Relationship between cadmium and phosphate in the northwest Pacific Ocean

The relationship between Cd and PO₄ in the Kuroshio and Oyashio regions and the Okhotsk Sea was examined. The resultant equations are as follows: Cd (ng l^–1)=37.0 PO₄ (M)+2.6; Cd(ng l^–1)=32.1 PO₄ (M)+1.2 and Cd (ng l^–1)=34.1 PO₄ (M)+7.9, respectively. These results are in good agreement with previously reported studies, and indicate that during removal from surface waters to deeper waters by biological assimilation and regeneration in deeper waters Cd and PO₄ maintain the same ratio in the open ocean. The relationship between Cd and PO₄ in coastal waters, however, differed from that in the open ocean.     

Ocean Color Satellite Imagery and Shipboard Measurements of Chlorophyll a and Suspended Particulate Matter Distribution in the East China Sea

Satellite-derived ocean color data of Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) on board the Nimbus-7 and Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (OCTS) on board the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite (ADEOS) are jointly used with historical in situ data to examine seasonal and spatial distributions of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) and suspended particulate matter (SPM) concentrations in the East China Sea. Ocean color imagery showed that Chl-a concentrations on the continental shelf were higher than those of the Kuroshio area throughout the year. Satellite-derived Chl-a concentrations are generally in good accordance with historical in situ values during spring through autumn (although no shipboard in situ measurement was conducted at nearshore areas). In contrast, ocean color imagery in winter indicated high Chl-a concentrations (4–10 mg m^–3) on the continental shelf where bottom depth was less than 50 m when surface water was turbid (2–72 g m^–3 of SPM at surface), while historical in situ values were usually less than 1 mg m^–3. This suggests that resuspended bottom sediment due to wind-driven mixing and winter cooling is responsible for the noticeable overestimation of satellite-derived Chl-a concentrations. The algorithm for ocean color needs to be improved urgently for turbid water.     

Lower Cd/P ratio in settling particles than in surface seawater in the Okinawa Trough

The characteristics of the ratios between cadmium (Cd) and phosphorus (P) in settling particles collected from the Okinawa Trough in the East China Sea were examined using a sediment trap, moored at a depth of 811 m for one year. The Cd/P ratios varied within a narrow range throughout the year, in spite of the large seasonal change in the total dry mass, Cd, and P fluxes. The average Cd/P ratio of settling particles was 0.062 (nmol/μmol), which was obviously lower than that of surface seawater around the study site (0.16). This lower ratio in the Okinawa Trough particles collected using the 811 m-moored trap certainly reflected the mixture of biologically produced organic matter around the study site and other components that were mainly transported as lateral flux from the shelf edge and slope area of the East China Sea.     

Relationship between Cd and PO4 in the Subtropical Sea near the Ryukyu Islands

The relationship between dissolved cadmium (Cd) and phosphate (PO₄) was examined at three stations in the subtropical area near the Ryukyu Islands in May 1999. Preformed PO₄ was obtained using the Redfield ratio in order to separate the surface water and the other layers in this study area. Almost 0 μM (−0.043 μM to 0.094 μM) was estimated in the layers above 300 m and 250 m at Sts. 1 and 3 and at St. 2, respectively. Up to these depths, water was considered to be uniform, and these layers were defined as the surface water in this study area. In the surface water, the slopes of the regression lines of the Cd-PO₄ plot were 0.162, 0.156, and 0.226 (nM/μM) at Sts. 1, 2, and 3, respectively, and these values were much closer to the estimated regenerated ratio of Cd to PO₄ from the Apparent Oxygen Utilization (AOU)-Cd/PO₄ plots, which was 0.197 (nM/μM) in this study area. Below surface layers, the slopes of the Cd-PO₄ plot changed to 0.371, 0.352, and 0.362 (nM//μM) at Sts. 1, 2, and 3, respectively. In the relationships between Cd and PO₄, clear deviations or kinks were observed at three stations at a PO₄ concentration of approximately 0.2 μM in the plot, which was attributable to the discontinuity of surface water and the other layers across the North Pacific subtropical mode water. In studies of the interaction between surface water and biogenic particles concerning the Cd/PO₄ ratio, separate analyses of seawater (surface water and the other layers) should be carried out to obtain the individual surface water ratio because the Cd/PO₄ ratio in the surface water is expected to differ from that of the underlying water. Furthermore, the biological fractionation of these constituents is based on the surface water ratio. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A note on internal wavetrains and the associated undulation of the sea surface observed upstream of seamounts

