Strong Updraft at a Sea-Breeze Front and Associated Vertical Transport of Near-Surface Dense Aerosol Observed by Doppler Lidar and Ceilometer

To study the wind field within the atmospheric boundary layer over the Tokyo metropolitan area, Doppler lidar observations were made 45 km north of Sagami Bay and 30 km west of Tokyo Bay, from 14 May to 15 June 2008. Doppler lidar on 27 May 2008 observed the vertical and horizontal wind structure of a well-developed sea-breeze front (SBF) penetrating from Sagami Bay. At the SBF, a strong updraft (maximum w approximately equal to 5 m s⁻¹) was formed with a horizontal scale of about 500 m and vertical scale of 2 km. The spatial relationship between the strong updraft over the nose of the SBF and prefrontal thermal suggests that the strong updraft was triggered by interaction between the SBF and the thermal. After the updraft commenced, a collocated ceilometer observed an intense aerosol backscatter up to 2 km above ground level. The observational results suggest that the near-surface denser aerosols trapped in the head region of the SBF escaped from the nose of the SBF and were then vertically transported up to the mixing height by the strong updraft at the SBF. This implies that these phenomena occurred not continuously but intermittently. The interaction situations between the SBF and prefrontal thermal can affect the wind structure at the SBF and the regional air quality.     

Extracting fair-weather data from atmospheric electric-field observations at Syowa Station, Antarctica

At Syowa Station (69.0°S, 39.6°E), located on East Ongul Island near the continent of Antarctica, atmospheric electric-field observations started in 1968 and had been carried out intermittently. An improved electric-field mill at Syowa Station had and obtained better-quality atmospheric electric-field data from February 2005 to January 2006. After a 1-year interruption, the observations resumed in January 2007.The atmospheric electric-field data from Syowa Station are often contaminated due to local disturbances caused by near-ground meteorological phenomena. We examined correlations between the atmospheric electric field and near-ground weather from February 2005 to January 2006 and from February 2007 to January 2008, and proposed a criterion to extract “fair-weather” electric-field data based on wind speed and cloud coverage data. The diurnal variation of fair-weather data in January followed the shape of the so-called Carnegie curve. Fair-weather data obtained during a substorm showed some correspondence between the atmospheric electric field and variations in the geomagnetic field. This newly developed extraction method may enable the use of atmospheric electric-field data for studying the solar terrestrial environment.     

Hydrogen isotopic substitution of solid methylamine through atomic surface reactions at low temperatures: A potential contribution to the D/H ratio of methylamine in molecular clouds

We experimentally studied hydrogen (H)–deuterium (D) substitution reactions of solid methylamine (CH₃NH₂) under astrophysically relevant conditions. We also calculated the potential energy surface for the H–D substitution reactions of methylamine isotopologues using quantum chemical methods. Despite the relatively large energy barrier of more than 18 kJ mol^?1, CH₃NH₂ reacted with D atoms to yield deuterated methylamines at 10 K, suggesting that the H–D substitution reaction proceeds through quantum tunneling. Deuterated methylamines reacted with H atoms as well. On the basis of present results, we propose that methylamine has potential for D enrichment through atomic surface reactions on interstellar grains at very low temperatures in molecular clouds. D enrichment would occur in particular in the methyl group of methylamine.     

Disastrous sediment discharge due to typhoon-induced heavy rainfall over fossil periglacial catchments in western Tokachi,Hokkaido, northern Japan

In August 2016, Typhoon 1610 (Lionrock) caused heavy rainfall in Hokkaido, which led to the discharge of a large volume of sediment and water from catchments on the eastern slope of the northern Hidaka Range. The eight catchments examined in this study are characterized by granitic lithology and late Pleistocene periglacial landforms with weakly cohesive, low-resistance periglacial debris thickly covering the weathered bedrocks. This characteristic of the landscape presumably provided a transport-limited condition where some debris flows were initiated by shallow landslides. As they moved, the debris flows grew larger through mobilization and erosion of sediment in channel beds and sidewalls. This sediment mobilization and erosion continued for an extensive distance along the course of the river. Morphological changes induced by channel aggradation and bank erosion were considerable and distinctive from upstream to downstream. Granitic periglacial sediments are amply present on the mountain slopes, river channels, and river banks in the area, likely due to the rarity of intensive rainfall events. These distinctive features of fossil periglacial catchments are important for disaster prevention and catchment-scale sediment management in sub-boreal areas, particularly in the context of climate change, which may generate more frequent and intensive rainfall events.     

Monitoring Heat Losses Using Landsat ETM + Thermal Infrared Data: a Case Study in Unzen Geothermal Field, Kyushu, Japan

The Unzen geothermal field, our study area, is situated in the Shimabara Peninsula of Kyushu Island in Japan and is an area of active fumaroles.. Our prime objectives were (1) to estimate radiative heat flux (RHF), (2) to calculate approximately the heat discharge rate (HDR) using the relationship of RHF with the total heat loss derived from two geothermal field studies, and (3) finally, to monitor RHF as well as HDR in our study area using seven sets of Landsat 7 ETM + images from 2000 to 2009. We used the normalized differential vegetation index (NDVI) method for spectral emissivity estimation, the mono-window algorithm for land surface temperature (LST), and the Stefan–Boltzmann equation analyzing those satellite TIR images for RHF. We estimated that the maximum RHF was about 251 W/m² in 2005 and minimum was about 27 W/m² in 2001. The highest total RHF was about 39.1 MW in 2005 and lowest was about 12 MW in 2001 in our study region. We discovered that the estimated RHF was about 15.7 % of HDR from our studies. We applied this percentage to estimate HDR in Unzen geothermal area. The monitoring results showed a single fold trend of HDR from 2000 to 2009 with highest about 252 MW in 2005 and lowest about 78 MW in 2001. In conclusion, TIR remote sensing is thought as the best option for monitoring heat losses from fumaroles with high efficiency and low cost.     

