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.     

Characteristics of the eddy caused by Izu-Oshima Island and the Kuroshio branch current in Sagami Bay,Japan

Direct current measurements of the branch current of the Kuroshio intruding into Sagani Bay were carried out during 1989–1990 in order to clarify the frequency characteristics of the eddies in the lee of Izu-Oshima Island, which are well recognized as cold water mass produced by upwelling. Satellite and ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data indicated that current velocity in the eddy fluctuates with periods of 2–4 days and 6–8 days.When the Kuroshio branch current intruding into Sagami Bay from the western channel is weak and its velocity at the depth of 400 m is approximately 10 cm s^–1, the 6–8 day period fluctuation is dominant. On the other hand, when the branch current strongly intrudes from the western channel with a velocity of approximately 20 cm s^–1, the 2–4 day period fluctuation dominates. The relationship between the periods and velocities agrees well with theory based on laboratory experiments for a flow of a homogeneous fluid past a circular obstacle. These periods correspond to the time scale of appearance of the eddy caused by the intrusion of the Kuroshio branch current into Sagami Bay and Izu-Oshima Island.     

Path and volume transport of the Kuroshio current in Sagami Bay and their relationship to cold water masses near Izu Peninsula

The path of the Kuroshio in Sagami Bay was surveyed through drifter tracking from Oshima-West Channel to Oshima-East Channel. A subsurface drifter with a drogue at 300 m depth flowed around Oshima from Oshima-West Channel to Oshima-East Channel. A difference in flow directions between the upper and lower layers was apparent in the northwest of Oshima. Flow directions there were shown to change from north in the surface layer to east in the bottom layer, and this was confirmed with moored currentmeters.A profile of northward current velocity was estimated from measurements in six layers with currentmeters deployed in the Oshima-West Channel. The profile shows a core of northward flow along the eastern bottom slope and a weak southward flow along the western bottom slope. Volume transport of the Kuroshio into Sagami Bay was estimated to be 1.8×10⁶m³sec^–1 from the profile.Long-term current measurement showed that southward flows were observed in Oshima-West Channel in July 1977, May 1978 and April 1979. Cold or warm water masses appearing south of the Izu Peninsula are suggested to have caused the changes.Displacement of the cold water mass in July 1977 is discussed on the basis of current measurements and offshore oceanographic conditions.     

Pelagic chaetognaths in Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay,Central Japan

Pelagic chaetognaths in Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay, Central Japan, were studied. Their community structure was very similar in both of these bays. Four genera and 26 species were identified. In Sagami Bay the habitat segregation by depths was clearly obtained. The population and species number of epipelagic (0–200 m) chaetognaths were larger in summer than in winter. The populations of meso- (200–500 m) and bathypelagic (500–1,000 m) species were smaller than that of epipelagic ones and fairly stable seasonally.     

Temporal variations of the net Kuroshio transport and its relation to atmospheric variations

Temporal variations of the net Kuroshio transport are investigated using long-term hydrographic data from repeat section of the 137°E meridian from the south of Japan (34°N) to New Guinea (1°S) conducted by the Japan Meteorological Agency. In this study, boundaries of the Kuroshio and the Kuroshio Counter Current (KCC) are defined based on the sea surface dynamic height distribution. Westward flows associated with the KCC and cold-core eddy north of the Kuroshio are removed from the eastward flow associated with the Kuroshio in order to estimate the net Kuroshio transport strictly. The net Kuroshio transport reveals low-frequency variations: significant signals on a decadal (about 10-year) timescale. The variations of net Kuroshio transport are predominantly caused by changes in the magnitude of oceanic current speed fields associated with a vertical movement of the main pycnocline depth around the southern boundary of the Kuroshio: deepening of the main pycnocline around the southern boundary of the Kuroshio forms a sharp northern upward-tilting slope of the isopycnal surfaces at the Kuroshio region, and eventually the net Kuroshio transport increases together with the Kuroshio eastward transport. By using a wind-driven hindcast model, it is found that the main pycnocline depth variation results from the first-mode baroclinic Rossby waves attributable to two types of Aleutian Low (AL) changes: a change in the magnitude of AL and meridional movement of AL.     

