Eastern Coast Of Taiwan Research Articles

Utilizing deep ocean water in yeast fermentation for enhanced mineral-rich biomass production and fermentative regulation by proteomics modulation

Deep Ocean Water (DOW) is rich in minerals and serves as a natural source of nutrients. However, due to the inorganic nature of these minerals, cultivating yeast in DOW could aid in the fermentation process, and simultaneously, the yeast can assimilate the minerals from DOW, resulting in a mineral-enriched yeast biomass. Focusing on three DOW sources off the eastern coast of Taiwan (TT-1, HL-1, HL-2), we fermented various yeast strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of DOW on yeast growth, alcohol dehydrogenase activity, and the biological absorption of mineral ions by the yeast. Additionally, this research employs two-dimensional electrophoresis techniques to examine how the absorbed minerals influence the regulation of yeast proteins, thereby affecting biomass and metabolism. In the result, S. cerevisiae BCRC 21689 demonstrated a remarkable ability to bio-absorb minerals such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and zinc from DOW, enhancing its growth and fermentation performance. Proteomic analysis revealed significant shifts in the expression of 21 proteins related to glycolytic and energy metabolism, alcohol metabolism, and growth regulation, all influenced by DOW's mineral-rich environment. This indicates that DOW's mineral content is a key factor in upregulating essential enzymes in glycolytic metabolism and alcohol dehydrogenase. An increase in proteins involved in synthesis and folding processes was also observed, leading to a substantial increase in yeast biomass. This study underscores the potential of DOW as a natural enhancer in yeast fermentation processes, enriching the yeast with diverse minerals and modulating proteomic expression to optimize yeast growth and fermentation.

An Observational Study on the Rapid Intensification of Typhoon Chanthu (2021) near the Complex Terrain of Taiwan

Abstract Intensification of Typhoon Chanthu (2021) along the eastern coast of Taiwan was accompanied by pronounced asymmetry in eyewall convection dominated by wavenumber-1 features, as observed by a dense radar network in Taiwan. The maximum wind speed at 3-km altitude, retrieved from radar observations, exhibited a rapid increase of approximately 18 m s−1 within an 11-h period during the intensification stage, followed by a significant decrease of approximately 19 m s−1 within 8 h during the weakening stage. Namely, Chanthu underwent both rapid intensification (RI) and rapid weakening (RW) within the 24-h analyzed period, posing challenges for intensity forecasts. During the intensifying stages, the region of maximum eyewall convection asymmetry underwent a sudden cyclonic rotation from the eastern to the northern semicircle immediately after the initiation of terrain-induced boundary inflow from the south of the typhoon, as observed by surface station data. This abrupt rotation of eyewall asymmetry exhibited better agreement with radar-derived vertical wind shear (VWS) than that derived from global reanalysis data. This finding suggests that the meso-β-scale VWS is more representative for tropical cyclones than meso-α-scale VWS when the terrain-induced forcing predominates in the environmental conditions. Further examination of the radar-derived VWS indicated that the VWS profile pattern provided a more favorable environment for typhoon intensification. In summary, Chanthu’s RI was influenced by the three factors: 1) terrain-induced boundary inflow from the south of the typhoon, observed by surface station data; 2) low-level flow pointing toward the upshear-left direction; and 3) weak upper-level VWS. Significance Statement Tropical cyclone intensity change has been an important issue for both real-time operation and research, but the influence of terrain on intensity change has not been fully understood. Typhoon Chanthu (2021) underwent a significant intensity change near the complex terrain of Taiwan that was observed by a dense radar network. This study analyzes 24 h of radar and weather station data to investigate Chanthu’s evolution. The analyses indicate that the complex terrain affected the low-level flow near the TC. Such a change in flow pattern provided additional boundary inflow and a relatively favorable vertical wind shear pattern for TC intensification.

