Historical record of heavy metal pollution deduced by lead isotope ratios in core sediments from the Osaka Bay,Japan

Three marine sediment cores from Osaka Bay were analyzed for ²¹⁰Pb geochronology, heavy metal concentrations (Zn, Cu, and Pb) and stable lead isotope ratios (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb) in order to reconstruct high-resolution heavy metal pollution history from 1900–2006. Anthropogenic metal accumulation in sediments peaked in 1970 in agreement with the high economic growth period in Japan. The comparison of temporal patterns of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratio with other areas of Japan suggested that the heavy metals, imported from several different countries during the periods of economic growth (1955 to 1973), are the main pollution source for the country. For the period 1970–2006, the sediment data reflect the result of stricter environmental regulations applied after the late 1960s. However, heavy metal concentrations in the surface sediments are still elevated to levels several times higher than the levels at the bottoms of the cores. Additionally, the lead isotope ratio does not show significant change after the 1980s. Secondary heavy metal pollution through the mixing of deeper polluted sediment appears to be the likely reason for the deterioration of present time submarine sediment environments. In conclusion, this study has demonstrated that it is difficult to recover over a period of several years the benthic quality of a bay, once it is heavily polluted.     

Fine-scale chemostratigraphy of cross-sectioned hydrogenous ferromanganese nodules from the western North Pacific

A broad area densely covered by ferromanganese nodules was recently discovered around Minamitorishima (Marcus) Island, representing a high-potential metal resource, particularly for Co, Ni, Mo, and W. We studied 16 nodule samples from nodule fields around Minamitorishima Island. To define the fine-scale chemostratigraphy of the nodules, polished cross-sections of the samples were analyzed by microfocus X-ray fluorescence. Our results show that a general pattern of compositional variation was common throughout the growth history of the nodules in all the regions we studied. Chemical mapping clarified changes in the chemical signature and proportion of five lithological components throughout the growth history: Mn represented columnar δ-MnO₂; Fe represented layered amorphous FeOOH*xH₂O; Ti represented TiO₂*2H₂O intergrown with an amorphous FeOOH phase; P, Ca and Y represented particles of biogenic calcium phosphate; and Si, Al, K, Cu, and Ni represented pelagic sediment infills. We proposed a method for a creating a multi-dimensional compositional map of the fine-scale chemostratigraphy observed in the ferromanganese oxide layers on the basis of merging the mapped Mn, Fe, Ti, P, Si and Cu intensities. Multi-dimensional compositional mapping of the sampled nodules from the western North Pacific revealed two fundamental findings: (1) previously recognized first-order Fe–Mn layers, L0, L1, and L2, were further divided into two, three, and four sublayers, respectively, and (2) a delayed supply of material to be nuclei of nodule or a growth hiatus of Fe–Mn layer(s), leading to missing sublayers in the layers L0 and L2, regulated the nodule size. In contrast, layer L1, which does not have any missing sublayers, was commonly observed in the samples for this study and has been reported in studies of other regions in the western Pacific. We propose, therefore, that the layer L1 is a key facies for examining chemostratigraphic correlations with other areas of seafloor.     

Holocene vegetational and climatic variation in westerly-dominated areas of Central Asia inferred from the Sayram Lake in northern Xinjiang,China

Changes in the vegetation and climate of the westerly-dominated areas in Central Asia during the Holocene were interpreted using pollen-assemblages and charcoal data from a 300-cm-long sediment core of the Sayram Lake,northern Xinjiang.Accele-rator Mass Spectrometry(AMS) radiocarbon dating methods were applied to bulk organic matter of the samples.Artemisia spp./Chenopodiaceae ratios and results from principal component analysis were used to infer that the lake basin was dominated by desert vegetation before ca.9.6 cal.ka BP,which suggests a warm and dry climate in the early Holocene.Desert steppe/steppe expanded during 9.6-5.5 cal.ka BP,indicating a remarkable increase both in the precipitation and temperature during the mid-Holocene.Desert vegetation dominated between 6.5 and 5.5 cal.ka BP,marking an extreme warmer and drier interval.The steppe/meadow steppe recovered,and temperatures decreased from 5.5 cal.ka BP in the late Holocene,as indicated by the increased abundance of Artemisia and the development of meadows.Holocene temperatures and moisture variations in the Sayram Lake areas were similar to those of adjacent areas.This consistency implies that solar radiation was the main driving factor for regional temperature changes,and that the effect of temperature variations was significant on regional changes in humidity.The evolution of climate and environment in the Sayram Lake areas,which were characterized as dry in the early Holocene and relatively humid in the middle-late Holocene,are clearly different from those in monsoonal areas.Dry conditions in the early Holocene in the Sayram Lake areas were closely related to decreased water vapor advection.These conditions were a result of reduced westerly wind speeds and less evaporation upstream,which in turn were caused by seasonal changes in solar radiation superimposed by strong evaporation following warming and drying local climate.     

