Seasonal Variations in Nutrient Budgets of Hakata Bay, Japan

Seasonal variations in freshwater, salt, phosphorus and nitrogen budgets of Hakata Bay, Japan were investigated from April 1993 until March 1994. The internal sink of dissolved inorganic phosphorus (DIP) and nitrogen (DIN), and the internal source of dissolved organic phosphorus (DOP) and nitrogen (DON) predominate in the bay. This means that the production of organic matter is larger than respiration, and atmospheric CO₂ is absorbed in the water column of Hakata Bay. Denitrification is more dominant than nitrogen fixation in the bay. Compared to Tokyo and Mikawa Bays, Hakata Bay is harder to eutrophicate, mainly due to the shorter residence time of freshwater.     

The role of tidal vortices in material transport around straits

The strong tidal current (tidal jet) in straits generates tidal vortices with a scale of several kilometers. The role of the vortices in material transport was investigated in the Neko Seto Sea, located in the western part of the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. A clockwise vortex with a diameter of about 0.8 km was observed in Nigata Bay (lying between two straits, the Neko Seto Strait and the Meneko Seto Strait). It was concluded that the clockwise vortex was the tidal vortex which was generated by the tidal jet in the Meneko Seto Strait. The vortex moved into the bay with the tide, but tended to stay on the sand bank in the bay. It was confirmed by current measurement with an ADCP and turbidity measurement that the secondary convergent flow was generated in the bottom layer of the vortex. This secondary flow seemed to contribute to the formation of the sand bank. It was suggested that tidal vortices may play an important role in the sediment transport and formation of topography in and around straits.     

Open Ocean Originated Phosphorus and Nitrogen in the Seto Inland Sea,Japan

The ratios of phosphorus and nitrogen originating from land and the open ocean in the Seto Inland Sea, which is the largest semi-enclosed coastal sea in Japan, have been estimated from data on total phosphorus and nitrogen loads and observed concentrations of total phosphorus and nitrogen. The ratios of land-origin and open-ocean-origin total phosphorus and nitrogen in the Seto Inland Sea are 0.28:0.72 and 0.19:0.81, respectively.     

Standing stocks and production rates of phytoplankton and abundance of bacteria in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

Standing stocks and production rates of phytoplankton and abundance of bacteria were investigated at 39 stations in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan during four crulses in October 1993, January, April and June 1994. Primary productivity was measured by the¹³C tracer method. Photosynthetic rate varied from 0.41 to 32.1 μgC/1/h with an average value of 4.67 μgC/l/h. Annual primary production was estimated to be 218 gC/m²/year. Annual primary production in this study was 1.8 times as high as the values which were previously reported at same area. The reason for the disagreement between our primary production value and previous values is not thought to be due to the difference of methods used for measuring primary production or the different Chl.a concentrations but to the method of estimating the primary production in the euphotic zone from thein vitro measurements. The distribution of bacterial cells in surface seawater was examined during the same cruises. Bacterial cell density ranged from 0.32 to 3.4×10⁶ cells/ml. The density was relatively high in the eutrophic regions of Hiroshima Bay and Osaka Bay In addition, a high density of bacteria was also observed in an area within Suo Nada where Chl.a was relatively low. The disparity between Chla and bacterial density in Suo Nada suggests that bacterial abundance can be controlled by the availability of substrates other than phytoplankton exudate.     

228Ra in surface water of the Seto Inland Sea

The concentrations of²²⁸Ra in surface waters of the Seto Inland Sea were determined. Surface waters from the central region of the Seto Inland Sea, Hiuchi Nada and Bingo Nada, contained concentrations of²²⁸Ra of 655–811 dpm/1000 l which were 100 times higher than those obtained in the Pacific Ocean. These high concentrations of²²⁸Ra must be supported by a²²⁸Ra flux from the bottom sediment. The lower limit of this flux was estimated to be more than 0.16 dpm cm^–2 y^–1. The²²⁸Ra concentrations decreased markedly from central regions of the Seto Inland Sea to about 18 dpm/1000 l in the Kii and the Bungo Channels as salinity increased. Using a box model and the²²⁸Ra data, the mean residence time of sea water in the Seto Inland Sea with respect to the exchange with the open ocean water was estimated to be less than 10 y, and the most probable value is the order of several years.     