Considering species functional and phylogenetic rarity in the conservation of fish biodiversity

AbstractAimRare species make substantial contributions to coastal ecosystem functions. Functional rarity (FR) and phylogenetic rarity (PR) are important features for biodiversity conservation. This work aimed to discuss the necessity and reasonableness of conserving fish FR and PR in coastal seas.LocationChina.MethodsBy compiling historical fish investigation data, joint species distribution modelling (JSDM) was applied to model fish communities in coastal China Seas. Biogeographic patterns of FR and PR were explored, and the effectiveness of current MPA networks in terms of match/mismatch with the hotspots of rarity was assessed.ResultsA total of 44 functionally rare species and 22 phylogenetically rare species were identified. Six of these species were both functionally and phylogenetically rare, and only one was listed as endangered on the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Functional rarity hotspots covered 10.27% of the coastal areas, which geographically converged in the southern and eastern coast of Taiwan, the Yangtze River Estuary and the Yellow River Estuary. Phylogenetic rarity hotspots only covered 3.06% of the coastal areas, which were sporadically distributed in the coastal East China Sea, the Bohai Sea and the northern Yellow Sea. Current marine‐protected areas (MPAs) only represented 16.16% of the FR hotspots and 20.48% of the PR hotspots, indicating substantial mismatched areas between the MPAs and the hotspots of FR and PR.Main ConclusionsOnly considering threatened species in conservation practices will omit functionally and phylogenetically rare species because FR and PR are not necessarily correlated with species threat status on the IUCN Red List. Functional rarity hotspots do not necessarily overlap with PR hotspots, and current MPAs mismatch the majority of these areas. We therefore advocate that conservation prioritization and expansion of MPA networks should account for FR and PR both at the species and site levels.

Population Genetic Differentiation on the Hydrothermal Vent Crabs Xenograpsus testudinatus along Depth and Geographical Gradients in the Western Pacific

Connectivity in deep-sea organisms must be considered across both depth gradient and horizontal geographical scales. The depth-differentiation hypothesis suggests that strong environmental gradients (e.g., light, temperature, pressure) and habitat heterogeneity in the deep-sea can create selection pressure, and this can result in genetic population divergence. The hydrothermal vent crab Xenograpsus testudinatus (Xenograpsidae) is common in vents at Kueishan Island, Taiwan, ranging from 10 to about 300 m depths. Xenograpsus testudinatus has also been found in shallow water vents (3–20 m) at Kagoshima and the Izu archipelago of Japan. We examine the sequence divergences in the mitochondrial COI, 16S rRNA and D-loop genes, to test the hypothesis that there is significant genetic differentiation among populations of X. testudinatus along the depth gradient at Kueishan Island (30, 200, 209–224 and 250–275 m), and among different geographical regions (Kueishan, Kagoshima and the Izu archipelago) in the West Pacific. There is neither significant population differentiation among shallow or deep-sea vents, nor between geographical locations. Vertical migration of zoea, upwelling on the eastern coast of Taiwan and the strong effect of the Kuroshio Currents has probably resulted in a high level of planktonic larval dispersal of X. testudinatus along the depth and geographical gradients in the Western Pacific.

Strong horizontal and vertical connectivity in the coral Pocillopora verrucosa from Ludao, Taiwan, a small oceanic island.

Mesophotic habitats could be sheltered from natural and anthropogenic disturbances and act as reproductive refuges, providing propagules to replenish shallower populations. Molecular markers can be used as proxies evaluating the connectivity and inferring population structure and larval dispersal. This study characterizes population structure as well as horizontal and vertical genetic connectivity of the broadcasting coral Pocillopora verrucosa from Ludao, a small oceanic island off the eastern coast of Taiwan. We genotyped 75 P. verrucosa specimens from three sites (Gongguan, Dabaisha, and Guiwan) at three depth ranges (Shallow: 7–15 m, Mid-depth: 23–30 m, and Deep: 38–45 m), spanning shallow to upper mesophotic coral reefs, with eight microsatellite markers. F-statistics showed a moderate differentiation (FST = 0.106, p<0.05) between two adjacent locations (Dabaisha 23–30 and Dabaisha 38–45 m), but no differentiation elsewhere, suggesting high levels of connectivity among sites and depths. STRUCTURE analysis showed no genetic clustering among sites or depths, indicating that all Pocillopora individuals could be drawn from a single panmictic population. Simulations of recent migration assigned 30 individuals (40%) to a different location from where they were collected. Among them, 1/3 were assigned to deeper locations, 1/3 to shallower populations and 1/3 were assigned to the right depth but a different site. These results suggest high levels of vertical and horizontal connectivity, which could enhance the recovery of P. verrucosa following disturbances around Ludao, a feature that agrees with demographic studies portraying this species as an opportunistic scleractinian.