黑潮环流的数值模拟

黑潮是太平洋一支强的西边界流,具有高温、高盐、流幅窄、流速高、流量大的特征,主要来源于北赤道洋流,把大量热量从低纬输送到高纬,它的季节和年际变化都会对气候产生重大影响,对我国近海的温盐分布及环流的影响起到至关重要的作用.     

Outflow of the Intermediate Oyashio Water from Sagami Bay to the Shikoku Basin

Since the Intermediate Oyashio Water (IOW) gradually accumulates in Sagami Bay, it can reasonably be supposed that the IOW also flows out from Sagami Bay, even though it may be altered by mixing with other waters. We have occasionally observed a water less than 34.2 psu with a potential density of 26.8 at the southeastern area off Izu Peninsula in July 1993 by the training vessel Seisui-maru of Mie University. Observational data supplied by the Japan Meteorological Agency and the Kanagawa Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station show that the IOW of less than 34.1 psu was observed at northern stations of the line PT (KJ) off the Boso Peninsula and to the east of Oshima in the late spring 1993. Based upon these observations, it is concluded that the IOW flows out from Sagami Bay into the Shikoku Basin along southeastern area off the Izu Peninsula. The less saline water (<34.2 psu) was also observed to the west of Miyake-jima during the same cruise, and the westward intrusion of IOW from south of the Boso Peninsula to the Shikoku Basin through the gate area of the Kuroshio path over the Izu Ridge was detected. This event indicated that the IOW branched south of the Boso Peninsula and flowed into Sagami Bay and/or into the gate area over the Izu Ridge. The southward intrusion of IOW into the south of the Boso Peninsula is discussed in relation to the latitudinal location of the main axes of the Kuroshio and the Oyashio. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Dissolved iron and zinc in Sagami Bay and the Izu-Ogasawara Trench

Using a clean seawater sampling system for trace metals onboard the R. V. Shinsei-Maru, newly launched in 2013, we investigated the vertical distributions of dissolved iron and zinc in Sagami Bay and the Izu-Ogasawara Trench. We applied appropriate clean sampling and filtering processes for trace metals, so that uncontaminated seawater samples were successfully collected. The distribution of zinc in the trench area was similar to that of silicate and the same as that previously reported in the subtropical North Pacific. There were spatial variations in the iron (Fe) distribution in the trench areas. We used previously reported information about biogeochemical cycling in the trench area, and found that Fe has a residence time of 29 years in the water column. The short residence time of Fe (29 years) corresponds to the vertical variations of dissolved Fe in the water column.     

黑潮流轴在吕宋海峡的变化分析

黑潮在流经吕宋海峡时呈现各种时间尺度的流态变化。本文基于高分辨率的区域海洋环流模式(ROMS)输出数据,分析了黑潮主流轴在吕宋海峡附近的变化特征和可能原因。研究结果表明,黑潮流轴在该区域具有明显的年际、季节和季节内变化,其中季节内变化最为强烈;在年际和季节时间尺度上,黑潮流轴在表层主要受局地风驱动的艾克曼漂流的影响,而在次表层则主要由黑潮本身的惯性决定;在季节内时间尺度上,黑潮流轴的变化主要受制于涡旋与黑潮的相互作用。     

The probable subarctic elements found in the bathyal megalobenthos in Sagami Bay

Megalobenthic samples trawled from the bathyal zone in Sagami Bay contain some probable subarctic elements, such asSebastolobus macrochir, Clidoderma asperrimum, Solaster paxillatus, Macoma calcarea, Cryptonatica clausa, Eunatica pallida, Volutomitra alaskana, Paralomis multispina andPandalus hyspinotus, among others. The mechanism and process of invasion of such cold-water species into the deep-sea zone in Sagami Bay are not simple. There are some evidences that these animals are propagating in Sagami Bay. The occurrences of subarctic fish there are not unusual because of their strong swimming ability. The benthic animals that have planktonic larval stages might be dispersed in the same process as in the Oyashio plankton translocated by Oyashio Undercurrent. However, the mechanism and process of dispersions of egg-carrying crustaceans and egg-case producing gastropods remain unanswered. Perhaps, the palaeo-oceanographical and evolutional considerations will help to solve the problem.Contribution B-557 from Tokai Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory.     

