Flux of low salinity water from Aniva Bay (Sakhalin Island) to the southern Okhotsk Sea

In this study, we examined the relationship between the low salinity water in the shelf region of the southern Okhotsk Sea which was seasonally sampled (0–200 m), and fluxes of low salinity water from Aniva Bay. To express the source of freshwater mixing in the surface layer, we applied normalized total alkalinity (NTA) and stable isotopes of seawater as chemical tracers. NTA-S diagrams indicate that NTA of low salinity water in the upper 30 m layer just off the Soya Warm Current is clearly higher than in the far offshore region in summer and autumn. Using NTA-S regression lines, we could deduce that the low salinity and high NTA water in the upper layer originates from Aniva Bay. For convenience, we defined this water as the Aniva Surface Water (ASW) with values S < 32, NTA > 2450 μmol kg⁻¹. Formation and transport processes of ASW are discussed using historical data. The interaction between the maximum core of high NTA water on the bottom slope of eastern Aniva Bay and an anticyclonic eddy at the mouth of Aniva Bay are concluded to control ASW formation. Upwelling of the Cold Water Belt water at the tip of Cape Krillion is considered to cause ASW outflow from Aniva Bay.     

Investigation of cutting methods for small samples of Hayabusa and future sample return missions

We report the investigation of cutting methods for Hayabusa samples. The purpose of our study is to explore the possibility of applying multiple analyses to a single particle effectively. We investigated the cutting performance of a blade dicing saw, laser, focused ion beam (FIB), and physical breaking by microindenter. Cutting performance was examined by estimating the aspect ratio of the cut slit, i.e., depth over width of the slit. We also investigated the possible contamination and sample damage by cutting. The result of the investigation shows that we can cut the samples from <50 μm to 500 μm using those methods with aspect ratios from 10 to 20, although they would introduce some contamination or damage to the samples. Our investigations also provide an important basis for the analysis of samples obtained by future sample return missions.     

Three‐dimensional microstructure of samples recovered from asteroid 25143 Itokawa: Comparison with LL5 and LL6 chondrite particles

In this study, the three‐dimensional (3‐D) microstructure of 48 Itokawa regolith particles was examined by synchrotron microtomography at SPring‐8 during the preliminary examination of Hayabusa samples. Moreover, the 3‐D microstructure of particles collected from two LL6 chondrites (Ensisheim and Kilabo meteorites) and an LL5 chondrite (Tuxtuac meteorite) was investigated by the same method for comparison. The modal abundances of minerals, especially olivine, bulk density, porosity, and grain size are similar in all samples, including voids and cracks. These results show that the Itokawa particles, which are surface materials from the S‐type asteroid Itokawa, are consistent with the LL chondrite materials in terms of not only elemental and isotopic composition of the minerals but also 3‐D microstructure. However, we could not determine whether the Itokawa particles are purely LL5, LL6, or a mixture of the two. No difference between the particles collected from Rooms A and B of the sample chamber, corresponding to the sampling sequence of the spacecraft's second and first touchdowns, respectively, was detected because of the statistically small amount of particles from Room B.     

New high-pressure phases in BaCO<Subscript>3</Subscript>

Barium carbonate (BaCO₃) was examined in a diamond anvil cell up to a pressure of 73 GPa using an in situ angle-dispersive X-ray diffraction technique. Three new phases of BaCO₃ were observed at pressures >10 GPa. From 10 to 24 GPa, BaCO₃-IV had a post-aragonite structure with space group Pmmn. There are two molecules in a single unit cell (Z = 2) of the orthorhombic phase, which is same as the high-pressure phases of CaCO₃ and SrCO₃. The isothermal bulk modulus of BaCO₃-IV is K ₀ = 84(4) GPa, with V ₀ = 129.0(7) Å³ when K ₀′ = 4. The c axis of the unit cell parameter is less compressible than the a and b axes. The relative change in volume that accompanies the transformation between BaCO₃-III and BaCO₃-IV is ～6%. BaCO₃-V, which has an orthorhombic symmetry, was synthesized at 50 GPa. As the pressure increases, BaCO₃-V is transformed into tetragonal BaCO₃-VI. This transformation is likely to be second order, because the diffraction pattern of BaCO₃-V is similar to that of BaCO₃-VI, and some single peaks in BaCO₃-VI become doublets in BaCO₃-V. After decompression, the new high-pressure phases transform into BaCO₃-II. Our findings resolve a dispute regarding the stable high-pressure phases of BaCO₃.     

