Recent climatic change and unusual weather in the Northern Hemisphere

Occurrence frequency of unusual weather caused by anomalous synoptic patterns has its peaks in the middle latitude regions and the subtropical regions. Height anomaly patterns at the 500 mb level for the last three decades show the expansion of negative area in the northern hemisphere, resulting in increase of variability in space and time.     

Rare-earth and trace elements in the Quaternary volcanic rocks of Hokkaido,Japan

Seven rare-earth elements (La, Ce, Sm, Eu, Tb, Yb, Lu) and Co, Cr, Sc, Ba, Hf and Th have been determined by non-destructive neutron activation analysis on the Quaternary volcanic rocks in Hokkaido, Japan. The trace-element abundances are discussed in terms of the petrological problems, particularly the origin of calc-alkali magma. On the basis of the La/Sm ratio and the contents of K, Ba, Th and La, lateral variations in the contents of trace elements exist across the Kurile and the northern Honshū arcs. The calc-alkali rocks can be classified into three types which correspond to Kuno's three basalt-magma types. There is no essential difference in the rare-earth patterns between the basaltic rocks and the associated calc-alkali rocks in each petrographic province. This suggests that the calcalkali rocks may be derived from the basaltic magmas by fractional crystallization under certain conditions.     

Jointing of two tunnel shields using artificial underground freezing

Freezing was used in the jointing section of two shields (diameter 3.14 m) which ran across at right angles and at 25-m depth under the crossing of main roads for the construction of a 2.4-m diameter sewer tunnel. The object of freezing was to create a frozen barrier to prevent the inflow of water and fine sand into the area to be excavated.

Thirty-five freeze pipes (length about 7 m) were placed from one shield conically in the direction of the flank of another shield with freeze pipes attached to its inside wall. The cooling unit was placed on unoccupied land at about 60 m distant from the jointing section and the freeze pipes were connected with the cooling unit by supply and return pipelines.

The cooling unit had a cooling capacity of 79,000 kcal/h at an evaporation temperature of −27°C and a condensation temperature of +40°C. Freezing was continued for 180 days and the CaCl₂ brine temperature was −25 to −30°C. These works were accomplished without the sinking of shaft and the use of injection, in complete safety with no traffic restriction on the road surface.     

Experimental study on the phase equilibria in the join CaMgSi2O6-CaCrCrSiO6 with special reference to the blue diopside

The behaviour of tetrahedrally coordinated and octahedrally coordinated Cr³⁺ ions in diopside is discussed from the study on the join CaMg-Si₂O₆-CaCrCrSiO₆. The molecule CaCrCrSiO₆ decomposes into uvarovite+eskolaite and its maximum solubility in diopside is 6.7 wt percent at 940 ° C. Crystalline phases are diopside ss (ss is abbreviation of solid solution), uvarovite ss, wollastonite ss, spinel and eskolaite. The diopside ss is blue in colour. Its optical spectra were measured in the wavelenght range of 325–2600 nm, and assigned after tetrahedral configuration Td and octahedral configuration Oh. It is estimated that octahedral Cr³⁺ ions are in high spin state, while tetrahedral Cr³⁺ ions may be probably in low spin state. The _t and B are 10,300–10,370 cm^–1 and 429–432 cm^–1. The CFSE for tetrahedral low spin Cr³⁺ ions is nearly the same as that for octahedral high spin Cr³⁺ ions. The ionic radii of tetrahedral low spin Cr³⁺ ions calculated are 0.47–0.53 Å, shrinked from the radius of octahedral high spin Cr³⁺ ion (0.615 Å) as much as 14–24 percent. Petrologic implications of the result are also discussed.The first half of the D. Sc. dissertation of K. Ikeda presented to Hokkaido University in June, 1976     

Petrology of the Yamato nakhlites

Abstract— The Yamato nakhlites, Y‐000593, Y‐000749, and Y‐000802, were recovered in 2000 from the bare icefield around the Yamato mountains in Antarctica, consisting of three independent specimens with black fusion crusts. They are paired cumulate clinopyroxenites. We obtained the intercumulus melt composition of the Yamato nakhlites and here call it the Yamato intercumulus melt (YIM). The YIM crystallized to form the augite rims, the olivine rims and the mesostasis phases in the cumulates. The augite rims consist of two layers: inner and outer. The crystallization of the inner rim drove the interstitial melt into the plagioclase liquidus field. Subsequently, the residual melt crystallized pigeonites and plagioclase to form the outer rims and the mesostasis. Three types of inclusions were identified in olivine phenocrysts: rounded vitrophyric, angular vitrophyric, and monomineralic augite inclusions. The monomineralic augite inclusions are common and may have been captured by growing olivine phenocrysts. The rounded vitrophyric inclusions are rare and may represent the composition of middle‐stage melts, whereas the angular vitrophyric inclusions seem to have been derived from fractionated late‐stage melts. Glass inclusions occur in close association with titanomagnetite and ferroan augite halo in phenocryst core augites and the assemblages may be magmatic inclusions in augites. We compared the YIM with compositions of magmatic inclusions in olivine and augite. The composition of magmatic inclusions in augite is similar to the YIM. Phenocrystic olivines contain exsolution lamellae, augite‐magnetite aggregates, and symplectites in the cores. The symplectites often occur at the boundaries between olivine and augite grains. The aggregates, symplectite and lamellae formed by exsolution from the host olivine at magmatic temperatures. We present a formational scenario for nakhlites as follows: (1) accumulation of augite, olivine, and titanomagnetite phenocrysts took place on the floor of a magma chamber; (2) olivine exsolved augite and magnetite as augite‐magnetite aggregates, symplectites and lamellae; (3) the overgrowth on olivine phenocrysts formed their rims, and the inner rims crystallized on augite phenocryst cores; and finally, (4) the outer rim formed surrounding the inner rims of augite phenocrysts, and plagioclase and minor minerals crystallized to form mesostasis under a rapid cooling condition, probably in a lava flow or a sill.     

