Relationship between Salinity and Nutrients in the Subsurface Layer in the Suruga Bay

We investigated the water structure and nutrient distribution in the Suruga Bay from April 2000 to July 2002, especially the Offshore Water, which occupies a large part of the bay. The maximum salinity in the upper 200 m varied between 34.49 and 34.71, indicating a temporal change in the influence of Kuroshio Water on the Offshore Water. Seasonal variation in nutrient concentrations was largest from surface to 50 m. On the other hand, the variance in nutrient concentrations within each season was largest in the subsurface layer of 100–300 m in spring, summer and fall. In the Offshore Water, the change of nutrients was negatively correlated with that of salinity in each season. This suggests that an increasing intrusion of saline water brings about a lower nutrient concentration in the Offshore Water. Likewise, negative correlations were observed between the change of the maximum salinity and chlorophyll a (Δ [chl.a-int])/nutrients integrated in the upper 200 m. Δ[chl.a-int] was significantly correlated with the changes of nitrate and phosphorus, but there were no significant correlations between Δ[chl.a-int] and the change of silicate. These results suggest that the concentrations of chlorophyll a and nutrients in the Offshore Water were decreased due to the increasing intrusion of Kuroshio Water. The Offshore Water is likely to be related to the regulation of primary production by nitrate.     

Air-Sea Gas Transfer Velocity in Stormy Winter Estimated from Radon Deficiency

Thirteen vertical profiles of ²²⁶Ra and ²²²Rn in the near-surface water were obtained in the western North Pacific in winter, and the gas transfer velocities across the air-sea interface were estimated. The transfer velocities found by applying a steady state model varied widely from 2.1 to 30.2 m day⁻¹ with a mean of 9.4 m day⁻¹. The mean value is almost 5 times higher than that in summer in other oceans, and the maximum value is a record high for world oceans. This is partly due to the inadequacy of the steady state model, which overestimates when stronger winds blow in more recent days than the ²²²Rn half-life of about 4 days. In fact, a strong low pressure zone passed through the station about 2 days earlier, which was one of the low pressure zones that with a period of develop once a week or so in the northwestern North Pacific in winter. Instead of steady-state removal, if half of the radon removal occurred sporadically every 7 days, and the last removal took place two days before the observation, the transfer velocity would be 26 m day⁻¹. Our mean transfer velocity, which is less than 20% different from the steady state value including both overestimated and underestimated values, 9.4 ± 4.8 m day⁻¹, seems to represent the mean state of this region in winter. This suggests that the gas exchange fluxes under extremely rough conditions in the open ocean are larger than those estimated by using a transfer velocity equation with a linear or quadratic relationship with wind speed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On the Polyps of the Common Jellyfish Aurelia aurita in Kagoshima Bay

There is the natural habitat of polyps of the common jellyfish Aurelia aurita in the Taniyama area, Kagoshima Bay. We examined the attachment substrata, density, colony structure and strobilation of the polyps. The polyps were observed only on the horizontal undersurface of floating piers. They attached specifically to Mytilus shells, solitary ascidians, calcareous polychaete tubes, muddy amphipod tubes and the gap space that fouling animals peeled off the substrata. The polyp colonies were distributed in patches. Spatial distribution patterns of the polyps within their colonies were uniform. Strobilation occurred during late December to March, when water temperatures were 16–17°C, and a large number of ephyrae were released. An increase in man-made structures such as floating piers in coastal areas may lead to bloomings of Aurelia aurita medusae. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The phytoplankton of some saline lakes in Central Asia

The Aral Sea, Lake Balkhash, and Lake Kamyslybas are closed lakes in Central Asia. They range from oligosaline to metasaline. The salinity of the Aral Sea has increased by more than 30 g L⁻¹ since widespread irrigation began in its catchment area. Few studies of the phytoplankton have been conducted on these lakes since extensive irrigation started. The investigation reported here compares the flora of phytoplankton in these saline lakes. In the Small Aral Sea, phytoplankton density gradually decreased with increasing electrical conductivity (EC) (∼ salinity), but there was no such relation in Lake Balkhash and Lake Kamyslybas. In the Aral Sea, Dinophyceae and Bacillariophyceae were frequently observed in most areas of high EC value, and Cyanophyceae were most conspicuous in the area of medium and lower EC values. In Lake Balkhash, Cyanophyceae were most conspicuous, but Chlorophyceae were also noticeable. Most Cyanophyceae in Aral Sea formed filaments with heterocysts. The distinct characteristic of the phytoplankton of the Lake Balkhash was that all dominant species form colonies covered with a gelatinous film. Siliceousplankton diversity gradually decreased with increasing EC values in the Aral Sea and Lake Balkhash.     

Mixed layer depth climatology of the North Pacific based on Argo observations

A monthly mean climatology of the mixed layer depth (MLD) in the North Pacific has been produced by using Argo observations. The optimum method and parameter for evaluating the MLD from the Argo data are statistically determined. The MLD and its properties from each density profile were calculated with the method and parameter. The monthly mean climatology of the MLD is computed on a 2° × 2° grid with more than 30 profiles for each grid. Two bands of deep mixed layer with more than 200 m depth are found to the north and south of the Kuroshio Extension in the winter climatology, which cannot be reproduced in some previous climatologies. Early shoaling of the winter mixed layer between 20–30°N, which has been pointed out by previous studies, is also well recognized. A notable feature suggested by our climatology is that the deepest mixed layer tends to occur about one month before the mixed layer density peaks in the middle latitudes, especially in the western region, while they tend to coincide with each other in higher latitudes.     