Comparison of community structures between particle-associated and free-living prokaryotes in tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean surface waters

The subtropical and tropical regions of the Pacific Ocean are less productive than other oceanic regions. Although particle association should be an important strategy for heterotrophic prokaryotes to survive in such environments, we have little information on particle-associated (PA) prokaryotes in these regions. The specific aim of this study was to determine bacterial and archaeal community structures in the PA assemblage in comparison to the free-living (FL) assemblage in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre, and an eastern equatorial region of the Pacific Ocean. Community profiles and phylogenetic identities were obtained by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, 454-pyrosequencing, and cloning followed by Sanger sequencing of 16Sr RNA gene amplicons. The distribution patterns of some abundant groups in three regions and two lifestyles (PA and FL) are shown in this study. Also, the PA community structures of bacteria differed from the FL ones and exhibited higher diversity than the FL ones, while the archaeal community structures did not show significant differences between PA and FL assemblages. We found that specific phylotypes of Gammaproteobacteria and Flavobacteria were abundant in PA bacterial assemblages, suggesting that they prefer to attach and consume particulate organic matter. In summary, the surface seawater PA assemblages represent very different bacterial and archaeal community structures between three different oceanic regions, each of which had distinct PA and FL community structures. These results imply that environmental factors determine microbial community structures.     

A hydrocode calculation coupled with reaction kinetics of carbon compounds within an impact vapor plume and its implications for cometary impacts on Galilean satellites

The synthesis of organic molecules via chemical reactions within impact vapor plumes has been proposed as a mechanism to supply organics on a planet. However, the kinetics of chemical reactions within a rapidly expanding vapor plume or quenching process of the reactions has not been studied extensively. In this study, we constructed a new numerical model that calculates kinetics of the entire chemical reactions within an impact vapor plume. Numerical results revealed that the semi-analytical models proposed so far, in which the final amount of a chemical species was given by the equilibrium abundance at the quenching temperature of the fastest reaction path involving the species, underestimates the yield of organic molecules, such as HCN, by up to a factor of 10. This is because the previously used assumption that a species can achieve equilibrium with the rest of the reaction system via the fastest reaction path involving the species is not necessarily valid. Our analysis of the high-temperature H/C/N/O reaction system suggests that the quenching of slow reactions divides the reaction network into smaller reaction sub-systems isolated from the rest of the reaction system. Then, the fastest reaction path cannot equilibrate an isolated reaction sub-system with the rest of the reaction system. Simulation of this actual disequilibrium mechanism requires a simultaneous numerical calculation of the entire reaction network, which is equivalent to conducting a full kinetic model calculation, such as our model. Our numerical code makes it possible to discuss quantitatively the impact chemistry for various situations, such as the Galilean satellites. In this study, our numerical model is applied to the delivery of organic molecules via cometary impact on the Galilean satellites. Our numerical results indicate that small-particle impacts would produce HCN efficiently. Resulting HCN may freeze out immediately and be deposited on satellite surfaces, where it may be eventually converted into complex organics via irradiation of charged particle. On the other hand, large-size impacts may form transient CH₄-N₂ atmospheres, in which complex organics (tholin) may be formed via energy deposition of UV and/or charged particle. Resulting complex organics may subsequently precipitate on the satellite surfaces without clear correlation with the locations of impact craters. Such distribution of complex organics created by chemical reactions within vapor plumes due to cometary impacts may explain an absorption (4.57 μm) on Galilean satellites nonassociated with observable (moderate- and large-size) impact craters.     

A deep section of accretionary complex: Susunai Complex in Sakhalin Island, Northwest Pacific Margin

Abstract A deep section of accretionary complex, the metamorphosed Susunai Complex, is observed on Sakhalin Is., Russia. High pressure part of pumpellyite-actinolite facies metavolcanics, metacherts and metapelites are well exposed and constitute a tectonic pile preserving primary structures related to underplating of the oceanic crust. Three stages of deformation, D₁ through D₃, suggest successive deformation during subduction, underplating and exhumation of the complex. Oceanic material in the complex is more abundant than other well documented ancient accretionary complexes (e.g. the Shimanto Belt in southwest Japan and the Ghost Rocks Formation in Alaska), which were shallowly underplated. At Susunai, deep down-stepping of a décollément has scraped off the upper part of the oceanic crust, primarily the pillowed basalt horizon. This down-stepping results from crustal weakening as overpressured water is released from the fractured oceanic crust during metamorphism.     

