Estimation of the sources of pelagic sediments from the South Pacific Ocean to the Antarctic Ocean

Gamma-irradiated L-α-alanine used in EPR-coupled dosimetry has a complex EPR spectrum at room temperature. Changing the temperature or other conditions of the irradiated samples leads to varied EPR spectrum, i.e., some components disappear and/or new ones are formed. We used both molecular mechanics (MM+) and semiempirical (AM1) methods to perform a theoretical investigation of the seven radical species that have been experimentally detected. We established their order of priority in the given simulation conditions (at 0 K, in vacuo). The formation stages advanced for these long-lived radical species were characterized by a theoretical determination of the reaction enthalpies.     

Estimate of Fukushima-derived radiocaesium in the North Pacific Ocean in summer 2012

Distributions of radiocaesium (¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs) derived from the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP1) accident in the North Pacific Ocean in the summer of 2012 were investigated. We have estimated the radiocaesium inventory in the surface layer using the optimal interpolation analysis and the subducted amount into the central mode water (CMW) by using vertical profiles of FNPP1-¹³⁴Cs and mass balance analysis as the first approach. The inventory of the ¹³⁴Cs in the surface layer in the North Pacific Ocean in August–December 2012 was estimated at 5.1?±?0.9 PBq on 1 October 2012, which corresponds to 8.6?±?1.5 PBq when it was decay corrected to the date of the FNPP1 accident, 11 March 2011. It was revealed that 56?±?10% of the released ¹³⁴Cs into the North Pacific Ocean, which was estimated at 15.3?±?2.6 PBq, transported eastward in the surface layer in 2012. The amount of ¹³⁴Cs subducted in the CMW was estimated to be 2.5?±?0.9 PBq based on the mass balance among the three domains of the surface layer, subtropical mode water, and CMW.     

Tritium concentrations of the deep sea-water in the Japan Sea and the Pacific Ocean

Tritium concentrations were determined for sea-water samples collected from the Japan Sea and the Pacific Ocean. In the Japan Sea, it was recognized that tritium was distributed around 2000 m in depth. This means that the vertical mixing of water mass is taking place. On the other hand, in the Pacific Ocean, the tritium concentration appears to reach zero at about 1000 m although more than 1 TU concentration are detected for samples collected from deeper water. Hypothetical origins of tritium in the deep water in the Pacific Ocean are discussed.     

The main steroid alcohol from the Pacific Ocean holothurian Cucumaria fraudatrix

A steroid compound has been isolated from the holothurianCucumaria fraudatrix. On the basis of¹H and¹³C NMR spectra its structure has been established as 4,14-dimethylcholest-9(11)-en-3-ol.Pacific Ocean Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far Eastern Scientific Center of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Vladivostok. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 185–187 (1986).     

Characterization and biotreatability of petroleum contaminated soils in a coral Atoll in the Pacific Ocean

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - On Kwajalein Island in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, studies were conducted to characterize subsurface petroleum contamination and assess the...     

Plutonium in Plutonium-Thoriumlegierungen

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Isolation of native aglycones from triterpene glycosides of the Pacific Ocean holothurianCucumaria japonica

New native aglycones — 3-hydroxyholosta-7,25-dien-16-one and holosta-7,25-dien-3-ol — have been isolated from the glycosidic fraction of the holothurianCucumaria japonica. It has been shown that holostane derivatives with a 16-keto group can be transformed on reduction with sodium tetrahydroborate into previously unknown compounds with an 18 16-lactone fragment.Pacific Ocean Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far-Eastern Scientific Center, Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Vladivostok. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 1, pp. 55–59, January–February, 1985.     

240Pu/239Pu atom ratios in the bottom sediments of the NW Pacific Ocean

^239+240Pu concentrations and ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in bottom sediments of the Yellow Sea, Korea Strait, East Sea (Sea of Japan), Sea of Okhotsk, and Northwest Pacific Ocean were determined. In coastal sediments near the Korean Peninsula, ^239+240Pu concentrations varied from 0.02 to 1.72 Bq^.kg^-1, and their ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios from 0.15 to 0.24, with an average of 0.20±0.03. ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios of bottom sediments in the deep NW Pacific Ocean and its marginal seas (East, Okhotsk seas) were in the range of 0.15-0.23. A little elevated ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios in the bottom layer sediment may be due to Pu released into the environment during the pre-moratorium period, having high ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios and low ²³⁸Pu/^239+240Pu activity ratios.     

Chemical composition of marine sediments in the Pacific Ocean from Sinaloa to Jalisco, Mexico

Marine sediments from Mexico’s West coast in the Pacific Ocean from Sinaloa to Jalisco were analyzed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence technique. Ten sediment samples were collected in May, 2010 between 55.5 and 1264 m water depth with a Reinneck type box nucleate sampler. Sediments were dried and fractioned by granulometry. Their physical and chemical properties were determined in laboratory by standard methods, pH, and conductivity. Concentration and distribution of K, Ca, Ti Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Pb, Br and Sr were analyzed. In order to determine the status of the elements, enrichment factors were calculated. Total, organic carbon and CaCO₃ were also determined. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction show predominant groups of compounds. As quality-control method, Certified Reference Material was both processed and analyzed at even conditions. Enrichment factors for K, Ca, Ti, Mn Fe, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ni, and Sr show they are conservative elements having concentrations in the range of unpolluted sites giving a base data line for the sampling zone In spite of moderately enrichment factors <100 μm size and bulk fractions, first Pb concentration fraction was similar to those found in not influenced by anthropogenic activities sites nearby Mazatlan Harbor. Bulk fraction concentration (52–133 μg g^?1) and enrichment factor show the influence of anthropogenic sources with values between lowest effect level and a third part of 250 μg g^?1value, which is considered to have severe effect levels for aquatic life.     

