The high frequency spectrum of wind-generated waves

The high frequency part (10 Hz50 Hz) of the one-dimensional wave spectrum was measured in a wind-wave channel under accurately controlled conditions. The results are compared with the spectral forms for the capillary range that have been proposed recently byPierson andStacy (1973) andToba (1973). In a general sense, fairly good agreement is found between the present results and those ofPierson andStacy (1973) and ofToba (1973). The spectrum in the capillary range is clearly wind speed dependent, and the spectral density in that range increases with increasing wind speed.However, closer examination shows systematic deviations of the present results from those previously proposed, particularly for high speed winds.     

Distribution of Changjiang Diluted Water detected by satellite chlorophyll-a and its interannual variation during 1998–2007

Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) chlorophyll-a distribution in summer in the East China Sea during 1998–2007 was analyzed. Statistical analysis with K-means clustering technique allowed us to define the proper satellite chlorophyll-a concentration indicating the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW). The spatial distributions of the higher satellite chlorophyll-a concentrations (>0.48 mg m⁻³) corresponded well with the distributions of lower salinity CDW (<30–32) every year. Interannual variation of the CDW area, indicated by the high satellite chlorophyll-a, correlated with the interannual variation of the Changjiang summer freshwater discharge. The correlation analysis indicated that the CDW spread eastward in the East China Sea with a time lag of 1 to 2 months after the discharge.     

Marine protected areas in Japan: Institutional background and management framework

Information on the location and area for all MPAs in Japan was collected through a comprehensive survey targeting government officials and local stakeholders. It was verified that at least 1161 MPAs exist in Japan. Of these, 1055 are implemented in conjunction with fishery regulations in the form of no-take zones. More than 30% of the individual MPAs in Japan were established by self-imposed instruments agreed by members of fishery co-management organizations. It was suggested that the autonomous MPAs are not a product of simple altruism, but rather are logical extensions of the tenure system guaranteed by the government legal system.     

On the Quasi-Lame''s equation with application to lake seiches

An investigation is made on the damping of gravity oscillations in closed basins by using the singular perturbation method of Hukuda and Mysak. A perturbation solution, pivoting on a small bottom friction parameter ε, is derived for an arbitrary shaped basin with a sloping beach. It is shown that at 0(ε) the gravity oscillations are attenuated at a decay rate equal to the kinetic energy of 0(1) wave field. A simple law of decay rates is proposed for estimating the e-folding time of lake seiches, on the basis of calculations in both circular and elliptical basins with parabolic depth. The theoretical prediction is in good agreement with the long life cycle of a uninodal seiches observed in Lake Vättern, Sweden, as quoted in Defant.     

Historical Auroras in the 990s: Evidence of Great Magnetic Storms

A significant carbon-14 enhancement has recently been found in tree rings for the year 994, suggesting an extremely strong and brief cosmic ray flux event. The origin of this particular cosmic ray event has not been confirmed, but one possibility is that it might be of solar origin. Contemporary historical records of low-latitude auroras can be used as supporting evidence of intense solar activity around that time. We investigate previously reported as well as new records that have been found in contemporary observations from the 990s to determine potential auroras. Records of potential red auroras in late 992 and early 993 were found around the world, i.e. in the Korean Peninsula, Saxonian cities in modern Germany, and the Island of Ireland, suggesting the occurrence of an intense geomagnetic storm driven by solar activity.     

New records of three <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paraprionospio</Emphasis> species (Polychaeta: Spionidae) from Korean waters

The spionid polychaete Paraprionospio pinnata (Ehlers 1901) has been widely reported from Korean waters. We examined some specimens belonging to the genus Paraprionospio that had been collected from Korean waters, and identified them as Paraprionospio coora Wilson, 1990, Paraprionospio cordifolia Yokoyama, 2007 and Paraprionospio patiens Yokoyama, 2007, which are new to the fauna of Korea. The present study suggests misidentification of the specimens that have been previously reported as P. pinnata from Korean waters.     

