Comparison of vegetation changes along grazing gradients with different numbers of livestock

The objective of this study was to clarify whether the changes in percent cover of plant functional types (i.e., life forms and growth forms) along a grazing gradient reflect the livestock number, which would reinforce the reliability of using a grazing gradient design and improve the management of rangeland. We selected two livestock camps that for many years have had different numbers of livestock, with approximately six times more sheep-equivalents at site 1 than at site 2. Vegetation was sampled in 10 quadrats on five transects along the grazing gradient at each site. In each quadrat, we recorded percent cover of each plant species. Our findings suggested that vegetation changes along the grazing gradient under different livestock numbers were characterized by changes in the cover of life forms: perennial species were replaced by annual species near the camps (10–50 m). However, we did not find growth form change that reflected the difference in the number of livestock.     

Optical properties of the red tide in Isahaya Bay,southwestern Japan: Influence of chlorophyll a concentration

Remote sensing reflectance [R _rs(λ)] and absorption coefficients of red tides were measured in Isahaya Bay, southwestern Japan, to investigate differences in the optical properties of red tide and non-red tide waters. We defined colored areas of the sea surface, visualized from shipboard, as “red tides”. Peaks of the R _rs(λ) spectra of non-red tide waters were at 565 nm, while those of red tides shifted to longer wavelengths (589 nm). The spectral shape of R _rs(λ) was close to that of the reciprocal of the total absorption coefficient [1/a(λ)], implying that the R _rs(λ) peak is determined by absorption. Absorption coefficients of phytoplankton [a _ph(λ)], non-pigment particles and colored dissolved organic matter increased with increasing chlorophyll a concentration (Chl a), and those coefficients were correlated with Chl a for both red tide and non-red tide waters. Using these relationships between absorption coefficients and Chl a, variation in the spectrum of 1/a(λ) as a function of Chl a was calculated. The peak of 1/a(λ) shifted to longer wavelengths with increasing Chl a. Furthermore, the relative contribution of a _ph(λ) to the total absorption in red tide water was significantly higher than in non-red tide water in the wavelength range 550–600 nm, including the peak. Our results show that the variation of a _ph(λ) with Chl a dominates the behavior of the R _rs(λ) peak, and utilization of R _rs(λ) peaks at 589 and 565 nm may be useful to discriminate between red tide and non-red tide waters by remote sensing.     

Circulation on the north central Chukchi Sea shelf

Mooring and shipboard data collected between 1992 and 1995 delineate the circulation over the north central Chukchi shelf. Previous studies indicated that Pacific waters crossed the Chukchi shelf through Herald Valley (in the west) and Barrow Canyon (in the east). We find a third branch (through the Central Channel) onto the outer shelf. The Central Channel transport varies seasonally in phase with Bering Strait transport, and is 0.2 Sv on average, although some of this might include water entrained from the outflow through Herald Valley. A portion of the Central Channel outflow moves eastward and converges with the Alaskan Coastal Current at the head of Barrow Canyon. The remainder appears to continue northeastward over the central outer shelf toward the shelfbreak, joined by outflow from Herald Valley. The mean flow opposes the prevailing winds and is primarily forced by the sea-level slope between the Pacific and Arctic oceans. Current variations are mainly wind forced, but baroclinic forcing, associated with upstream dense-water formation in coastal polynyas might occasionally be important.Winter water-mass modification depends crucially on the fall and winter winds, which control seasonal ice development. An extensive fall ice cover delays cooling, limits new ice formation, and results in little salinization. In such years, Bering shelf waters cross the Chukchi shelf with little modification. In contrast, extensive open water in fall leads to early and rapid cooling, and if accompanied by vigorous ice production within coastal polynyas, results in the production of high-salinity (>33) shelf waters. Such interannual variability likely affects slope processes and the transport of Pacific waters into the Arctic Ocean interior.     

