Governance of disaster emergency wells in three cities in Japan affected by earthquakes

Concern has grown regarding how public and private sectors should make effective use of local groundwater to alleviate negative impacts of water-supply cutoff following an earthquake event, which can be regarded as an emergency groundwater governance problem. Existing literature on groundwater governance, however, is based on the tacit assumption of groundwater utilization under normal social conditions, and scant consideration has been given to the role of groundwater following occurrence of a natural disaster. This study conducted questionnaire surveys to reveal how groundwater was used in three cities (Kumamoto, Sapporo, and Sendai) in Japan struck by large earthquakes between 2010 and 2020. Results revealed substantial differences between these cities in terms of groundwater utilization following earthquake occurrence. The time between the restoration of the electricity supply and restoration of the waterworks, and the social capital accumulated by local governments, are indicated as possible reasons for such differences. Analysis also identified policy challenges for improved groundwater governance in an emergency: (1) establishment of a strategy for emergency water supply through combined use of groundwater and other water sources, (2) enhancement of methods for timely inspection of groundwater quality following occurrence of a disaster, (3) maintenance of records of the number of registered disaster emergency wells (DEWs), (4) creation of methods for publicizing locational information on DEWs with adequate regard for the privacy of well owners, and (5) recognition of the importance of making DEWs part of overall disaster preparedness.

     

On a power series solution to the Boussinesq equation

For certain initial and boundary conditions the Boussinesq equation, a nonlinear partial differential equation describing the flow of water in unconfined aquifers, can be reduced to a boundary value problem for a nonlinear ordinary differential equation. Using Song et al.'s (2007) [7] approach, we show that for zero head initial condition and power-law flux boundary condition at the inlet boundary, the solution in the form of power series can be obtained with Barenblatt's (1990) [2] rescaling procedure applied to the power series solution obtained in Song et al. (2007) [7] for the power-law head boundary condition. Polynomial approximations can then be obtained by taking terms from the power series. Although for a small number of terms the newly obtained approximations may be worse than polynomial approximations obtained by other techniques, any desired accuracy can be achieved by taking more terms from the power series.     

Chemical characteristics of chromian spinel in plutonic rocks: Implications for deep magma processes and discrimination of tectonic setting

We summarize chemical characteristics of chromian spinels from ultramafic to mafic plutonic rocks (lherzolites, harzburgites, dunites, wehrlites, troctolites, olivine gabbros) with regard to three tectonic settings (mid‐ocean ridge, arc, oceanic hotspot). The chemical range of spinels is distinguishable between the three settings in terms of Cr# (= Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio) and Ti content. The relationships are almost parallel with those of chromian spinels in volcanic rocks, but the Ti content is slightly lower in plutonics than in volcanics at a given tectonic environment. The Cr# of spinels in plutonic rocks is highly diverse; its ranges overlap between the three settings, but extend to higher values (up to 0.8) in arc and oceanic hotspot environments. The Ti content of spinels in plutonics increases, for a given lithology, from the arc to oceanic hotspot settings by mid‐ocean ridge on average. This chemical diversity is consistent with that of erupted magmas from the three settings. If we systematically know the chemistry of chromian spinels from a series of plutonic rocks, we can estimate their tectonic environments of formation. The spinel chemistry is especially useful in dunitic rocks, in which chromian spinel is the only discriminating mineral. Applying this, discordant dunites cutting mantle peridotites were possibly precipitated from arc‐related magmas in the Oman ophiolite, and from an intraplate tholeiite in the Lizard ophiolite, Cornwall.     

Midnight reversal of ionospheric plasma bubble eastward velocity to westward velocity during geomagnetically quiettime: Climatology and its model validation

In an effort to better understand the dynamics of westward velocities of the nocturnal F-region plasma, the climatology of the westward traveling plasma bubbles – WTB – occurring during quiettime is studied here. The climatology of the WTB is analyzed here based on airglow images obtained during 14 quiet days between 2001 and 2006 at the Brazilian station São João do Cariri (Geographic 7.45°S, 36.5°W, dip ～20°S). The frequency of occurrence of the WTB maximizes in the descending phase of the solar cycle. The WTB velocities ranged between ～20 and 40 ms^?1. The frequency of occurrence had a peak value of only 3.65% at 2345 LT. The maximum occurrence of the WTB was in July–September. No WTB have been observed from November until April in all years 2001–2006. We show for the first time theoretically that the WTB dominant forcing mechanisms during geomagnetically quiet days are westward thermospheric winds.     