Ore‐forming Ages and Sulfur Isotope Study of Hydrothermal Deposits in Kamchatka,Russia

In Kamchatka, Central Koryak, Central Kamchatka and East Kamchatka metallogenic belts are distributed from northwest to southeast. K–Ar age, sulfur isotopic composition of sulfide minerals, and bulk chemical compositions of ores were analyzed for 13 ore deposits including hydrothermal gold‐silver and base metal, in order to elucidate the geological time periods of ore formation, relationship to regional volcanic belts, type of mineralization, and origin of sulfur in sulfides. The dating yielded ore‐forming ages of 41 Ma for the Ametistovoe deposit in the Central Koryak, 17.1 Ma for the Zolotoe deposit and 6.9 Ma for the Aginskoe deposit in the Central Kamchatka, and 7.4 Ma for the Porozhistoe deposit and 5.1 Ma for the Vilyuchinskoe deposit in the East Kamchatka metallogenic belt. The data combined with previous data of ore‐forming ages indicate that the time periods of ore formation in these metallogenic belts become young towards the southeast. The averaged δ³⁴S_CDT of sulfides are ?2.8‰ for the Ametistovoe deposit in Central Koryak, ?1.8‰ to +2.0‰ (av. ?0.1‰) for the Zolotoe, Aginskoe, Baranievskoe and Ozernovskoe deposits in Central Kamchatka, and ?0.7 to +3.8‰ (av. +1.7‰) for Bolshe‐Bannoe, Kumroch, Vilyuchinskoe, Bystrinskoe, Asachinskoe, Rodnikovoe, and Mutnovskoe deposits in East Kamchatka. The negative δ³⁴S_CDT value from the Ametistovoe deposit in Central Koryak is ascribed to the contamination of ³²S‐enriched sedimentary sulfur in the Ukelayat‐Lesnaya River trough of basement rock. Comparison of the sulfur isotope compositions of the mineral deposits shows similarity between the Central Koryak and Magadan metallogenic belts, and East Kamchatka and Kuril Islands belts. The Central Kamchatka belt is intermediate between these two groups in term of sulfur isotopic composition.     

The layered structure of lunar maria: Identification of the HF-radar reflector in Mare Serenitatis using multiband optical images

Comparison of the Lunar Radar Sounder (LRS) data to the Multiband Imager (MI) data is performed to identify the subsurface reflectors in Mare Serenitatis. The LRS is FM-CW radar (4–6 MHz) and the 2 MHz bandwidth leads to the range resolution of 75 m in a vacuum, whereas the sampling interval in the flight direction is about 75 m when an altitude of the spacecraft with polar orbit is nominal (100 km). Horizontally continuous reflectors were clearly detected by LRS in limited areas that consist of about 9% of the whole maria. The typical depth of the reflectors is estimated to be a few hundred meters. Layered structures of mare basalts are also discernible on some crater walls in the MI data of the visible bands (VIS). The VIS range has nine wavelengths of 415, 750, 900, 950, and 1000 nm, and their spatial resolution is 20 m/pixel at a nominal altitude. The stratigraphies around Bessel and Bessel-H craters in Mare Serenitatis are examined in this paper. It was revealed that the subsurface reflectors lie on the boundaries between basalt units with different chemical compositions. In addition, model calculations using the simplified radar equation indicate that the subsurface reflectors are not compositional interfaces but layer boundaries with a high-porosity contrast. These results suggest that the detected reflectors in Mare Serenitatis are regolith accumulated during so long hiatus of mare volcanisms enough for chemical composition of magma to change, not instantaneously. Therefore combination of the LRS and MI data has a potential to reveal characteristics of a series of magmatism forming each lithostratigraphic unit in Mare Serenitatis and other maria.     