Electron beam emission from the EXOS-B (JIKIKEN) satellite as a powerful diagnostic tool in the magnetosphere

In an electron beam emission experiment on board the EXOS-B (JIKIKEN) satellite (200 V, 1 mA-maximum), several types of waves are strongly excited by the beam such as plasma frequency, upper hybrid frequency, electron cyclotron frequency, their harmonics and nonlinear coupling of these waves. Measurements of these waves give information on local plasma density and magnetic field strength and it is revealed that the electron beam emission from the spacecraft is a powerful diagnostic tool in the magnetosphere. A long term observation in this electron beam experiment has provided us with the average plasma density profile in the magnetosphere. It is also useful for the detection of the plasmapause. Plasma density measurements down to the order of 10 cm^–3 are possible. The instrument itself is very simple and compact, so that it will be a powerful plasma diagnostic tool in future magnetospheric and planetary explorations.     

Periodic response of a rigid block resting on a footing subjected to harmonic excitation

This study presents the dynamic behaviour of a rigid block which rests on a footing supported by a spring and a dashpot on a rigid base. The response of the rigid body is examined carefully when the base is excited by a harmonic force. It is found that a periodic motion appears in three different modes: stick-stick, stick-slip and slip-slip. The conditions that initiate the stick-stick and slip-slip modes are derived in explicit forms and the maximum sliding displacement is also obtained analytically. Useful dimensionless parameters are proposed for the presentation of the dynamic behaviour. The accuracy of results is confirmed by the response history computed by the Nigam-Jennings method.     

The Cretaceous Ofuku Pluton and Its Relation to Mineralization in the Western Akiyoshi Plateau,Yamaguchi Prefecture,Japan

The relationship between the magmatism of the Cretaceous Ofuku pluton and mineralization in and around the Akiyoshi Plateau, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan was investigated using a combination of field observation, petrographic and geochemical analyses, K–Ar geochronology, and fluid inclusion data. The Ofuku pluton has a surface area of 1.5 × 1.0 km, and was intruded into the Paleozoic accretionary complexes of the Akiyoshi Limestone, Ota Group and Tsunemori Formation in the western part of the Akiyoshi Plateau. The pluton belongs to the ilmenite‐series and is zoned, consisting mainly of early tonalite and granodiorite that share a gradational contact, and later granite and aplite that intruded the tonalite and granodiorite. Harker diagrams show that the Ofuku pluton has intermediate to silicic compositions ranging from 60.4 to 77.9 wt.% SiO₂, but a compositional gap exists between 70.5 to 73.4 wt.% SiO₂ (anhydrous basis). Modal and chemical variations indicate that the assumed parental magma is tonalitic. Quantitative models of fractional crystallization based on mass balance calculations and the Rayleigh fractionation model using major and trace element data for all crystalline phases indicate that magmatic fractionation was controlled mainly by crystal fractionation of plagioclase, hornblende, clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene at the early stage, and quartz, plagioclase, biotite, hornblende, apatite, ilmenite and zircon at the later stage. The residual melt extracted from the granodiorite mush was subsequently intruded into the northern and western parts of the Ofuku pluton as melt lens to form the granite and aplite. The age of the pluton was estimated at 99–97 Ma and 101–98 Ma based on K–Ar dating of hornblende and biotite, respectively. Both ages are consistent within analytical error, indicating that the Ofuku pluton and the associated Yamato mine belong to the Tungsten Province of the San‐yo Belt, which is genetically related to the ilmenite‐series granitoids of the Kanmon to Shunan stages. The aplite contains Cl‐rich apatite and REE‐rich monazite‐(Ce), allanite‐(Ce), xenotime and bastnäsite‐(Ce), indicating that the residual melt was rich in halogens and REEs. The tonalite–granodiorite of the Ofuku pluton contains many three‐phase fluid inclusions, along with daughter minerals such as NaCl and KCl, and vapor/liquid (V/L) volume ratios range from 0.2 to 0.9, suggesting that the fluid was boiling. In contrast, the granite and aplite contain low salinity two‐phase inclusions with low V/L ratios. The granodiorite occupies a large part of the pluton, and the inclusions with various V/L ratios with chloride daughter minerals suggest the boiling fluids might be related to the mineralization. This fluid could have carried base metals such as Cu and Zn, forming Cu ore deposits in and around the Ofuku pluton. The occurrence and composition of fluid inclusions in the igneous rocks from the Akiyoshi Plateau are directly linked to Cu mineralization in the area, demonstrating that fluid inclusions are useful indicators of mineralization.     

