Time-series sediment trap record of alkenones from the western Sea of Okhotsk

C₃₇–C₃₉ alkenones were measured in time-series sediment trap samples collected from August 1998 to June 2000 at two depths in the seasonal sea ice region of the western Sea of Okhotsk, off Sakhalin, in order to investigate alkenone production and water-column processes in the region. Measurable export fluxes of alkenones are ranged from < 0.1 to 5.8 μg/m²/day and clearly showed that the alkenone production was restricted to autumn. In 1998, maximum export flux of alkenones occurred in September when surface water column was well stratified with low nutrients in the surface mixing layer. In the next year, the maximum flux is observed in October. Comparison between alkenone temperature and satellite based sea surface temperature (SST) shows that the estimated alkenone temperatures in August 1998 were found to be  10 °C lower than the temporal satellite SST, suggesting that alkenones are produced in surface to subsurface thermocline layers during the period. Annual mean flux of alkenones is lower in the lower traps than that of the upper traps, suggesting rapid degradation of alkenones in water column, but the U^K₃₇′ value is not significantly altered. This study indicates that U^K₃₇′ values preserved in the surface sediments off Sakhalin reflect the seasonal temperature signal of near surface water, rather than annual mean surface temperature.     

Polyunsaturated fatty acids in a lacustrine sediment as a possible indicator of paleoclimate

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (C_18:2 and C_18:3ω3 were analyzed in the upper 20m layer of a 200 m long sediment core taken from Lake Biwa. Concentration maxima occur in layers at depths of 0.2, 1–5, 11–12, and 16m. The vertical changes in the $\text{(C}{}_{\mathrm{18:2}}\text{C(C}{}_{\mathrm{18:0}}$ ratio appear to correlate with paleoclimatic condition suggested from palynological evidence. On the basis of $\text{C}{}_{\mathrm{18:2}}\text{C}{}_{\mathrm{18:0}}$ ratios, it was suggested that it has been colder at 200, 1000–4000, 15,000 and 20,000 yr BP than at other times.     

Fine structure of laboratory wind-wave surfaces studied using an optical method

The fine structure of laboratory wind-wave surfaces was investigated using an optical method. Several characteristic structures, closely associated with wind speed and the stage of development of the waves, are described. A parallel light, incident on the wind-wave surface, was backscattered by specular facets perpendicular to the incident angle. These specular facets, which represented the fine structures, were photographed and quantitatively analyzed by image processing techniques.For wind speeds ranging from 3.6 to 13.6 m s^–1, different types of small-scale undulations appeared: a three-dimensional rhombic structure; a train of capillary waves on the forward face with wavelengths gradually decreasing with distance from the crest, and a streaky structure on the backward face in the direction of the wind; and random and wide-spreading irregularities covering the whole wind-wave surface. The spatial scales and temporal variation of the undulations are described.     

Fatty acid geochemistry of a 200 m sediment core from Lake Biwa,Japan. Early diagenesis and paleoenvironmental information

Fatty acids (FAs), β- and ω-hydroxy acids, α,ω-dicarboxylic acids and n-alkanes were studied in a 200 m sediment core taken from Lake Biwa, Japan. FAs showed bimodal distribution with peaks at C₁₆ and C₂₂-C₂₈. Their distribution patterns clearly changed with depth from lower molecular weight (C₁₂-C₁₉) predominance to higher molecular weight (C₂₀-C₃₂) predominance in the upper 20 m interval. Analyses of related compounds (β- and ω-hydroxy acids and α, ω-dicarboxylic acids) suggest that β- and ω-oxidative degradation of C₁₂-C₁₉ FAs has occurred in the sediments.The ratio of bound C₁₂-C₁₉ to unbound FAs increases with depth in the upper 0–1 m sediments, suggesting that unbound FAs are more labile. However, the ratio varies significantly in deeper sections and may be associated with water temperature.In the sediments deeper than 20 m in depth, C₁₂-C₁₉ FAs gradually decrease. On the other hand, higher molecular weight FAs (HFAs: C₂₀-C₃₂), which were probably derived from terrestrial plants, increase in concentration from 20 m to 100 m, suddenly decrease at 100 m and show progressively lower concentration in deeper sediments. These fluctuations are interpreted in relation to paleolimnological changes of the lake and the drainage basin. ω-Hydroxy C₂₀-C₃₀ acids and C₂₀-C₃₀α, ω-dicarboxylic acids show a distribution pattern similar to HFAs. Branched chain FAs, ω-hydroxy acids and C₉-C₁₉α,ω-dicarboxylic acids show a major peak around 3–15 m in depth. This peak is probably caused by increased bacterial activity in the water column and surface sediments in the past, which may be associated with an increase in primary production of the lake.     