An internal wavetrain, generated by a tidal current in superposition with the Tsushima Warm Current, has been observed by use of an acoustic echo-sounder upstream of the Shichiri-Ga-Sone Seamounts in the East Tsushima Strait of the Japan Sea. The sea surface above the internal wavetrain was simultaneously observed and was found to be undulated at the wavelength of the internal wave.     

Fluid–Sediment Interaction in a Marine Shallow-Water Hydrothermal System in the Wakamiko Submarine Crater, South Kyushu, Japan

The Wakamiko submarine crater is a small depression located in Kagoshima Bay, southwest Japan. Marine shallow‐water hydrothermal activity associated with fumarolic gas emissions at the crater sea floor (water depth 200 m) is considered to be related with magmatic activity of the Aira Caldera. During the NT05‐13 dive expedition conducted in August 2005 using remotely operated vehicle Hyper‐Dolphine (Japan Agency for Marine‐Earth Science and Technology), an active shimmering site was discovered (tentatively named the North site) at approximately 1 km from the previously known site (tentatively named the South site). Surface sediment (up to 30 cm) was cored from six localities including these active sites, and the alteration minerals and pore fluid chemistry were studied. The pore fluids of these sites showed a drastic change in chemical profile from that of seawater, even at 30 cm below the surface, which is attributed to mixing of the ascending hydrothermal component and seawater. The hydrothermal component of the North site is estimated to be derived from a hydrothermal aquifer at 230°C based on the hydrothermal end‐member composition. Occurrence of illite/smectite interstratified minerals in the North site sediment is attributed to in situ fluid–sediment interaction at a temperature around 150°C, which is in accordance with the pore fluid chemistry. In contrast, montmorillonite was identified as the dominant alteration mineral in the South site sediment. Together with the significant low potassium concentration of the hydrothermal end‐member, the abundant occurrence of low‐temperature alteration mineral suggests that the hydrothermal aquifer in the South site is not as high as 200°C. Moreover, the montmorillonite is likely to be unstable with the present pore fluid chemistry at the measured temperature (117°C). This disagreement implies unstable hydrothermal activity at the South site, in contrast to the equilibrium between the pore fluid and alteration minerals in the North site sediment. This difference may reflect the thermal and/or hydrological structure of the Wakamiko Crater hydrothermal system.     

Ground‐shaking mapping for a scenario earthquake considering effects of geological conditions: a case study for the 1995 Hyogo‐ken Nanbu,Japan earthquake

In order to examine the applicability of ground‐shaking mapping techniques to a near‐field earthquake, a peak ground velocity map of the 1995 Hyogo‐ken Nanbu, Japan earthquake computed from seismic zoning methods that consider the effects of geological conditions is compared with the actual observed intensity map. When computing the ground‐shaking map, the site amplification at each site is calculated in terms of the average shear‐wave velocity of the ground estimated from the corresponding geomorphological conditions. This map shows a relatively good agreement with the observed intensity map. However, the computations provide smaller values for certain disastrous areas of the earthquake, where the effects on ground motion of a deep, irregular underground structure have been reported. The effect of such structures on site response is examined implementing 2D FEM analyses, thereby being also incorporated into the method. Results considering the effect of the irregular underground structure show better agreement with the observed intensity map. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.