Sedimentation of terrigenous red soils in coastal area adjacent to an estuary and coral reefs,the Okkubi River estuary,Okinawa Island,Japan

Sedimentation process of fine-grained terrigenous red soils was observed on the seafloor by coral reefs near an estuary using a paired mooring of turbidity meter and sediment trap or a mooring of sediment trap and current meter. Silty clays contained in the bottom calcareous sands were mainly resuspended and trapped in both surface and bottom layer traps, at noncatastrophic normal sedimentation periods. In addition, silty clays were supplied to this mooring site by inflowing river. Turbidity and the flux rate determined by sediment traps show certain relationship accompanied with the coefficient, which is changed by precipitation, current, and other conditions. Resuspension process caused by a typhoon was recorded as both core sequence of sediment trap and time-series data of bottom current. Maximum velocity of 49.5 cm/s was recorded from bottom currents resulting from the passing of attyphoon at the mooring site. A graded sand layer is interbedded in dark-gray, silty clay and considered to be a resuspended sediment resulting from the passing of the typhoon. Flux of the resuspended sediments by the typhoon was estimated from this core sequence and compared to the flux observed at the normal sedimentation.     

The effects of the reed,Phragmites australis (Trin.), on substratum grain-size distribution in a salt marsh

The effects of the reed,Phragmites australis (Trin.), growing in a brackish water lagoon, were studied in relation to the grain-size distribution of the substratum. At the salt marshes near the lagoon, the upper soils from the surface to a depth of 20 cm contained much silt-clay. These fine particles were found to be transferred from the river and fish ponds near the lagoon, and to be deposited when the tidal rhythm changed, that is, when the water current stopped. In addition, the fine particles, which were deposited on the bottom of the lagoon adjacent to the marshes, became resuspended as a result of wind-caused wave action, and then were transported and redeposited in the salt marshes at the flood tide. Since the reeds further reduced the water current caused by the waves and tide, the reeds were thought to promote redeposition of the resuspended matter. In other words, the reeds were considered to protect deposited and redeposited particles such as silt and clay from resuspension as a result of wave action by reducing the effects of waves and wind. These processes suggested that silt-clay will become abundant in the substratum of the salt marsh adjacent to the lagoon.     

A Reconstruction of Observed Profiles in the Sea East of Japan Using Vertical Coupled Temperature-Salinity EOF Modes

It is important to estimate hard-to-observe parameters in the ocean interior from easy-to-observe parameters. This study therefore demostrates a reconstruction of observed temperature and salinity profiles of the sea east of Japan (30°≈40°N, 140°≈150°E). The reconstruction was done by estimating suboptimal state from several values of the observed profiles and/or sea surface dynamic height (SDH) calculated from the profiles. The estimation used a variational method with vertical coupled temperature-salinity empirical orthogonal function (EOF) modes. Profiles of temperature and salinity in the subtropical region are effectively reconstructed from in situ temperature profile data, or sea surface temperature (SST) and SDH. For example, the analyzed temperature field from SST and SDH has an accuracy to within 1°C in the subtropical region. Salinity in the sea north of Kuroshio, however, is difficult to estimate because of its complex variability which is less correlated with temperature than in the subtropical region. Sea surface salinity is useful to estimate the subsurface structure. We also show the possibility that the estimation is improved by considering nonlinearity in the equation calculating SDH from temperature and salinity analysis values in order to examine the misfit between analysis and observation. Analysis using TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry data instead of SDH was also performed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Distribution of vertical crustal movement rates in the Tohoku district, Japan, predicted by least-squares collocation

Least-squares prediction using an empirically deduced local covariance function was performed to investigate the temporal change in the rates of vertical crustal movements in the Tohoku district, Japan. Levelling data covering an area of approximately 450 × 275 km² observed between 1966 and 1995 were used and the results shown in the form of contour maps. Firstly we derived a covariance function of the rates of vertical crustal movement with a Gaussian form function. We used this function to estimate the spatial distribution of the rates of vertical crustal movements. By the present method, a steady tilt of the Tohoku district to the east, toward the Japan Trench and an areal uplift in the southwestern part were well reproduced. Moreover, a significant temporal change in vertical movement rates is clearly seen. Received: 15 July 1996      

