Formation of intermediate-mass black holes as primordial black holes in the inflationary cosmology with running spectral index

Formation of primordial black holes (PBHs) on astrophysical mass scales is a natural consequence of inflationary cosmology, if the primordial perturbation spectrum has a large and negative running of the spectral index as observationally suggested today because double inflation is required to explain it and fluctuations on some astrophysical scales are enhanced in the field-oscillation regime in between. It is argued that PBHs thus produced can serve as intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs), which act as the observed ultraluminous X-ray sources (ULXs) by choosing appropriate values of the model parameters in their natural ranges. Our scenario can be observationally tested in near future because the mass of PBHs is uniquely determined once we specify the values of the amplitude of the curvature perturbation, spectral index and its running on large scales.     

Assimilation of simulated altimeter data in a two-layer linear Rossby wave model using the variational method

The variational assimilation method has been examined for ability of reconstructing mesoscale features in altimeter data using a simple dynamic model. A one-dimensional, two-layer Rossby wave model in a cross-track channel has been chosen. The simulated data are constructed from a theoretical solution, which is composed of any combination of two normal vertical (barotropic and baroclinic) modes. The data are collected along tracks and with repeat periods similar to those of the Geosat altimeter. The phase space of control variables is composed of initial and boundary conditions. A cost function is defined to measure differences between the simulated data and the model solution. Regularization (smoothing) terms are also included in the cost function in the form of secon-order spatial and time derivatives of the solution. In this paper, two potential problems existing in the altimeter data assimilation are addressed: one is low cross-track resolution, and the other is vertical projection of the data measured at the sea surface. A succesful metho is developed for reconstructing Rossby waves with wavelengths as short as twice the track intervals for any combination of two vertical modes. A key component to efficient assimilation is a preparation step prior to the actual variational assimilation: a uniform ratio of pressure amplitudes in the two layers is included as an optimization parameter. Starting with the first guess from the preparation step, the variational method is carried out based on adjoint equations without such constraint. Separation of the control variables into the two subsets of the initial and the boundary conditions is found useful. Characteristics of the Hessian matrix are related to the performance of this technique. The method developed for the linear system implies steps to be included in data assimilation for nonlinear meanders and eddies in a major current system as well.     

A three-dimensional ocean general circulation model for mesoscale eddies——Ⅰ. Meander simulation and linear growth rate

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Seasonal Variations of Plankton Food Web Structure in the Coastal Water off Usujiri Southwestern Hokkaido,Japan

The planktonic food web structure in the subarctic coastal water off Usujiri south-western Hokkaido, Japan was investigated from June 1997 to June 1999, based on seasonal biomass data of pico- (<2 µm), nano- (2–10 µm), micro- (10–200 µm) and mesoplankton (>200 µm), and path analysis using the structural equation model (SEM). In spring, microphytoplankton predominated due to diatom bloom, while pico- and nanophytoplankton predominated in the other seasons, except November and December 1997. The seasonal change in size distribution of heterotrophic plankton was almost similar to that of phytoplankton, and mesozooplankton biomass was high in spring. The path analyses suggest that the main channel in the microbial food web could vary according to phytoplankton size composition, indicating not only the classical food chain (microphytoplankton - copepods) but also the indirect route (microphytoplankton - naked dinoflagellates - copepods).     

Bulk parameterization for a vegetated surface and its application to a simulation of nocturnal drainage flow

Two simple models are presented for describing the surface energy budget above vegetated surfaces. One is the traditional single-source model that includes only one energy budget equation for the entire canopy-soil system, and the other is the double-source model that includes separate energy budget equations for the vegetation canopy and the underlying soil surface. In both models, the bulk transfer coefficients needed to solve the energy budget equations are parameterized as functions of leaf area index, leaf transfer coefficients, and soil surface roughnesses to obtain the best fit to values calculated by a standard multilayer-canopy model. The validity of these models was tested by comparing their performance with that of the multilayer-canopy model for simulation of the surface energy balance and nocturnal drainage flow above vegetation. Results show that the double-source model gives reliable estimations for all cases ranging from sparse to dense vegetation covers; the single-source model is only applicable to dense, fully-covered vegetation. It is also shown that sparse vegetation weakens nocturnal drainage flow, since it isolates the cool underlying soil surface from the atmosphere above the canopy. This phenomenon cannot be described by a traditional single-source model incorporated commonly in many atmospheric models; however, the double-source model adequately describes this process.