Advanced maritime adaptation in the western Pacific coastal region extends back to 35,000–30,000 years before present

Maritime adaptation was one of the essential factors that enabled modern humans to disperse all over the world. However, geographic distribution of early maritime technology during the Late Pleistocene remains unclear. At this time, the Indonesian Archipelago and eastern New Guinea stand as the sole, well-recognized area for secure Pleistocene evidence of repeated ocean crossings and advanced fishing technology. The incomplete archeological records also make it difficult to know whether modern humans could sustain their life on a resource-poor, small oceanic island for extended periods with Paleolithic technology. We here report evidence from a limestone cave site on Okinawa Island, Japan, of successive occupation that extends back to 35,000−30,000 y ago. Well-stratified strata at the Sakitari Cave site yielded a rich assemblage of seashell artifacts, including formally shaped tools, beads, and the world’s oldest fishhooks. These are accompanied by seasonally exploited food residue. The persistent occupation on this relatively small, geographically isolated island, as well as the appearance of Paleolithic sites on nearby islands by 30,000 y ago, suggest wider distribution of successful maritime adaptations than previously recognized, spanning the lower to midlatitude areas in the western Pacific coastal region.

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Transport of atmospheric carbon monoxide, ozone, and hydrocarbons from Chinese coast to Okinawa island in the Western Pacific during winter

Atmospheric Environment ◽

10.1016/j.atmosenv.2004.02.049 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 38 (19) ◽

pp. 2975-2981 ◽

Cited By ~ 51

Author(s):

S KATO

Keyword(s):

Carbon Monoxide ◽

Western Pacific ◽

Okinawa Island ◽

Chinese Coast ◽

Atmospheric Carbon ◽

Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide ◽

The Western Pacific

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Oxygenated volatile organic carbon in the western Pacific convective center: ocean cycling, air–sea gas exchange and atmospheric transport

Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics ◽

10.5194/acp-17-10837-2017 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 17 (17) ◽

pp. 10837-10854 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Cathleen Schlundt ◽

Susann Tegtmeier ◽

Sinikka T. Lennartz ◽

Astrid Bracher ◽

Wee Cheah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South China ◽

Atmospheric Transport ◽

Coastal Region ◽

Western Pacific ◽

Northern Coast ◽

The South ◽

Model Calculations ◽

Surface Ocean ◽

Volatile Organic ◽

The Western Pacific

Abstract. A suite of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs – acetaldehyde, acetone, propanal, butanal and butanone) were measured concurrently in the surface water and atmosphere of the South China Sea and Sulu Sea in November 2011. A strong correlation was observed between all OVOC concentrations in the surface seawater along the entire cruise track, except for acetaldehyde, suggesting similar sources and sinks in the surface ocean. Additionally, several phytoplankton groups, such as haptophytes or pelagophytes, were also correlated to all OVOCs, indicating that phytoplankton may be an important source of marine OVOCs in the South China and Sulu seas. Humic- and protein-like fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) components seemed to be additional precursors for butanone and acetaldehyde. The measurement-inferred OVOC fluxes generally showed an uptake of atmospheric OVOCs by the ocean for all gases, except for butanal. A few important exceptions were found along the Borneo coast, where OVOC fluxes from the ocean to the atmosphere were inferred. The atmospheric OVOC mixing ratios over the northern coast of Borneo were relatively high compared with literature values, suggesting that this coastal region is a local hotspot for atmospheric OVOCs. The calculated amount of OVOCs entrained into the ocean seemed to be an important source of OVOCs to the surface ocean. When the fluxes were out of the ocean, marine OVOCs were found to be enough to control the locally measured OVOC distribution in the atmosphere. Based on our model calculations, at least 0.4 ppb of marine-derived acetone and butanone can reach the upper troposphere, where they may have an important influence on hydrogen oxide radical formation over the western Pacific Ocean.

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Oxygenated volatile organic carbon in the western Pacific convective centre: ocean cycling, air–sea gas exchange and atmospheric transport

10.5194/acp-2017-9 ◽

2017 ◽

Author(s):

Cathleen Schlundt ◽

Christa A. Marandino ◽

Susann Tegtmeier ◽

Sinikka T. Lennartz ◽

Astrid Bracher ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South China ◽

Hot Spot ◽

Coastal Region ◽

Western Pacific ◽

The South ◽

Model Calculations ◽

Surface Ocean ◽

North Borneo ◽

Volatile Organic ◽

The Western Pacific

Abstract. A suite of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs – acetaldehyde, acetone, propanal, butanal and butanone) were measured concurrently in the surface water and atmosphere of the South China Sea and Sulu Sea in November 2011. A strong correlation was observed between all OVOC concentrations in the surface seawater along the entire cruise track, except for acetaldehyde, suggesting similar sources and sinks in the surface ocean. Additionally, several phytoplankton groups, such as haptophytes or pelagophytes, were also correlated to all OVOCs indicating that phytoplankton may be an important source for marine OVOCs in the South China and Sulu Seas. Humic and protein like fluorescent dissolved organic matter (FDOM) components seemed to be additional precursors for butanone and acetaldehyde. The atmospheric OVOC mixing ratios were relative high compared with literature values, suggesting the coastal region of North Borneo as a local hot spot for atmospheric OVOCs. The flux of atmospheric OVOCs was largely into the ocean for all 5 gases, with a few important exceptions near the coast of Borneo. The calculated amount of OVOCs entrained into the ocean seemed to be an important source of OVOCs to the surface ocean. When the fluxes were out of the ocean, marine OVOCs were found to be enough to control the local measured OVOC distribution in the atmosphere. Based on our model calculations, at least 0.4 ppb of marine derived acetone and butanone can reach the upper troposphere, where they may have an important influence on hydrogen oxide radical formation over the western Pacific Ocean.

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A new species of Brachyorrhos from Seram, Indonesia and notes on fangless homalopsids (Squamata, Serpentes)

10.26757/pjsb2020b14015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

Keyword(s):

New Species ◽

Natural History ◽

South Asia ◽

Molecular Data ◽

Lower Number ◽

Western Pacific ◽

Endemic Genus ◽

Indonesian Archipelago ◽

The Western Pacific ◽

A New Species

Homalopsid snakes are monophyletic and contain two major subclades: a fangless clade and rear-fanged clade. They are distributed in South Asia, Australasia, and the Western Pacific. The fangless clade is restricted to the eastern Indonesian Archipelago and the island of Sumatra and is poorly known in terms of its natural history. Molecular data support the eastern Indonesian fangless endemic genus Brachyorrhos as the sister to the rear-fang clade. Here we recognize the identity of the Brachyorrhos population from the island of Morotai as B. wallacei and describe a new species of dwarf Brachyorrhos from the island of Seram, Malukus, Indonesia. The new species can be distinguished from all congeners by a lower number of ventral scales, the presence of a preocular scale and a loreal scale, as well as its exceptionally diminutive size. The new species is a candidate for the smallest alethinophidian snake. The three fangless genera, Brachyorrhos, Calamophis, and Karnsophis, have been suggested to form a clade of homalopsid snakes restricted to the Indonesian Archipelago, and we discuss their biogeography. KEYWORDS: biogeography, Calamophis, Homalopsidae, Karnsophis, small snakes

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