The calibrated map of the HII region S237 in Hα emission

The difference of spatial distributions between the O-type stars, supernovae and red giant stars found by Riekeet al. (1980) in the nuclear region of M82 can be interpreted if the star formation has been triggered by shock waves expanding from the nucleus with velocities of 100 km s^–1 at 300 pc from the centre and if the explosions have recurrently occurred with time interval of about 2×10⁶ yr. The recurrent formation of such giant compressed gas layer makes the formation rate of massive stars efficient.     

Interannual variability and predictability of summertime significant wave heights in the western north pacific

We propose and validate a linear regression model which enables us to predict the summer (June–August) mean of the monthly 90th percentile of significant wave heights (H₉₀) in the western North Pacific (WNP). The most prevailing interannual variability of H⁹⁰ is identified by applying an Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis to H⁹⁰ obtained from the ERA-40 wave reanalysis as well as from the optimally interpolated TOPEX/Poseidon (OITP) wave data. It is found that the increase of H⁹⁰ is correlated with cyclonic circulation in the WNP which links with warm SST anomalies in the Niño-3.4 region. We adopt zonal wind anomaly averaged over the region 5°N–15°N, 130°E–160°E (U^10N) as a predictor of the first principal component (PC1) of H⁹⁰, since U^10N is closely correlated with the PC1 of H⁹⁰. It is revealed that regression models obtained from two different wave datasets are nearly identical. The predictability of the regression model is assessed in terms of the reduction of the root-mean-square (rms) errors between H⁹⁰ and the reconstructed data. The predictor is found to be successful in reducing the rms errors by up to 40% for the ERA-40 wave reanalysis and by up to 70% for the OITP wave data within the latitudinal band 10°N–25°N, though rms errors exceeding 0.3 m still remain, particularly in the East China Sea.     

Autumn atmospheric preconditioning for interannual variability of wintertime sea-ice in the Okhotsk Sea

Relations in year-to-year variability between wintertime Sea-Ice Concentrations (SICs) in the Okhotsk Sea and atmospheric anomalies consisting of zonal and meridional 1000-hPa wind speeds and 850-hPa air temperatures are studied using a singular value decomposition analysis. It is revealed that the late autumn (October–November) atmospheric conditions strongly influence sea-ice variability from the same season (late autumn) through late winter (February—March), in which sea-ice extent is at its maximum. The autumn atmospheric conditions for the positive sea-ice anomalies exhibit cold air temperature anomalies over the Okhotsk Sea and wind anomalies blowing into the Okhotsk Sea from Siberia. These atmospheric conditions yield anomalous ocean-to-atmosphere heat fluxes and cold sea surface temperature anomalies in the Okhotsk Sea. Hence, these results suggest that the atmospheric conditions affect the sea-ice through heat anomalies stored in sea-ice and oceanic fields. The late autumn atmosphere conditions are related to large 700-hPa geopotential height anomalies over the Bering Sea and northern Eurasia, which are related to a stationary Rossby wave propagation over the North Pacific and that from the North Atlantic to Eurasia, respectively. In addition, the late autumn atmospheric preconditioning also plays an important role in the decreasing trend in the Okhotsk sea-ice extent observed from 1980 to the mid-1990s. Based on the lagged sea-ice response to the late autumn atmosphere, a simple seasonal prediction scheme is proposed for the February–March sea-ice extent using four-month leading atmospheric conditions. This scheme explains 45% of the variance of the Okhotsk sea-ice extent.     

Testing of a towed CTD

The results of laboratory and field experiments on a CTD measuring unit attached to a controllable towed body is described. It was verified that the three-dimensional distribution of salinity and temperature could be observed with sufficient accuracy (to 0.03 in salinity and to 0.01°C in temperature if proper correction is adopted) while cruising at up to 4 knots. A double integrated A/D converter is used to compensate for effects of extraneous environmental changes.