Reconstruction of paleotemperatures in the Northwest Pacific over the past 3000 years from δO values of the micro-bivalvia Carditella iejimensis found in a submarine cave

We measured the δ¹⁸O values of the whole shells of the cavernicolous micro-bivalvia Carditella iejimensis obtained from sediments within a submarine cave (31 m water depth) at Ie Island (Okinawa Island, Japan) in the subtropical Northwest Pacific. Our results show no significant millennial-scale trend in the δ¹⁸O record, implying that both springtime temperature and the δ¹⁸O of sea water at 30 m depth around the Okinawa Islands have been stable for the past 3000 years at values similar to those of today. Moreover, we found one exceptionally light δ¹⁸O value from specimens spanning the past 250 years. The δ¹⁸O-derived temperature represents a departure of 2.1 °C from the average value for the past 250 years, being equal to the departure recorded during unusually high temperatures in the spring of 1998. This finding may imply that such high springtime sea surface temperature has been a rare event over the past 3000 years.     

Chemical evidence for the origin of the cold water belt along the northeastern coast of Hokkaido

In the southwestern Okhotsk Sea, the cold water belt (CWB) is frequently observed on satellite images offshore of the Soya Warm Current flowing along the northeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan, during summertime. It has been speculated that the CWB is upwelling cold water that originates from either subsurface water of the Japan Sea off Sakhalin or bottom water of the Okhotsk Sea. Hydrographic and chemical observations (nutrients, humic-type fluorescence intensity, and iron) were conducted in the northern Japan Sea and southwestern Okhotsk Sea in early summer 2011 to clarify the origin of the CWB. Temperature–salinity relationships, vertical distributions of chemical components, profiles of chemical components against density, and the (NO₃ + NO₂)/PO₄ relationship confirm that water in the CWB predominantly originates from Japan Sea subsurface water.     

Anomalously large seismic amplifications in the seafloor area off the Kii peninsula

Seismic wave amplifications were investigated using strong-motion data obtained from the ground’s surface (K-net) on the Kii peninsula (southwestern Japan) and from the network of twenty seismic stations on the seafloor (DONET) located off the peninsula near the Nankai trough. Observed seismograms show that seismic signals at DONET stations are significantly larger than those at K-net stations, independent of epicentral distances. In order to investigate the cause of such amplifications, seismic wavefields for local events were simulated using the finite-difference method, in which a realistic 3D velocity structure in and around the peninsula was incorporated. Our simulation results demonstrate that seismic waves are significantly amplified at DONET stations in relation to the presence of underlying low-velocity sediment layers with a total thickness of up to 10 km. Our simulations also show considerable variations in the degree of amplification among DONET stations, which is attributed to differences in the thickness of the sediment layers. The degree of amplification is relatively low at stations above thin sediment layers near the trough axis, but seismic signals are much more amplified at stations closer to the Kii peninsula, where sediment layers are thicker than those at the trough axis. Simulation results are consistent with observations. This study, based on seafloor observations and simulations, indicates that because seismic signals are amplified due to the ocean-specific structures, the magnitude of earthquakes would be overestimated if procedures applied to data observed at land stations are used without corrections.     

Origin of felsic volcanism in the Izu arc intra-arc rift

An intra-arc rift (IAR) is developed behind the volcanic front in the Izu arc, Japan. Bimodal volcanism, represented by basalt and rhyolite lavas and hydrothermal activity, is active in the IAR. The constituent minerals in the rhyolite lavas are mainly plagioclase and quartz, whereas mafic minerals are rare and are mainly orthopyroxene without any hydrous minerals such as amphibole and biotite. Both the phenocryst and groundmass minerals have felsic affinities with a narrow compositional range. The petrological and bulk chemical characteristics are similar to those of melts from some partial melting experiments that also yield dry rhyolite melts. The hydrous mineral-free narrow mineral compositions and low-Al₂O₃ affinities of the IAR rhyolites are produced from basaltic middle crust under anhydrous low-temperature melting conditions. The IAR basalt lavas display prominent across-arc variation, with depleted elemental compositions in the volcanic front side and enriched compositions in the rear-arc side. The across-arc variation reflects gradual change in the slab-derived components, as demonstrated by decreasing Ba/Zr and Th/Zr values to the rear-arc side. Rhyolite lavas exhibit different across-arc variations in either the fluid-mobile elements or the immobile elements, such as Nb/Zr, La/Yb, and chondrite-normalized rare earth element patterns, reflecting that the felsic magmas had different source. The preexisting arc crust formed during an earlier stage of arc evolution, most probably during the Oligocene prior to spreading of the Shikoku back-arc basin. The lack of systematic across-arc variation in the IAR rhyolites and their dry/shallow crustal melting origin combines to suggest re-melting of preexisting Oligocene middle crust by heat from the young basaltic magmatism.     

