NO₃/L. El intenso uso de fertilizantes de nitratos y el abundante uso de agua subterránea sin tratamiento para la irrigación de cultivos contribuyen sustancialmente al problema. Sin embargo, sin lugar a dudas, la descarga de deshechos industriales y municipales en arroyos y en el acuífero también contribuyen al problema. La falta de datos impide la evalución de dichas fuentes. En la zona de recarga se encuentran nitratos hasta los 50 m de profundidad. Cerca a Pekín, concentraciones relativamente altas de nitrato ocurren hasta los 80 m de profunidad. En las zonas de descarga afectadas por el Río Amarillo las concentraciones altas de nitrato se encuentran solamente a menos de 8m de profundidad.

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Resumé Une campagne dévaluation de la qualité de leau souterraine entreprise entre 1998 et 2000 à travers une vaste étendue de la plaine du nord en Chine indique que la pollution par les nitrates est un problème sérieux qui affecte la qualité de leau souterraine pour une abondante population. Lutilisation de fertilisants azotés pour lagriculture a augmenté considérablement durant les 20 dernières années afin de rencontrer les besoins alimentaires dune population à forte croissance. Lors de cette étude, 295 échantillons deau ont été prélevés dans des puits et sources naturelles afin de déterminer la composition chimique de leau souterraine ainsi que létendue de la pollution par les nitrates. Des concentrations élevées de nitrates, en particulier dans une zone de recharge le long de la limite ouest de la plaine, mais aussi dans la région de Beijing et sporadiquement dans la plaine, posent de sérieux problèmes à la consommation de leau souterraine. A certains endroits, la concentration en nitrates excède la valeur maximale acceptée pour la consommation qui est de 45 mg NO₃/L. Lutilisation intensive de fertilisants azotés ainsi que lutilisation répandue deau souterraine non traitée pour lirrigation contribuent pour beaucoup au problème, mais il ne fait pas de doute que le rejet des déchets municipaux et industriels dans les rivières et aquifères y est aussi pour quelque chose. Par contre, le manque de donnés ne permet pas dévaluer la contribution de chacune de ces sources. Dans la zone de recharge, les nitrates se retrouvent à des profondeurs allant jusquà 50 m. Près de Beijing, des concentrations relativement élevées de nitrate ont été mesurées à des profondeurs allant jusquà 80 m. Enfin, dans la zone démergence affectée par la rivière Jaune, les fortes concentrations se retrouvent à une profondeur maximale de 8 m.

     

Precise computation of acceleration due to uniform ring or disk

We describe a precise numerical method to evaluate the acceleration vector of an inverse-square force law caused by a uniform ring or disk. The method consists of two parts. One is rewriting of the analytic expressions of the vector to reduce the loss of information in its computation. The other is a procedure to compute a special linear combination of the complete elliptic integrals of the first and the second kind appeared in the rewritten expressions.