Deep structure of the northeastern Japan arc and its implications for crustal deformation and shallow seismic activity

Seismic tomography studies in the northeastern Japan arc have revealed the existence of an inclined sheet-like seismic low-velocity and high-attenuation zone in the mantle wedge at depths shallower than about 150 km. This sheet-like low-velocity, high-attenuation zone is oriented sub-parallel to the subducted slab, and is considered to correspond to the upwelling flow portion of the subduction-induced convection. The low-velocity, high-attenuation zone reaches the Moho immediately beneath the volcanic front (or the Ou Backbone Range) running through the middle of the arc nearly parallel to the trench axis, which suggests that the volcanic front is formed by this hot upwelling flow. Aqueous fluids supplied by the subducted slab are probably transported upward through this upwelling flow to reach shallow levels beneath the Backbone Range where they are expelled from solidified magma and migrate further upward. The existence of aqueous fluids may weaken the surrounding crustal rocks, resulting in local contractive deformation and uplift along the Backbone Range under the compressional stress field of the volcanic arc. A strain-rate distribution map generated from GPS data reveals a notable concentration of east–west contraction along the Backbone Range, consistent with this interpretation. Shallow inland earthquakes are also concentrated in the upper crust of this locally large contraction deformation zone. Based on these observations, a simple model is proposed to explain the deformation pattern of the crust and the characteristic shallow seismic activity beneath the northeastern Japan arc.     

Field observations of debris-flow initiation processes on sediment deposits in a previous deep-seated landslide site

Although information regarding the initiation processes of debris flows is important for the development of mitigation measures,field data regarding these processes are scarce.We conducted field observations of debris-flow initiation processes in the upper Ichinosawa catchment of the Ohya landslide,central Japan.On 19 June 2012,our videocamera monitoring systems recorded the moment of debris-flow initiation on channel deposits(nine surges) and talus slopes(eight surges).The initiation mechanisms of these surges were classified into three types by analyzing the video images: erosion by the surface flow,movement of deposits as a mass,and upward development of the fluid area.The first type was associated with the progress of surface flow from the upper stream on unsaturated channel deposits.The second type was likely caused by an increase in the pore water pressure associated with the rising in the groundwater level in channel deposits;a continuous water supply from the upper stream by the surface flow might have induced this saturation.The third type was associated with changes in the downstream topography caused by erosion.The flow velocity of most surges was less than 3 m s~(-1) and they usually stopped within 100 m from the initiation point.Surges with abundant pore fluid had a higher flow velocity(about 3- 5 m s~(-1)) and could travel for alonger duration.Our observations indicate that the surface flow plays an important role in the initiation of debris flows on channel deposits and talus slopes.     

High-reliability zircon separation for hunting the oldest material on Earth: An automatic zircon separator with image-processing/microtweezers-manipulating system and double-step dating

Despite the recent development in radiometric dating of numerous zircons by LA-ICPMS, mineral separation still remains a major obstacle, particularly in the search for the oldest material on Earth. To improve the efficiency in zircon separation by an order of magnitude, we have designed/developed a new machine-an automatic zircon separator(AZS). This is designed particularly for automatic pick-up of100 μm-sized zircon grains out of a heavy mineral fraction after conventional separation procedures. The AZS operates in three modes:(1) image processing to choose targeted individual zircon grains out of all heavy minerals spread on a tray,(2) automatic capturing of the individual zircon grains with microtweezers, and(3) placing them one-by-one in a coordinated alignment on a receiving tray. The automatic capturing was designed/created for continuous mineral selecting without human presence for many hours. This software also enables the registration of each separated zircon grain for dating, by recording digital photo-image, optical(color) indices, and coordinates on a receiving tray. We developed two new approaches for the dating; i.e.(1) direct dating of zircons selected by LA-ICPMS without conventional resin-mounting/polishing,(2) high speed U-Pb dating, combined with conventional sample preparation procedures using the new equipment with multiple-ion counting detectors(LA-MIC-ICPMS).With the first approach, Pb-Pb ages obtained from the surface of a mineral were crosschecked with the interior of the same grain after resin-mounting/polishing. With the second approach, the amount of time required for dating one zircon grain is ca. 20 s, and a sample throughput of 150 grains per hour can be achieved with sufficient precision(ca. 0.5%).We tested the practical efficiency of the AZS, by analyzing an Archean Jack Hills conglomerate in Western Australia with the known oldest(4.3 Ga) zircon on Earth. Preliminary results are positive; we were able to obtain more than 194 zircons that are over 4.0 Ga out of ca. 3800 checked grains, and 9 grains were over 4300 Ma with the oldest at 4371 ± 7 Ma. This separation system by AZS, combined with the new approaches, guarantees much higher yield in the hunt for old zircons.     

