Analytically computed rates of seepage flow into drains and cavities

The known formulae of Freeze and Cherry, Polubarinova–Kochina, Vedernikov for flow rate during 2-D seepage into horizontal drains and axisymmetric flow into cavities are examined and generalized. The case of an empty drain under ponded soil surface is studied and existence of drain depth providing minimal seepage rate is presented. The depth is found exhibiting maximal difference in rate between a filled and an empty drain. 3-D flow to an empty semi-spherical cavity on an impervious bottom is analysed and the difference in rate as compared with a completely filled cavity is established. Rate values for slot drains in a two-layer aquifer are ‘inverted’ using the Schulgasser theorem from the Polubarinova–Kochina expressions for corresponding flow rates under a dam. Flow to a point sink modelling a semi-circular drain in a layered aquifer is treated by the Fourier transform method. For unsaturated flow the catchment area of a single drain is established in terms of the quasi-linear model assuming the isobaric boundary condition along the drain contour. Optimal shape design problems for irrigation cavities are addressed in the class of arbitrary contours with seepage rate as a criterion and cavity cross-sectional area as an isoperimetric restriction. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Consistency and fidelity of Indonesian-throughflow total volume transport estimated by 14 ocean data assimilation products

Monthly averaged total volume transport of the Indonesian throughflow (ITF) estimated by 14 global ocean data assimilation (ODA) products that are decade to multi-decade long are compared among themselves and with observations from the INSTANT Program (2004–2006). The main goals of the comparisons are to examine the consistency and evaluate the skill of different ODA products in simulating ITF transport. The ensemble averaged, time-mean value of ODA estimates is 13.6 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³/s) for the common 1993–2001 period and 13.9 Sv for the 2004–2006 INSTANT Program period. These values are close to the 15-Sv estimate derived from INSTANT observations. All but one ODA time-mean estimate fall within the range of uncertainty of the INSTANT estimate. In terms of temporal variability, the scatter among different ODA estimates averaged over time is 1.7 Sv, which is substantially smaller than the magnitude of the temporal variability simulated by the ODA systems. Therefore, the overall “signal-to-noise” ratio for the ensemble estimates is larger than one. The best consistency among the products occurs on seasonal-to-interannual time scales, with generally stronger (weaker) ITF during boreal summer (winter) and during La Nina (El Nino) events. The scatter among different products for seasonal-to-interannual time scales is approximately 1 Sv. Despite the good consistency, systematic difference is found between most ODA products and the INSTANT observations. All but the highest-resolution (18 km) ODA product show a dominant annual cycle while the INSTANT estimate and the 18-km product exhibit a strong semi-annual signal. The coarse resolution is an important factor that limits the level of agreement between ODA and INSTANT estimates. Decadal signals with periods of 10–15 years are seen. The most conspicuous and consistent decadal change is a relatively sharp increase in ITF transport during 1993–2000 associated with the strengthening tropical Pacific trade wind. Most products do not show a weakening ITF after the mid-1970s’ associated with the weakened Pacific trade wind. The scatter of ODA estimates is smaller after than before 1980, reflecting the impact of the enhanced observations after the 1980s. To assess the representativeness of using the average over a three-year period (e.g., the span of the INSTANT Program) to describe longer-term mean, we investigate the temporal variations of the three-year low-pass ODA estimates. The average variation is about 3.6 Sv, which is largely due to the increase of ITF transport from 1993 to 2000. However, the three-year average during the 2004–2006 INSTANT Program period is within 0.5 Sv of the long-term mean for the past few decades.     

The origin of Zn isotope fractionation in sulfides

Isotope fractionation of Zn between aqueous sulfide, chloride, and carbonate species (Zn²⁺, Zn(HS)₂, , , ZnS(HS)⁻, ZnCl⁺, ZnCl₂, , and ZnCO₃) was investigated using ab initio methods. Only little fractionation is found between the sulfide species, whereas carbonates are up to 1‰ heavier than the parent solution. At pH > 3 and under atmospheric-like CO₂ pressures, isotope fractionation of Zn sulfides precipitated from sulfidic solutions is affected by aqueous sulfide species and the δ⁶⁶Zn of sulfides reflect these in the parent solutions. Under high P_CO2 conditions, carbonate species become abundant. In high P_CO2 conditions of hydrothermal solutions, Zn precipitated as sulfides is isotopically nearly unfractionated with respect to a low-pH parent fluid. In contrast, negative δ⁶⁶Zn down to at least −0.6‰ can be expected in sulfides precipitated from solutions with pH > 9. Zinc isotopes in sulfides and rocks therefore represent a potential indicator of mid to high pH in ancient hydrothermal fluids.     

Rayleigh wave scattering at wedge corners with major wedge angles

Theoretical calculations were performed on reflected and transmitted Rayleigh waves and scattered body waves, in the case where a two-dimensional Rayleigh wave is incident to a wedge-shaped medium having a wedge angle between 250° and 290° and arbitrary value of Poisson ratio. The reflection and transmission coefficients of Rayleigh waves were also experimentally measured in cases of wedges with 190° to 330° wedge angles. The method of theoretical analysis and the techniques of experiment are based on those developed in our preceding research (W-1. W-2 and W-3). Compared with the results where the wedge angle is smaller than 180° (W-1 and W-2), all features show consistent variation with wedge angle.     

