Temporal variation in phytoplankton composition related to water mass properties in the central part of Sagami Bay

Temporal variations in water mass properties and the composition of phytoplankton pigments in the central part of Sagami Bay were investigated by monthly observations from June 2002 to May 2004. Eleven pigments were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from 100%, 20%, and 5% light depths relative to the surface; the class-specific composition of phytoplankton community was then obtained by CHEMTAX analysis. The study area was influenced by the Kuroshio water for most of the observation period. The mean contribution of diatoms in all samples was relatively low (29%), while that of flagellates, mainly chlorophytes or cryptophytes, was quite high (60%). The phytoplankton composition at the three depths was uniform throughout the observation period, indicating that the vertical structure of the phytoplankton community did not develop significantly over time. A distinct temporal pattern was observed: flagellates dominated during the summer of 2002 and the winters of 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, while diatoms dominated during the summer of 2003. This pattern was associated with water mass changes. The community in the summer of 2003 was influenced by coastal water. While no distinct spring bloom of phytoplankton was observed, a weak increase in chlorophyll a was observed during the spring of 2004. Ocean color satellite data showed that fluctuations in chlorophyll a concentrations at time scales much shorter than a month occurred during the spring of 2003 and that the elevations in chlorophyll a levels were not continuous. The fluctuations were probably associated with rapid flushing by the Kuroshio water, which has low chlorophyll a content.     

The transition zone chlorophyll front, a dynamic global feature defining migration and forage habitat for marine resources

Pelagic ecosystem dynamics on all temporal scales may be driven by the dynamics of very specialized oceanic habitats. One such habitat is the basin-wide chlorophyll front located at the boundary between the low chlorophyll subtropical gyres and the high chlorophyll subarctic gyres. Global satellite maps of surface chlorophyll clearly show this feature in all oceans. In the North Pacific, the front is over 8000 km long and seasonally migrates north and south about 1000 km. In the winter this front is located at about 30–35°N latitude and in the summer at about 40–45°N. It is a zone of surface convergence where cool, vertically mixed, high chlorophyll, surface water on the north side sinks beneath warm, stratified, low chlorophyll water on the south side. Satellite telemetry data on movements of loggerhead turtles and detailed fisheries data for albacore tuna show that both apex predators travel along this front as they migrate across the North Pacific. The front is easily monitored with ocean color satellite remote sensing. A change in the position of the TZCF between 1997 and 1998 appears to have altered the spatial distribution of loggerhead turtles. The position and dynamics of the front varied substantially between the 1998 El Niño and the 1999 La Niña. For example, from May to July 1999 the transition zone chlorophyll front (TZCF) remained between about 35°N and 40°N latitude showing very little meandering, whereas in 1998, during the same period, the TZCF exhibited considerable meandering and greater monthly latitudinal movement. Catch rates for albacore were considerably higher in 1998 than in 1999, and we hypothesize that a meandering TZCF creates regions of convergence, which enhances the foraging habitat for apex predators along the front.     

Production of the Blood Pressure Lowing Peptides from Brown Alga （ Undaria pinnatifida ）

Brown alga （ Undaria pinnatifida） was treated with alginate lyase and hydrolyzed using 17 kinds of proteases and the inhibitory activity of the hydrolysates for the angiotensin-I-converting enzyme （ACE） was measured. Four hydrolysates with potent ACE-inhibitory activity were administered singly and orally to spontaneously hypertensive rats （SHRs）. The systolic blood pressure of SHRs decreases significantly after single oral administration of the brown alga hydrolysates by pro- tease S ＇ Amano＇ （from Bacillus stearothermophilus） at the concentration of 10 （mg protein） （kg body weight）^ - 1. In the 17 weeks of feeding experiment, 7-week-old SHRs were fed standard diet supplemented with the brown alga hydrolysates for 10 weeks. In SHRs fed 1.0 and 0.1% brown alga hydrolysates, elevating of systolic bloodpressure was significantly suppressed for 7 weeks. To elucidate the active components, the brown alga hydrolysates were fractionated by 1-butanol extraction and HPLC on a reverse-phase column. Seven kinds of ACE-inhibitory peptides were isolated and identified by amino acid composition analysis, sequence analysis, and LC-MS with the results Val-Tyr, Ile-Tyr, Ala-Trp, Phe-Tyr, Val-Trp, Ile-Trp, and Leu-Trp. Each peptide was determined to have an antihypertensive effect after a single oral administration in SHRs. The brown alga hydrolysates were also confirmed to decrease the blood pressure in humans.     