Detection and Evaluation of Gas Hydrates in the Eastern Nankai Trough by Geochemical and Geophysical Methods

Abstract: Interstitial waters extracted from the sediment cores from the exploration wells, “BH‐1” and “MITI Nankai Trough”, drilled ～60 km off Omaezaki Peninsula in the eastern Nankai Trough, were analyzed for the chloride and sulfate concentrations to examine the depth profiles and occurrence of subsurface gas hydrates. Cored intervals from the seafloor to 310 mbsf were divided into Unit 1 (～70 mbsf, predominated by mud), Unit 2 (70–150 mbsf, mud with thin ash beds), Unit 3 (150–250+ mbsf, mud with thin ash and sand), and Unit 4 (275–310 mbsf, predominated by mud). The baseline level for Cl “concentrations was 540 mM, whereas low chloride anomalies (103 to 223 mM) were identified at around 207 mbsf (zone A), 234–240 mbsf (zone B), and 258–265 mbsf (zone C) in Unit 3. Gas hydrate saturation (Sh %) of sediment pores was calculated to be 60 % (zone A) to 80 % (zones B and C) in sands whereas only a few percent in clay and silt. The total amount of gas hydrates in hydrate‐bearing sands was estimated to be 8 to 10 m³ of solid gas hydrate per m², or 1.48 km³ CH₄ per 1 km². High saturation zones (A, B and C) were consistent with anomaly zones recognized in sonic and resistivity logs. 2D and high‐resolution seismic studies revealed two BSRs in the study area. Strong BSRs (BSR‐1) at ～263 mbsf were correlated to the boundary between gas hydrate‐bearing sands (zone C) and the shallower low velocity zone, while the lower BSRs (BSR‐2) at～289 mbsf corresponded to the top of the deeper low velocity zone of the sonic log. Tectonic uplift of the study area is thought to have caused the upward migration of BGHS. That is, BSR‐1 corresponds to the new BGHS and BSR‐2 to the old BGHS. Relic gas hydrates and free gas may survive in the interval between BSR‐1 and BSR‐2, and below BSR‐2, respectively. Direct measurements of the formation temperature for the top 170 m interval yield a geothermal gradient of ～4.3d?C/ 100 m. Extrapolation of this gradient down to the base of gas hydrate stability yields a theoretical BGHS at～230 mbsf, surprisingly ～35 m shallower than the base of gas hydrate‐bearing sands (zone C) and BSR‐1. As with the double BSRs, another tectonic uplift may explain the BGHS at unreasonably shallow depths. Alternatively, linear extrapolation of the geothermal gradient down to the hydrate‐bearing zones may not be appropriate if the gradient changes below the depths that were measured. Recognition of double BSRs (263 and 289 mbsf) and probable new BGHS (～230 mbsf) in the exploration wells implies that the BGHS has gradually migrated upward. Tectonically induced processes are thought to have enhanced dense and massive accumulation of gas hydrate deposits through effective methane recycling and condensation. To test the hypothetical models for the accumulation of gas hydrates in Nankai accretionary prism, we strongly propose to measure the equilibrium temperatures for the entire depth range down to the free gas zone below predicted BGHS and to reconstruct the water depths and uplift history of hydrate‐bearing area.     

Tectonic rotations during the Chile Ridge collision and obduction of the Taitao ophiolite (southern Chile)

Abstract The < 6 Ma young Taitao ophiolite, exposed at the westernmost promontory of the Taitao Peninsula, is located approximately 40 km southeast of the Chile triple junction and consists of a complete sequence of oceanic lithosphere. Systematic sampling for paleomagnetic study was performed to understand the complex obduction processes of the ophiolite onto the forearc of the South American Plate. Two representative demagnetization paths of remanent magnetization vectors were observed. One is characterized by stable univectorial demagnetization paths and was observed in volcaniclastic rocks and dyke complexes. Orientations of their remanent magnetization vectors indicate various degrees of counterclockwise rotations. The other is characterized by multivectorial demagnetization paths and was observed in the plutonic units (gabbros and ultramafic rocks). From these, two distinct stable remanent magnetization vectors were isolated; one has high coercivity and the other has low coercivity along the demagnetization paths with little influence of viscous magnetizations. This suggests that the complex deformation history involved at least two rotational events. The clockwise rotation, inferred from high coercivity remanent magnetization vectors, was attributed to a ridge collision event and the counterclockwise rotation, inferred from the low coercivity remanent magnetization vectors, was attributed to an accommodation phase into the South American forearc during obduction and final emplacement of the ophiolite. Folds developed during this period. Paleomagnetic restorations of the internal structures of the plutonic units and dyke complexes suggest that they probably originated in a mid‐oceanic ridge environment near a transform fault. The counterclockwise rotation of the plutonic and dyke complex units during the obduction generated tectonic gaps between these and the basement. The volcaniclastic rocks must have been deposited at nearly their present location, filling the tectonic gaps, as less effect of tectonic rotation was identified on these rocks.