Superoxide-mediated Fe(II) formation from organically complexed Fe(III) in coastal waters

Fe(III) complexed by organic ligands (Fe(III)L) is the primary form of dissolved Fe in marine and coastal environments. Superoxide, typically produced in biological and photochemical processes, is one of the reducing agents that contributes to transformation of Fe(III)L to bioavailable, free dissolved Fe(II) (Fe(II)′). In this work, the kinetics of superoxide-mediated Fe(II)′ formation from Fe(III)L in a simulated coastal water system were investigated and a comprehensive kinetic model was developed using citrate and fulvic acid as exemplar Fe-binding ligands. To simulate a coastal environment in laboratory experiments, Fe(III)L samples with various ligand/Fe ratios were incubated for 5 min to 1 week in seawater medium. At each ratio and incubation time, the rate of superoxide-mediated Fe(II)′ formation was determined in the presence of the strong Fe(II) binding ligand ferrozine by spectrophotometrically measuring the ferrous-ferrozine complex generated at a constant concentration of superoxide. The Fe(II)′ formation rate generally decreased with incubation time, as Fe(III)L gradually dissociated to form less reactive Fe(III) oxyhydroxide. However, when the ligand/Fe ratio was sufficiently high, the dissociation of Fe(III)L (and subsequent Fe precipitation) was suppressed and Fe(II)′ was formed at a higher rate. The rate of Fe(II)′ produced during the experiment was explained by the kinetic model. The model confirmed that both the ligand/Fe ratio and incubation time have a significant effect on the pathway via which Fe(II)′ is formed from Fe(III)-fulvic acid complexes.     

First findings of decapod crustacea in the hadal zone

Since the first major hadal sampling efforts in the 1950s, crustaceans of the order Decapoda have been thought absent from the hadal zone (6000–11,000 m) with no representatives documented >5700 m. A baited video lander deployed at 6007, 6890 and 7966 m in the Kermadec Trench, 8798 and 9729 m in the Tonga Trench (SW Pacific), 6945 and 7703 m in the Japan Trench and 5469 m in the Marianas region (NW Pacific) has now revealed a conspicuous presence of the Benthesicymid prawn Benthesicymus crenatus Bate 1881. Decapods were observed at all sites except at 7966 m in the Kermadec Trench and the two Tonga Trench sites, making the deepest finding 7703 m in the Japan Trench, 2000 m deeper than previously thought. These natantian decapods were readily attracted to fish bait and, rather than feeding on the bait itself, were observed preying upon smaller scavenging amphipods. These are the first observations of predation in the hadal zone. In less than 10 h of bottom time, 12 observations of 10 individuals were documented at 6007 m and 5 observations of 3 individuals were documented at 6890 m in the Kermadec Trench. In the Japan Trench at 6945 m 29 observations of 20 individuals were documented whilst only one individual was seen at 7703 m. Two individuals were observed in the abyssal Marianas Region (5575 m). Also, in the Kermadec Trench, individual caridean prawns (Acanthephyra spp.) were observed at 6007 and 6890 m, proving categorically that the crustacean order of Decapoda is represented in the hadal zone.     

Transformation dynamics and reactivity of dissolved and colloidal iron in coastal waters

We have investigated the chemical forms, reactivities and transformation kinetics of Fe(III) species present in coastal water with ion exchange and filtration methods. To simulate coastal water system, a mixture of ferric iron and fulvic acid was added to filtered seawater and incubated for a minute to a week. At each incubation time, the seawater sample was acidified with hydrochloric acid and then applied to anion exchange resin (AER) to separate negatively charged species (such as fulvic acid, its complexes with iron and iron oxyhydroxide coated with fulvic acid) from positively charged inorganic ferric iron (Fe(III)′). By monitoring the acid-induced Fe(III)′ over an hour, it was found that iron complexed by fulvic acid dissociated rapidly to a large extent (86–92% at pH 2), whereas amorphous ferric oxyhydroxide particles associated with fulvic acid (AFO-L) dissociated very slowly with the first-order dissociation rate constants ranging from 6.1 × 10^− 5 for pH 3 to 2.7 × 10^− 4 s^− 1 for pH 2. Therefore, a brief acidification followed by the AER treatment (acidification/AER method) was likely to be able to determine fulvic acid complexes and thus differentiate the complexes from the AFO-L particles (the dissolution of AFO-L was insignificant during the brief acidification). The acidification/AER method coupled with a simple filtration technique suggested that the iron–fulvic acid complexes exist in both the < 0.02 μm and 0.02–0.45 μm size fractions in our coastal water system. The truly dissolved iron (< 0.02 μm) was relatively long-lived with a life-time of 14 days, probably due to the complexation by strong ligands. Such an acid-labile iron may be an important source of bioavailable iron in coastal environments, as a significant relationship between the chemical lability and bioavailability of iron has been well recognised.     

Development of a new operational system for monitoring and forecasting coastal and open-ocean states around Japan

We developed a new system to monitor and forecast coastal and open-ocean states around Japan for operational use by the Japan Meteorological Agency. The system consists of an eddy-resolving analysis model based on four-dimensional variational assimilation and a high (2-km) resolution forecast model covering Japanese coastal areas that incorporates an initialization scheme with temporal and spatial filtering. Assimilation and forecast experiments were performed for 2008 to 2017, and the results were validated against various observation datasets. The assimilation results captured well the observed variability in sea surface temperature, coastal sea level, volume transport, and sea ice. Furthermore, the volume budget for the Japan Sea was significantly improved by the use of the 2-km resolution forecast model compared with the 10-km resolution analysis model. The forecast results indicate that this system has a predictive limit longer than 1 month in many areas, including in the Kuroshio current area south of Japan and the southern Japan Sea. In the forecast results of case studies, the 2017 Kuroshio large meander was well predicted, and warm water intrusions accompanying Kuroshio path variations south of Japan were also successfully reproduced. Sea ice forecasts for the Sea of Okhotsk largely captured the evolution of sea ice in late winter, but sea ice in early winter included relatively large errors. This system has high potential to meet operational requirements for monitoring and forecasting ocean phenomena at both meso- and coastal scales.