U–Pb ages of granitoids around the Kofu basin: Implications for the Neogene geotectonic evolution of the South Fossa Magna region,central Japan

The Japanese archipelago underwent two arc–arc collisions during the Neogene. Southwest Honshu arc collided with the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana arc and the northeast Honshu arc collided with the Chishima arc. The complicated geological structure of the South Fossa Magna region has been attributed to the collision between the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana arc and the southwest Honshu arc. Understanding the geotectonic evolution of this tectonically active region is crucial for delineating the Neogene tectonics of the Japanese archipelago. Many intrusive granitoids occur around the Kofu basin, in the South Fossa Magna region. Although the igneous ages of these granitoids have been mainly estimated through biotite and hornblende K–Ar dating, here, we perform U–Pb dating of zircon to determine the igneous ages more precisely. In most cases, the secondary post‐magmatic overprint on the zircon U–Pb system was minor. Based on our results, we identify four groups of U–Pb ages: ca 15.5 Ma, ca 13 Ma, ca 10.5 Ma, and ca 4 Ma. The Tsuburai pluton belongs to the first group, and its age suggests that the granite formation within the Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana arc dates back to at least 15.5 Ma. The granitoids of the second group intruded into the boundary between the Honshu arc and the ancient Izu‐Bonin‐Mariana arc, suggesting that the arc–arc collision started by ca 13 Ma. As in the case of the Kaikomagatake pluton, the Chino pluton likely corresponds to a granodiorite formed in a rear‐arc setting in parallel with the other granodiorites of the third group. The U–Pb age of the Kogarasu pluton, which belongs to the fourth group, is the same as those of the Tanzawa tonalitic plutons. This might support a syncollisional rapid granitic magma formation in the South Fossa Magna region.     

A Transit of Venus Possibly Misinterpreted as an Unaided-Eye Sunspot Observation in China on 9 December 1874

Solar Physics - Large sunspots can be observed with the unaided eye under suitable atmospheric seeing conditions. Such observations are of particular value because the frequency of their appearance...     

Food sources of benthic animals on intertidal and subtidal bottoms in inner Ariake Sound,southern Japan,determined by stable isotopes

To evaluate the relative importance of possible food sources, including riverine particulate organic matter, reeds, benthic microalgae, seaweeds, cultured laver (Porphyra) and coastal phytoplankton, for commercial bivalves and co-occurring benthic animals, 73 macrofaunal species were collected from intertidal and subtidal soft bottoms in the inner part of Ariake Sound, Kyushu, southern Japan, and their isotopic compositions were analyzed. The results revealed that (1) both intertidal and subtidal food webs were constituted of 3 trophic levels, (2) suspension-feeding bivalves utilize a mixture of benthic microalgae and coastal phytoplankton, and omnivores and carnivores incorporate benthic microalgae and phytoplankton through their intermediate prey, and (3) 3 bivalves (Scapharca kagoshimensis, Modiolus metcalfei and Atrina lischkeana) inhabiting both intertidal and subtidal bottoms showed similar seasonal fluctuations, suggesting no difference in the diet composition among the species and between the 2 habitats. We conclude that a large biomass of benthic microalgae which was approximately equal to that of phytoplankton and the strong tidal currents that would resuspend benthic microalgae and transport them to subtidal bottom areas account for the benthic microalgal and phytoplankton based trophic structure in the inner part of Ariake Sound.     

Comparison of four ensemble methods combining regional climate simulations over Asia

A number of uncertainties exist in climate simulation because the results of climate models are influenced by factors such as their dynamic framework, physical processes, initial and driving fields, and horizontal and vertical resolution. The uncertainties of the model results may be reduced, and the credibility can be improved by employing multi-model ensembles. In this paper, multi-model ensemble results using 10-year simulations of five regional climate models (RCMs) from December 1988 to November 1998 over Asia are presented and compared. The simulation results are derived from phase II of the Regional Climate Model Inter-comparison Project (RMIP) for Asia. Using the methods of the arithmetic mean, the weighted mean, multivariate linear regression, and singular value decomposition, the ensembles for temperature, precipitation, and sea level pressure are carried out. The results show that the multi-RCM ensembles outperform the single RCMs in many aspects. Among the four ensemble methods used, the multivariate linear regression, based on the minimization of the root mean square errors, significantly improved the ensemble results. With regard to the spatial distribution of the mean climate, the ensemble result for temperature was better than that for precipitation. With an increasing number of models used in the ensembles, the ensemble results were more accurate. Therefore, a multi-model ensemble is an efficient approach to improve the results of regional climate simulations.