Long-term variability of shelf water intrusion and its influence on hydrographic and biogeochemical properties of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

The variability of the pathway of the Kuroshio is known to control that of the intensity of upwelling of the cold and nutrient-rich deep shelf water at the shelf-break point. This study has investigated the influences of the long-term variability of the hydrographical and biogeochemical conditions at the shelf-break point on those in the inner Seto Inland Sea. Results from observations conducted since 1972 by prefectural fisheries observatories showed a temporary decrease of temperature in the lower layer of the entrance of Kii Channel in summertime in the specific years when the Kuroshio pathway favored deep shelf water intrusion. A corresponding change in temperature was also found in the inner shelf sea, such as western Osaka Bay and Harima-Nada. The model developed in this study covers a 30-year period and well reproduces the temporal change in temperature. It also shows sufficient reproducibility in both seasonal behavior of hydrographical and biogeochemical properties and the inter-annual variability of hydrographical properties throughout the eastern Seto Inland Sea. It was found that the inter-annual variations of annual total flux through the section at the entrance to Kii Channel affect the inter-annual variation of the observed concentration of Dissolved Inorganic Nitrogen (DIN) in Harima Nada, but the effect was smaller than those of river input and other parameters.     

Entrainment of bottom sediment in the Seto Inland Sea in summer

Time series of the vertical distribution of resuspended matter and bottom current were collected concurrently during summer at a few anchored stations in the Seto Inland Sea. The vertical distribution of resuspended matter was measured every hour for about one tidal cycle and the three components of current fluctuation were obtained at each sampling station. Current data at each sampling station show that the bottom is hydraulically smooth.Assuming that the averaged vertical distribution of resuspended matter for one tidal cycle shows a steady state distribution, the settling velocityWs of resuspended matter is estimated to be in the range of 1.2×10^–2 to 5.7×10^–2 cm sec^–1 from analysis of the averaged distributions.The relation between the erosion rate and the bottom shear stress for this study area is investigated and is compared with that for other areas. The results show that the erosion of sediment in the Seto Inland Sea during summer occurs even due to the low bottom shear stress which is considered as almost smooth hydraulically.     

Seasonal variation of water temperature in the Seto Inland Sea

The seasonal variation of water temperature in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan is examined using data analysis and numerical experiments and is shown to be controlled by heat exchange through the sea surface and horizontal heat dispersion from the Pacific Ocean. The average water temperature goes down from the Pacific Ocean to the center of the Seto Inland Sea indicating that 4.0 to 6.0×10¹⁵ cal day^?1 (1.6 to 2.5×10¹⁶ joule day^?1) of heat is transported from the Pacific Ocean to the Seto Inland Sea and is lost through the sea surface. The amplitude of seasonal variation of water temperature is large at the center of the Seto Inland Sea and the maximum water temperature is reached first at Bisan Straits and last at Iyo-Nada.     

Radioactive disequilibrium of thorium series nuclides in surface waters of the Seto Inland Sea

Surface samples of sea water collected in the Seto Inland Sea were analyzed for²³²Th and²²⁸Th. The concentrations of²³²Th were generally less than 2 dpm/1,0001 and these values are probably an upper limit for the²³²Th concentration in surface waters of the Seto Inland Sea. The²²⁸Th concentrations ranged between 4.2 to 42.3 dpm/1,0001. Remarkable seasonal and temporal variations in²²⁸Th concentrations were found, in comparison with the minimal variations in²²⁸Ra concentrations reported previously. The activity ratios of²²⁸Th/²²⁸Ra were about 0.18 in the southern part of the Kii and the Bungo Channels, and decreased markedly from the open ocean toward the central region of the Seto Inland Sea. The average value of the²²⁸Th/²²⁸Ra ratio in the central region of the Seto Inland Sea was 0.032±0.020. This suggests that removal residence time of²²⁸Th can be estimated to be about 34±22 days in surface waters of the Seto Inland Sea.     

Effect of boundary geometries on tidal currents and tidal mixing

The effects of the coastal boundary geometries on the tidal currents and the tidal mixing are studied mainly on the basis of hydraulic model experiments. Mizushima-Nada Sea, which is located in the central part of Seto Inland Sea, and the whole Seto Inland Sea were chosen as the prototypes.Currents and eddies geometrically induced in the tidal currents and in the ocean currents have significant effects on the water exchange, from small scales to meso scales, in the bays and near-shore regions of the ocean.As to small scale phenomena near irregular coastal boundaries such as river mouths, headlands and harbors, tidal currents produce organized eddy currents of the width scale. They are important to the temporary flushing and the local redistribution of the river water or the waste water.As to phenomena of larger scales, the tidal currents produce rather steady residual circulations in each part of the Inland Sea, due to the non-linear effects of the oscillating component. They are controlled by the geometry of the sea as separated by a narrow strait. These horizontal circulations of about 20 km in scale become the main mechanism of the water exchange in the Inland Sea. The one-dimensional dispersion coefficient due to these circulations is proportional to the product of the diameter and the current velocity of the circulations. The proportional constant takes the value of 0.40.5.     