In situ observation of a phase transition in Fe2SiO4 at high pressure and high temperature

We used an in situ measurement method to investigate the phase transition of Fe₂SiO₄ polymorphs under high pressures and temperatures. A multi-anvil high-pressure apparatus combined with synchrotron X-ray radiation was used. The stability of each polymorph was identified by observing the X-ray diffraction data from the sample. In most experiments, the diffraction patterns were collected 10–30 min after reaching the desired pressure and temperature conditions. The transition boundary between the olivine and spinel phase at T = 1,000–1,500 K and P = 2–8 GPa was determined to occur at P (GPa) = 0.5 + 0.0034 × T (K). The transition pressure determined in this study was in general agreement with that observed in previous high-pressure experiments. However, the slope of the transition, dP/dT, determined in our study was significantly higher than that estimated by the previous study combined with the in situ X-ray method.     

A new climatology of the Okhotsk Sea derived from the FERHRI database

This paper introduces a new hydrographic climatology of the Okhotsk Sea; this climatology was constructed from the Far Eastern Regional Hydrometeorological Research Institute (FERHRI) database. The FERHRI database has a volume of data three to five times larger than the data used in previous studies because unpublished Russian observation data have been included in the FERHRI database. After removing erroneous data from the database by pertinent quality control methods, the climatology for 1/4°?×?1/4° grids is produced by applying objective analysis procedures. Features similar to those in previous studies are seen in the intermediate layers in the Okhotsk Sea, whereas our climatology provides values that fill in gaps in previous climatologies. It is obvious from the monthly climatologies that temperature and salinity distributions evolve in accordance with seasonal variations in the Eastern Sakhalin Current and inflow from the North Pacific. We also reconstructed climatologies for the winter mixed layer and dense shelf water from data obtained from the temperature minimum waters identified as the remnants of these two layers. Free access to the 1°?×?1° versions of all climatologies constructed in this study is available through the website.     

Impacts of elevated CO2 on particulate and dissolved organic matter production: microcosm experiments using iron-deficient plankton communities in open subarctic waters

Response of phytoplankton to increasing CO₂ in seawater in terms of physiology and ecology is key to predicting changes in marine ecosystems. However, responses of natural plankton communities especially in the open ocean to higher CO₂ levels have not been fully examined. We conducted CO₂ manipulation experiments in the Bering Sea and the central subarctic Pacific, known as high nutrient and low chlorophyll regions, in summer 2007 to investigate the response of organic matter production in iron-deficient plankton communities to CO₂ increases. During the 14-day incubations of surface waters with natural plankton assemblages in microcosms under multiple pCO₂ levels, the dynamics of particulate organic carbon (POC) and nitrogen (PN), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and phosphorus (DOP) were examined with the plankton community compositions. In the Bering site, net production of POC, PN, and DOP relative to net chlorophyll-a production decreased with increasing pCO₂. While net produced POC:PN did not show any CO₂-related variations, net produced DOC:DOP increased with increasing pCO₂. On the other hand, no apparent trends for these parameters were observed in the Pacific site. The contrasting results observed were probably due to the different plankton community compositions between the two sites, with plankton biomass dominated by large-sized diatoms in the Bering Sea versus ultra-eukaryotes in the Pacific Ocean. We conclude that the quantity and quality of the production of particulate and dissolved organic matter may be altered under future elevated CO₂ environments in some iron-deficient ecosystems, while the impacts may be negligible in some systems.     

Development of polygon shift method for generating 3D view map of buildings

The authors have developed a new method termed “Polygon Shift Method” that enables the generation of a 3D view map of a city with tall buildings with a simplified procedure to shift a polygon and check the overlap between the original and shifted polygon. Boolean operations are applied with a newly defined “Fore or Aft” side and a “Depth Distance” that functionally express the visibility criteria or hidden point processing in the 3D view. Since the polygon shift method can be operated with a raster-based structure, the computer processing for generation of a 3D view map of buildings with shadow is simple and efficient.