Influence of vegetation factors on biological soil crust cover on rehabilitated grassland in the hilly Loess Plateau, China

Biological soil crusts (BSCs) perform essential ecosystem functions in arid and semi-arid ecosystems worldwide. The formation, development, and distribution of BSCs are influenced by changes in multiple environmental factors, including changes in the vascular plant community. The influence of changes in vegetation factors on BSC cover in 8-, 12-, and 16-year-old rehabilitated grasslands were studied in the hilly area of the Chinese Loess Plateau. The rate of degradation of BSCs underneath litter (P < 0.01) and the degradation cover of BSCs (P < 0.05) differed significantly between the 8- and 16-year-old successions. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that the main vegetation factors influencing the dynamics of BSC cover differed among the 8-, 12-, and 16-year-old rehabilitated grasslands. Basal cover, phytomass, and litter cover were the main vegetation factors influencing the dynamics of BSC cover on 8-year-old rehabilitated grassland. Phytomass, litter thickness, and litter cover were the main factors influencing the dynamics of BSC cover on 12-year-old rehabilitated grassland. On 16-year-old rehabilitated grassland, Pielou evenness index, litter thickness, and litter biomass were the main vegetation factors influencing degradation of BSC cover underneath litter, whereas basal cover, litter thickness, and litter biomass were the main vegetation factors influencing the degradation cover of BSCs. At particular stages of herbaceous succession, vegetation factors can have a large influence on changes in the community’s basal cover and litter, which are key factors influencing changes in BSC cover. The degradation of BSCs underneath litter may be a result of complicated eco-physiological processes.     

An evaluation of 3-D velocity models of the Kanto basin for long-period ground motion simulations

We performed three-dimensional (3-D) finite difference simulations of long-period ground motions (2–10 s) in the Kanto basin using the Japan Seismic Hazard Information Station (J-SHIS 2009), Yamada and Yamanaka (Exploration Geophysics 65(3):139–150, 2012) (YY), and Head Quarter for Earthquake Research Promotion (HERP 2012) velocity models for two intermediate depth (68–80 km) moderate earthquakes (Mw 5.8–5.9), which occurred beneath the Kanto basin. The models primarily differ in the basic data set used in the construction of the velocity models. The J-SHIS and HERP models are the results of integration of mainly geological, geophysical, and earthquake data. On the other hand, the YY model is oriented towards the microtremor-array-observation data. We obtained a goodness of fit between the observed and synthetic data based on three parameters, peak ground velocities (PGVs), smoothed Fourier spectra (FFT), and cross-correlations, using an algorithm proposed by Olsen and Mayhew (Seism Res Lett 81:715–723, 2010). We found that the three models reproduced the PGVs and FFT satisfactorily at most sites. However, the models performed poorly in terms of cross-correlations especially at the basin edges. We found that the synthetics using the YY model overestimate the observed waveforms at several sites located in the areas having V _s 0.3 km/s in the top layer; on the other hand, the J-SHIS and HERP models explain the waveforms better at the sites and perform similarly at most sites. We also found that the J-SHIS and HERP models consist of thick sediments beneath some sites, where the YY model is preferable. Thus, we have concluded that the models require revisions for the reliable prediction of long-period ground motions from future large earthquakes.     

井-地与井间电位技术联合数值模拟研究剩余油分布(英文)

电法测井有很高的分辨率,但是它的探测半径仅限于井孔周围;井-地电位技术虽然可以探测到足够大的范围,但是它的分辨率却受到很大的限制,特别是对于油水分布或者结构复杂的储层。本文试图通过井-地电位技术和井间电位技术的联合来研究地下储层油水分布范围。具体方法是,采用井-地电位技术研究油水分布在在横向上的展布情况,利用井间电位技术研究油水储层在垂向上的分布,然后采用井间电位结果标定井地电位结果,两者结合提高纵向分辨率,从而确定剩余油的三维空间分布。研究中通过研究注水初期数值模拟结果与水淹期数值模拟结果之差,求取剩余油分布范围。有限差分方法数值模拟表明:井-地电位技术与井间电位技术联合方法可以有效地确定剩余油分布。     

Along-coast shifts of plankton blooms driven by riverine inputs of nutrients and fresh water onto the coastal shelf: a model simulation

Rivers transport nutrients and suspended sediment matter (SSM) as well as fresh water from land to coastal regions, where the biological productivity is high. In the coastal area, the buoyancy of fresh water leads to the formation of horizontal anticyclonic gyres and vertical circulations, which affect the variation of biological production such as plankton blooms. However, the primary production caused by the 3-D dynamics have not been quantitatively discussed, and observations can hardly capture the daily temporal variations of phytoplankton blooms. We developed an ocean general circulation model including a simple ecosystem model, to investigate the 3-D and temporal changes in phytoplankton blooms caused by riverine input such as flooding. The distribution patterns of nutrients and phytoplankton differ significantly from that of fresh water. The phytoplankton maxima shift from the downstream (right-hand side of the river mouth) to the upstream regions (left-hand side of the river mouth). The shift that occurs is categorized by the different nitrate origins: (1) river-originated nitrate is dominant in the downstream region; (2) subsurface-originated nitrate is dominant in the upstream region, and is transported by upwelling associated with vertical circulation and horizontal anticyclonic gyre; and (3) regenerated nitrate is dominant in the upstream region. The total primary production in phytoplankton blooms is maintained not only by river-originated nitrate but also by subsurface-originated nitrate that is 1.5 times larger than the river-originated. Several case studies (e.g., including SSM) were conducted in this study.