Trend analysis and its tectonic implications using digital bathymetric data

Abstract

Quantitative and objective trend analysis of bottom topography in order to detect the tectonic structures has become available by use of the processed Seabeam data. The following two procedures of trend analysis are introduced.

(1) Edge detection procedures in digital image processing are applicable to the analysis of topography for extraction of the lineament of tectonic structures and prediction of the existence of faults based on the digital bathymetric data.

(2) Automatic calculation of water flow using the topographic grid data is used for estimation of not only water flow pattern and volume but also the construction of the ridge or trough axis by calculating the accumulated water volume. This method was also applied to the Seabeam bathymetric data. This is quite useful for detection of offset structures and hidden faults.

These two methods are applied to the topographic data obtained in the North Fiji Basin, which is characterized by active spreading ridges. The regional tectonic structure of the North Fiji Basin was found to be expressed by the topographic trend of the central axis.     

Modeling Local Tidal Constituents Using TOPEX/POSEIDON SSH for the Malaysian Marine Region

A new Local Ocean Tide Model, has been produced for the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Malaysia, which incorporates some of the latest TOPEX/POSEIDON data for the years 1992 to 1998. Local tide gauge data are used as a comparison, along with another leading Global Ocean Tide Model, Ori96. The leading diurnal and semidiurnal constituents M₂, S₂, N₂, K₁, O₁, P₁ and Q₁ are reproduced using TOPEX/POSEIDON Sea Surface Heights (SSH) in a response analysis type least squares derivation following Munk and Cartwright (1966).     

Classification of Tsunami and Evacuation Areas

On March 11, 2011, a large earthquake that occurred offshore the north-east coast of Japan generated a large tsunami which devastated extensive areas of the Tohoku coastline. Despite Japan being considered a country well prepared for these types of disasters, large casualties were recorded, with numerous discussions amongst the Japanese coastal engineering community ensuing. As a result, two different levels of tsunamis have been proposed and now recognized in Japan, depending on the frequency of such extreme events. The idea that hard measures can protect the lives of inhabitants of coastal areas has been abandoned, and these measures are only considered to be effective in protecting properties against the more frequent but lower magnitude events. Soft measures should always be used to protect against the loss of lives, and to this respect, the authors of the paper propose the introduction of a Classification of Evacuation Areas, to show which of these should be prioritized by residents as they seek to evacuate.     

A Portable Membrane Contactor Sampler for Analysis of Noble Gases in Groundwater

To enable a wider use of dissolved noble gas concentrations and isotope ratios in groundwater studies, we have developed an efficient and portable sampling device using a commercially available membrane contactor. The device separates dissolved gases from a stream of water and collects them in a small copper tube (6 mm in diameter and 100 mm in length with two pinch‐off clamps) for noble gas analysis by mass spectrometry. We have examined the performance of the sampler using a tank of homogeneous water prepared in the laboratory and by field testing. We find that our sampling device can extract heavier noble gases (Ar, Kr, and Xe) more efficiently than the lighter ones (He and Ne). An extraction time of about 60 min at a flow rate of 3 L/min is sufficient for all noble gases extracted in the sampler to attain equilibrium with the dissolved phase. The extracted gas sample did not indicate fractionation of helium (³He/⁴He) isotopes or other noble gas isotopes. Field performance of the sampling device was tested using a groundwater well in Vienna and results were in excellent agreement with those obtained from the conventional copper tube sampling method.     

Improvement of GPS/acoustic seafloor positioning precision through controlling the ship’s track line

The precision of GPS/acoustic seafloor positioning was improved by introducing a hull-mounted onboard system in March 2008, which allows us to conduct acoustic ranging measurements with the vessel sailing along the pre-determined track lines, while the early system before 2008 could only adopt the uncontrollable drifting observation. The continuity of the positioning results due to the transition was first confirmed through the comparison between results from sailing and drifting observations conducted in parallel. Using the data acquired for about 3 years since 2008, the repeatability of the determined position for the sailing observation was evaluated to be about 2 cm in root mean squares in the horizontal component, significantly better than that for the early drifting observation. The improvement of positioning precision probably resulted from the improvement of geometric distribution of acoustic ranging data by controlling the track lines. It was also shown that the sailing observation allows to obtain reliable results with a smaller amount of data. Comparison between the results in different sea regions suggests that positioning precision is better in the region along the Nankai Trough than in the region along the Japan Trench, probably because of the complicated acoustic velocity structure of seawater often observed in the latter. Furthermore, the precision of height determination was also improved, which leads us to expect that vertical crustal movement will be detectable in the future through accumulation of data as well as further technology development.     