Relative influence of biotic and abiotic processes on travertine fabrics,Satono‐yu hot spring,Japan

The relative influences of biotic and abiotic processes on travertine fabrics are still not well understood, despite increasing interest in the last decade to better understand the record of ancient microbial life and sedimentary fabrics in microbial hydrocarbon reservoirs. This study examines travertines at Satono‐yu hot spring in Japan (the temperature of water flowing over the travertine was ca 35°C), to better understand the interaction between depositional, hydrochemical and microbial parameters at different flow settings. Characteristics of the bulk hydrochemistry, mineralogy (exclusively aragonite) and the driving force for precipitation (primarily abiotic CO₂ degassing with some photosynthetic microbial contribution) were similar among all of the flow settings. Conversely, the increase in flow velocity suppressed the influence of photosynthesis and enhanced the abiotic precipitation due to the thinner diffusive boundary layer at the travertine surface–water interface. Additionally, the increase in flow velocity changed the microbial composition and decreased the bacterial diversity by reflecting their adhesion efficiency on the travertine substrate. The acidity of the cyanobacterial sheaths controls the aragonite nucleation rate and the resulting calcification, even at significantly high equilibrium CO₂ partial pressure (ca 22 to 28 matm), high dissolved inorganic carbon concentration (ca 35 to 38 mmol l^?1), and elevated aragonite saturation state (ca 20‐fold to 34‐fold). Therefore, the increase in flow velocity suppresses the microbial influence with respect to the increase in the saturation state, the nucleation site supply and pore space generation. Overall, this results in the predominance of abiotic precipitation under high flow velocities. Consequently, a sparse‐micritic fabric with abundant interlamina porosity forms under lower flow velocity where the microbial influence is effective, while a dense‐sparitic fabric with little inter‐crystalline porosity forms under higher flow velocity where abiotic precipitation prevails. These findings provide an essential base for assessing the formation processes of ancient travertines and comparable deposits from petrological fabrics.     

Assessment of factors influencing groundwater-level change using groundwater flow simulation,considering vertical infiltration from rice-planted and crop-rotated paddy fields in Japan

Assessing factors that influence groundwater levels such as land use and pumping strategy, is essential to adequately manage groundwater resources. A transient numerical model for groundwater flow with infiltration was developed for the Tedori River alluvial fan (140 km²), Japan. The main water input into the groundwater body in this area is irrigation water, which is significantly influenced by land use, namely paddy and upland fields. The proposed model consists of two models, a one-dimensional (1-D) unsaturated-zone water flow model (HYDRUS-1D) for estimating groundwater recharge and a 3-D groundwater flow model (MODFLOW). Numerical simulation of groundwater flow from October 1975 to November 2009 was performed to validate the model. Simulation revealed seasonal groundwater level fluctuations, affected by paddy irrigation management. However, computational accuracy was limited by the spatiotemporal data resolution of the groundwater use. Both annual groundwater levels and recharge during the irrigation periods from 1975 to 2009 showed long-term decreasing trends. With the decline in rice-planted paddy field area, groundwater recharge cumulatively decreased to 61 % of the peak in 1977. A paddy-upland crop-rotation system could decrease groundwater recharge to 73–98 % relative to no crop rotation.     

