Growth and gonad production of the sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus in the fucoid bed and algal turf in northern Japan

To clarify the differences in the growth and gonad size of the sea urchin Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus among algal sere, the study was conducted in June and July, and September 1998 at three fucoid beds in Oga and at three algal turfs in Hachimori, Akita Prefecture in northern Japan. The most rapid growth was observed in a large perennial fucoid bed at the climax stage. Growth in a small perennial Chondrus ocellatus‐dominated bed in algal turfs in the seral stage was then high. The slowest growth was observed in the small perennial Dictyopteris divaricata‐ and Laurencia spp.‐dominated beds which are known to possess chemicals which act as feeding deterrents against the sea urchins. The gonad index (gonad wet weight × 100/body wet weight) at a fucoid bed was high where standing crops exceeded 3 kg·m^?2. The gonad index in the Laurencia bed was lower than those at fucoid beds. These results suggest that growth and gonad production are affected by algal sere and differ among species of small perennial algae in the seral stage with or without chemical defense.     

Phytoplankton communities in the Bering Sea and adjacent seas

Vertical distribution of phytoplankton in early warming season in the eastern Bering Sea and adjacent sea areas was investigated. In the surface layer which was under the influence of newly melted sea ice in the shelf water region of the Bering Sea in May, remarkably dense populations ofThalassiosira hyalina andT. nordenskiöldii and relatively large populations ofFragilaria andNavicula occupied large part of phytoplankton community. In June, although theThalassiosira populations sunk into the bottom layer and withered, a certain part of theFragilaria-Navicula populations was still suspended in subsurface layer. Thus,Fragilaria-Navicula were the leading components of the June community in the shelf region.In the Bering Basin region, no dense phytoplankton populations were developed until a shallow thermocline was established. In June when the shallow thermocline developed near shelf edge,Thalassiosira decipiens burst out. As the shallow thermocline extended from near shelf to central part of the Basin region with surface warming, the areas of blooming also shifted from near shelf to the central part.Contribution No. 73 from the Research Institute of North Pacific Fisheries, Hokkaido University.     

Early Miocene rotational process in the eastern part of south-west Japan inferred from paleomagnetic studies

Abstract This paper provides untilted paleomagnetic data obtained from the early Miocene strata around the Kanazawa‐Iozen area, in the eastern part of south‐west Japan. A thick pile of volcaniclastics and marine transgressive sediments underlie the area; they were deposited in the early stage of the Japan Sea opening event. Progressive thermal demagnetization tests isolated stable primary magnetic vectors from eight sites in the upper part of the Iozen Formation. Overall, the tilt‐corrected mean direction of this unit is D = 36.4°, I = 51.6° and α₉₅ = 12.1. Together with a published paleomagnetic and chronological database, the present results suggest that clockwise rotation of south‐west Japan, linked to the back‐arc opening, commenced in the early Miocene and accelerated at the same time as rapid subsidence along the Japan Sea coast. Post‐opening, differential rotation within the eastern part of south‐west Japan is assumed, based on selected paleomagnetic data from the latest Early Miocene.     

Effects of providing measures against earthquakes: experimental studies on the perceived risks of disasters and disaster preparedness intentions in Japan

This research examined the effects of providing measures against disasters on recipients’ perceived risks and preparedness intentions by conducting two experimental studies. A provision of a set of emergency food was manipulated in the first experiment. Participants (N = 143) were randomly assigned to the provided condition or non-provided condition. In the second experiment (N = 123), provision of an emergency toilet kit was manipulated. The results of the two experiments consistently indicated that (1) the provision of a measure increased the recipients’ perceived risks of the disaster concerned, (2) it increased their preparedness intentions for the disaster, and (3) it had no effects on perceived risks of or preparedness intentions against disasters unrelated to the measure provided. These results were contrary to the prediction deduced from the protection effect and single action effect. The findings in this study encourage promoting the risk management policy of providing people with disaster measures as the first step in disaster preparedness.     

The effects of possible contamination by sample holders on samples to be returned by Hayabusa2