Petrology of the Yugu peridotites in the Gyeonggi Massif,South Korea: Implications for its origin and hydration process

Peridotites exposed in the Yugu area in the Gyeonggi Massif, South Korea, near the boundary with the Okcheon Belt, exhibit mylonitic to strongly porphyroclastic textures, and are mostly spinel lherzolites. Subordinate dunites, harzburgites, and websterites are associated with the lherzolites. Amphiboles, often zoned from hornblende in the core to tremolite in the rim, are found only as neoblasts. Porphyroclasts have recorded equilibrium temperatures of about 1000°C, whereas neoblasts denote lower temperatures, about 800°C. Olivines are Fo_90–91 in lherzolites and Fo₉₁ in a dunite and a harzburgite. The Cr# (= Cr/(Cr + Al) atomic ratio) of spinels varies together with the Fo of olivines, being from 0.1 to 0.3 in lherzolites and around 0.5 in the dunite and harzburgite. The Na₂O content of clinopyroxene porphyroclasts is relatively low, around 0.3 to 0.5 wt% in the most fertile lherzolite. The Yugu peridotites are similar in porphyroclast mineral chemistry not to continental spinel peridotites but to sub‐arc or abyssal peridotites. Textural and mineralogical characteristics indicate the successive cooling with hydration from the upper mantle to crustal conditions for the Yugu peridotites. Almost all clinopyroxenes and amphiboles show the same U‐shaped rare earth element (REE) patterns although the level is up to ten times higher for the latter. The hydration was associated with enrichment in light REE, resulting from either a slab‐derived fluid or a fluid circulating in the crust. The mantle‐wedge or abyssal peridotites were emplaced into the continental crust as the Yugu peridotite body during collision of continents to form a high‐pressure metamorphic belt in the Gyeonggi Massif. The peridotites from the Gyeonggi Massif exhibit lower‐pressure equilibration than peridotites, with or without garnets, from the Dabie–Sulu Collision Belt, China, which is possibly a westward extension of the Gyeonggi Massif.     

Simulations of seasonal variations of sulfur compounds in the remote marine atmosphere

A photochemical box model is used to simulate seasonal variations in concentrations of sulfur compounds at latitude 40° S. It is assumed that the hydroxyl radical (OH) addition reaction to sulfur in the dimethyl sulfide (DMS) molecule is the predominant pathway for methanesulfonic acid (MSA) production, and that the rate constant increases as the air temperature decreases. Concentration of the nitrate radical (NO₃) is a function of the DMS flux, because the reaction of DMS with NO₃ is the most important loss mechanism of NO₃. While the diurnally averaged concentration of OH in winter is a factor of about 8 smaller than in summer, due to the weak photolysis process, the diurnally averaged concentration of NO₃ in winter is a factor of about 4–5 larger than in summer, due to the decrease of DMS flux. Therefore, at middle and high latitudes in winter, atmospheric DMS is mainly oxidized by the reaction with NO₃. The calculated ratio of the MSA to SO₂ production rates is smaller in winter than in summer, and the MSA to non-sea-salt sulfate (nssSO₄ ^2-) molar ratio varies seasonally. This result agrees with data on the seasonal variation of the MSA/nssSO₄ ^2- molar ratio obtained at middle and high latitudes. The calculations indicate that during winter the reaction of DMS with NO₃ is likely to be a more important sink of NO_x (NO+NO₂) than the reaction of NO₂ with OH, and to serve as a significant pathway of the HNO₃ production. If dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is produced through the OH addition reaction and is heterogeneously oxidized in aqueous solutions, half of the nssSO₄ ^2- produced in summer may be through the oxidation process of DMSO. It is necessary to further investigate the oxidation products by the reaction of DMS with OH, and the possibility of the reaction of DMS with NO₃ during winter.     