Mechanisms for outbreak ofHeterosigma akashiwo red tide in Osaka Bay,Japan

Growth-limiting nutrients of the red tide flagellateHeterosigma akashiwo in Osaka Bay, the Seto Inland Sea, were examined using the method of algal growth potential. The growth yield ofH. akashiwo was enhanced by addition of chelated iron to filtered seawater, but not by the addition of nitrogen, phosphorus or vitamins. An areal survey conducted in June 1981 demonstrated that the concentration of soluble iron in the surface seawater was highest in the southeastern part of Osaka Bay where salinity was less than 30‰ and iron was correlated with the concentration ofH. akashiwo. Increased supply of chelated iron caused by the increase in river runoff during the rainy season is a crucial factor involved in outbreaks ofH. akashiwo red tides in Osaka Bay.     

Temporal variations in phytoplankton biomass over the past 150 years in the western Seto Inland Sea,Japan

We examined fossil pigments in a ²¹⁰Pb-dated sediment core to document the temporal variations in phytoplankton biomass over the past 150 years in a semi-enclosed bay, Beppu Bay, in the western Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The flux of fossil pigments was used as an index of phytoplankton biomass, which we reconstructed after removing the effect of post-burial degradation on the concentrations of fossil pigments. The flux doubled from the 1960s to the early 1970s, decreased or remained stable in the early 1980s, and increased again from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The first increase in phytoplankton biomass during the 1960s was likely caused by eutrophication due to an increase in terrestrial nutrient fluxes from watersheds. The decreasing phytoplankton biomass in the early 1980s was likely related to the establishment of a sewage treatment system that reduced the terrestrial nutrient fluxes to the sea. However, the terrestrial nutrient fluxes could not explain the second increase from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. Intensification of the influx of nutrients from the shelf slope to the sea was likely the cause of the second increase in phytoplankton biomass. This is supported by the inverse relationship between phytoplankton biomass and sea level at the shelf slope, the latter being an index of the intensity of the influx of oceanic nutrients from the shelf slope to the sea. The supply of oceanic nutrients may be therefore a critical factor in the determination of primary production in the western Seto Inland Sea.     

Progress in Seto Inland Sea Research

The Seto Inland Sea is a representative coastal sea in Japan with a complicated geometry and thus a variety of marine environments. This sea is, at the same time, one of the most industrialized areas in Japan, and its marine environment has been significantly affected by the anthropogenic impacts over the last four decades. The wide range of marine environments in this sea and the serious environmental issues resulting from these impacts have attracted the attention of Japanese coastal oceanographers. It is believed that the nature and scope of these studies might be an example of the progress of Japanese coastal oceanography. The historical changes in the Seto Inland Sea environment in the last four decades are briefly summarized, and the progress in the studies of the Seto Inland Sea is reviewed with reference to historical changes. Some recent research topics and activities are also mentioned. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Detecting red tides in the eastern Seto inland sea with satellite ocean color imagery

A multi-spectral classification scheme is proposed to identify water with red tide(s) using satellite ocean color imagery obtained by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). The study area was the eastern Seto Inland Sea in Japan, where serious red tides frequently occur. “Background Ocean Colors” (BOCs hereafter), or colors of water around a red tide or those of the water before/after a red tide, are calculated as the monthly climatological average of normalized water-leaving radiances (nLw) with 0.01 degree spatial resolution with SeaWiFS imagery. Criteria for detecting red-tide pixels are established from analyses of characteristics of the nLws (in the 443, 490, 510, and 555 nm bands) anomalies from BOCs and the nLw spectra together with the red-tide records in Osaka Bay. The proposed scheme can efficiently indicate the presence or absence of red tides for independent match-ups with 83% accuracy. Additional validations of specific events indicate that the algorithm performed well in the study area. These results suggest that the scheme is appropriate to detect red tides in the optically complex coastal water of the eastern Seto Inland Sea.     

Variations in turbulent energy dissipation and water column stratification at the entrance of a tidally energetic strait

We observed tidal currents, turbulent energy dissipation and water column stratification at the entrance of a narrow strait (Neko Seto) in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, using a free-falling turbulent microstructure profiler (TurboMAP) and acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP). The variation in turbulent energy dissipation at the entrance of the strait was not at quarter-diurnal frequency but at semi-diurnal frequency; turbulent energy dissipation was enhanced during the ebb tide, although it was moderate during the flood tide. This result is consistent with the results of Takasugi (1993), which showed the asymmetry of tidal energy loss during a semidiurnal tidal cycle using control volume analysis. It is suggested that significant turbulent energy dissipation is generated in the strait, which influences the properties of water outside the strait when tidal currents flow out from the strait.     

Water exchange in a time-varying transport field

The average residence time and the remnant function which are quantitative expressions of water exchange in coastal waters are investigated in a timevarying transport field by using a simple model. It is shown that the influence of temporal variation on the average residence time and concentration is small, when the ratio of the period of variation to the average residence time in the average state is small, and the influence is large when the ratio is large. The results are applied to the Seto Inland Sea, Lake Hamana, and Osaka Bay.     