Orbital signals found in physical and chemical properties of bottom sediments from Lake Baikal

Physical and chemical properties of two 100 m sediment cores (BDP-93-1, 93-2) obtained from the Buguldeika saddle of Lake Baikal in the eastern Siberia and a ¹⁴C-based age scale for the core show that the core bottom is about 400000 years ago and that the changes in the sedimentological environment of the area during the interval were that comparatively coarse and high C/N ratio sediments accumulated in the lake during interglacial periods, and fine material and low C/N ratio during glacial periods. The tentative age scale suggests that the first excursion in the earth's magnetic field at about 26 m (BDP-93-1 and 93-2) from the sediment surface corresponds to the Blake event. Statistical analyses of the data-sets for the some properties show that the fluctuations have distinct periods; 20000 years, 40000 years and 100000 years, that are related to the Milankovitch parameters and support that the tentative age scale is approximately acceptable.     

Spatial variability and correlation of environmental proxies during the past 18,000 years among multiple cores from Lake Pumoyum Co,Tibet, China

Multiple cores from Lake Pumoyum Co, southern Tibet, provide an improved understanding of the spatial distribution of lake sediments, and how well they represent the paleo-climate. Comparative study of these cores using AMS ¹⁴C dating and environmental proxies clarified their relationships with environmental changes. Our work focused on understanding the spatial similarities among cores covering different time scales, and evaluating variations in sedimentary processes across sites. The four studied cores demonstrate different sedimentation rates, but environmental proxies help synchronize the timing of environmental variations. Sediment variables such as total organic carbon (TOC), inorganic carbon (IC), and grain size in different cores correlate well and corroborate changing trends over the past 10,000 cal years. Differences in sedimentation rates and facies among core sites probably result largely from differences in water depth. The core from the deepest site displays the highest average sedimentation rates and the highest accumulation rates of TOC, but lowest content of IC. Two cores from somewhat shallower sites have plant residues in their lower sections and record similar variations in both the number of layers and their depositional ages. Our results do not indicate any significant variation in sedimentation pattern or its related factors among the three sites. A single core from the deepest site could adequately represent the total lake environment over the time span covered. But cores from somewhat shallower sites might reveal important shifts in the environment over a longer time period.     

Sediment routing analyses based on chronological changes in hillslope and riverbed morphologies

Recent studies of sediment delivery and budgets in the United States indicate that upland erosion rates at a given time may not explain contemporaneous sediment yields from a drainage basin. This suggests temporal discontinuities in sediment delivery associated with hillslope and channel storage processes. Integration of sediment production, storage and transport is essential to understand sediment routing in basins. We analysed each process chronologically using aerial photographs, monitoring data of sediment movement and annual tree-rings, and then compared estimated temporal changes in sediment production from hillslopes, floodplain disturbance areas and sediment transport in river channels. Toeslopes, floodplains and alluvial fans together contained 59 per cent of sediment eroded from uplands over the last 30 years. Monitoring results of riverbed changes showed that the volume of stored sediment on floodplains decreased exponentially with succeeding floods. The age distribution of floodplain deposits reflected the disturbance history of a river channel, and followed an exponential decrease with age. The results of this study may have important implications for sediment control plans for watersheds in steep regions.     

Chemical environment for red tides due toChattonella antiqua

In order to assess the roles of Fe and Cu in outbreaks ofChattonella antiqua red tide, concentrations of these metals in the surface seawater were monitored around the Ie-shima Islands in the Seto Inland Sea during the summers of 1986–1988. Bioassay of the surface seawater with respect to Fe and Cu was also conducted using a cultured strain ofC. antiqua.Concentrations of Fe and Cu in the filtered seawater (Fe^F and Cu^F) were in the range of 3.9–10.0 and 9.3–11.2 nM, respectively. The bioassay with respect to Fe revealed that Fe at the surface layer was usually insufficient to support the maximum growth rate ofC. antiqua, except whenC. antiqua was dominant in the field. However, correlations between Fe^F and the growth rate of the control cultures (Fe, EDTA=not enriched; N, P, B₁₂=enriched at optimum levels) were not apparent, probably because Fe^F did not reflect the concentration of available Fe.The bioassay with respect to Cu was coupled with the Cu^F values obtained. The results indicated that Cu at the surface layer was detoxified by complexation with natural organic ligand(s), and that pCu (=minus log of cupric ion activity) was 11.5–11.7, optimum for the growth ofC. antiqua, throughout the survey period. It is suggested that Fe, but not Cu, is a potentially important factor in regulating the natural populations ofC. antiqua in the Seto Inland Sea.