Taiwan Rainbands Formed in the Outer Region of Tropical Cyclones

AbstractThis study used Doppler radar data, surface observations, and National Centers for Environmental Prediction reanalysis data to explore the statistical characteristics of Taiwan rainbands (TRs) that formed in the outer region of tropical cyclones (TCs). A comprehensive examination of the available radar measurements from 2002 to 2017 identified a total of 103 TRs from 44 TC events and showed that approximately 47% of all TCs influencing Taiwan could develop TRs. The spatial distribution of TR formation exhibited a substantial offshore extent, with the highest frequency observed ~25–100 km offshore. The TRs tended to be initiated when the northwestward-moving typhoons passed over the oceanic area northeast of Luzon Island (16°–20°N, 122°–127°E), the Philippines. This track characteristic brought stronger easterly onshore flow to the eastern coast of Taiwan and favored the development of a pronounced coastal pressure ridge. In particular, the offshore convergence caused by upstream deceleration of the onshore flow due to orographic blocking was found to be a primary contributor to the initiation of the TRs. The strength of the observed coastal pressure ridge and its high correlation with the intensity of environmental onshore flow associated with outer circulations of TCs were consistent with the theoretical prediction of pressure distributions generated as incident flow interacted dynamically with the Taiwan topography. Results from the study suggest that the typhoon location relative to the Taiwan landmass is a critical factor determining TR initiation.

On the separation of upper and low‐level centres of tropical storm Kong‐Rey (2013) near Taiwan in association with asymmetric latent heating

AbstractTropical Storm (TS) Kong‐Rey (2013) moved northward off the eastern coast of Taiwan in late August. Satellite and radar observations indicated an asymmetric convective structure to the south and southwest of the typhoon centre. The maximum rainfall produced was also far from its centre and unlike the usual pattern in climatology, causing flooding, inundation, and casualties in southwestern Taiwan. Moreover, as a detached centre in the middle and upper levels moved over land, a highly tilted vertical structure was revealed and its cause is the focus of the present study. Even though vertical wind shear was present and might cause asymmetry in convective pattern at an early stage, the detachment of the centre aloft during the period of interest (28–29 August) is found to link to Taiwan's steep topography through model experiments and potential vorticity tendency diagnosis. With the uplifting of strong low‐level westerly flow by the topography, the intense convection in the control experiment is concentrated at the windward slopes (in southwestern Taiwan) and the wave‐number‐1 motion vector from the diabatic heating produces southwestward movement of the centre aloft, and thus leads to the detachment. On the other hand, in the sensitivity test without Taiwan terrain, the rainfall region shifts eastward toward the low‐level TC centre, and the detachment does not occur. Overall, with a weak vertical coupling of TS Kong‐Rey (2013), the impacts of topography can explain both the observed separation of its centres and the unusual rainfall pattern in Taiwan.

Strong ground motion over a large area in northern Taiwan caused by the northward rupture directivity of the 2019 Hualien earthquake

An Mw 6.2 earthquake struck Hualien on the eastern coast of Taiwan on April 18, 2019. Its focal mechanism was determined to be a thrust fault with a depth of 18.8 km. A wide range of strong ground shaking with an intensity value from 4 (25–80 Gal) to 7 (greater than 400 Gal) occurred in northern Taiwan, which is unusual for earthquakes of this size. Here we show a source model as determined by local seismic waveform inversion. Two asperities were found, the smaller one occurred at the hypocenter and the larger one was found 10 km north of the hypocenter with a depth of 18–25 km. The initial rupture started from the hypocenter and then rapidly propagated all the way to the large asperity in the north. A near supershear speed of close to 4.0 km/s was found to have occurred during this northward rupture process. The inverted source model was evaluated using forward three-dimensional ground motion simulations. The results show strong agreement with island-wide observed displacement waveforms and peak ground acceleration for periods from 3.0 to 20.0 s. The rapid northward rupture caused a strong directivity effect coupled with the specific source radiation pattern, resulting in a large area of strong ground shaking in northern Taiwan, even though the Hualien earthquake was a moderately-sized event.

