Wind-Tunnel and Numerical Simulations of the Coastal Thermal Internal Boundary Layer

Wind-tunnel experiments in a thermally stratified wind tunnel and direct numerical simulations were performed to simulate the thermal internal boundary layer (TIBL) that developed over a coastal area in a sea-breeze flow. The results of the simulations were analyzed to investigate turbulence structure in the TIBL. To study the effects of the atmospheric stability over the sea on the TIBL, two vertical profiles of temperature were created in the upstream portion of the wind-tunnel experiment and the direct numerical simulation. Turbulence statistics of the TIBL changed significantly according to the temperature profile over the sea, indicating that the stability of the flow over the sea has a significant effect on the structure and turbulence characteristics of the TIBL. Furthermore, the TIBL heights were estimated from the vertical profiles of the local Richardson number. The estimated TIBL heights agreed with those predicted by a pre-existing relation, suggesting that both the wind-tunnel experiment and the direct numerical simulation accurately reproduced the growth of the TIBL.     

A laboratory study of formative conditions for characteristic ripple patterns associated with a change in wave conditions

A wave‐?ume experiment was conducted to examine the formative condition for three types of distinctive bedforms that emerged through deformation of existing ripples due to waning wave power. They were ripple marks with: (1) a single secondary crest, (2) double secondary crests, and (3) a rounded crest. Data were analysed using two parameters, kh and d₀/λ_*, where k is the wave number, h is the water depth, d₀ is the near‐bottom orbital diameter, and λ_* is the spacing of existing ripples. The former quantity, kh, was employed as a surrogate for the degree of ?ow asymmetry. The result showed that ripples with secondary crests developed under a rather symmetrical ?ow ?eld with kh ? 0·7, if d₀/λ_* ? 1·2, whereas rounded‐crest ripples emerged under asymmetrical ?ow ?eld with kh ? 0·7, if d₀/λ_* ? ?2·9 kh + 3·2. The number of secondary crests, which initially occurred in each trough, was single if d₀/λ_* ? 0·8, or double if d₀/λ_* ? 0·8. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A photometric and polarimetric study of the moon's surface

The results of the photometric and polarimetric observation of the Moon's surface with high resolution from October 1969 to March 1971 are discussed. It is found that, for a wide part of the Moon's illuminated surface, the brightnessm, expressed by visual magnitude per square second of arc, can be expressed as $$m = 5.0 - 2.5\log H + 2.5\log \{ {{P_v } \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{P_v } P}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} P}(\alpha )\} ,$$ whereH is the variable part of Hapke's formula,P _v is the observed polarization degree, andP(α) is a function of the phase angleα. The color shows a tendency to reddening at the enhancement of the lunar brightness, and this is expressed by the relation $$B - V = - 0.2\Delta m + 1.7,$$ where Δm =m + 2.5 logH which is a sort of residual from the brightness calculated by Hapke's formula. Remarkable enhancements of the lunar brightness correspond to solar flares which appeared just before the observations. Because of this the above formula for the observed brightness can be interpreted by assuming the luminescence on the lunar surface stimulated by the solar activity.     

P - V - T equation of state of stishovite to the mantle transition zone conditions

In-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction experiments were conducted using the SPEED-1500 multi-anvil press of SPring-8 on stishovite SiO₂ and pressure-volume-temperature data were collected at up to 22.5 GPa and 1,073 K, which corresponds to the pressure conditions of the base of the mantle transition zone. The analysis of room-temperature data yielded V₀=46.56(1) ų, K_{T 0}=296(5) GPa and K _T =4.2(4), and these properties were consistent with the subsequent thermal equation of state (EOS) analyses. A fit of the present data to high-temperature Birch-Murnaghan EOS yielded (K_T /T) _P =–0.046(5) GPa K^–1 and = a + bT with values of a =1.26(11)×10^–5 K^–1 and b =1.29(17)×10^–8 K^–2. A fit to the thermal pressure EOS gives ₀=1.62(9)×10^–5 K^–1, ( K _T / T) _V =–0.027(4) GPa K^–1 and (²P /T ²) _V =27(5)×10^–7 GPa K^–2. The lattice dynamical approach by Mie-Grüneisen-Debye EOS yielded ₀=1.33(6), q =6.1(8) and ₀=1160(120) K. The strong volume dependence of the thermal pressure of stishovite was revealed by the analysis of present data, which was not detectable by the previous high-temperature data at lower pressures, and this yields ( K _T / T) _V 0 and q 1. The analyses for the fictive volume for a and c axes show that relative stiffness of c axis to a axis is similar both on compression and thermal expansion. Present EOS enables the accurate estimate of density of SiO₂ in the deep mantle conditions.     

