黑河流域土地利用变化对地下水资源的影响

Land use and land cover changes have a great impact on the regional hydrological process. Based on three periods of remote sensing data from the 1960s and the long-term observed data of groundwater from the 1980s, the impacts of land use changes on the groundwater system in the middle reach of Heihe River Basin in recent three decades are analyzed by the perspective of groundwater recharge and discharge system. The results indicate that with the different intensities of land use changes, the impacts on the groundwater recharge were 2.602 × 10^8 m^3/a in the former 15 years （1969-1985） and 0.218 × 10^8 m^3/a in the latter 15 years （1986-2000）, and the impacts on the groundwater discharge were 2.035 × 10^8 m^3/a and 4.91 × 10^8 m^3/a respectively. When the groundwater exploitation was in a reasonable range less than 3.0 × 10^8 m^3/a, the land use changes could control the changes of regional groundwater resources. Influenced by the land use changes and the large-scale exploitation in the recent decade, the groundwater resources present apparently regional differences in Zhangye region. Realizing the impact of land use changes on groundwater system and the characteristics of spatial-temporal variations of regional groundwater resources would be very important for reasonably utilizing and managing water and soil resources.     

Air temperature at ocean surface derived from surface-level humidity

A new method deriving surface air temperature from specific humidity is proposed. Surface atmospheric pressure and relative humidity in addition to specific humidity are necessary in order to derive surface air temperature. Assuming effects of variation of atmospheric pressure and relative humidity are small, climatological values are used for those values. Derived surface air temperature is compared with in situ surface air temperature. A cross-correlation coefficient is high and the rms error is small. However, the agreement between them varies spatially. The errors are largest in the eastern equatorial region and high-latitudes. The former may be caused by a large sampling error and remarkable internannual variation related to ENSO phenomena. On the other hand, the latter may be related to sensitivity of saturated vapor curve to air temperature. Sensible heat fluxes are estimated by using derived surface air temperature and compared with that by in situ data. For the whole North Pacific, a cross-correlation coefficient, a mean error and an rms difference are 0.89 W m^–2, 0.58 W m^–2 and 8.03 W m^–2, respectively.     

Japanese Ocean Flux Data Sets with Use of Remote Sensing Observations (J-OFURO)

We have constructed ocean surface data sets using mainly satellite data and called them Japanese Ocean Flux data sets with Use of Remote sensing Observations (J-OFURO). The data sets include shortwave radiation, longwave radiation, latent heat flux, sensible heat flux, and momentum flux etc. This article introduces J-OFURO and compares it with other global flux data sets such as European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF) and National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data and da Silva et al. (1994). The usual ECMWF data are used for comparison of zonal wind. The comparison is carried out for a meridional profile along the dateline for January and July 1993. Although the overall spatial variation is common for all the products, there is a large difference between them in places. J-OFURO shortwave radiation in July shows larger meridional contrast than other data sets. On the other hand, J-OFURO underestimates longwave radiation flux at low- and mid-latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere. J-OFURO latent heat flux in January overestimates at 10°N–20°N and underestimates at 25°N–40°N. Finally, J-OFURO shows a larger oceanic net heat loss at 10°N–20°N and a smaller loss north of 20°N in January. The data of da Silva et al. in July show small net heat loss around 20°S and large gain around 20°N, while the NCEP reanalysis (NRA) data show the opposite. The da Silva et al. zonal wind speed overestimates at low-latitudes in January, while ECMWF wind data seem to underestimate the easterlies. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Microstructural records of multiple retrograde local H2O supplement in the pelitic gneiss,Lützow-Holm Complex at Akarui Point,East Antarctica

The alkali-feldspar and biotite in the sillimanite-biotite-garnet gneiss from East Antarctica preserves characteristic microstructural evidence of multi-stage H₂O supplement during the retrograde metamorphism. The first microstructural evidence is the “zoned feldspar,” in which the mesoperthitic zone, the anti-perthitic zone, and lamella-free plagioclase zone coexist within a single crystal. They are occasionally found next to biotite, and are always depleted in orthoclase (Or) component toward the biotite. The formation process of this microstructure could be explained by the diffusion that oversteps the solvus. The second microstructural evidence is the serrate boundary between alkali-feldspar and biotite. The projections of biotite are selectively developed next to Or lamellae of alkali-feldspar every 3–5 μm. These two microstructures would have formed as the biotite grew by consuming potash in alkali-feldspar when H₂O-bearing fluid locally passed through the grain boundaries. The former microstructure was formed at 825–900 °C before lamella formation, and the latter microstructure was formed after the lamella formation. These microstructures are the indicators of fluid pathways formed under two different temperature conditions. The common coexistence of these microstructures implies that the fluid used similar pathways during the retrograde metamorphism.     

Orthopyroxene–cordierite mafic gneiss from the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks,Southern Kyushu,Japan: Implication for western continuation of the Usuki–Yatsushiro Tectonic Line

We describe an orthopyroxene–cordierite mafic gneiss from the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks in the Noma Peninsula, southern Kyushu, Japan. The mineral assemblage of the gneiss is orthopyroxene, cordierite, biotite, plagioclase, and ilmenite. Thermometry based on the Fe–Mg exchange reaction between orthopyroxene and biotite yields a peak metamorphic temperature of 680°C. The stability of cordierite relative to garnet, quartz, and sillimanite defines the upper limit of the peak metamorphic pressure as 4.4 kbar. These features indicate that the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks underwent low‐pressure high‐temperature type metamorphism. Although a chronological problem still remains, the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks can be regarded as a western continuation of the Higo Belt. The Usuki–Yatsushiro Tectonic Line, which delineates the southern border of the Higo Belt, is therefore located on the east of the Nomamisaki metamorphic rocks in southern Kyushu.     