Chemical compositions of materials used for new sample holders (vertically aligned carbon nanotubes [VACNTs] and polyimide film), which were developed for the analysis of Hayabusa2‐return samples, were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis and/or instrumental photon activation analysis, to estimate contamination effects from the sample holders. The synthetic quartz plate used for the sample holders was also analyzed. Ten elements (Na, Al, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Eu, W, Au, and Th) and 14 elements (Na, Al, K, Sc, Ti, Cr, Zn, Ga, Br, Sb, La, Eu, Ir, and Au) could be detected in the VACNTs and polyimide film, respectively. The VACNT data show that contamination by this material with respect to the Murchison meteorite is negligible in terms of the elemental ratios (e.g., Fe/Mn, Na/Al, and Mn/Cr) used for the classification of meteorites due to the extremely low density of VACNTs. However, for the Au/Cr ratio, even small degrees (1.7 wt%) of contamination by VACNTs will change the Au/Cr ratio. Elemental ratios used for the classification of meteorites are only influenced by large amounts of contamination (>60 wt%) of polyimide film, which is unlikely to occur. In contrast, detectable effects on Ti isotopic compositions are caused by >0.1 and >0.3 wt% contamination by VACNTs and polyimide film, respectively, and Hf isotopic changes are caused by >0.1 wt% contamination by VACNTs. The new sample holders (VACNTs and polyimide film) are suitable for chemical classification of Hayabusa2‐return samples, because of their ease of use, applicability to multiple analytical instruments, and low contamination levels for most elements.     

Tectonic evolution of Northeastern Siberia and adjacent regions

Previous models for the tectonic evolution of northeastern Siberia have proposed the existence of a Kolyma plate composed of the Kolyma and Omolon massifs of presumed Precambrian age. Lithologic similarities between the Siberian platform and the Cherskiy Mountains and the presence of oceanic and island arc type deposits in the Kolyma-Indigirka interfluve suggest that no such plate exists. The eastern margin of the Siberian plate is suggested to lie along a line between the Ulakhan Sis Range, the Alazeya uplift and the Arga Tas Range; the Cherskiy Mountains and the Verkhoyansk fold belt are parts of the Siberian plate. The Paleozoic deposits of the Omolon massif are unlike those found in the Cherskiys or Siberia. Paleomagnetic data from the Omolon massif are discordant from data from Siberia. It is suggested that the Omolon massif represents a microplate which accreted onto Siberia in the Jurassic. Ophiolites in central Chukotka are of the same emplacement age as in the western Brooks Range and may have been emplaced at the initiation of the rotation of Arctic Alaska. Geometric and limited stratigraphic data suggest that the East Siberian Sea may be floored by oceanic crust left by an incomplete closure between Arctic Alaska, Siberia and Omolon. The tectonic position of the Prikolymsk massif remains ambiguous.     

Slow subduction of old lithosphere in the lesser antilles

The Lesser Antilles subduction zone is an extreme case of the subduction of old (~ 90 m.y.) lithosphere at a slow (~ 2 cm/y) convergence rate. Focal mechanisms of the largest earthquakes in the area have been obtained using body and surface wave data. During the time period (1950–1978) studied the subduction seismicity appears to represent primarily intraplate rather than interplate deformation. All three large (magnitude seven) earthquakes were from intraplate normal faults; no large thrust faulting earthquakes and few small ones occurred. These observations suggest that the plate boundary is largely decoupled, that subduction is at least partially aseismic, and that the downgoing slab is in a state of extension.     

ACTIVE system for monitoring volcanic activity: A case study of the Izu-Oshima Volcano,Central Japan

A system is proposed for the monitoring of changes in the underground structure of an active volcano over time by applying a transient electromagnetic method. The monitoring system is named ACTIVE, which stands for Array of Controlled Transient-electromagnetics for Imaging Volcano Edifice. The system consists of a transmitter dipole used to generate a controlled transient electromagnetic (EM) field and an array of receivers used to measure the vertical component of the transient magnetic field at various distances, with automatic operation of both units. In order to verify the performance of the proposed system, numerical and field experiments were carried out by application of the system to the Izu-Oshima volcano, where a remarkable change in the apparent DC resistivity over time had been detected in association with the eruption in 1986.     

Early diagenesis of fatty acids in lacustrine sediments—II. A statistical approach to changes in fatty acid composition from recent sediments and some source materials

The percentage composition and total amounts of fatty acids from plankton, live and dead plants (waterweeds and higher plants) and a forest soil, considered as possible origins of autochthonous and allochthonous organic materials in lacustrine sediments, have been determined by gas-liquid chromatography. Statistical analyses were carried out by computing distance index of the fatty acid composition between these source materials and the uppermost sediment from Lake Suwa, and the composition diversity index (CDI) of fatty acids in the recent sediments from Lake Suwa.The distance index indicated that the fatty acid composition in the uppermost sediment is similar to those in diatoms, Zooplankton and forest soil, and the values for dead leaves were smaller than for live ones. It suggests that the autolysis and/or decomposition processes prior to deposition onto the top sediment makes the fatty acid composition of organic debris similar to the uppermost sediment. The CPI in recent sediments varied irregularly, whereas the CDI increased during early diagenesis to yield a value comparable to ancient sediments.