Channel change following European settlement: Gilmore Creek,southeastern Australia

European settlement in southeastern Australia led to rapid changes in the morphology of many upland streams. However, our knowledge of the nature of these changes is limited as historical records and preserved palaeochannels are rare. In this study we compare a well‐preserved section of the late Holocene palaeochannel of Gilmore Creek to its present channel. We used a combination of map and aerial photograph interpretation, field survey, OSL dating and discharge analysis to describe and compare the modern and palaeochannels and establish a firm date for the timing of channel change. In common with many other streams in southeastern Australia Gilmore Creek's late Holocene channel meandered across a stable well‐vegetated and frequently inundated floodplain. After about 1830 European settlers quickly modified the catchment by clearing riparian and hillslope vegetation, introducing grazing animals and other exotic species and mining for alluvial gold in the headwaters. The OSL dates show that between about 1850 and 1880 the small meandering channel aggraded with coarse sands and then up to about 1 m of silty sand was deposited over the floodplain. Declining sediment input from upstream channel avulsion before 1890 resulted in the establishment of a straighter, larger capacity channel that incised to the level of basal cobbles and, in places, to bedrock. The dramatic change in channel pattern resembles that described on the Cann River in eastern Victoria following the removal of riparian vegetation and within‐channel coarse woody debris. At Gilmore Creek increased channel capacity has greatly reduced the average frequency of floodplain inundation. High values of specific stream power suggest that channel morphology is now well adjusted to the present flow regime. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Tsunami Assessment for Risk Management at Nuclear Power Facilities in Japan

The present study focuses on evaluation of the maximum and minimum water levels caused by tsunamis as risk factors for operation and management at nuclear power facilities along the coastal area of Japan. Tsunamis generated by submarine earthquakes are examined, basing literature reviews and databases of information on historical tsunami events and run-up heights. For simulation of water level along the coast, a numerical calculation system should be designed with computational regions covering a particular site. Also the calculation system should be verified by comparison of historical and calculated tsunami heights. At the beginning of the tsunami assessment, the standard faults, their locations, mechanisms and maximum magnitudes should be carefully estimated by considering historical earthquake-induced tsunamis and seismo-tectonics at each area. Secondly, the range of errors in the model parameters should be considered since earthquakes and tsunamis are natural phenomena that involve natural variability as well as errors in estimating parameters. For these reasons, uncertainty-induced errors should be taken into account in the process of tsunami assessment with parametric study of the tsunami source model. The element tsunamis calculated by the standard fault models with the errors would be given for the design. Then, the design tsunami can be selected among the element tsunamis with the most significant impact, maximum and minimum water levels, on the site, bearing in mind the possible errors in the numerical calculation system. Finally, the design tsunami is verified by comparison with the run-up heights of historical tsunamis, ensuring that the design tsunami is selected as the highest of all historical and possible future tsunamis at the site.     

First recorded eruption of Mount Belinda volcano (Montagu Island), South Sandwich Islands

The MODVOLC satellite monitoring system has revealed the first recorded eruption of Mount Belinda volcano, on Montagu Island in the remote South Sandwich Islands. Here we present some initial qualitative observations gleaned from a collection of satellite imagery covering the eruption, including MODIS, Landsat 7 ETM+, ASTER, and RADARSAT-1 data. MODVOLC thermal alerts indicate that the eruption started sometime between 12 September and 20 October 2001, with low-intensity subaerial explosive activity from the islands summit peak, Mount Belinda. By January 2002 a small lava flow had been emplaced near the summit, and activity subsequently increased to some of the highest observed levels in August 2002. Observations from passing ships in February and March 2003 provided the first visual confirmation of the eruption. ASTER images obtained in August 2003 show that the eruption at Mount Belinda entered a new phase around this time, with fresh lava effusion into the surrounding icefield. MODIS radiance trends also suggest that the overall activity level increased significantly after July 2003. Thermal anomalies continued to be observed in MODIS imagery in early 2004, indicating a prolonged low-intensity eruption and the likely establishment of a persistent summit lava lake, similar to that observed on neighboring Saunders Island in 2001. Our new observations also indicate that lava lake activity continues on Saunders Island.Editorial responsibility: J. Gilbert     

Specific accumulation and temporal trends of organochlorine contaminants in Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli) from Japanese coastal waters

Organochlorine compounds (OCs) such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), chlordane related compounds, hexachlorocyclohexane isomers (HCHs), hexachlorobenzene (HCB), tris(4-chlorophenyl) methane (TCPMe) and tris(4-chlorophenyl) methanol were determined in the blubber of Dall's porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli) collected from Japanese coastal waters in 1998/1999. Among OCs analyzed, PCBs were the predominant contaminants with concentrations ranging from 1.5 to 39 microg/g on a wet weight basis. OCs concentrations were relatively low and less variable in mature females possibly due to the lactational excretion from their bodies, while in males the concentrations were increased with body length. Concentrations and compositions of DDTs and HCHs showed significant differences between the truei-type population off the Pacific coast of northern Japan and dalli-type from the Sea of Japan/Okhotsk, suggesting its usefulness to discriminate different populations. OCs levels detected in truei-type porpoises collected in 1998/1999 were lower than those collected in 1984, except TCPMe. On the other hand, except DDTs, the residue levels of other organochlorines in dalli-type porpoises showed no significant decrease since 1984.     

The nature and fate of natural resins in the geosphere. Part X.† Structural characteristics of the macromolecular constituents of modern Dammar resin and Class II ambers

As part of a larger study of the structure and behavior of polyterpenoids in sedimentary systems, the structural characteristics of the macromolecular constituents of Dammar resin and a related Class II amber have been reinvestigated. The conclusions drawn from these analyses are inconsistent with the current widely held "polycadinene" model for the macromolecular structure of these materials. Double bond characteristics observed by one and two dimensional NMR spectroscopy do not match those in the proposed "polycadinene" structure. Based on these observations it is suggested that the proposed "polycadinene" structure for these materials is inadequate and requires revision. Elemental and NMR data also suggest a significant contribution from functionalized monomers.