Thermal structure of hot events and their possible role in maintaining the warm isothermal layer in the Western Pacific warm pool

Ocean Dynamics - The short-lived events of high SST are called hot events (HEs) and can only be generated under the conditions of large daily heat gain due to strong solar radiation and weak wind....     

Modeling of the branches of the Tsushima Warm Current in the Eastern Japan Sea

The branches of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) are realistically reproduced using a three-dimensional ocean general circulation model (OGCM). Simulated structures of the First Branch and the Second Branch of the TWC (FBTWC and SBTWC) in the eastern Japan Sea are mainly addressed in this study, being compared with measurement in the period September–October 2000. This is the first numerical experiment so far in which the OGCM is laterally exerted by real volume transports measured by acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) through the Tsushima Straits and the Tsugaru Strait. In addition, sea level variation measured by tide-stations along the Japanese coast as well as satellite altimeters is assimilated into the OGCM through a sequential data assimilation method. It is demonstrated that the assimilation of sea level variation at the coastal tide-stations is useful in reproducing oceanic conditions in the nearshore region. We also examine the seasonal variation of the branches of the TWC in the eastern Japan Sea in 2000. It is suggested as a consequence that the FBTWC is continuous along northwestern Honshu Island in summertime, while it degenerates along the coast between the Sado Strait and the Oga Peninsula in other seasons. On the other hand, a mainstream of the SBTWC exists with meanders and eddies in the offshore region deeper than 1000 m to the north of the Sado Island throughout the year.     

A Review on the Currents in the South China Sea: Seasonal Circulation, South China Sea Warm Current and Kuroshio Intrusion

Researches on the currents in the South China Sea (SCS) and the interaction between the SCS and its adjacent seas are reviewed. Overall seasonal circulation in the SCS is cyclonic in winter and anticyclonic in summer with a few stable eddies. The seasonal circulation is mostly driven by monsoon winds, and is related to water exchange between the SCS and the East China Sea through the Taiwan Strait, and between the SCS and the Kuroshio through the Luzon Strait. Seasonal characteristics of the South China Sea Warm Current in the northern SCS and the Kuroshio intrusion to the SCS are summarized in terms of the interaction between the SCS and its adjacent seas.     

A-HIGHERS—The System to Produce the High Spatial Resolution Sea Surface Temperature Maps of the Western North Pacific Using the AVHRR/NOAA

To study on the oceanic variations in the western North Pacific, we developed a system to produce a high spatial resolution sea surface temperature (SST) map from the data obtained by the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellites. As the system has been improved on the HIGHERS (Sakaida and Kawamura, 1996), it is called the Advanced-HIGHERS (A-HIGHERS). The A-HIGHERS has been developed on the super computer in the Tohoku University, which is favorable for handling of a large volume of data. Mainly because of improvements in the cloud detection algorithm, the A-HIGHERS can deal with the data obtained at dawn and dusk around the year, and at daytime in summer more effectively. The A-HIGHERS are used to produce SST maps spanning from (60°N, 120°E) to (20°N, 160°E) with a grid size of 0.01 degree.     

Evidences of increasing primary production in the ocean by Stommel's perpetual salt fountain

The American physical oceanographer Henry Stommel and co-workers proposed “the perpetual salt fountain” and suggested the possibility of upwelling deep seawater without an energy source. In the open ocean, deep seawater containing rich nutrients becomes a source of primary production. Previously, we have tested Stommel's hypothesis by numerical simulations and in ocean experiments, and confirmed the upwelling of a perpetual salt fountain. In the present study, we conducted an open-ocean experiment in the Philippines Sea, and succeeded to demonstrate an increase in chlorophyll concentration. The chlorophyll concentration at the pipe outlet was much greater than that in the surrounding seawater. Satellite ocean-color image around the pipe was analyzed, and the signal of artificial upwelling is investigated. Composite analysis of satellite chlorophyll image indicates an increased surface chlorophyll distribution in the vicinity of pipe position, in which the increasing signal is much larger than the expected production based on nutrient supply. Although the problem must be further discussed, this increased signal is shown to be statistically significant. This mechanism may contribute to effective utilization of fishery resources in subtropical oligotrophic region.