Numerical study of the oxidation process of dimethylsulfide in the marine atmosphere

A box model, involving simple heterogeneous reaction processes associated with the production of non-sea-salt sulfate (nss-SO ₄ ^2– ) particles, is used to investigate the oxidation processes of dimethylsulfide (DMS or CH₃SCH₃) in the marine atmosphere. The model is applied to chemical reactions in the atmospheric surface mixing layer, at intervals of 15 degrees latitude between 60° N and 60° S. Given that the addition reaction of the hydroxyl radical (OH) to the sulfur atom in the DMS molecule is faster at lower temperature than at higher temperature and that it is the predominant pathway for the production of methanesulfonic acid (MSA or CH₃SO₃H), the results can well explain both the increasing tendency of the molar ratio of MSA to nss-SO ₄ ^2– toward higher latitudes and the uniform distribution with latitude of sulfur dioxide (SO₂). The predicted production rate of MSA increases with increasing latitude due to the elevated rate constant of the addition reaction at lower temperature. Since latitudinal distributions of OH concentration and DMS reaction rate with OH are opposite, a uniform production rate of SO₂ is realized over the globe. The primary sink of DMS in unpolluted air is caused by the reaction with OH. Reaction of DMS with the nitrate radical (NO₃) also reduces DMS concentration but it is less important compared with that of OH. Concentrations of SO₂, MSA, and nss-SO ₄ ^2– are almost independent of NO _x concentration and radiation field. If dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO or CH₃S(O)CH₃) is produced by the addition reaction and further converted to sulfuric acid (H₂SO₄) in an aqueous solution of cloud droplets, the oxidation process of DMSO might be important for the production of aerosol particles containing nss-SO ₄ ^2– at high latitudes.     

On the Life History ofTigriopus japonicus Mori (Copepoda)

This species is the neritic animal in warm waters, especially a large number of the species appear in the tide pool in spring to summer season. The species has the adaptability to the environment, namely, the species is eurythermal and euryhaline organism. Each nauplius stage ofT. japonicus changed into the next stage in 18 to 20 hours. After hatching the nauplius developed into the copepodite stage in 3 to 5 days. The nauplius is disk-shaped in outline. A small antennule is 3-segmented. The antenna and mandible are the assistant oral organs for foods rather than swimming ones. On the antenna the coxa has the process with the strong cutting edge, the basipodite is extremely small, the long endopodite has a hook and a seta ventrally, and a hook, a seta and a spine terminally, and the long exopodite has the setae of which the number was changed according to the stage. On the mandible the coxa with a seta is a bulge. The endopodite is a small mound, on this mound there are a strong hook and a few setae which were changed according to the stage. The exopodite has a ventral seta and a small and a long thick terminal setae. The caudal appendages are rudimentary. The maxillule first appears as a seta on the 2nd stage. On the copedite stage ofT. japonicus the segment of body is short. The cephalothoracic segments are indistinguishable from the abdominal segments. It is the character of Harpacticoida that the antennules are small. On this copedodite there are 6 stages as in the nauplius, but the last stage is the adult stage. The 1st and the 2nd stages changed into the next stage in 18 to 20 hours as in the nauplius. The 3rd to the 5th stages changed into the next stage within 1 day. After hatching the nauplius developed into the adult by 10 days. The period of each stage fluctuates according to the amount of foods which were supplied to the animal. On the starved condition the development of this animal does not occur by any means. The most of male have mated with the adult female, but some of them mated with the earlier stage, especially the 2nd copepodite stage female. The female which developed into the adult produced the first brood in a few minutes to 3 days. A period of the adult stage is assumed 1 to 2 months. A female produced 5～10 broods. After hatching of the brood the next brood was bred in a few minutes to 1 day. The female which was 0.9 mm in the mean length produced 30 eggs per a brood.