The content of selenium and its chemical form in sea water

By using the new fluorometric method of determination of the total selenium ( Se), Se (IV) and Se (VI), the content of selenium in sea weter was determined in the western North Pacific. Results showed that the content of Se in surface water ranged from 0.06 to 0.12g l^–1, while in deeper layers, the content increased to 0.20g l^–1. It was found that Se (IV) showed rather uniform distribution with depth, while Se (VI) increased with depth to about three times that in the surface. The ratio of Se (IV) to the Se ranged from 0.5 to 0.8 in the surface and 0.4 to 0.6 in the deep. The coexistence of the hexa- and tetravalent ions of selenium was confirmed both in surface and deep layers. Some results of observations on the content of selenium in the coastal areas of Japan were also reported.     

A Late Cretaceous mammalian dentary from the Ashizawa Formation (Futaba Group), Fukushima,northeastern Japan

A mammalian dentary discovered in the Coniacian Ashizawa Formation (Fukushima, northeastern Japan) is described. The specimen is a fragment of the horizontal ramus of a left edentulous dentary with five alveoli, the distal four of which are plugged with broken roots. Based on the morphologies of the dentary and the roots, it is considered to be of a therian mammal. This constitutes the first discovery of a Mesozoic mammal in northeastern Japan and highlights the potential for future mammal discoveries in the Cretaceous System in northeastern Japan, which will be significant for disclosure of the mammalian faunal evolution in East Asia during the Late Cretaceous.     

Chlorophyll-specific absorption coefficients and pigments of phytoplankton off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific

The variety in shape and magnitude of thein vivo chlorophyll-specific absorption spectra of phytoplankton was investigated in relation to differences in pigment composition off Sanriku, northwestern North Pacific. Site-to-site variations of the absorption coefficients,a _ph ^* (λ), and pigment composition were clearly observed. At warm-streamer stations, higher values ofa _ph ^* (440) anda _ph ^* (650) were found with relatively high concentrations of chlorophyllb (a green algae marker). At stations located in the Oyashio water (cold streamer),a _ph ^* (440) values were lower and fucoxanthin (a diatom marker) concentrations were higher, compared to the other stations. The peak in the absorption spectra at the Oyashio stations was shifted toward shorter wavelengths, which was probably due to the presence of phaeopigments. In a Kuroshio warm-core ring, the magnitude ofa _ph ^* (440) was in between those at the warm-streamer and Oyashio stations, and the diagnostic pigment was peridinin (a dinoflagellate marker). These findings indicated that major differences in phytoplankton absorption spectra of each water mass were a result of differences in the phytoplankton pigment composition of each water mass, which was probably related to the phytoplankton community.     

Double-planed deep seismic zone and anomalous structure in the upper mantle beneath northeastern Honshu (Japan)

Seismicity located by using the most recent data obtained from the high-gain seismograph network of Tohoku University shows that the deep seismic zone beneath northeastern Honshu, Japan, is composed of two thin planes which are parallel to each other and are 30–40 km apart. Focal mechanisms derived from the earthquakes in the upper plane are reverse-faulting, or, some of them, down-dip compression. As a contrast, those in the lower plane are down-dip extension. The location of the upper boundary of the descending lithospheric slab, inferred from the arrival-time difference between ScS and ScSp waves and from the travel-time anomaly of intermediate-depth earthquakes observed at the small-scale seismic array, coincides exactly with the upper plane of the double-planed deep seismic zone. Anelasticity (1/Q) structure of the upper mantle consists of three distinct zones: a high-Q (Qs− 1500) inclined lithospheric slab, an intennediate-Q (Qs−350) land-side mantle between the Pacific coast and the volcanic front, and a low-Q (Qs − 100) land-side mantle between the volcanic front and the coast of the Japan Sea.The evidence obtained here provides valuable information as to the definition of the type of mechanism producing the plate motion beneath island arcs.     

Biogeochemistry of nitrous oxide in groundwater in a forested ecosystem elucidated by nitrous oxide isotopomer measurements

The biological and physical controls on microbial processes that produce and consume N₂O in soils are highly complex. Isotopomer ratios of N₂O, with abundance of ¹⁴N¹⁵N¹⁶O, ¹⁵N¹⁴N¹⁶O, and ¹⁴N¹⁴N¹⁸O relative to ¹⁴N¹⁴N¹⁶O, are promising for elucidation of N₂O biogeochemistry in an intact ecosystem. Site preference, the nitrogen isotope ratio of the central nitrogen atom minus that of the terminal nitrogen atom, is useful to distinguish between N₂O via hydroxylamine oxidation and N₂O via nitrite reduction.We applied this isotopomer analysis to a groundwater system in a temperate coniferous-forested ecosystem. Results of a previous study at this location showed that the N₂O concentration in groundwater varied greatly according to groundwater chemistry, i.e. NO₃⁻, DOC, and DO, although apportionment of N₂O production to nitrification or denitrification was ambiguous. Our isotopic analysis (δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O) of NO₃⁻ and N₂O implies that denitrification is the dominant production process of N₂O, but definitive information is not derived from δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O analysis because of large variations in isotopic fractionations during production and consumption of N₂O. However, the N₂O site preference and the difference in δ¹⁵N between NO₃⁻ and N₂O indicate that nitrification contributes to total N₂O production and that most measured N₂O has been subjected to further N₂O reduction to N₂. The implications of N₂O biogeochemistry derived from isotope and isotopomer data differ entirely from those derived from conventional concentration data of DO, NO₃⁻, and N₂O. That difference underscores the need to reconsider our understanding of the N cycle in the oxic-anoxic interface.     

