Water and flow variations in Sagami Bay under the influence of the Kuroshio path

Variations of water and flow in Sagami Bay in relation to the Kuroshio path variations are examined by using 100m-depth temperature and salinity data from 25 stations as well as sea level data from five stations (Minami-Izu, ItÔ, Ôshima, Aburatsubo, Mera). In regard to temperature, anomalies from the mean seasonal variations are used. Results show that water properties are clearly different between the three typical paths of the Kuroshio. The difference is more remarkable in temperature than in salinity; temperature is higher during the typical large-eander (LM) path, and lower during the offshore non-large-meander (NLM) path, compared with the nearshore NLM path. Temperature anomaly and salinity distributions, as well as the Ôshima minus Minami-Izu and Ôshima minus Mera sea-level differences strongly suggest that the flows during the typical LM path are distributed as hitherto described in past studies, that is, water in the mouth region of the bay flows clockwise around Ôshima from the west channel to the east channel, and a counterclockwise eddy exists in the interior. On the other hand, flows during the nearshore and offshore NLM paths seem to be quite different from those during the typical LM path; velocities are very weak, and the directions of circulation is frequently reversed. This tendency also can be seen during parts of LM period in which the Kuroshio takes a non-typical LM path.Water properties in Sagami Bay are most characteristic during transitions between nearshore and offshore NLM paths. During transitions from nearshore to offshore NLM paths, temperatures are extremely high as a whole in the bay, while during reverse transitions, both temperatures and salinities are very low in the entire region.     

Sea level changes south of Japan associated with the non-large-meander path of the Kuroshio

Sea levels south of Japan from 1964 to 1975 are examined in terms of the nearshore and offshore non-large-meander (NLM) paths of the Kuroshio and the transitions between them.The sea-level anomalies from the annual variations on the south coast of Japan are much larger during the transition from the nearshore to offshore NLM paths than during the reverse transition by 9 cm on average. This characteristic can be seen only in the coastal region of the Kuroshio-flowing area, so that the sea-level difference of Naze minus Nishinoomote (indicator of Kuroshio velocity) during the offshore to nearshore transition is larger by 15 cm than during the reverse transition.The transition from the offshore to nearshore NLM paths occurs when the velocity of the Kuroshio is large or increasing, while the nearshore to offshore transition occurs when it is small or decreasing. The former transition occurs whenever the velocity increases greatly, whereas the latter one does not always occur even though the velocity decreases.The sea-level difference between Kushimoto and Uragami is highly coherent with the alternate appearance of the nearshore and offshore NLM paths. Offshore NLM paths longer than 2.5 months appear during large falls of the sea-level difference of Kushimoto minus Uragami, while large rises of the sea-level difference correspond to long-lasting nearshore NLM paths. The mean sea-level difference during the nearshore NLM path is larger by 4 cm than that during the offshore NLM path.     

Variability of Kuroshio velocity assessed from the sea-level difference between Naze and Nishinoomote

Variations of current velocity of the Kuroshio are examined using the 1965–1983 sea-level difference between Naze and Nishinoomote, located on the offshore and onshore sides of the Kuroshio in the Tokara Strait south of Kyûshû.Interannual variations of Kuroshio velocity are large, especially at periods longer than five years and around 2.1 years. They are almost determined by those of sea level on the offshore side of the Kuroshio. They are highly coherent with the offshore sea level at periods longer than 1.7 years, and incoherent with the onshore sea level at periods longer than 2.8 years.The mean seasonal variation averaged for 19 years is at its maximum in July and at its minimum in the second half of October, with a sharp decrease in August and September. However, such a variation does not repeat every year. Amplitude, dominant period and phase are greatly different by year, and they can be roughly divided into four groups: small-amplitude group, semiannual-period group, and two annual-period groups with different phases. The only feature found in almost all years is a weak velocity from September to December.The amplitude of seasonal variation tends to be large in the formation years of the large meander (LM) of the Kuroshio and small during the LM period. It is also large in the years preceding El Niño, and diminishes remarkably in El Niño years.Kuroshio velocity in the Tokara Strait is incoherent with position of the Kuroshio axis over the Izu Ridge, but highly coherent with 70-day variations of coastal sea levels which are dominant during the LM period.     