不饱和古罗糖醛酸三糖和甘露糖醛酸三糖的结构表征

以双功能褐藻胶裂解酶 (Pseudoalteromonas sp.strain No. 2 72 )分别降解均聚古罗糖醛酸(PG)和均聚甘露糖醛酸 (PM) ,经 Bio- Gel- P6和 POROS- HQ2 0分离得到 2种三糖纯品 ,经 ESI- MS,1 H- NMR,1 3 C- NMR,1 H- 1 H COSY,1 H- 1 3 C HMQC确定其结构为 Δ4,5-古罗糖醛酸 - α(1→ 4 ) - L-古罗糖醛酸 -α(1→ 4 ) - L -古罗糖醛酸 (简写为Δ GG)和Δ4,5-甘露糖醛酸 -β (1→ 4 ) - D-甘露糖醛酸 -β (1→ 4 ) - D-甘露糖醛酸 (ΔMM) ,为进一步从事构效关系研究提供结构信息。     

The roles and limitations of newspapers in environmental reporting. Case study: Isahaya Bay land reclamation project issue

This paper looks at Japanese newspaper coverage of environmental issues, focusing on the case of the controversy over the Isahaya Bay land reclamation project. This project was first planned in the early 1950s and construction began in 1989. Local activists groups began raising questions about the project in the 1970s, focusing on the environmental degradation that would result, but they did not succeed in having their opinions discussed widely in the media until it was too late to prevent completion. Only after the dramatic images of the last slab of the seawall falling into place, was there intense media coverage of the project.The attention paid to the project by the media did much to inform the public about the effects of large-scale public works projects on the environment. Yet an analysis of the newspaper coverage shows that the media played mostly a "spectator" role in the controversy, merely reacting to events. A more active, "watch-dog" role would be necessary for the media to uncover threats to the environment in time for the public to be educated about such issues and have a chance to influence crucial official decisions.     

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.     

Wet and Dry Basalt Magma Evolution at Torishima Volcano, Izu Bonin Arc, Japan: the Possible Role of Phengite in the Downgoing Slab

The arc-front volcanoes of Sumisu (31·5°N, 140°E)and Torishima (30·5°N, 140·3°E) in thecentral Izu–Bonin arc are similar in size and rise asrelatively isolated edifices from the seafloor. Together theyprovide valuable along-arc information about magma generationprocesses. The volcanoes have erupted low-K basalts originatingfrom both wet and dry parental basaltic magmas (low-Zr basaltsand high-Zr basalts, respectively). Based on models involvingfluid-immobile incompatible element ratios (La/Sm), the parentalbasalts appear to result from different degrees of partial meltingof the same source mantle (20% and 10% for wet and dry basaltmagmas, respectively). Assuming that the wet basalts containgreater abundances of slab-derived components than their drycounterparts, geochemical comparison of these two basalt typespermits the identification of the specific elements involvedin fluid transport from the subducting slab. Using an extensiveset of new geochemical data from Torishima, where the top ofthe downgoing slab is about 100 km deep, we find that Cs, Pb,and Sr are variably enriched in the low-Zr basalts, which cannotbe accounted for by fractional crystallization or by differencesin the degree of mantle melting. These elements are interpretedto be selectively concentrated in slab-derived metasomatic fluids.Variations in K, high field strength element and rare earthelement concentrations are readily explained by variations inthe degree of melting between the low- and high-Zr basalts;these elements are not contained in the slab-derived fluids.Rb and Ba exhibit variable behaviour in the low-Zr basalts,ranging from immobile, similar to K, to mildly enriched in somelow-Zr basalts. We suggest that the K-rich mica, phengite, playsan important role in determining the composition of fluids releasedfrom the downgoing slab. In arc-front settings, where slab depthis 100 km, phengite is stable, and the fluids released fromthe slab contain little K. In back-arc settings, however, wherethe slab is at 100–140 km depth, phengite is unstable,and K-rich fluids are released. We conclude that cross-arc variationsin the K content of arc basalts are probably related to differingcompositions of released fluids or melts rather than the widelyheld view that such variations are controlled by the degreeof partial melting. KEY WORDS: arc volcano; degrees of melting; mantle wedge; water; wet and dry basalts     

Measurement of methane flux over an evergreen coniferous forest canopy using a relaxed eddy accumulation system with tuneable diode laser spectroscopy detection

Very few studies have conducted long-term observations of methane (CH₄) flux over forest canopies. In this study, we continuously measured CH₄ fluxes over an evergreen coniferous (Japanese cypress) forest canopy throughout 1?year, using a micrometeorological relaxed eddy accumulation (REA) system with tuneable diode laser spectroscopy (TDLS) detection. The Japanese cypress forest, which is a common forest type in warm-temperate Asian monsoon regions with a wet summer, switched seasonally between a sink and source of CH₄ probably because of competition by methanogens and methanotrophs, which are both influenced by soil conditions (e.g., soil temperature and soil moisture). At hourly to daily timescales, the CH₄ fluxes were sensitive to rainfall, probably because CH₄ emission increased and/or absorption decreased during and after rainfall. The observed canopy-scale fluxes showed complex behaviours beyond those expected from previous plot-scale measurements and the CH₄ fluxes changed from sink to source and vice versa.