Biogeochemical studies in the sea

My studies on metabolism of organic matter in aquatic environments first involved research on the sedimentation process of organic matter in lacustrine environments. Subsequently, measurements of primary production in lake and sea water were undertaken to know the organic substance supply into the metabolism. After establishing the routine technique of productivity measurement in aquatic environment, the primary production and the photosynthetic characteristics in waters in the northwestern Pacific, the western Indian Ocean and the Antarctic Sea were studied. Following the development of new methods to determine the organic substances in the dissolved and particulate forms and chlorophyll pigment in seawater, their distributions both horizontal and vertical directions were determined. And I have had interest in the mechanism producing a subsurface chlorophyll maximum in the ocean. Recently, my major interest has been directed to the coastal waters. The nitrogen cycle was studied in oyster beds and the research on eutrophication processes in a shallow bay is being carried out from the aspect of production and decomposition of organic matter.     

Studies on biological metabolism in a meromictic Lake Suigetsu

Lake Suigetsu is a typical meromictic lake having a deep anoxic layer from 8 m to the bottom at 34 m depth. Large accumulations of sulfide, total CO₂, phosphate and ammonium were observed in the deep layer. In August, two photosynthesis maxima, caused by the activity of phytoplankton and photosynthetic sulfur bacteria, were observed at the surface and the boundary between aerobic and anoxic layers respectively. In December, a marked dark carbon fixation was observed at the boundary layer, although there was no indication of bacterial photosynthesis. Sulfate reduction was found only in bottom mud, especially near the surface of sediment. Carbon and sulfur cycles and their interrelation in the anoxic layer are discussed.     

The contact binary system YY Eri

Relatively new and unanalysed photometric data-sets of the contact binary system YY Eri are presented. The light curves have been analysed using information limit optimization techniques, and the Binary Maker program of Bradstreet (1992).Comparison of the results allows insight into determinacy questions affecting the W UMa type of light curve, which relates to our general understanding of contact binaries. A limiting contact configuration cannot be ruled out on the basis of empirical data-analysis alone.Very careful analysis of the photospheric flux distribution over the surface of the Sun may help establish appropriate values of the gravity brightening parameter for cool dwarf stars. At present, however, empirical photometric information on contact binaries is non-discriminatory: i.e. alternative cosmogonies can find alternative support from available evidence. The implication is then for more and better observational data to allow better real independent parameter determination.     

A note on the chemical composition of lake water in the Laguna Amarga,a saline lake in Patagonia,Chile

The chemical composition of lake water in Laguna Amarga, a small, shallow, saline lake near the Torres del Paine National Park (at 51°S), Chilean Patagonia, was studied in January, 1993. The water was strongly alkaline (pH 9.4) conductivity was 71.4 mS cm^–1, and salinity was 77 g L^–1. The major ions were sodium and sulphate.     

Instabilities in rotating relativistic stars driven by viscosity

We investigate the instability driven by viscosity in rotating relativistic stars by means of an iterative approach. We focus on polytropic rotating equilibrium stars and impose an m=2 perturbation in the lapse. We vary both the stiffness of the equation of state and the compactness of the star to study these factors on the critical value T/W for the instability. For a rigidly rotating star, the criterion T/W, where T is the rotational kinetic energy and W the gravitational binding energy, mainly depends on the compactness of the star and takes values around 0.13–0.16, which slightly differ from that of Newtonian incompressible stars (∼0.14). For differentially rotating stars, the critical value of T/W is found to span the range 0.17–0.25. The value is significantly larger than in the rigidly rotating case with the same compactness of the star. Finally we discuss the possibility of detecting gravitational waves from viscosity-driven instabilities using ground-based interferometers.      

Low T/|W| dynamical instability in differentially rotating stars: diagnosis with canonical angular momentum

We study the nature of non-axisymmetric dynamical instabilities in differentially rotating stars with both linear eigenmode analysis and hydrodynamic simulations in Newtonian gravity. We especially investigate the following three types of instability; the one-armed spiral instability, the low   T /| W |  bar instability, and the high   T /| W |  bar instability, where T is the rotational kinetic energy and W is the gravitational potential energy. The nature of the dynamical instabilities is clarified by using a canonical angular momentum as a diagnostic. We find that the one-armed spiral and the low   T /| W |  bar instabilities occur around the corotation radius, and they grow through the inflow of canonical angular momentum around the corotation radius. The result is a clear contrast to that of a classical dynamical bar instability in high   T /| W |  . We also discuss the feature of gravitational waves generated from these three types of instability.     

Urea supply from decomposition and excretion of zooplankton

Rates of urea supply from the decomposition and the excretion of zooplankton were determined for samples collected in Suruga Bay. Five species of Zooplankton were incubated in filtered seawater at 20‡C for 276 hrs after being forced to die in a refrigerator. More than 77.6 % of body nitrogen of the Zooplankton was liberated, except forEuphausia similis, which showed a lower decomposition rate of 53.0 %. In the liberated nitrogen. 4.8 to 9.8 % was determined as urea. Incubation experiments of two species of zooplankton at 13‡C during 12 hrs, showed that the organisms excreted 0.86 and 0.73Μg-at. N indi.⁻¹ d⁻¹ as total soluble nitrogen. Urea accounted for 8.3 and 6.8 % of the excreted total soluble nitrogen.     

Observation and statistical analysis of ZZ Piscium

To examine the non-linear oscillation and period change of white dwarf variables, ZZ Psc is discussed observationally. As a result of data reduction we found two major periods, 680 seconds and 860 seconds, but could not find chaotic behavior of ZZ Psc.     

A spectroscopic study of Epsilon Aurigae

Epsilon Aurigae has been observed during ingress and totality between 1982 and 1983 at Okayama. Analyses of profiles of H line and of radial velocities of neutral hydrogen and metals show that the secondary component consists of at least three parts in structure.Paper presented at the Lembang-Bamberg IAU Colloquium No. 80 on Double Stars: Physical Properties and Generic Relations, held at Bandung, Indonesia, 3–7 June, 1983.     

In situ measurement of oxygen consumption rate in the bottom layer in Mikawa Bay

Direct estimation of the oxygen consumption rate in the bottom layer of Mikawa Bay where eutrophication is in progress was attempted usingin situ continuous measurement of oxygen content and other oceanographic parameters including water movement, and a value 0.65 mgl^–1 day^–1 was obtained in summer. This value is slightly smaller than previous estimates based on the method of incubation or indirect techniques.