Ecological and Biological Characteristics for the Risso's Dolphins (Grampus griseus) Off Taiwan, with Conservation Evaluations on Potential Anthropogenic Threats

Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus) is one of the cetacean species commonly encountered off the eastern coast of Taiwan. The species appears to occur in Taiwanese waters year-round. Many biological and ecological characteristics, including group size, habitat preference, and ages at weaning and sexual maturity, are by-and-large in accord with earlier reports for populations in other geographic regions. Morphological assessments, dietary analyses, and genetic data altogether suggest the dolphins found in Taiwanese and Japanese waters are from the same population, which exhibits high genetic diversity and a sign of recent demographic expansion. The dolphin species is endorsed a “Rare and Valuable Species (Class II)” status and is protected by the Wildlife Conservation Act in Taiwan. However, it is still vulnerable to human activities, in terms of whale-watching tourism and coastal gill-net fisheries, with a growing concern on the level of heavy metal residues found in dolphin tissues. Current knowledge for the species is mostly derived from relatively limited information. Assessments on key biological and ecological features, e.g., population size, residency, social structure, and group composition, shall be prioritised for conservation initiatives.

Памятники Наньгуаньли и Наньгуаньли Дун в контексте реконструкции хозяйственного уклада ранненеолитического населения острова Тайвань.

In the 1960s, K.C. Chang proposed that Tapenkeng (Dabenkeng) inhabitants could be migrants from mainland China to the island and the ancestors of modern indigenous peoples. The first settlers could be characterized by corded pottery, a wide range of fishing tools, polished stone axes and adzes, marine economy and shell ornaments. The article presents the results of investigations of archaeological sites in Tainan County – Nankuanli (Nanguangli) and Nankuanli Tung (Nanguangli Dong) which provide essential and detailed information regarding the question of the peopling of Taiwan approximately 6000 years ago. The article focuses on publications that discuss the economy and way of life of the first settlers of the Taiwanese seaside who strongly relied on marine food resources. Faunal data played an important role in the reconstruction of resource use. A big amount of shell remains indicate their significant role in the diet of ancient inhabitants. About 21 families and 49 species of gastropods and bivalves were identified by Taiwanese scientists. Remnants of dogs, deer, wild boar and muntjac were also found. Fish bones was the most abundant food resource in the Nankuanli region – 17 fish families can be identified. Analyses of the excavated materials indicate a gradual shift of these settlements from temporary to places of permanent habitation and intensive exploration of nearby environments. Taiwanese archaeologists also conclude that the inhabitants of this area were not isolated and had strong long-distance connections with Penghu archipelago and the eastern coast of Taiwan (Pinglin in Hualien) from where they sourced raw materials such as jade and olivine basalt. Therefore, they had sailing crafts suitable for open sea voyaging. Also, according to the finds of carbonized rice and millet remains these settlers had learned advanced farming technology.

Phylogeography and genetic connectivity of the marine macro-alga Sargassum ilicifolium (Phaeophyceae, Ochrophyta) in the northwestern Pacific1.

