  X-ray spectroscopic measurements of the Cygnus Loop supernova remnant
indicate that metal abundances throughout most of the remnant's rim are
depleted to about 0.2 times the solar value. However, recent X-ray studies have
revealed in some narrow regions along the outermost rim anomalously "enhanced"
abundances (up to about 1 solar). The reason for these anomalous abundances is
not understood. Here, we examine X-ray spectra in annular sectors covering
nearly the entire rim of the Cygnus Loop using Suzaku (21 pointings) and
XMM-Newton (1 pointing). We find that spectra in the "enhanced" abundance
regions commonly show a strong emission feature at about 0.7 keV. This feature
is likely a complex of He-like O K(gamma + delta + epsilon), although other
possibilities cannot be fully excluded. The intensity of this emission relative
to He-like O Kalpha appears to be too high to be explained as thermal emission.
This fact, as well as the spatial concentration of the anomalous abundances in
the outermost rim, leads us to propose an origin from charge-exchange processes
between neutrals and H-like O. We show that the presence of charge-exchange
emission could lead to the inference of apparently "enhanced" metal abundances
using pure thermal emission models. Accounting for charge-exchange emission,
the actual abundances could be uniformly low throughout the rim. The overall
abundance depletion remains an open question.
