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In order to understand settling process of particles in high sedimentation area, one mooring of sediment trap was deployed right above the IMAGES coring site in the northwestern North Pacific. In spite of two large maxima of settling particle fluxes in June–July 2002 and October–early January 2003, organic matter (OM) and carbonate showed higher peaks in June–July while lithogenics showed a large peak in October–early January with degraded OM (low aspartic acid/beta-alanine (Asp/Bala) and glutamic acid/gamma-aminobutyric (Glu/Gaba) ratios). Fresh OM production peaked in June–July 2002 and April–May 2003. Thus a large export production occurred in spring–early summer (April–June). Alkenone production was enhanced mainly in June–July. The mean alkenone SST of the settling particles was rather consistent with the observed annual mean SST and alkenone SST determined from the surface sediments. On the other hand, the maximum lithogenic flux along with the degradation of OM indicated that a significant amount of resuspended matter contaminated the bottom sediments. Based upon idealized model, the current and settling speeds make fractionation by size and density of resuspended particles during the settling process. Accumulation rates of lithogenics were ~ 5 times those in the sediment traps, which indicate large contribution of resuspended particles to settling particles especially during October–early January, when the Tsugaru current showed high current speed. These observations call our attention to carefully reconstruct paleo-environments based upon lithogenics and several other proxies such as biogenic silica, which would be biased for example in the record of IMAGES core at Site Shimokita located on the gentle continental slope.

The composition of total hydrolysable amino acids (THAAs) in a skeleton of the coral Porites australiensis, collected from Ishigaki Island, Japan, was examined in order to determine whether amino acids (AA) can be used as biomarkers of past changes in coral physiology (metabolism). Micro-samples, corresponding to a time resolution of 1 month, were collected along the growth axis of the coral. Of the 20 AAs analyzed, aspartic acid (Asp) was the most abundant, and its mole concentration relative to the sum of all other AAs (mole%Asp) showed a clear seasonal pattern of low content during winters and high during summers. A growth disturbance in the coral skeleton during 1988–1990, shown by X-ray scans and oxygen and carbon stable isotope data, was marked by a high mole%Asp ratio. Variability in carbon isotope data has often been attributed to metabolic effects, or changes in the isotopic composition of seawater, or both. The changes in mole%Asp shown here suggest that metabolic effects are mainly responsible for sharp changes in carbon isotope profiles during periods of growth disturbance.

The distribution and nature of sedimentary organic matter (OM) have been examined in sediment cores collected from the lower reaches, including estuary, of the Godavari River in order to understand sedimentation patterns, sources, and diagenesis of OM. The samples were analyzed for organic carbon (Corg), total nitrogen, amino acids and hexosamines. The observed irregular trends in Corg distribution with depth indicate the unstable nature of bed sediment in the lower reaches of the river. Yet, in the lower estuarine region, regular trends in Corg distribution with depth reflect the deposition of sediment. The atomic ratio of Corg and total nitrogen (C/N; 10.5–16.1) also supported this observation. The distribution of amino acids and diagenetic indicators (β-ala+γ-aba mol.%, AA/HA and Glc-NH2/Gal-NH2) in individual cores revealed the post-depositional changes in the OM. In the core sediment from the lower reaches, there was no clear cut trend in amino acid content with depth. In the estuarine region, however, amino acid content was very low (50.5 and 186.5 μg g−1) in the upper layers compared to that in the lower layers (558.5 and 1099.3 μg g−1). Reactivity index (range 0.3–3.7) revealed that OM in the upper few centimeters, especially in the lower estuarine region, was more reactive relative to that in the deeper layers.

The dissolved fluoride (F−) in the Lower Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) river system, Bengal basin, Bangladesh, was studied during 1991–1993 to determine its distribution and source in the basin, and its annual flux to the Bay of Bengal. The concentration of dissolved F− varied between 2 and 11 μmol l−1 with statistically significant variations both spatially and temporally in the basin. Such variations are attributable to the geology of the individual subbasins (Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna), dilution by rainwater during monsoon and groundwater contribution to the river systems during dry season. Correlation coefficients among F− and major cations and anions suggest diverse inorganic processes responsible for regulating the concentration of F− in these river systems. However, fluorite seems to be one of the major sources of dissolved F−. The concentration of F− in the Lower GBM river system is low compared to the rivers draining Deccan Plateau and arid regions of the subcontinent, for example, Yamuna and its tributaries. However, it is within the range of most of the other Peninsular and Himalayan rivers. The GBM system contributes about 115×103 tonnes year−1 of dissolved F− into the Bay of Bengal, and thus accounts for about 3% of the global F− flux to the oceans annually.

