EPMA and PIXE dating of monazite in granulites from Stary Gierałtów, NE Bohemian Massif, Poland

Chemical Th–U–total Pb (CHIME) dating of monazite by electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) and proton microprobe (PIXE) was carried out on felsic granulites from Stary Gierałtów, Poland, which represent part of the Orlica-Śnieżnik Dome in the NE Bohemian Massif. Analyzed monazite is characterized by mosaic zoning rather than simple core-to-rim growth, and strontium contents of up to 750ppm. An isochron age of 347 ± 13Ma represents timing of amphibolite-facies metamorphism, in agreement with previously published estimates.     

A Distance-based Prior Model Parameterization for Constraining Solutions of Spatial Inverse Problems

Spatial inverse problems in the Earth Sciences are often ill-posed, requiring the specification of a prior model to constrain the nature of the inverse solutions. Otherwise, inverted model realizations lack geological realism. In spatial modeling, such prior model determines the spatial variability of the inverse solution, for example as constrained by a variogram, a Boolean model, or a training image-based model. In many cases, particularly in subsurface modeling, one lacks the amount of data to fully determine the nature of the spatial variability. For example, many different training images could be proposed for a given study area. Such alternative training images or scenarios relate to the different possible geological concepts each exhibiting a distinctive geological architecture. Many inverse methods rely on priors that represent a single subjectively chosen geological concept (a single variogram within a multi-Gaussian model or a single training image). This paper proposes a novel and practical parameterization of the prior model allowing several discrete choices of geological architectures within the prior. This method does not attempt to parameterize the possibly complex architectures by a set of model parameters. Instead, a large set of prior model realizations is provided in advance, by means of Monte Carlo simulation, where the training image is randomized. The parameterization is achieved by defining a metric space which accommodates this large set of model realizations. This metric space is equipped with a “similarity distance” function or a distance function that measures the similarity of geometry between any two model realizations relevant to the problem at hand. Through examples, inverse solutions can be efficiently found in this metric space using a simple stochastic search method.     

Effects of the introduction of rice on evapotranspiration in seasonal wetlands

Land use changes in wetland areas can alter evapotranspiration, a major component of the water balance, which eventually affects the water cycle and ecosystem. This study assessed the effect of introduced rice‐cropping on evapotranspiration in seasonal wetlands of northern Namibia. By using the Bowen ratio–energy balance method, measurements of evapotranspiration were performed over a period of 2.5 years at two wetland sites—a rice field (RF) and a natural vegetation field (NVF)—and at one upland field (UF) devoid of surface water. The mean evapotranspiration rates of RF (1.9 mm daytime^?1) and NVF (1.8 mm daytime^?1) were greater than that in UF (1.0 mm daytime^?1). RF and NVF showed a slight difference in seasonal variations in evapotranspiration rates. During the dry season, RF evapotranspiration was less than the NVF evapotranspiration. The net radiation in RF was less in this period because of the higher albedo of the non‐vegetated surface after rice harvesting. In the early growth period of rice during the wet season, evapotranspiration in RF was higher than that in NVF, which was attributed to a difference in the evaporation efficiency and the transfer coefficient for latent heat that were both affected by leaf area index (LAI). Evapotranspiration sharply negatively responded to an increase in LAI when surface water is present according to sensitivity analysis, probably because a higher LAI over a surface suppresses evaporation. The control of LAI is therefore a key for reducing evaporation and conserving water. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diatom-inferred limnological changes in Lake Inawashiro-ko,Japan, over the past 1700 years

Journal of Paleolimnology - We inferred paleoenvironmental conditions in Lake Inawashiro-ko, Japan, over the past 1700 years, using diatom assemblages in the uppermost 2 m of...     

How do “numbers” construct social reality in disaster-stricken areas?: a case of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan,China

This article focuses on the dynamics of using numbers to construct an image of social reality in disaster areas. Numbers are neither objective nor value-neutral but are rather generated, transmitted and shared with social signification. In other words, numbers can be thought of as simply socially constructed information. Statistics and other numbers usually work in positive ways. However, it is also possible that using numbers in the media can lead to unintended messages that could produce negative consequences. We conducted field studies in disaster-stricken areas of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China and compared findings to the case of the 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan in order to examine how numbers—in terms of the amount of donations, the timeline of reconstruction projects and casualty figures—construct social reality and cause a variety of social dysfunctions.     