The evolutionary influences of historical and contemporary factors on the population connectivity and phylogeographic structure of a brown seaweed, Sargassum ilicifolium, were elucidated using the nuclear ITS2 and mitochondrial COI markers for the collections newly sampled within its distribution range in the northwestern Pacific (NWP). Significant genetic structure at variable levels was identified between populations (pairwise FST ) and among populations grouped by geographical proximity (ΦCT among regions). The adjacent groups of populations with moderate structure revealed from AMOVA appeared to have high genetic connectivity. However, a lack of genealogical concordance with the geographic distribution was uncovered for S.ilicifolium from the NWP. Such genetic homogeneity is interpreted as a result of the interaction between postglacial recolonization and dynamic oceanic current regimes in the region. Two separated glacial refugia, the South China Sea and the Okinawa Trough, in the marginal seas of east China were recognized based on the presence of endemic haplotypes and high haplotype diversity in the populations at southern China and northeast of Taiwan. Populations persisting in these refugia may have served as the source for recolonization in the NWP with the rise of sea level during the warmer interglacial periods. The role of oceanic currents in maintaining genetic connectivity of S.ilicifolium in the region was further corroborated by the coherence between the direction of oceanic currents and that of gene flow, especially along the eastern coast of Taiwan. This study underlines the interaction between historical postglacial recolonization and contemporary coastal hydrodynamics in contributing to population connectivity and distribution for this tropical seaweed in the NWP.

Outdoor recreation in a Taiwanese national park: A Hakka ethnic group study

The purpose of this study was to explore factors of values, perceptions of crowding and service quality affecting Hakka people's behavioral intentions in the Toroko National Park in Taiwan. The Hakka ethnic group is a cultural group in Taiwan, composed of 14% of Taiwan population. In 2007–2008, the visitors to Taroko National Park, one of the most visited national parks on the eastern coast of Taiwan, were surveyed on-site. Overall, 315 usable questionnaires were obtained from the Taiwanese Hakka informants. The results showed that combined effects of values, crowding and service quality predicted behavioral intentions, and the model R-squares reached 0.73. In particular, the results revealed values were more important than crowding and service quality in predicting Taiwanese Hakka visitors’ behavioral intentions. The results indicated that values are an appropriate approach for modeling outdoor recreation and tourism behavior. The finding implications for outdoor recreation and tourism management were also provided. Management implicationsThe study provides findings for management of outdoor recreation and tourism in national parks:•Employing more Hakka language spoken staff in the national park for Hakka visitors to make comments and feedbacks, would improve Hakkas’ management service quality.•Providing a sense of “solitude” recreation opportunity such as using total visitation capacity control is critical to Hakka people's national park outdoor recreation experience.•Park managers not only need to understand visitors’ perception of service quality and crowding, but also need to know visitors’ values such as Taiwanese Hakka group's values.•The achievement values such as self-fulfillment, sense of accomplishment positively affect Hakka visitors’ behavioral intentions to national park.•Building cheerful, joyful or challenging atmosphere is important on Hakka visitors’ positive behavioral intentions to national park.

Coral boulders along the coast of the Lanyu Island, offshore southeastern Taiwan, as potential paleotsunami records

In the last decade, several disastrous tsunamis hit a large area of coastal East Asia, and produced numerous casualties and economic losses. As a country that is also prone to tsunami hazards, Taiwan is in urgent need for more knowledge of past tsunami records and potential tsunamigenic sources. On the basis of detailed geomorphic mapping and field investigations, we identified six sites in the northern part of the Lanyu Island, offshore southeastern Taiwan, with large coral boulders resting on Holocene uplifted coral reef terraces. Boulders of these six sites are all likely moved by extremely strong waves, and four sites have better constraints to suggest that the boulders may indeed be transported during a paleotsunami event. The ages of the boulders suggest that the extremely strong wave events occurred at least several times since the mid-Holocene high stand of sea level. The youngest event may correlate with the 1771 Meiwa tsunami of the southern Ryukyu Islands, but it is more likely to be produced by some undocumented event along the eastern coast of Taiwan. The locations of the coral boulder sites along the northern coast of the Lanyu Island suggest that the sources of the events are located to the north of the island. We believe that our results would provide further information for future tsunami hazard assessments along the eastern coastal area of Taiwan, as well as surrounding areas.