Barotropic instability of a viscous boundary jet

The barotropic instability of a boundary jet on a beta plane is considered with emphasis on the effect of internal viscosity. An eigenvalue problem for the disturbance equations and its inviscid version are solved by the aid of numerical methods, and instability characteristics are determined as functions of the Reynolds numberR for various values of the beta-parameter. Typical disturbance structures (eigenfunctions) are also computed. Numerical examples show that the minimum critical Reynolds numberR _cr for instability is smaller than 100. At a Reynolds number of the order of hundreds, there appears a second mode of instability in addition to the first unstable mode originating atR _cr ; a kind of ‘resonance’ between the first and second eigenvalues occurs at the particular value ofR. The neutral stability curves are accordingly multi-looped. Although each of the two unstable modes asymptotically approaches its inviscid counterpart asR→∞, the asymptotic approach to the inviscid limit is rather slow and the effect of varyingR is conspicuous even atR∼O (10⁴). It is thus demonstrated that the Reynolds number is an essential stability parameter for real boundary jets. The main part of the material contained in this paper was presented at 1981-Autumn Assembly of the Oceanographical Society of Japan.     

Southward intrusion of the intermediate Oyashio water along the east coast of the Boso Peninsula I. Coastal salinity-minimum-layer water off the Boso Peninsula

Index species of zooplankton of the Oyashio water are found in and beneath the salinity minimum layer in Sagami Bay. In order to clarify the intrusion path of the intermediate Oyashio Water (or the water of the Mixed Water Region), the oceanographic conditions off the Boso Peninsula are studied by using available hydrographic data obtained mainly by Japan Meteorological Agency. The cross-sectional salinity distribution along KJ line which extends southeastward from off the tip of the peninsula always indicates the existence of a low salinity patch just off the coast in the salinity minimum layer. This water is well separated from the offshore low salinity water which is considered as the water in the western margin of the so-called North Pacific Intermediate Water. We refer to the former water as the coastal salinity-minimum-layer (SML) water and to the latter as the offshore SML water. The coastal SML water is usually bounded by the current zone of the Kuroshio. The existence of the coastal SML water seems to indicate the possible pathway of the intermediate Oyashio water along the Boso Peninsula into Sagami Bay. The detailed water type analysis is made in T-S plane, S-_st plane, and O₂-_st plane. There is no significant difference in distribution ranges of the water types between the coastal SML water and the offshore SML water. However, the water types of the coastal SML water is not uniformly distributed, and the water can be classified into two groups: group A with relatively high oxygen content and relatively low salinity value and group B with relatively low oxygen content and relatively high salinity value. Group A is thought to be associated with strong event-like intrusions, the details of which will be discussed in Part II.     

Deep-circulation flow at mid-latitude in the western North Pacific

Direct current measurements with five moorings at 27–35°N, 165°E from 1991 to 1993 and with one mooring at 27°N, 167°E from 1989 to 1991 revealed temporal variations of deep flow at mid-latitude in the western North Pacific. The deep-circulation flow carrying the Lower Circumpolar Deep Water from the Southern Ocean passed 33°N, 165°E northwestward with a high mean velocity of 7.8 cm s⁻¹ near the bottom and was stable enough to continue for 4–6 months between interruptions of 1- or 2-months duration. The deep-circulation flow expanded or shifted intermittently to the mooring at 31°N, 165°E but did not reach 35°N, 165°E although it shifted northward. The deep-circulation flow was not detected at the other four moorings, whereas meso-scale eddy variations were prominent at all the moorings, particularly at 35°N and 29°N, 165°E. The characteristics of current velocity and dissolved oxygen distributions led us to conclude that the deep-circulation flow takes a cyclonic pathway after passing through Wake Island Passage, passing 24°N, 169.5–173°E and 30°N, 168–169°E northward, proceeds northwestward around 33°N, 165°E, and goes westward through the south of the Shatsky Rise. We did not find that the deep-circulation flow proceeded westward along the northern side of the Mid-Pacific Seamounts and eastward between the Hess Rise and the Hawaiian Ridge toward the Northeast Pacific Basin.     

Branching of the Tsushima current in the Japan Sea

Although the Tsushima Current exhibits a complicated meander in the interior region of the Japan Sea, its path is more regular in the southwest region near the Tsushima Strait, and three branches have often been recognized there by many investigators. However, the detailed structures and temporal variabilities of these branches have not been clarified, and so they are studied here by analysing temperature, salinity and sea level data. It is shown that the existence of the first branch (the nearshore branch along the Japanese coast) can be detected from salinity distributions at least during the period from March to August. The third branch (the Eastern Korean Current) exists in all seasons. On the other hand, the second branch (the offshore branch) is seasonally variable and can be identified only in summer from June to August. Along the Japanese coast of southwest Japan Sea, the main pycnocline intersects the gentle slope on the shelf at a depth between 150 and 200 m. The first branch is found on the coastal side of the line where the main pycnocline intersects the bottom slope. On the other hand, the second branch is formed just on the seaward side of this line. Sea level differences in the Tsushima Strait, i.e., between Hakata and Izuhara and between Izuhara and Pusan, show that the seasonal variation of the surface velocity (or volume transport) is small in the eastern channel and large in the western channel. The period during which the surface velocity and volume transport in the western channel increase corresponds well to the period during which the second branch exists. These results suggest that the effects of bottom topography and oceanic stratification in the Japan Sea as well as the time variation of inflow through the western channel of the Tsushima Strait play important roles in the formation of the second branch.     

