We report the first study of sperm whale‐fall ecosystems, based on mass sinking of whale carcasses at shelf depths in the northwest Pacific. We conducted three observations over a 2‐year period on replicate sperm‐whale carcasses implanted at depths of 219–254 m off the southern part of Japan from July 2003 to August 2005. The study was made possible by a mass stranding of sperm whales in January 2002, and the subsequent sinking of 12 carcasses in the waters off Cape Nomamisaki. Dense aggregations of unique chemosynthesis‐based fauna had formed around the whale carcasses after 18 months (July 2003). The mytilid mussel Adipicola pacifica was the most abundant macrofaunal species and covered most of the exposed bone surfaces. The general composition of the fauna was similar to that of deep‐water reducing habitats, but none of the species appearing in this study has been found at hydrothermal vents, cold seeps or deep‐water whale falls. A new species of lancelet, which was the first record of the subphylum Cephalochordata from reducing environments, a new species of Osedax; a rarely encountered benthic ctenophore, and a rare gastropod species were discovered at this sperm whale‐fall site. Benthic communities were similar across all the carcasses studied, although the body sizes of the whales were very different. The succession of epifaunal communities was relatively rapid and the sulphophilic stage was considerably shorter than that of other known whale falls. 相似文献
This paper analyzes daily variations in the occurrences of pelagic fishes and zooplankters on a small regional scale. The data used are based on daily observations repeated at 24h intervals during 6 days from 16 to 21, September, 1971, in coastal waters close to Esaki, a fishing port in the southwestern part of the Japan Sea (Yamaguchi Prefecture). The observations comprised acoustic surveys of the fish population, zooplankton sampling with a net, and Secchi disc readings, for evaluating relationships between the abundances of pelagic fishes and their food, as well as alternations in water masses. No clear correlation between pelagic fishes and their food, copepods, within a short time period was observed; fish population continued to decrease with eastward movements of fish schools although the abundances of copepods remained at almost the same level during the observations. Patterns of changes in both settled volumes of plankton and transparencies evidently suggested the occurrence of alternations in water masses. Pelagic fish schools proved to move in company with the transition of water masses. 相似文献
The topographic effect of a meridional marine ridge on the spin-down of a cyclonic eddy, which is embedded in a zonal mean flow, is examined by use of a two layer numerical model. It is shown that the cyclonic eddy initially given on the eastern flank of the marine ridge decays in a short time. This result is common to all cases with the different volume transports of the mean flow (3070 Sv) and of the cyclonic eddy (1535 Sv). During the decay process, the cyclonic eddy shifts mainly northward into the shallower region, which is different from the dominant westward shift of the isolated cyclonic eddy. If the mean flow across over the marine ridge at the more northern latitude, the cyclonic eddy spins down more rapidly. A mean flow shifts zonal or south-eastward over a western side of the ridge, while it deflects north-eastward over an eastern side. The deflection angle of mean flow over the ridge depends on the intensity of lower layer velocity and density stratification. It is suggested that the topographic effect of the meridional marine ridge on the cyclonic eddy with mean flow is influenced both by the global phenomena that controls the inclination of the mean flow from zonal direction and by the local phenomena that controls the intensity of the topographic effect of the marine ridge. 相似文献
The hydrographic structure of the region of large meander of the Kuroshio and the large cold water mass, which were formed in 1975, was observed down to the ocean bottom, during three cruises of the R/VHakuho Maru in September 1975, September 1976, and December 1977. The analysis of observed data indicates the following common features: the horizontal gradient of the specific volume anomaly exists down to a 3,500 db surface, corresponding to the existence of baroclinic geostrophic current down to this depth. These facts demonstrate that the current of the Kuroshio is not confined to the upper layer during periods of existence of the large meander. On a T-S diagram, the Kuroshio water and the water in the large cold water mass can be discriminated down to a 5°C surface, but there is evidence of mixing due to conspicuous interleaving between the two water masses, near the thermocline. Below the thermocline, water types defined by points on the T-S diagram can be traced from a deeper level in the Kuroshio water to a shallower level in the cold water mass, indicating that in the deeper layers the Kuroshio water continues to be uplifted toward the center of the cold water mass. The same inference is also obtained from the distribution of dissolved oxygen. 相似文献
The influence of the Kuroshio flow on the horizontal distribution of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) in the Shikoku
Basin is examined based upon observational data collected by the training vessel “Seisui-maru” of Mie University together
with oceanographic data compiled by the Japan Oceanographic Data Center (JODC). Although it has been stated that the NPIW
with salinity less than 34.2 psu had been confined to the south of the Kuroshio main axis along the PT (KJ) Line on the eastern
side of the Izu Ridge, a similar tendency can be detected on the western side of the Izu Ridge. Namely, the NPIW on the southern
side of the Kuroshio main axis in the Shihoku Basin does not indicate a tendency to go northward across the Kuroshio main
axis without an increase in salinity of more than 34.2 psu. However, the JODC data show that less saline water (<34.2 psu)
was present on the northern side of the Kuroshio main axis south of the Kii Peninsula in May 1992. Satellite observed sea
surface temperature (SST) data suggested that the Kuroshio approaches the Kii Peninsula after forming a small meander off
Kyushu and some intrusions of the NPIW into the northern coastal side of the Kuroshio main axis occurred in this period. It
is concluded that intrusion of the NPIW with salinity less than 34.2 psu to the northern coastal side through the Kuroshio
main axis occurred during the decay period of the small meander path in May 1992. Based on these observational results, the
source of the salinity minimum water on the northern coastal side of the Kuroshio main axis is discussed.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. 相似文献
Melting relations of primitive peridotite were studied up to 25 GPa. The change of the liquidus phase from olivine to majorite occurs at 16 GPa. We confirmed the density crossover of the FeO-rich peridotite melt and the equilibrium olivine (Fo90) at 7 GPa. Sinking of equilibrium olivine (Fo95) in the primitive peridotite melt was observed up to 10 GPa. The compression curves of FeO-rich peridotitic and komatiite melts reported in this and earlier work suggest that the density crossover in the Earth's mantle will be located at 11–12 GPa at 2000°C, consistent with an previous estimation by C.B. Agee and D. Walker.
The density crossover can play a key role in the Moon and the terrestrial planets, such as the Earth, Venus and Mars. Majorite and some fraction of melt could have separated from the ascending diapir and sunk downwards at the depths below the density crossover. This process could have produced a garnet-rich transition zone in the Earth's mantle. The density crossover may exist in the FeO-rich lunar mantle at around the center of the Moon. The density crossover which exists at the depth of 600 km in the Martian mantle plays a key role in producing a fractionated mantle, which is the source the parent magmas of the SNC meteorites. 相似文献
In recent years, anomalous southward intrusions of the Oyashio have been observed frequently from winter to late spring. A barotropic model is used to see the occurrence of the Oyashio intrusion, with special reference to a short time lag between the change in the wind stress in midwinter and the occurrence of the Oyashio intrusion generally in spring of the same year. It is shown that the barotropic response of the ocean to the change in wind stress is fast, and its representative time scale is about 50 days at most. The southward shift of the Oyashio and the subarctic circulation are simulated quantitatively, when the imposed wind stress is changed from the mean wind stress prior to no Oyashio intrusion to that prior to the Oyashio intrusion. It is suggested that the southward intrusion of the Oyashio is a phenomenon connected with the global change in atmospheric circulation. 相似文献