Seasonal and interannual variability of oceanic carbon cycling in the western and central tropical-subtropical pacific: A physical-biogeochemical modeling study

The oceanic carbon cycle in the tropical-subtropical Pacific is strongly affected by various physical processes with different temporal and spatial scales, yet the mechanisms that regulate air-sea CO₂ flux are not fully understood due to the paucity of both measurement and modeling. Using a 3-D physical-biogeochemical model, we simulate the partial pressure of CO₂ in surface water (pCO_2sea) and air-sea CO₂ flux in the tropical and subtropical regions from 1990 to 2004. The model reproduces well the observed spatial differences in physical and biogeochemical processes, such as: (1) relatively higher sea surface temperature (SST), and lower dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) and pCO_2sea in the western than in the central tropical-subtropical Pacific, and (2) predominantly seasonal and interannual variations in the subtropical and tropical Pacific, respectively. Our model results suggest a non-negligible contribution of the wind variability to that of the air-sea CO₂ flux in the central tropical Pacific, but the modeled contribution of 7% is much less than that from a previous modeling study (30%; McKinley et al., 2004). While DIC increases in the entire region SST increases in the subtropical and western tropical Pacific but decreases in the central tropical Pacific from 1990 to 2004. As a result, the interannual pCO_2sea variability is different in different regions. The pCO_2sea temporal variation is found to be primarily controlled by SST and DIC, although the role of salinity and total alkalinity, both of which also control pCO_2sea, need to be elucidated by long-term observations and eddy-permitting models for better estimation of the interannual variability of air-sea CO₂ flux.     

Decadal-scale variation in COD and DIN dynamics during the summer in the inner area of the Ariake Sea,Japan

More than 30 years of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) data for the inner area of the Ariake Sea were analyzed with a box model to show the changes in the average seasonal budget and the decadal-scale variation during the summer. The COD peaked in August and March on average. This summertime peak can be explained by an enhanced riverine load and increased primary production. The peak in March suggested additional organic matter production. There were also two peaks in DIN concentration on average: a summertime peak that could be explained by an enhanced riverine load, and a peak in December that was more complicated to explain. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, the bottom water in this area became increasingly hypoxic due to increased COD during the summer, even though there were minimal increases in terrestrial COD and nutrient loads and there were tidal flats covering a widespread area during this period. The increase in COD was caused by increased net ecosystem production, which was due to enhanced primary production induced by an increased freshwater residence time and decreased bivalve grazing. There was a negative feedback control in which hypoxia progressively increased, leading to declines in bivalve biomass, which in turn decreased the grazing pressure limiting primary production, meaning that primary production increased and the area became even more hypoxic. The net DIN production decreased during the 1980s and the 1990s. This was consistent with the change in net ecosystem production according to the COD.     

Fluorine contents of some hydrous minerals derived from upper mantle and lower crust

Fluorine contents have been determined in about forty samples of amphibole, mica and apatite in alkali basalt and kimberlite and their incorporated xenoliths. They show a wide variation ranging from 15,000 to 100 ppm, corresponding to about 40 to 0.2 per cent substitution of F for OH in hydroxyl site of hydrous minerals. Fluorine abundances in these minerals reflect those of their host magmas or rocks; Itinome-gata xenoliths are the lowest and South African kimberlites and their xenoliths are the highest. F/OH and also. D/H (Kuroda et al. 1975) ratios in coexisting phlogopite-potassic richterite from peridotite and mica nodules are thoughts to have formed under no simple equlibrium conditions.