Recent Advances in Larval Recruitment Processes of Scyllarid and Palinurid Lobsters in Japanese Waters

Phyllosoma larvae collected to date in Japanese and Taiwanese waters have been classified into two genera (Linuparus, Panulirus) of the Palinuridae, four genera (Ibacus, Parribacus, Scyllarides, Scyllarus) of the Scyllaridae, and one genus (Palinurellus) of the Synaxidae. However, phyllosoma larvae of three Scyllarus species (S. bicuspidatus, S. cultrifer, S. kitanoviriosus) are absolutely dominant among the larvae collected in the waters. Scyllarus larvae are abundant in coastal waters while those of Panulirus are often collected in offshore/oceanic waters. Based on previous and ongoing studies dealing with spatial distributions of phyllosoma larvae in Japanese and Taiwanese waters, it appears that phyllosoma and nisto larvae of the Scyllarus are retained within coastal waters north of the Kuroshio Current. On the other hand, the life history of the Panulirus (particularly P. japonicus) may be completed within the Kuroshio Subgyre: their phyllosoma larvae may be flushed out from coastal waters into the Kuroshio, then transported through the Counter Current south of the Kuroshio into the water east of Ryukyu Archipelago and Taiwan where they attain the subfinal/final phyllosoma or puerulus stages, once again entering the Kuroshio and dispersing into coastal waters. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Twin formation in hematite during dehydration of goethite

Twin formation in hematite during dehydration was investigated using X-ray diffraction, electron diffraction, and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM). When synthetic goethite was heated at different temperatures between 100 and 800 °C, a phase transformation occurred at temperatures above 250 °C. The electron diffraction patterns showed that the single-crystalline goethite with a growth direction of [001]_G was transformed into hematite with a growth direction of [100]_H. Two non-equivalent structures emerged in hematite after dehydration, with twin boundaries at the interface between the two variants. As the temperature was increased, crystal growth occurred. At 800 °C, the majority of the twin boundaries disappeared; however, some hematite particles remained in the twinned variant. The electron diffraction patterns and high-resolution TEM observations indicated that the twin boundaries consisted of crystallographically equivalent prismatic (100) (010), and (1\(\bar{1}\)0) planes. According to the total energy calculations based on spin-polarized density functional theory, the twin boundary of prismatic (100) screw had small interfacial energy (0.24 J/m²). Owing to this low interfacial energy, the prismatic (100) screw interface remained after higher-temperature treatment at 800 °C.     

Multi‐scale Decomposition of Co‐seismic Deformation from High Resolution DEMs: a Case Study of the 2004 Mid‐Niigata Earthquake

Decomposing co-seismic deformation is an immediate need for researchers who are interested in earthquake inversion analysis and geo-hazard mapping. However, conventional InSAR or digital elevation models (DEMs) imagery analyses only provide the displacement in the Line-of-Sight (LOS) direction or elevation changes. The 2004 Mid-Niigata earthquake in Japan provides lessons on how to decompose co-seismic deformation from two sets of DEMs. If three adjacent points undergo a rigid-body-translation movement, their co-seismic deformation can be decomposed by solving simultaneous equations. Although this method has been successfully used to discuss tectonic deformations, the algorithm needed improvement and a more rigorous algorithm, including a new definition of nominal plane, DEMs comparability improvement and matrix condition check is provided. Even with these procedures, the obtained decomposed displacement often showed remarkable scatter prompting the use of the moving average method, which was used to determine both tectonic and localized displacement characteristics. A cut-off window and a pair of band-pass windows were selected according to the regional geology and construction activities to ease the tectonic and localized displacement calculations, respectively. The displacement field of the tectonic scale shows two major clusters of large lateral components, and coincidently major visible landslides were found mostly within them. The localized displacement helps to reveal hidden landslides in the target area. As far as the Kizawa hamlet is concerned, the obtained vectors show down-slope movements, which are consistent with the observed traces of dislocations that were found in the Kizawa tunnel and irrigation wells. The method proposed has great potential to be applied to understanding post-earthquake rehabilitation in other areas.