Heavy metals and accumulation rates of sediments in Osaka Bay,the Seto Inland Sea,Japan

The metal load into sediments and the change in the sedimentary environment of Osaka Bay in the Seto Inland Sea have been studied through geochemical analysis of core sediments, using both Pb-210 dating and a selective chemical leaching technique. Analytical results from a 6-m core of sediment show that copper and zinc pollution started in the late 1800's and the present enrichment ratios of copper and zinc, relative to background levels (20 mg kg^–1 for Cu and 94 mg kg^–1 for Zn), are 2.8 and 4.1, respectively. The present anthropogenic copper and zinc loads into Osaka Bay sediments, are 47 and 368 ton yr^–1, while natural copper and zinc loads are 40 and 186 ton yr^–1, respectively. Osaka Bay sediment at the present day is considered to be seriously polluted by zinc, now. The vertical profiles of copper and zinc in four successively separated fractions (10% acetic acid soluble fraction: F-HAC, 0.1M hydrochloric acid-soluble fraction: F-HCl, hydrogen peroxide-soluble fraction: F-H₂O₂ and hydrofluoric acid-soluble fraction: F-HF) from the core sediments indicate that enrichments of copper and zinc in the upper layer of the sediment are dependent on increases in the metal contents of the F-HAC, F-HCl and F-H₂O₂ fractions. Copper in F-HAC, and zinc in F-HAC and F-HCl, seem to be of anthropogenic origin.Results of sequential studies of the whole Seto Inland Sea can be summarized as follows: At the present time, the sedimentary loads of copper and zinc over the whole Seto Inland Sea area are 630 and 3,500 ton yr^–1, respectively, while the natural and anthropogenic loads are 320 and 310 ton yr^–1 for copper and 1,800 and 1,700 ton yr^–1 for zinc, respectively.     

Carbon dioxide in surface seawaters of the Seto Inland Sea,Japan

Observations were made of time variations of carbon dioxide in seawater, pCO₂, and in the atmosphere, PCO₂, in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. The pCO₂ data showed well defined diurnal variation; high values at nighttime and low values during daylight hours. The pCO₂ correlated negatively with dissolved oxygen. These results denote that the diurnal variation of pCO₂ is associated with effects of photoplankton's activity in seawater. The pCO₂ measured in the Seto Inland Sea showed higher values than the PCO₂ during June to November, denoting transport of carbon dioxide from the sea surface to the atmosphere, and lower values during December to May, denoting transport of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to the sea surface. The exchange rates of carbon dioxide were calculated using working formula given by Andriéet al. (1986). The results showed that the Seto Inland Sea gained carbon dioxide of 1.0 m-mol m^–2 d^–1 from the atmosphere in March and lost 1.7 m-mol m^–2 d^–1 to the atmosphere in August.     

Carbohydrates in humic and fulvic acids from Hiroshima Bay sediments

A core of 75 cm length from Hiroshima Bay, Seto Inland Sea in Japan, has been analyzed for the carbohydrate content of the humic and fulvic acids. These carbohydrates were found by gel filtration to be in the high molecular weight range. Carbohydrates were more abundant in fulvic acids than in humic acids. A comparison of carbohydrates in humic acids with those in fulvic acids showed that the former did not undergo diagenetic loss any faster than the latter. Identification of most alditol acetate in monosaccharides is based on the comparison of gas chromatographic retention indices and mass spectrometric fragmentation with those of authentic standard compounds. However, the compositional differences between carbohydrates in humic and fulvic acids were greater in the top section of 0–20 cm than in the 50–70 cm section. The processes which produce the humic-acid carbohydrates are operative either prior to or shortly after deposition.     

Formation of sand banks due to tidal vortices around straits

Sand banks around straits are used as a commercial fishing ground. In order to clarify the mechanism of sand bank formation, the Lagrangian method was used to measure currents and turbidity around the banks in the Neko Seto Sea in the Seto Inland Sea of Japan. A neutrally buoyant float released in the Neko Seto Strait at the maximum tidal flow stage was engulfed in a pair of tidal vortices and moved around one of the sand banks. The vertical distribution of turbidity, which was measured by the vessel moving with the neutral float, showed an extremely high turbidity in the bottom layer of this bank area. According to the analysis of these observational data, the process of sand bank formation around straits is as follows. The tidal vortex transports water mass with suspended materials (including sand) which are whirled up at the bottom by the tidal jet. In the decaying stage of the vortex, the materials in the bottom layer are gathered in the central part of the vortex by the secondary convergent flow in the vortex. Among these materials, a large-size sand particle with a high critical erosion velocity accumulates at the bottom and forms banks. The distribution of bottom sediment and the thickness of alluvium support this result.