Complete genome of a coastal marine bacterium Muricauda lutaonensis KCTC 22339T

Muricauda lutaonensis KCTC 22339T is a yellow-pigmented, gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that was isolated from a coastal hot spring of a volcanic island in the Pacific Ocean, off the eastern coast of Taiwan. We here report the complete genome of M. lutaonensis KCTC 22339T, which consists of 3,274,259bp with the G+C content of 44.97%. The completion of the M. lutaonensis genome sequence is expected to provide a valuable resource for understanding the secondary metabolic pathways related to bacterial pigmentation.

Surface Wind Nowcasting in the Penghu Islands Based on Classified Typhoon Tracks and the Effects of the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan

Abstract The purposes of this study were to forecast the hourly typhoon wind velocity over the Penghu Islands, and to discuss the effects of the terrain of the Central Mountain Range (CMR) of Taiwan over the Penghu Islands based on typhoon tracks. On average, a destructive typhoon hits the Penghu Islands every 15–20 yr. As a typhoon approaches the Penghu Islands, its track and intensity are influenced by the CMR topography. Therefore, CMR complicates the wind forecast of the Penghu Islands. Six main typhoon tracks (classes I–VI) are classified based on typhoon directions, as follows: (I) the direction of direct westward movement across the CMR of Taiwan, (II) the direction of northward movement along the eastern coast of Taiwan, (III) the direction of northward movement traveling through Taiwan Strait, (IV) the direction of westward movement traveling through Luzon Strait, (V) the direction of westward movement traveling through the southern East China Sea (near northern Taiwan), and (VI) the irregular track direction. The adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and multilayer perceptron neural network (MLPNN) were used as the forecasting technique for predicting the wind velocity. A total of 49 typhoons from 2000 to 2012 were analyzed. Results showed that the ANFIS models provided high-reliability predictions for wind velocity, and the ANFIS achieved more favorable performance than did the MLPNN. In addition, a detailed discussion on the interaction of the CMR with the Penghu Islands based on various track directions is provided. For class I, the CMR is observed to have significantly influenced variations in wind speed when typhoons approached the Penghu Islands. In addition, the winds on the Penghu Islands were observed to have been influenced by the distance from the typhoon center to the Penghu Islands for all classes except class II.

Potential for future eruptive activity in Taiwan and vulnerability to volcanic hazards

Taiwan is subjected to several natural hazards such as extreme weather, seismic activity or tsunamis excited by earthquakes occurring along the Pacific Ocean subduction zones. Fortunately, Taiwan has not experienced any volcanic activity in historical times, a fact which reinforced the belief that its volcanic centers are by now extinct. During the past decade, volcanological, seismological and geochemical observations have shown that such a belief is erroneous and that two of Taiwan’s volcanic centers (Tatun Volcano Group and Kueishantao island) have potential for future eruptive activity. Additionally, there is historical evidence for four submarine eruptions offshore the northern and eastern coast of Taiwan over the last 150 years. The types of volcanic hazards that may affect Taiwan’s infrastructure and population are ashfall, pyroclastic flows, lava flows, landslides/volcanic debris avalanches, lahars, phreatic explosions and tsunami. Two of Taiwan’s nuclear power plants (and a third whose construction has been temporarily suspended) are close to the volcanic centers and could be affected by ashfall and lava flows, an issue that needs to be addressed by the operator of the plants. Even though the probability of future volcanic activity is low, it has to be recognized that the vulnerability to volcanic hazards for an advanced technological society such as Taiwan’s has increased considerably. Volcanic risk therefore cannot be considered insignificant, and its mitigation has to be addressed by a co-ordinated research/monitoring program. Furthermore, the development of contingency plans is a must for such high risk phenomena even if they are considered “low probability” events.