Gamma-Ray Bursts and magnetar-forming Supernovae

The connection between long Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs) and Supernovae (SNe) have been established through the well observed cases. These events can be explained as the prompt collapse to a black hole (BH) of the core of a massive star (M≳40M _⊙). The energies of these GRB-SNe were much larger than those of typical SNe, thus these SNe are called Hypernovae (HNe). The case of SN 2006aj/GRB060218 appears different: the GRB was weak and soft, being called an X-Ray Flash (XRF); the SN is dimmer and has very weak oxygen lines. The explosion energy of SN 2006aj was smaller, as was the ejected mass. In our model, the progenitor star had a smaller mass than other GRB-SNe (M∼20M _⊙), suggesting that a neutron star (NS) rather than a BH was formed. If the nascent NS was strongly magnetized as a magnetar and rapidly spinning, it may launch a weak GRB or an XRF. The peculiar light curve of Type Ib SN 2005bf may also be powered by a magnetar. The blue-shifted nebular emission lines of 2005bf indicate the unipolar explosion possibly related to standing accretion shock instability (SASI) associated with a newly born NS.     

Large-scale landslides in Toyama Prefecture,central Japan,and their probable relationship with earthquakes

Large-scale landslides along the Kubusu and Besso rivers in Toyama Prefecture are developed in the Miocene Iwaine Formation, which is composed of andesitic lava, tuff, and tuff breccia. In the middle member of this formation, the tuff is easily altered to montmorillonite-bearing rock, and subsequently plays an important role in the development of landslides events, which tend to be large-scale events, as the massive lava of the upper member forms a cap rock over the tuff. The Kiritani and Koinami basins, which are flat intermontane basins located along the Kubusu and Besso rivers, respectively, are interpreted as landslide-dammed lakes, later filled with sediment. Accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C ages show that the landslides forming each dam occurred simultaneously, at approximately 2500 BP. These ages were measured from wood fragments embedded in the landslide material of Kiritani, and from an in situ stump drowned during the impoundment of Koinami. If the trigger of these landslides was an earthquake, it is most likely to have been the penultimate event along the Atotsugawa fault zone.     

Reliability analysis of shallow foundations in reference to design codes development

In this study, FORM analysis is carried out for shallow foundation of a typical building in order to evaluate relative magnitude of uncertainties involved in the force and the resistance sides. The distinguished feature of this study is to take into account the uncertainty of the earthquake force as much as possible. Tthis is because, the seismic design dominates major part of structural design in Japan, and without referring to this problem, no useful information of practical value is gained. The results of the FORM analysis exhibited the reliability index values between 2.0 to 3.5, which is considered to be in a reasonable range. Since the 50 year maximum earthquake force is considered in the reliability calculation, calculated reliability index values are for the period of 50 years. The sensitivity factor obtained in a case more realistic ground variability is taken into account exhibited values not very different from those obtained in the upper structures.     

Transit time evaluation using a chloride concentration input step shift after forest cutting in a Japanese headwater catchment

Mean transit times were estimated for a small headwater catchment in Japan (the Fukuroyamasawa Experimental Watershed) using the step shift in input chloride (Cl^?) concentrations that occurred immediately after an episode of forest clear‐cutting. Measured Cl^? concentrations in stream water began to decrease immediately after clear‐cutting, and this trend continued for 6 years. Before clear‐cutting, the input Cl^? concentrations were controlled by wet and dry deposition processes, and most of the dry Cl^? deposition was collected by the forest canopy and reached the ground as throughfall and stemflow. After clear‐cutting, dry deposition was no longer collected by the canopy in this way, thus causing a sharp decrease in input Cl^? concentrations. By comparing measured Cl^? concentrations in stream water with estimates based on the input and evaporative Cl^? concentrations, it was shown that the decrease in stream water Cl^? concentrations was caused mainly by this step shift in the Cl^? input. It was proposed that the change in Cl^? concentrations after forest cutting could be used to represent the replacement of ‘old’ water that existed before cutting by ‘new’ water that was supplied after cutting. The breakthrough curve for the new water fraction gave an approximately exponential distribution of transit times in flow‐corrected time. The mean flow‐corrected transit time was estimated as 1068 days (runoff: 3497 mm). It was therefore concluded that the step change in input Cl^? concentrations immediately following forest clear‐cutting could be successfully used to estimate transit times for the entire catchment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

ANNUAL CHANGES IN PLASMA LEVELS OF CORTISOL AND SEX STEROID HORMONES IN MALE RAINBOW TROUT, ONCORHYNCHUS MYKISS

The profiles of cortisol, testosterone, ll-ketotestosterone and 17α， 20β- dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3-one in mule rainbow trout reared under constant water temperature and natural photoperiod were determined by radioimmunoassay. Gonads of male rainbow trout reached maturity when the fish were two years old. Changes in the plasma levels of both sex steroid hormones and cortisol were closely related to the GSI. Plasma levels of testosterone, 11-ketotestostemne and 17a, 2013-dihydroxy 4-pregnene-3-one showed a clear peak in the annual breeding season, when the GSI reached their maxima. Plasma cortisol levels also showed clearly seasonal changes in both two- and three-year-old fish. The results suggest that the elevated plasma levels of cortisol may not just be due to stresses during the breeding season but have certain physiological functions in the reproduction of rainbow trout.