Based on skeletal oxygen and carbon isotope analyses, we found a remarkable decrease in skeletal linear extension rate of a Porites colony during the bleaching event of 1998 around the Ryukyu Islands. Water temperature in the summer of 1998 was recorded as the highest for at least last 50 years in the region. This colony, growing in a channel of fringing reef in Ishigaki Island, has experienced complete bleaching, as evidenced from direct observations of discoloration of the colony. Growth increment between the summer of 1997 and winter of 1997–98 is about 7 mm long while the corresponding increment between the summer of 1998 and winter of 1998–99 is only 2 mm long. Since the surface colonization by algae and excavating sponges cannot be recognized by visual inspection of X-radiographs, the slow growth might have been caused by the temporal perturbations in coral-algal symbiotic system, which inhibits calcification. The shift of skeletal carbon isotope ratios toward negative during bleaching also suggests the decrease of photosynthetic activity of symbiotic algae. Presumably, high temperature during the summer of 1998 could have led to massive decrease in carbonate production by coral reefs around the Ryukyu Islands through a large-scale coral bleaching event.

R-mode factor analysis of the recently acquired data on water and sediment chemistry has been performed. Basic chemical parameters have been merged together which aid in interpreting a few empirical geochemical factors controlling the chemical nature of water and sediments of the Gomti River, a major Himalayan tributary of the Ganges drainage basin. Water chemistry seems to be controlled by three factors: bicarbonate, rainfall and silicate and phosphate factors. Sediment chemistry is largely controlled by the following four factors: clay, adsorption/desorption, Fe-Mn hydroxide and mercury factors. These factors show spatial and temporal variability in terms of their R-scores.

The Godavari River, the third largest river of India,has been sampled for Particulate Inorganic and OrganicCarbon (PIC, POC), Particulate Nitrogen (PN), andParticulate Amino Acids (PAA, including 2 hexosamines(HA)). During the dry season Particulate OrganicMatter (POM) in the upper reaches is relatively freshand autochthonous, in the lower reaches it is degradedand inorganic suspended matter content is higher here.In the wet season (wet monsoon) heavy rains cause abasin-wide flushing of humus from entire catchmentarea consequently POM in the river is mainly degradedand allochthonous. Annual transport of the GodavariRiver amounts to 2.81 × 10 6 ton POC, 0.29 × 10 6ton PN and 0.10 × 10 6 tonParticulate Amino Acid Nitrogen. These amounts rank theGodavari River to one of the most important organic carbontransporting rivers in the world.

Water and sediment samples collected from the Gomti River, a tributary of the Ganges River system, during the postmonsoon season have been analyzed to estimate major elemental chemistry. Water chemistry of the River Gomti shows almost monotonous spatial distribution of various chemical species, especially because of uniform presence of alluvium Dun gravels throughout the basin. The river annually transports 0.34×106 tonnes of total suspended material (TSM) and 3.0×106 tonnes of total dissolved solids (TDS), 69 percent of which is accounted for by bicarbonate ions only. Samples collected downstream of the city of Lucknow show the influence of anthropogenic loadings for a considerable distance in the river water. Na+, Cl−, and SO4 2− concentrations build up downstream. The bed sediment chemistry is dominated by Si (36 percent), reflecting a high percentage of detrital quartz, which makes up about 74 percent of the mineralogy of the bed sediments in the River Gomti. The average Kjeldahl nitrogen concentration (234 μg/g) indicates indirectly the amount of organic matter in the sediments. The Hg concentration in sediments has been found to be higher (average 904 ppb) than the background value. The suspended sediments are well sorted, very finely skewed, and extremely leptokurtic, indicating a low energy condition of flow in the Gomti River. The influence of chemical loads in the Gomti has been found to be small or nonexistent on the Ganges River, perhaps because the water discharge of the Gomti (1.57 percent) to the Ganges is quite low.