Gonadal histology and serum vitellogenin levels of bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus from the Northern Pacific Ocean--absence of endocrine disruption bio-indicators

Endocrine disrupting chemicals such as organochlorines have been detected in a large number of marine fish. Histological observation of the gonads, measurement of serum vitellogenin (VTG) level and of liver polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) content were performed to evaluate the reproductive health and the contamination with endocrine disruptors in bigeye tuna Thunnus obesus, collected in the northern Pacific Ocean in 1999 and 2000. Abnormalities commonly found in species affected by endocrine disruptors such as the presence of oocytes in the testis or elevated serum VTG levels were not found in any of males examined. Both males and females had only small amounts of liver PCB content. The results suggest that currently there is little if any risk of organochlorine contamination or endocrine disruption of gonadal function in bigeye tuna from the northern Pacific Ocean. However, further studies are necessary to evaluate the health status of the open sea fishery resources.     

A Model for the Quiescent Phase of the Recurrent Nova U Scorpii

A theoretical light curve is constructed for the quiescent phase of the recurrent nova U Scorpii in order to resolve the existing distance discrepancy between the outbursts (d approximately 6 kpc) and the quiescences (d approximately 14 kpc). Our U Sco model consists of a very massive white dwarf (WD), an accretion disk (ACDK) with a flaring-up rim, and a lobe-filling, slightly evolved, main-sequence star (MS). The model properly includes an accretion luminosity of the WD, a viscous luminosity of the ACDK, and a reflection effect of the MS and the ACDK irradiated by the WD photosphere. The B light curve is well reproduced by a model of 1.37 M middle dot in circle WD + 1.5 M middle dot in circle MS (0.8-2.0 M middle dot in circle MS is acceptable) with an ACDK having a flaring-up rim and the inclination angle of the orbit i approximately 80&j0;. The calculated color is rather blue (B-V approximately 0.0) for a suggested mass accretion rate of 2.5x10-7 M middle dot in circle yr-1, thus indicating a large color excess of E(B-V) approximately 0.56 with the observational color of B-V=0.56 in quiescence. Such a large color excess corresponds to an absorption of AV approximately 1.8 and AB approximately 2.3, which reduces the distance to 6-8 kpc. This is in good agreement with the distance estimation of 4-6 kpc for the latest outburst. Such a large intrinsic absorption is very consistent with the recently detected period change of U Sco, which is indicating a mass outflow of approximately 3x10-7 M middle dot in circle yr-1 through the outer Lagrangian points in quiescence.     

Methane-induced dolomite “chimneys” on the Kuroshima Knoll, Ryukyu islands, Japan

The Kuroshima Knoll is about 26 km south of Ishigaki Island in the southern part of the Ryukyu Arc. The area is considered to be the source area of “The 1771 Yaeyama Earthquake Tsunami”, which was due to the submarine landslide caused by an earthquake. It has been cleared from some investigations using “Dolphin 3K” and “Shinkai 2000” that there are large-scale dead Calyptogena colonies, many gravels of fallen dolomite chimneys and carbonates on the top of the Knoll [Matsumoto, T., Uechi, C., Kimura, M., 1997; Machiyama, H., Matsumoto, T., Matsumoto, R., Hattori, M., Okano, M., Iwase, R., Tomaru, H., 2001b.]. Carbonates of Kuroshima Knoll have various shapes and macroscopic textures. These have been classified into 4 types; shell crust (pavement), chimney, burrow, and nodule. It is clear that all chimney and burrow carbonates are composed of dolomite, while shell curst and nodule are composed of calcite, sometimes both calcite and dolomite. These carbonates are considered to have been formed by cold seep, because they are characterized by the light carbon isotopic ratio (semi-biogenic) and the heavy oxygen isotopic ratio. This suggests that methane hydrate layers develop under this survey area and the water that has the heavy oxygen and the light carbon isotopic ratio is derived from the dissociation of methane hydrate.     

Seasonal Transition Features of Large-Scale Moisture Transport in the Asian-Australian Monsoon Region

Using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data for the period of 1957-2001, the climatological seasonal transition features of large-scale vertically integrated moisture transport （VIMT） in the Asian-Australian monsoon region are investigated in this paper. The basic features of the seasonal transition of VIMT from winter to summer are the establishment of the summertime ＂great moisture river＂ pattern （named the GMR pattern） and its eastward expansion, associated with a series of climatological events which occurred in some ＂key periods＂, which include the occurrence of the notable southerly VIMT over the Indochina Peninsula in mid March, the activity of the low VIMT vortex around Sri Lanka in late April, and the onset of the South China Sea summer monsoon in mid May, among others. However, during the transition from summer to winter, the characteristics are mainly exhibited by the establishment of the easterly VIMT belt located in the tropical area, accompanied by some events occurring in ＂key periods＂. Further analyses disclose a great difference between the Indian and East Asian monsoon regions when viewed from the meridional migration of the westerly VIMT during the seasonal change process, according to which the Asian monsoon region can be easily divided into two parts along the western side of the Indochina Peninsula and it may also denote different formation mechanisms between the two regions.     