Lagrangian singularities of steady two-dimensional flow

The Lagrangian complex-space singularities of the steady Eulerian flow with stream function sin x ₁ cos x ₂ are studied by numerical and analytical methods. The Lagrangian singular manifold is analytic. Its minimum distance from the real domain decreases logarithmically at short times and exponentially at large times.     

Transport process of sand grains from fluvial to deep marine regions estimated by luminescence of feldspar: example from the Kumano area,central Japan

Using the concept of bleaching in optical dating, a new index of sediment sample bleaching percentage (BLP‐2) was developed and applied to evaluate sand grain transport from riverine to deep‐marine environments. As bleached grains in modern sediments have no optically stimulated luminescence (OSL)/infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal, bleached and unbleached feldspar grains are distinguished by IRSL intensity. The BLP‐2 distribution of present deposits around the Kumano area, on the Pacific coast of central Japan, suggests that sand grains in surface turbidites obtained from the bottom of the Kumano Trough are of flood/storm origin rather than seismogenic origin. The distribution of BLP‐2 tentatively suggests sand grain erosion–transport–depositional processes; for example, origin and transport agencies of shelf sand, and influence of coastal erosion on the beach deposit. Although the present BLP analysis is not yet supported by a rigorous statistical test, it is useful to distinguish recent deposition and remobilization of sand grains. Furthermore, if the depositional age and the luminescence age of sand grains are accurately estimated, sand grain transport processes of old (late Quaternary) sediments may be estimated by the methodology similar to that of the present study.     

Chronological and paleoceanographic constraints of Miocene to Pliocene ‘mud sea’ in the Ryukyu Islands (southwestern Japan) based on calcareous nannofossil assemblages

The Cenozoic sedimentary succession in Okinawa‐jima, including the upper Miocene to Pleistocene siliciclastic deposits (Shimajiri Group) and the Pleistocene reef to shelf deposits (Ryukyu Group), suggests a drastic paleoceanographic change from a ‘mud sea’ to a ‘coral sea.’ To delineate the paleoceanographic evolution of the mud sea, we quantified the stratigraphic distribution of the calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Shimajiri Group in a 2119.49 m‐deep well (Nanjo R1 Exploratory Well) drilled in southern Okinawa‐jima (Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan). Four late Miocene and Pliocene datum planes were found in the studied interval: the first occurrence of Amaurolithus spp. (7.42 Ma), the last occurrence of Discoaster quinqueramus (5.59 Ma), the first occurrence of Ceratolithus rugosus (5.12 Ma), and the last occurrence of Reticulofenestra pseudoumbilicus (3.70 Ma). The calcareous nannofossil assemblages from the Tomigusuku Formation and the lower part of the Yonabaru Formation are characterized by a lower total number of coccoliths and abundant Sphenolithus abies that is associated, at times, with common Discoaster spp. Overall, these suggest the existence of oligotrophic conditions between 5.3 and >8.3 Ma. The total number of coccoliths increased and small Reticulofenestra spp. became more common in the middle part of the Yonabaru Formation, suggesting that eutrophic conditions were present between 3.5 and 5.3 Ma. The rare occurrence of calcareous nannofossils in the upper part of the Yonabaru Formation indicates a return to oligotrophic conditions at 3.5 Ma. Micropaleontological evidence suggests that these oceanographic changes were likely caused by local tectonic movement (shallowing of the sedimentary basin in which the Shimajiri Group was deposited).     

International borders, ground water flow, and hydroschizophrenia

A substantial body of research has been conducted on transboundary water, transboundary water law, and the mitigation of transboundary water conflict. However, most of this work has focused primarily on surface water supplies. While it is well understood that aquifers cross international boundaries and that the base flow of international river systems is often derived in part from ground water, transboundary ground water and surface water systems are usually managed under different regimes, resulting in what has been described as "hydroschizophrenia." Adding to the problem, the hydrologic relationships between surface and ground water supplies are only known at a reconnaissance level in even the most studied international basins, and thus even basic questions regarding the territorial sovereignty of ground water resources often remain unaddressed or even unasked. Despite the tensions inherent in the international setting, riparian nations have shown tremendous creativity in approaching regional development, often through preventive diplomacy, and the creation of "baskets of benefits," which allow for positive-sum, integrative allocations of joint gains. In contrast to the notion of imminent water wars, the history of hydropolitical relations worldwide has been overwhelmingly cooperative. Limited ground water management in the international arena, coupled with the fact that few states or countries regulate the use of ground water, begs the question: will international borders serve as boundaries for increased "flows" of hydrologic information and communication to maintain strategic aquifers, or will increased competition for shared ground water resources lead to the potential loss of strategic aquifers and "no flows" for both ground water users?