Satellite views of the episodic terrestrial material transport to the southern Okinawa Trough driven by typhoon

AbstractUsing satellite‐derived water transparency (alias Secchi depth) images, we found clear signals of terrestrial material transport to the southern Okinawa Trough triggered by the Typhoon Morakot in August 2009. Three sources were identified: one is from the eastern coast of Taiwan, another is from the western coast of Taiwan, and the other is from the coast of mainland China. Carried by northward flows, typhoon‐triggered terrestrial materials from both sides of Taiwan's coasts were transported to the region northeast of Taiwan. Moreover, the terrestrial material from the coast of mainland China could cross the Taiwan Strait and be further transported to the region northeast of Taiwan. These typhoon‐induced terrestrial materials off northeastern Taiwan could then be transported to the southern Okinawa Trough along the western edge of the Kuroshio. In addition to the particulate terrestrial material transported, nutrients might also be transported to the Kuroshio main stream. A significant phytoplankton bloom was observed along the Kuroshio path for about 300 km off northeast of Taiwan. Our results indicate that episodic cyclone‐driven terrestrial material transport could be another source of mud in the southern Okinawa Trough.

DIEL OSCILLATIONS IN SAILFISH VERTICAL MOVEMENT BEHAVIOR IN THE EAST CHINA SEA

A sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) was tagged with a pop-up satellite archival tag off the eastern coast of Taiwan and moved in a northerly direction to the East China Sea, where the tag popped-up after 160 days. The total linear displacement was 550 km from deployment to pop-up location and all movements were confined to the East China Sea. After the primarily southward movement during first two months at-liberty, the sailfish changed course after September and began to swim in a northerly direction paralleling the Kuroshio Current. During these horizontal movements, the tagged animal exhibited diel oscillations in its vertical diving behavior. On 22 days of the entire 160 days-at-liberty, the sailfish dove to depths deeper than 100 m. The sailfish spent ＞85% of its time in the upper uniformly mixed layer above ~50 m, but made more extensive vertical movements during the daytime ( x = 32.2 m ± 34.5 SD) than nighttime ( x = 9.5 m ± 16.7 SD). Depths and ambient water temperatures visited ranged from 0 to 153 m and 29.7°C to 17.8°C, respectively. The depth distribution appeared to be limited by ~6°C to 8°C changes in water temperature (Delta T) relative to sea surface temperature.

Using Group Discussion with Taiwan’s EFL College Students: A Comparison of Comprehension Instruction for Book Club, Literature Circles, and Instructional Conversations

The research presented here involved a one-semester study; during this period of time, reading comprehension instruction representing three major discussion-centered approaches (Book Club, BC; Literature Circles, LC; Instructional Conversations, IC) was designed and implemented. The effectiveness of the three experimental approaches and one control approach (basal comprehension) were compared. BC and LC are peer-led, small-group discussions, while IC is teacher-led group discussions. The design of the instruction for the control approach was based on the basal reading program used in the participating classroom. Student participants (N = 160) were all EFL college students attending a public university on the eastern coast of Taiwan. Assessments of reading comprehension, including three standardized tests and two essays, were developed to compare students’ performance in relation to higher level comprehension. No significant differences were found on one measure of lesson-text understanding, factual comprehension. However, for interpretive comprehension and theme-related essays, the BC, LC, and IC students outperformed the basal control students; occasionally, the BC students scored slightly higher than the LC and IC students did. For the beyond-lesson-text comprehension assessment, there was a modest superior result in favor of the experimental students.

Tsunami Folklore and Possible Tsunami Source on the Eastern Coast of Taiwan

Folklore tells of a large sea wave that struck an area of Chenggong on the eastern coast of Taiwan. This event is estimated to have occurred in the middle of the 19th century based on an oral history of the area. Despite an estimated run-up height of more than 18 m, no other folklore related to a tsunami has been found in areas adjacent to the site for several reasons. Considering the importance of understanding the dangers posed to the eastern coast of Taiwan, numerical tsunami simulations were carried out to study localized amplification effects. Three tsunami sources were studied: (1) the westernmost portion of the Ryukyu trench, (2) offshore of Chenggong and (3) the source of the 1771 Yaeyama tsunami along the Ryukyu trench. Numerical simulations using detailed bathymetric maps reveal that possible tsunami waves are not significantly amplified around Chenggong; the eastern coast of Taiwan should have been affected by the 19th century tsunami if it was large enough. This study emphasizes the importance of investigation of paleo-tsunamis along the eastern coast of Taiwan to assess the risk for future tsunami hazards.