Biostratigraphy and depositional facies of the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary strata in Amakusa-Shimojima,Kyushu, Western Japan

The Upper Himenoura Subgroup exposed in the island of Amakusa-Shimojima, Kyushu, Japan shows an example of the terminal Cretaceous stratigraphic record in the circum Pacific region. This sequence is a part of the Upper Cretaceous intra-arc basins of southwest Japan. Four cycles of upward coarse-graded facies are recognized. Each cycle consists of a basinal mud facies in the lower part and a tide-dominated shallow marine to brackish coarse clastic facies in the upper part. Biostratigraphic correlation chiefly based on ammonites, inocerami and trigoniids indicates that this sequence is Campanian to Maastrichtian in age. The occurrence of the above three fossils decreases upward and is terminated at the top of the sequence, being replaced by a molluscan assemblage similar to the Danian. This suggests that the sedimentation may have continued to the very end of the Cretaceous period and possibly to the beginning of the Tertiary.     

Preliminary assessment of eutrophication by remotely sensed chlorophyll-a in Toyama Bay,the Sea of Japan

Time series of the chlorophyll-a concentration (Chl-a) observed by ocean color satellites from 1998 to 2009 were used to assess eutrophication in Toyama Bay, the Sea of Japan. An overall mean of Chl-a during the 12-year period was used to divide the study area into “high” or “low” Chl-a areas based on a reference condition of 5 mg m^?3. The annual maximum monthly mean Chl-a trend was estimated pixel-wise and its significance examined by the Sen slope test at a 90 % confidence level. By combining the level and trend of remotely sensed Chl-a, Toyama Bay was then classified into six eutrophication states: high-increasing, high-no trend, high-decreasing, low-increasing, low-no trend and low-increasing. Our study indicates that the combined use of both the level and trend of remotely sensed Chl-a can be an efficient method to preliminarily assess eutrophication of coastal waters after a quality screening process with level 2 flags and validation with in situ Chl-a data.     

A 3600 years paleoclimatic change inferred from organic δ13C and TOC/TN of the Gucheng Lake sediments, southeast China

A 6.2 m thick core of Gucheng Lake sediment provided a 3600 years record of climate change. The contents of the TOC in the core changed from 2.63% to 8.48%, and the δ¹³C values of organic matter were from −21.54% to −27.3%. The TOC/TN ratios indicated that the organic materials in sediments were from lake plankton and land-derived plants. The 2.9–22 m core interval with high TOC/TN ratios, low δ¹³C values and low contents of TOC indicated a cold climate stage. The 6.2–5.5 m and 0.4–0.1 m intervals were characterized by low TOC/TN ratios, high δ¹³C values and high contents of TOC, and reflected temperate climate stages. Project 49372129 supported by NSFC.     

Petrological constraints on the formation conditions and retrograde P–T path of the Kotsu eclogite unit, central Shikoku

A largely undocumented region of eclogite associated with a thick blueschist unit occurs in the Kotsu area of the Sanbagawa belt. The composition of coexisting garnet and omphacite suggests that the Kotsu eclogite formed at peak temperatures of around 600 °C synchronous with a penetrative deformation (D1). There are local significant differences in oxygen fugacity of the eclogite reflected in mineral chemistries. The peak pressure is constrained to lie between 14 and 25 kbar by microstructural evidence for the stability of paragonite throughout the history recorded by the eclogite, and the composition of omphacite in associated eclogite facies pelitic schist. Application of garnet‐phengite‐omphacite geobarometry gives metamorphic pressures around 20 kbar. Retrograde metamorphism associated with penetrative deformation (D2) is in the greenschist facies. The composition of syn‐D2 amphibole in hematite‐bearing basic schist and the nature of the calcium carbonate phase suggest that the retrograde P–T path was not associated with a significant increase or decrease in the ratio of P–T conditions following the peak of metamorphism. This P–T path contrasts with the open clockwise path derived from eclogite of the Besshi area. The development of distinct P–T paths in different parts of the Sanbagawa belt shows the shape of the P–T path is not primarily controlled by tectonic setting, but by internal factors such as geometry of metamorphic units and exhumation rates.