The geochemistry of lead in rivers,estuaries and the continental shelf of the Southeastern United States

Transport by southeastern rivers has insignificant influence on the lead concentration of southeastern shelf waters. If the rate of mobilization and transport of lead by these rivers is representative of uncontaminated fluvial transport during the Pleistocene, only about 5% of the prehistoric output of lead to the North Atlantic can be accounted for by river input.Lead concentrations in southeastern shelf waters are similar to those of North Atlantic Water from the upper 1000 m, which is probably similar to the intrusion source water for the shelf. Atmospheric inputs to the shelf of the same magnitude as observed for the Western North Atlantic are difficult to reconcile given the residence time of shelf waters and their lead concentration unless the rate of loss of lead to shelf sediments is about the same as the atmospheric flux.     

Evidence for high-Ca boninite magmatism from Paleogene primitive low-K tholeiite, Mukoojima, Hahajima Island group, southern Bonin (Ogasawara) forearc, Japan

Abstract   High-Ca boninitic inclusions are found in primitive low-K tholeiite from Mukoojima (Mukoo-Jima), an islet in the Hahajima Island group, Bonin (Ogasawara) forearc, Japan. While Chichijima Island group, 50 km north of Hahajima Island group, is well known as a type locality of boninite, there has been no report of boninitic rocks from the Hahajima Island group. The high-Ca boninitic inclusions are aphanitic and contain olivine, Ca-rich clinopyroxene, plagioclase, chromian spinel, opaque minerals and dark brown glass. The mode of occurrence of the inclusions and host tholeiite under the microscope indicates mingling of these two magmas, suggesting intimate association in space and time of the boninite and primitive tholeiite magmas around the Hahajima Island group in Paleogene time. Primitive compositions and slightly different Sr and Nd isotopic ratios suggest that these two magmas are derived from two distinct mantle sources. These two mantle sources were present at the same time around the Hahajima Island group, southern Bonin forearc. The source of the high-Ca boninite was higher in water content and/or shallower in depth compared to that of the primitive tholeiite.     

A numerical study of tropospheric ozone in the springtime in East Asia

The Models-3 Community Multi-scale Air Quality modeling system (CMAQ)coupled with the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS)is applied to East Asia to study the transport and photochemical transformation of tropospheric ozone in March 1998．The calculated mixing ratios of ozone and carbon monoxide are compared with ground 1evel observations at three remote sites in Japan and it is found that the model reproduces the observed features very well．Examination of several high episodes of ozone and carbon monoxide indicates that these elevated levels are found in association with continental outflow,demonstrating the critical role of the rapid transport of carbon monoxide and other ozone precursors from the continental boundary layer．In comparison with available ozonesonde data,it is found that the model-calculated ozone concentrations are generally in good agreement with the measurements,and the stratospheric contribution to surface ozone mixing ratios is quite limited．     

Hedonic approaches based on spatial econometrics and spatial statistics: application to evaluation of project benefits

This study discusses the theoretical foundation of the application of spatial hedonic approaches—the hedonic approach employing spatial econometrics or/and spatial statistics—to benefits evaluation. The study highlights the limitations of the spatial econometrics approach since it uses a spatial weight matrix that is not employed by the spatial statistics approach. Further, the study presents empirical analyses by applying the Spatial Autoregressive Error Model (SAEM), which is based on the spatial econometrics approach, and the Spatial Process Model (SPM), which is based on the spatial statistics approach. SPMs are conducted based on both isotropy and anisotropy and applied to different mesh sizes. The empirical analysis reveals that the estimated benefits are quite different, especially between isotropic and anisotropic SPM and between isotropic SPM and SAEM; the estimated benefits are similar for SAEM and anisotropic SPM. The study demonstrates that the mesh size does not affect the estimated amount of benefits. Finally, the study provides a confidence interval for the estimated benefits and raises an issue with regard to benefit evaluation.     

Long-term bottom water warming in the north Ross Sea

We measured potential temperature, salinity, and dissolved oxygen profiles from the surface to the bottom at two locations in the north Ross Sea (65.2°S, 174.2°E and 67.2°S, 172.7°W) in December 2004. Comparison of our data with previous results from the same region reveals an increase in potential temperature and decreases in salinity and dissolved oxygen concentration in the bottom layer (deeper than 3000 m) over the past four decades. The changes were significantly different from the analytical precisions. Detailed investigation of the temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen and σ ₃ value distributions and the bottom water flow in the north Ross Sea suggests a long-term change in water mass mixing balance. That is to say, it is speculated that the influence of cool, saline, high-oxygen bottom water (high-salinity Ross Sea Bottom Water) formed in the southwestern Ross Sea has possibly been decreased, while the influences of relatively warmer and fresher bottom water (low-salinity Ross Sea Bottom Water) and the Adélie Land Bottom Water coming from the Australia-Antarctic Basin have increased. The possible impact of global warming on ocean circulation needs much more investigation.     

Changing grading of soil: effect on critical states

Examples of situations are presented where the grading of a soil changes during its lifetime either by crushing of particles leading to an increase of fine material or by slow transport of fine particles with seepage leading to a decrease of fine material. Such grading changes influence the basic constitutive properties of the soil, in particular properties such as critical states which are dependent on the available range of densities of packing. Discrete element modelling is used to show the dependence of critical state conditions on grading and the way in which the particle assembly seeks out new critical state conditions as the grading changes.     