Some aspects of the biology of the micronektonic fishCyclothone pallida andC. acclinidens (Pisces: Gonostomatidae) in Sagami Bay,Central Japan

Some aspects of the biology of the micronektonic fishesCyclothone pallida andC. acclinidens are described on the basis of samples taken during a series of 20 cruises from December 1982 to November 1985 at a fixed station near the center of Sagami Bay, Central Japan.C. pallida is a regular component of theCyclothone population in Sagami Bay, being found in more than 90% of the samples. On the other hand,C. acclinidens was encountered sporadically, being found in less than 25% of the samples. The depth range ofC. pallida is estimated to be about 400–1,000 m. It spawns mainly during the spring and summer in Sagami Bay.C. pallida releases about 1,000–3,000 eggs and may spawn several times during its life span. On the average, it reaches 18.5 mm standard length (SL) in one year, 24 mm SL in two years and 29.5 mm SL in three years during its subadult stage. Extrapolation of the growth curve suggests that males and females attain first sexual maturity in three to four years at 30–35 mm and five to six years at 40–45 mm SL, respectively.Cyclothone pallida is concluded to have a regular life cycle in Sagami Bay. It remains uncertain whether or notC. acclinidens reproduces in this area.     

Coastal Disturbance in Sea Level Propagating along the South Coast of Japan and Its Impact on the Kuroshio

The coastal sea level propagating westward along the south coast of Japan and the impact of the disturbance on the generation of the Kuroshio small meander have been examined. The propagation occurs in sea level variations for periods shorter than 10 days and is remarkable for periods of 4–6 days. Characteristics of the 4–6 day component have been studied using the extended empirical orthogonal function (EEOF). The first and second modes of EEOF are almost in-phase throughout the south coast of Japan. The higher four modes of EEOF are significantly excited when the Kuroshio takes the non-large-meander path, and propagate westward with phase speeds of 2.8 m s⁻¹ (third and fourth modes) and 1.6 m s⁻¹ (fifth and sixth modes) in the Kuroshio region west of Mera in the Boso Peninsula. The analysis shows that more than 70% of the small meanders generate in two months after a significant propagating disturbance reaches south of Kyushu when the velocity of the Kuroshio is high. This effect of coastal disturbance is examined by numerical experiments with a 2.5-layer model in which coastal disturbance is excited by vertical displacement of the upper interface. The result is that offshore displacement of the Kuroshio occurs southeast of Kyushu only in the case of significant upward displacement of the interface under the influence of a high Kuroshio velocity. The significant coastal disturbance, which is associated with upward displacement of the density interface, and a high Kuroshio velocity can therefore be important factors in generating small meanders.     

Monitoring of position of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait using sea level data

Properties of the index of position of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait, named the Kuroshio position index (KPI), were examined using sea-level data during 1984–92. The index is KPI=(X+M _x )/(Y+M _y whereX(Y) is the anomaly of sea-level difference of Nakanoshima (Naze) minus Nishinoomote from the 1984–92 meanM _x (M _y ). The correlation with the latitude of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait concluded that the KPI withM _x /M _y =0.83 and realisticM _y (100±40 cm) best indicates the position of the Kuroshio axis in the strait. The KPI withM _x =83 cm andM _y =100 cm was newly called the KPI as the best index. Using daily values of this KPI, the relation between the position of the Kuroshio in the strait and the large meander of the Kuroshio shown by Kawabe (1995) was confirmed and studied in detail. A large meander forms (ends) 3.3 (5.1) months after a northward (southward) shift of the Kuroshio in the Tokara Strait. Yet, a temporary southward shift with a duration of ten to twenty days does not finish the large-meander (LM) path. At the LM formation, a small meander southeast of Kyushu begins to move eastward associated with the northward shift. The processes of LM formation and decay are started by the meridional move of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait. The Kuroshio axis at the FES line during the LM path is located farther north by 7 latitude than that during the non-large-meander (NLM) path. The latitude during the LM formation (decay) stage is a little higher (lower) than that during the LM (NLM) period, though the Kuroshio still takes an NLM (LM) path.