Aerodynamic Parameters of Urban Building Arrays with Random Geometries

It is difficult to describe the flow characteristics within and above urban canopies using only geometrical parameters such as plan area index (λ _p ) and frontal area index (λ _f ) because urban surfaces comprise buildings with random layouts, shapes, and heights. Furthermore, two types of ‘randomness’ are associated with the geometry of building arrays: the randomness of element heights (vertical) and that of the rotation angles of each block (horizontal). In this study, wind-tunnel experiments were conducted on seven types of urban building arrays with various roughness packing densities to measure the bulk drag coefficient (C _d ) and mean wind profile; aerodynamic parameters such as roughness length (z _o ) and displacement height (d) were also estimated. The results are compared with previous results from regular arrays having neither ‘vertical’ nor ‘horizontal’ randomness. In vertical random arrays, the plot of C _d and z _o versus λ _f exhibited a monotonic increase, and z _o increased by a factor of almost two for λ _f = 48–70%. C _d was strongly influenced by the standard deviation of the height of blocks (σ) when λ _p ≥ 17%, whereas C _d was independent of σ when λ _p = 7%. In the case of horizontal random arrays, the plot of the estimated C _d against λ _f showed a peak. The effect of both vertical and horizontal randomness of the layout on aerodynamic parameters can be explained by the structure of the vortices around the blocks; the aspect ratio of the block is an appropriate index for the estimation of such features.     

Variation in noble gas isotopic composition of gas samples from the Aegean arc, Greece

In contrast to most other arcs with oceanic plate subduction, the Aegean arc is characterized by continent–continent subduction. Noble gas abundances and isotopic compositions of 45 gas samples have been determined from 6 volcanoes along the arc, 2 islands in the back-arc region and 7 sites in the surrounding areas. The ³He/⁴He ratios of the samples ranged from 0.027R_A to 6.2R_A (R_A denotes the atmospheric ³He/⁴He ratio of 1.4×10⁻⁶), demonstrating that even the maximum ³He/⁴He ratio in the region is significantly lower than the maximum ratios of most oceanic subduction systems, which are equal to the MORB value of 8±1 R_A. Regional variations in the ³He/⁴He ratio were observed both along and across the arc. The maximum ³He/⁴He ratio was obtained from Nisyros volcano located in the eastern end of the arc, and the ratio decreased westward possibly reflecting the difference in potential degree of crustal assimilation or the present magmatic activity in each volcano. Across the volcanic arc, the ³He/⁴He ratio decreased with an increasing distance from the arc front, reaching a low ratio of 0.063R_A in Macedonia, which suggested a major contribution of radiogenic helium derived from the continental crust. At Nisyros, a temporal increase in ³He/⁴He ratio due to ascending subsurface magma was observed after the seismic crisis of 1995–1998 and mantle neon was possibly detected. The maximum ³He/⁴He ratio (6.2R_A) in the Aegean region, which is significantly lower than the MORB value, is not probably due to crustal assimilation at shallow depth or addition of slab-derived helium to MORB-like mantle wedge, but inherent characteristics of the subcontinental lithospheric mantle (SCLM) beneath the Aegean arc.     

Elemental distribution of coastal sea and stream sediments in the island-arc region of Japan and mass transfer processes from terrestrial to marine environments

A total of 49 elements have been identified in 338 coastal sea sediment samples collected from an area situated off the Ise-Tokai region of Japan for a nationwide marine geochemical mapping project. The spatial distribution patterns of the elemental concentrations in coastal seas along with the existing geochemical maps in terrestrial areas were used to define the natural geochemical background variation, mass transport, and contamination processes. The elemental concentrations of coastal sea sediments are determined primarily by particle size and regional differences. Most elemental concentrations increase with a decrease in particle size. Some elements such as Ca, Mn, and Yb are found to exist in large quantities in coarse particles containing calcareous shells, Fe–Mn oxides, and felsic volcanic sediments. Regional differences reflect the mass transfer process from terrestrial areas to coastal seas and the influence of the local marine geology. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) reveals that for many elements, the particle size effect is predominant over regional difference. The mean chemical compositions of coastal sea sediments are similar to those of stream sediments in adjacent terrestrial areas and in the upper crust of Japan. This observation supports the fact that coastal sea sediments have certainly originated from terrestrial materials. However, the spatial distributions of elemental concentrations are not always continuous between the land and coastal seas. The scale of mass movement observed in marine geochemical maps occurs at a distance of 20 km from the river mouth. A detailed examination of the spatial distribution patterns of K (K₂O) and Cr concentrations suggests that terrestrial materials supplied through rivers are deposited near the shore initially, and then gravity-driven processes shift the sediments deeper into the basin. Contamination with heavy metals such as Zn, Cd and Pb was observed in coastal bays surrounded by urban and industrial areas. It is noteworthy that the areas with the highest concentration of these elements usually do not occur near the shore (not near the contamination source) but at the center of the bay. Unexpected low concentrations of Zn, Cd and Pb near shore may either be due to a decreased anthropogenic load in the most recent sediments or to dilution by unpolluted flood sediments.     

Specimens size effect D/H on cyclic behaviour and liquefaction potential of clean sand

Acta Geotechnica - Owing to the lack of complementary shear stress on vertical boundaries of a direct simple shear (DSS) specimen, the stress/strain distributions in soil specimens are not uniform....