Effects of inertial and kinematic interaction on seismic behavior of pile with embedded foundation

Effects of inertial and kinematic forces on pile stresses are studied based on large shaking table tests on pile-structure models with a foundation embedded in dry and liquefiable sand deposits. The test results show that, if the natural period of the superstructure, T_b, is less than that of the ground, T_g, the ground displacement tends to be in phase with the inertial force from the superstructure, increasing the shear force transmitted to the pile. In contrast, if T_b is greater than T_g, the ground displacement tends to be out of phase with the inertial force, restraining the pile stress from increasing. With the effects of earth pressures on the embedded foundation and pile incorporated in, pseudo-static analysis is conducted to estimate maximum moment distribution in pile. It is assumed that the maximum moment is equal to the sum of the two stresses caused by the inertial and kinematic effects if T_b<T_g or the square root of the sum of the squares of the two if T_b>T_g. The estimated pile stresses are in good agreement with the observed ones regardless of the occurrence of soil liquefaction.     

Community Structure and Dynamics of Phytoplankton in the Western Subarctic Pacific Ocean: A Synthesis

The phytoplankton community in the western subarctic Pacific (WSP) is composed mostly of pico- and nanophytoplankton. Chlorophyll a (Chl a) in the <2 μm size fraction accounted for more than half of the total Chl a in all seasons, with higher contributions of up to 75% of the total Chl a in summer and fall. The exception is the western boundary along the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands and the Oyashio region where diatoms make up the majority of total Chl a during the spring bloom. Among the picophytoplankton, picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus are approximately equally abundant, but the former is more important in term of carbon biomass. Despite the lack of a clear seasonal variation in Chl a concentration, primary productivity showed a large seasonal variation, and was lowest in winter and highest in spring. Seasonal succession in the phytoplankton community is also evident with the abundance of diatoms peaking in May, followed by picoeukaryotes and Synechococcus in summer. The growth of phytoplankton (especially >10 μm cell size) in the western subarctic Pacific is often limited by iron bioavailability, and microzooplankton grazing keeps the standing stock of pico- and nano-phytoplankton low. Compared to the other HNLC regions (the eastern equatorial Pacific, the Southern Ocean, and the eastern subarctic Pacific), iron limitation in the Western Subarctic Gyre (WSG) may be less severe probably due to higher iron concentrations. The Oyashio region has similar physical condition, macronutrient supply and phytoplankton species compositions to the WSG, but much higher phytoplankton biomass and primary productivity. The difference between the Oyashio region and the WSG is also believed to be the results of difference in iron bioavailability in both regions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Preparation of a New Geological Survey of Japan Geochemical Reference Material: Coral JCp-1

A new geochemical reference material, coral Porites sp. JCp-1 has been prepared by the Geological Survey of Japan (GSJ). Provisional values for twenty one major, minor and trace elements are presented. The homogeneity tests showed that all elements studied are considered to be homogeneously distributed.     

Origin of calcium in aerosols over the western North Pacific

Weekly aerosol samples were collected from March 1981 to June 1983 at the six stations in the western North Pacific region and analyzed for Ca and Na. By coupling data with those previously reported for Al (Tsunogai et al., 1985), the following results and conclusion have been obtained. There was a positive correlation between the atmospheric concentration of Al and the concentration of nonsea salt Ca (nssCa). The nssCa/Al ratios from the six stations, however, considerably varied (from 0.84±0.36 to 3.00±1.91), and the ratios were usally larger than those of the crustal average or of usual soil in Japan. The Ca/Al ratios of Asian desert soil and loess vary from 0.52 to 1.29, which are similar to the nssCa/Al ratios of aerosols in the surface air over the western North Pacific region except at Onna, Okinawa. The exception may be due to a local effect of coral. These results suggest that a large part of nonsea salt Ca in the surface air over the western North Pacific is derived from arid regions in Asia and that the nssCa/Al ratio in aerosol varies with that of the source material.     

Bathymetric and geochemical investigation of Kawah Ijen Crater Lake, East Java, Indonesia

A bathymetric survey of Kawah Ijen crater lake was conducted by acoustic sounding in 1996 to compare the lake morphology with those measured in 1922, 1925 and 1938, and to calculate the present lake volume. Even though the lake experienced several hydrothermal eruptions, the maximum depth became shallower (182 m) than before (200 m), resulting in a reduced lake volume (3.0×10⁷ m³).Fifty-two major and minor constituents including rare earth elements and polythionates (PT) of the lake waters at various depths were determined by ICP-AES, ICP-MS and HPLC, respectively. These ions except for several volatile elements are taken up by lake fringe through congruent dissolution of pyroclastics of Kawah Ijen volcano. Most ions are homogeneously distributed throughout the lake, although PT showed a considerable vertical variation. Rare earth elements (REE) in the Kawah Ijen water as well as those from other hyper-acidic crater lakes show distribution patterns likely due to the three rock dissolution (preferential, congruent and residual) types, and their logarithmic concentrations linearly depend upon the pH values of the lake waters.Using the PT degradation kinetics data, production rates of PT, injection rates of SO₂ and H₂S into the lake were estimated to be 114, 86 and 30 tons/day, respectively. Also travel time of the spring water at the Banyupahit Riverhead from Kawah Ijen was estimated to be 600–1000 days through the consideration of decreasing rates of PT. Molten sulfur stocks containing Sn, Cu, Bi sulfides and Pb-barite exposed on the inner crater slope were presumed to be extinct molten sulfur pools at the former lake bottom. This was strongly supported by the barite precipitation temperature estimated through the consideration of the temperature dependence of Pb-chlorocomplex formation.