波流共存场中多向随机波浪传播变形数学模型

基于波作用量守恒方程建立了波流共存场中多向随机波浪传播变形数学模型,模型中考虑了波浪绕射的影响和水流引起的波浪弥散多普勒效应,应用包含水流和地形影响的激破波模式计算波浪破碎的能量耗散,采用一阶上迎风有限差分格式离散控制方程。分别计算了有无近岸流情况下单向和多向随机波浪的波高分布,考虑水流影响的数值计算结果与物理模型实验数据吻合良好,比较分析表明,所建立的数学模型能够复演由于离岸流引起的波高增大,可用于波流共存场多向随机波浪传播变形的模拟和预报。     

Factors controlling regional spatial distribution of 53 elements in coastal sea sediments in northern Japan: Comparison of geochemical data derived from stream and marine sediments

In all, 53 elements were analyzed in 1406 coastal sea sediment samples collected from an area off Hokkaido and the Tohoku region of Japan during a nationwide marine geochemical mapping project. The spatial distribution patterns of the elemental concentrations in coastal seas along with the existing geochemical maps in terrestrial areas were used to define natural geochemical background variation and mass transport processes. The terrestrial area is covered by mafic volcanic rocks and accretionary complexes associated with ophiolite, which has small amounts of felsic volcanic rocks and granite. The spatial distribution patterns of elements enriched in mafic lithologies such as Fe (Total Fe₂O₃) and Sc in marine environments are influenced by adjoining terrestrial materials. The spatial distribution patterns of Cr and Ni concentrations, which are highly abundant in ultramafic rocks on land, are used to evaluate the mass transport from land to the sea and the dispersive processes caused by oceanic currents. The scale of mass transport by oceanic currents occurs up to a distance of 100–200 km from the coast along the coastal areas. The regional differences of elements rich in felsic lithologies such as K (K₂O), Nb and La in marine sediments are determined mainly by the relative proportion of minerals and lithic fragments enriching felsic materials to those associated with mafic materials. The spatial distribution of elemental concentration is not always continuous between the land areas and coastal sea areas. That difference is interpreted as resulting from (1) transportation of marine sediments by oceanic currents and storm waves, (2) contribution of volcanic materials such as tephra, (3) occurrence of shell fragments and foraminifera tests and (4) distribution of relict sediments of the last glacial age and early transgression age. Contamination with Cu, Zn, Cd, As, Mo, Sn, Sb, Hg, Pb and Bi was not observed in marine environments because the study area has little anthropogenic activity. Terrestrial materials are the dominant source for these metals. The Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Hg, Pb and Bi are abundant in silty and clayey sediments locally because of early diagenetic processes, authigenic precipitation and organic substances associated with these elements. The spatial distribution of As concentration shows exceptions: it is concentrated in some coarse and fine sands on the shelf. The enrichment is explained by adsorption of As, sourced from a coal field, to Fe hydroxide.     

Silver in Tokyo Bay estuarine waters and Japanese rivers

Dissolved and particulate concentrations of silver in Tokyo Bay estuarine waters and Japanese rivers were determined in this study. The dissolved silver concentrations in the surface water of Tokyo Bay range from 5.9 to 15.1 pmol kg⁻¹, which is comparable to those in the surface water of the Japan Sea, but two or three times higher than those in the surface water of the open ocean. However, elevated concentrations of dissolved silver are not found in Tokyo Bay compared with those in other highly urbanized estuaries, such as San Francisco Bay (20∼243 pmol kg⁻¹). In the Tokyo Bay estuary, silver typically exhibits non-conservative mixing behavior, which is a common feature in the other estuaries reported previously. Dissolved silver concentrations decrease with salinity from the rivers to the mouth of Tokyo Bay. Silver is efficiently scavenged by suspended particulates, as evidenced by the high conditional distribution coefficients for silver throughout the estuary (log K_d > 5.0 ± 0.6). The silver fluxes into Tokyo Bay via inflowing rivers and atmospheric deposition were estimated as 83 kg y⁻¹ and 15 kg y⁻¹, respectively. A simple budget calculation shows that the silver supplied from rivers and atmosphere must be rapidly scavenged within the Tokyo Bay estuary.     

Possibility of recent changes in vertical distribution and size composition of chlorophyll-a in the western North Pacific region

Our analysis of the last three decades of retrospective data of vertical distributions and size composition of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) over the western North Pacific has revealed significant changes of three indices related to Chl-a during summer season, as follows: (1) decreasing linear trend of the proportion of Chl-a in surface layer to that of the whole water column by 0.4 and 2.3% year⁻¹ in the subtropical area along 137°E (STA₁₃₇) during 1972 to 1997 and in the Kuroshio Extension area along 175°E (KEA₁₇₅) during 1990 to 2001; (2) increasing linear trend of the depth of subsurface Chl-a maximum (DCM) by 0.4 and 2.6 m year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅; and (3) decreasing linear trend of larger-size Chl-a (>3 μm) by 0.1 and 2.5% year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. Water density (σ _θ ) at 75 m depth had also decreased by 0.006 and 0.05 year⁻¹ in STA₁₃₇ and KEA₁₇₅, respectively. The ratio of biogenic opal to biogenic CaCO₃ in the sinking flux decreased by 0.015 year⁻¹ in the subtropical region from 1997 to 2005. These findings may indicate that the subsurface chlorophyll maximum is deepening and larger phytoplankton such as diatoms has been decreasing during the past decade, associated with the decreasing density of surface water caused by warming in the western North Pacific, especially in the summer.