Plutonium isotopes in the Sea of Japan

Plutonium isotopes in the Sea of Japan were determined to assess radioactive contamination. Concentrations of ^239,240Pu in surface water of the Sea of Japan were maintained at a constant level over the past two decades in contrast to ¹³⁷Cs. A median value of surface ^239,240Pu in the Sea of Japan in this period was 5.6 mBq/m³ with the range between 2.1 and 14.0 mBq/m³, which is slightly higher than that in the western North Pacific. The vertical distribution of ^239,240Pu showed a surface minimum, a subsurface maximum and gradual decrease with increasing depth. The ²⁴¹Pu/^239,240Pu activity ratios in water columns were almost constant except for surface water. In regard to ^239,240Pu in surface water of the Sea of Japan, these findings suggest that rapid recycling of deeper plutonium occurs in the Sea of Japan due to deep convection in winter and biogeochemical processes such as particle scavenging and remineralization.     

Input of 129I into the western Pacific Ocean resulting from the Fukushima nuclear event

We present an initial characterization of the input of ¹²⁹I into the Pacific Ocean resulting from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident. This characterization is based primarily on ¹²⁹I measurements on samples collected from a research cruise conducted in waters off the eastern coast of Japan in June 2011. These measurements were compared with samples intended to reflect pre-Fukushima background that were collected during a May 2011 transect of the Pacific by a commercial container vessel. In surface waters, we observed peak ¹²⁹I concentrations of ~300 μBq/m³ which represents an elevation of nearly three orders of magnitude compared to pre-Fukushima backgrounds. We coupled our ¹²⁹I results with ¹³⁷Cs measurements from the same cruise and derived an average ¹²⁹I/¹³⁷Cs activity ratio of 0.442 × 10^?6 for the effluent from Fukushima. Finally, we present ¹²⁹I depth profiles from five stations from this cruise which form the basis for future studies of ocean transport and mixing process as well as estimations of the total budget of ¹²⁹I released into the Pacific.     

Avarol and isoavarol from a Pacific Ocean sponge Dysidea sp.

Two hydroquinone-group-containing terpenoids have been isolated from a Pacific Ocean spongeDysidia, sp. One of them has been identified by physicochemical methods as the previously known avarol. The second, isoavarol, obtained for the first time, differs from avarol by the 4(11)-position of the double bond.     

An Improvement of IAP OGCM for the Pacific Ocean Circulation and Its Simulated Results

Based on the oceanic CCM with standard stratification subtraction but without the rigid-lid approximation designed in Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP OGCM) and its numerical modelings for the large-scale ocean circulation, a numerical model for the Pacific Ocean is developed with higher resolution (2.5°×2° in the longitude and latitude, 8 layers in the vertical),the realistic coastline geometry,the smoothed bottom topography and the Richardson number dependent vertical mixing parameterization.The splitting time integration scheme of the barotropic and baroclinic modes is adopted in the model. The numerical simulation under the annual mean atmospheric forcing shows that the model performance is improved substantially compared with the previous low resolution version.This free surface model,in particular, successfully simulates the well-known ridge-trough structure in the sea level, i.e. the equatorial trough, the equatorial ridge near 3°N, the north countercurrent trough between 8°N and 10°N,     

Avarol and isoavarol from a Pacific Ocean sponge Dysidea sp.

Two hydroquinone-group-containing terpenoids have been isolated from a Pacific Ocean spongeDysidia, sp. One of them has been identified by physicochemical methods as the previously known avarol. The second, isoavarol, obtained for the first time, differs from avarol by the 4(11)-position of the double bond.Pacific Ocean Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Far Eastern Branch, USSR Academy of Sciences, Vladivostok. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 3, pp. 358–361, May–June, 1990.     

Proportional Equations in Plutonium Chemistry

Modern software has made the method of proportional equations easy to use. The method quickly yields oxidation state distributions for plutonium in aqueous solutions, so it serves as a check on the results obtained by other techniques. It is a versatile tool that incorporates mass and charge conservation without specifically starting those two laws.     

Concentration and distribution of 17 organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in seawater from the Japan Sea northward to the Arctic Ocean

Seventeen classic organochlorine pesticides in surface seawater were studied in terms of their composition pattern as well as their distribution pattern in the areas covering the Japan Sea,Okhotsk Sea,Bering Sea,Chukchi Sea and Arctic Ocean.Their concentrations varied,but roughly two levels were seen with one ranging between 0.1 and 1 ng L-1 for most HCH isomers and the other lower than 0.1 ng L-1 for other chemicals.Of the 17 target compounds,HCHs were dominant with a total concentration percentage general...     

Neutron activation analysis of rare earth elements in deep sea sediments from the Pacific Ocean and the Japan Sea

Seven REEs in the deep sea sediments from various regions /19 sites/ of the Pacific Ocean and the Japan Sea were determined with INAA. Regional variations of La/Yb ratio and Ce anomaly may reflect the relative contribution of the source materials in the formation of the deep sea sediments.     

Plutonium hydrolysis and the double double-point

There is uncertainty about the numerical value of the first hydrolysis constant of the tetravalent plutonium ion. A new method for discriminating between the claims is illustrated. It suggests the traditional estimates of that constant are closer to its true value than a singular result based on a few solvent-extraction experiments. A previously unnoticed multiple point in aqueous Pu chemistry is illustrated.