Delayed plastic model for time‐dependent behaviour of materials

A delayed plastic model, based on the theory of plasticity, is proposed to represent the time‐dependent behaviour of materials. It is assumed in this model that the stress can lie outside the yield surface and the conjugate stress called static stress is defined on the yield surface. The stress–strain relation is calculated based on the plastic theory embedding the static stress. Thus, the stress–strain relation of the model practically corresponds to that of the inviscid elastoplastic model under fairly low rate deformation. The delayed plastic model is coupled with the Cam‐clay model for normally consolidated clays. The performance of the model is then examined by comparing the model predictions with reported time‐dependent behaviour of clays under undrained triaxial conditions. It is shown that the model is capable of predicting the effect of strain rate during undrained shear and the undrained creep behaviour including creep rupture. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Linking the northern hemisphere sea-ice reduction trend and the quasi-decadal arctic sea-ice oscillation

The nature of the reduction trend and quasi-decadal oscillation in Northern Hemisphere sea-ice extent is investigated. The trend and oscillation that seem to be two separate phenomena have been found in data. This study examines a hypothesis that the Arctic sea-ice reduction trend in the last three decades amplified the quasi-decadal Arctic sea-ice oscillation (ASIO) due to a positive ice/ocean-albedo feedback, based on data analysis and a conceptual model proposed by Ikeda et al. The theoretical, conceptual model predicts that the quasi-decadal oscillation is amplified by the thinning sea-ice, leading to the ASIO, which is driven by the strong positive feedback between the atmosphere and ice-ocean systems. Such oscillation is predicted to be out-of-phase between the Arctic Basin and the Nordic Seas with a phase difference of 3/4, with the Nordic Seas leading the Arctic. The wavelet analysis of the sea ice data reveals that the quasi-decadal ASIO occurred actively since the 1970s following the trend starting in the 1960s (i.e., as sea-ice became thinner and thinner), as the atmosphere experienced quasi-decadal oscillations during the last century. The wavelet analysis also confirms the prediction of such out-of-phase feature between these two basins, which varied from 0.62 in 1960 to 0.25 in 1995. Furthermore, a coupled ice-ocean general circulation model (GCM) was used to simulate two scenarios, one without the greenhouse gas warming and the other having realistic atmospheric forcing along with the warming that leads to sea-ice reduction trend. The quasi-decadal ASIO is excited in the latter case compared to the no-warming case. The wavelet analyses of the simulated ice volume were also conducted to derive decadal ASIO and similar phase relationship between the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic Seas. An independent data source was used to confirm such decadal oscillation in the upper layer (or freshwater) thickness, which is consistent with the model simulation. A modified feedback loop for the sea-ice trend and ASIO was proposed based on the previous one by Mysak and Venegas and the ice/albedo and cloud/albedo feedabcks, which are responsible for the sea ice reduction trend.     

Flapping motions of the tail plasma sheet induced by the interplanetary magnetic field variations

Flapping motions of the magnetotail with an amplitude of several earth radii are studied by analysing the observations made in the near (x = ?25 ~ ?30 R_E and the distant (x? ?60 R_E) tail regions. It is found that the flapping motions result from fluctuations in the interplanetary magnetic field, especially Alfvénic fluctuations, when the magnitude of the interplanetary magnetic field is larger than ~10 γ and they propagate behind the Earth with the solar wind flow. Flappings tend to be observed in early phases of the magnetospheric substorm, and they have two fundamental modes with periods of ~200 and ~500 sec. In some limited cases a good correspondence with the long period micropulsations (Pc5) in the polar cap region is observed. These observational results are explained by the model in which the Alfvénic fluctuations in the solar wind penetrate into the magnetosphere along the connected interplanetary-magnetospheric field lines. The characteristics of the flapping reveal that the geomagnetic tail is a good resonator for the hydromagnetic disturbances in the solar wind.     

Cluster formation and the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich power spectrum in modified gravity: the case of a phenomenologically extended DGP model

We investigate the effect of modified gravity on cluster abundance and the Sunyaev–Zel'dovich (SZ) angular power spectrum. Our modified gravity is based on a phenomenological extension of the Dvali–Gabadadze–Porrati model which includes two free parameters characterizing deviation from Λ cold dark matter cosmology. Assuming that Birkhoff's theorem gives a reasonable approximation, we study the spherical collapse model of structure formation and show that while the growth function changes to some extent, modified gravity gives rise to no significant change in the linear density contrast at collapse time. The growth function is enhanced in the so called normal branch, while in the 'self-accelerating' branch it is suppressed. The SZ angular power spectrum is computed in the normal branch, which allows us to put observational constraints on the parameters of the modified gravity model using small scale cosmic microwave background observation data.