Solution to the rotation of the elastic earth by method of rigid dynamics

Hamiltonian mechanics is applied to the problem of the rotation of the elastic Earth. We first show the process for the formulation of the Hamiltonian for rotation of a deformable body and the derivation of the equations of motion from it. Then, based on a simple model of deformation, the solution is given for the period of Euler motion, UT1 and the nutation of the elastic Earth. In particular it is shown that the elasticity of the Earth acts on the nutation so as to decrease the Oppolzer terms of the nutation of the rigid Earth by about 30 per cent. The solution is in good agreement with results which have been obtained by other, different approaches.     

High-sensitive measurement of uranium LIII-edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) for the determination of the oxidation states of uranium in crustal materials

The uranium L_III-edge XANES spectra for natural rocks at the concentration range of 0.96–124 mg kg⁻¹ were measured using a log spiral bent crystal Laue analyzer (BCLA) combined with a multi-element Ge detector. It was found that the quality of the XANES spectra using the BCLA was greatly improved due to a reduction of interfering fluorescence from major components such as Rb and Sr. The ratio of signal to background intensities in the U L_III-edge XANES spectra increased by a factor of 2.9–17 with the use of the BCLA, which greatly enhanced the detection limit for the speciation of the oxidation states of U or the U(IV)/U(VI) ratio of natural samples. In addition, it was demonstrated that the fluorescence XANES method coupled with the BCLA enable determination of the speciation of U for various natural samples such as acidic igneous rocks, ferromanganese nodules, sediments, and some sedimentary rocks such as shale and limestone.     

Todorokite formation in seawater by microbial mediation

Microbial manganese oxidation in seawater was carried out in enrichment cultures which were obtained from the seawater supply system at the Marine Science Museum, Tokai University (Shimizu-shi, Japan). The manganese oxide formed was well-crystallized todorokite. The major element composition was within the range of marine manganese concretions and the O/Mn molar ratio was 1.8. The conditions for formation of manganese oxide minerals in marine environments are discussed on the basis of these results.     

The role of tidal vortices in material transport around straits

The strong tidal current (tidal jet) in straits generates tidal vortices with a scale of several kilometers. The role of the vortices in material transport was investigated in the Neko Seto Sea, located in the western part of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. A clockwise vortex with a diameter of about 0.8 km was observed in Nigata Bay (lying between two straits, the Neko Seto Strait and the Meneko Seto Strait). It was concluded that the clockwise vortex was the tidal vortex which was generated by the tidal jet in the Meneko Seto Strait. The vortex moved into the bay with the tide, but tended to stay on the sand bank in the bay. It was confirmed by current measurement with an ADCP and turbidity measurement that the secondary convergent flow was generated in the bottom layer of the vortex. This secondary flow seemed to contribute to the formation of the sand bank. It was suggested that tidal vortices may play an important role in the sediment transport and formation of topography in and around straits.     

Preliminary report on radionuclide concentrations in the bottom waters at the entrance of Wakasa Bay with special reference to the Japan Sea Proper Water

Marked fluctuation of concentrations of⁹⁰Sr and¹³⁷Cs was observed in the bottom waters at the entrance of Wakasa Bay during 1987–1992, and the cause was investigated. The concentrations of⁹⁰Sr and¹³⁷Cs in the bottom waters were significantly low when the upper level of the Japan Sea Proper Water (JSPW) was high and covered the sampling depth, but high when the upper level of the JSPW was low. The cause of the fluctuation observed in the bottom waters is, therefore, suggested to be the vertical fluctuation of the upper level of the JSPW on the shelf slope, which has been little described before.     

The chemical composition and nickel,cobalt, copper,zinc and lead contents of Nanao Bay sediments

The contents of major and some of the minor elements, nickel, cobalt, copper, zinc and lead were studied on sediments collected from three inlets of Nanao Bay located at eastern side of Noto Peninsula. Little variation was found on the average contents of silicon, iron, titanium, aluminum, manganese, magnesium and potassium among the sediments of West, South and North Bays in Nanao Bay. Whereas significant difference was found on the contents of calcium, chlorine, sulfur and nitrogen among sediments of three bays.As to the minor elements, the average contents of nickel (20±5 ppm), cobalt (5±1 ppm), copper (18±5 ppm) and lead (17±8 ppm) are relatively low but zinc content is high in these sediments comparing with those of coastal deposit around Japan Island. From the results obtained here, it became clear that no environmental contamination of nickel, cobalt, copper and lead, and a little organic pollution were found in Nanao Bay sediments.     

Metal-organic complexes in seawater pumped up from under the ground

Metal-organic complexes of transition elements removed by Amberlite XAD-2 resin from seawater pumped up from under the ground were determined. The proportions of iron, copper and zinc retained on the resin to dissolved forms of these metals were about 70, 40 and 5%, respectively, while manganese, cobalt and nickel were not retained on the resin. These results suggest that although iron may be retained in colloidal form, a significant fraction of copper is present in some organic form(s).     

Density,biomass and community structure of demersal fishes off the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan

Demersal fish communities were studied on the lower continental shelf and the upper continental slope along the Pacific coast of northeastern Japan. Species composition, number and weight of each species were examined based on otter trawl samples at 45 stations. Mean density and biomass of demersal fishes were 131 ha^–1 and 21 kg ha^–1, respectively. The ten most abundant species comprised of about 95% of total number and weight of overall catch indicating simple species composition. Gadiform fishesTheragra chalcogramma, Gadus macrocephalus andPhysiculus maximowiczi were the most important species by number, weight and frequency of occurrences, and three main community types represented by the three key species were recognized.Theragra-dominant community showed higher density and biomass, and lower diversity thanPhysiculus-dominant community did. Species diversity of demersal fish community was negatively correlated to density and biomass. Density and biomass of demersal fish community were high on the uppermost slope, and the high abundance resulted from low-diversity communities dominated byT. chalcogramma andG. macrocephalus.