Quantitative studies on the smaller macrobenthos inhabiting various topographical environments around the Sagami bank in the deep-sea system of Sagami Bay

A survey was made in an area of complicated topography within the deep-sea system of Sagami Bay. Samples were obtained quantitatively with the Smith-McIntyre bottom-sampler of 1/10 m² and were washed through a screen of 1.0 mm mesh. The biomass, the number of individuals and the number of species were studied at each station in relationship to submarine topography. All the items showed more or less parallel features in three topographical environments. High figures were found on the top of the bank and low ones in the canyon, while those values obtained in the sloping environment were intermediate and variable. The percent composition of the quantitatively important animal groups was rather constant throughout the top of the bank, and in this hahitat the faunal diversity was higher than in the others. From the distributional patterns of the species, and also from the species composition and dominancy at each station, the benthic communities of the bank-top and of the canyon were known to be distinct. In the sloping environment, however, the benthic assemblages at some stations were related to the bank-top community, either being its impoverished phase or with several elements peculiar to the slope, while at the remaining stations they were rather peculiar but related to the canyon community. All the aspects of the benthic ecology mentioned above were found to be closely related, both in their general and special features, to the nature of the sediments, in which three major types were recognized corresponding to the above three topographical environments. From the nature of the sediment, water movement, if any, can be expected on the top of the bank, and this is reflected in the preponderance of plankton- and/or ceston feeders making up this benthic community. Within the canyon, there were found the impoverishment of benthic community which is supposed to be due to the stagnant environment. The biomasses of the whole area were compared to those in other regions in the form of cumulative curves. In the deep-sea system of Sagami Bay which is well surrounded by land, the biomasses were only slightly lower than those of the shallow-sea system on the shelves in neighbouring regions, and those of a shallow enclosed bay were an order of magnitude higher than these figures. Those in the offshore parts of the continental shelf, remote from the coast, were nearly an order of magnitude lower. This work is carried out as a part of JIBP-PM Project     

Temporal variation in phytoplankton composition related to water mass properties in the central part of Sagami Bay

Temporal variations in water mass properties and the composition of phytoplankton pigments in the central part of Sagami Bay were investigated by monthly observations from June 2002 to May 2004. Eleven pigments were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) from 100%, 20%, and 5% light depths relative to the surface; the class-specific composition of phytoplankton community was then obtained by CHEMTAX analysis. The study area was influenced by the Kuroshio water for most of the observation period. The mean contribution of diatoms in all samples was relatively low (29%), while that of flagellates, mainly chlorophytes or cryptophytes, was quite high (60%). The phytoplankton composition at the three depths was uniform throughout the observation period, indicating that the vertical structure of the phytoplankton community did not develop significantly over time. A distinct temporal pattern was observed: flagellates dominated during the summer of 2002 and the winters of 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, while diatoms dominated during the summer of 2003. This pattern was associated with water mass changes. The community in the summer of 2003 was influenced by coastal water. While no distinct spring bloom of phytoplankton was observed, a weak increase in chlorophyll a was observed during the spring of 2004. Ocean color satellite data showed that fluctuations in chlorophyll a concentrations at time scales much shorter than a month occurred during the spring of 2003 and that the elevations in chlorophyll a levels were not continuous. The fluctuations were probably associated with rapid flushing by the Kuroshio water, which has low chlorophyll a content.     

Movement of the Kuroshio axis to the northeast shelf of Taiwan during typhoon events

We investigated the movement of the Kuroshio axis on the northeast shelf of Taiwan associated with the passage of typhoons, using sea surface current data observed by the ocean radar system on Yonaguni and Ishigaki islands. First, we examined daily Kuroshio axis variation on the northeast shelf of Taiwan during typhoon events. The ocean radar data showed that the Kuroshio axis moved onto the shelf after passages of typhoons. The Kuroshio moved onto the shelf and stayed there after the passage of Typhoon Hai-Tang; while the Kuroshio maintained this pattern, southerly wind blew continuously for 4 days. The mean current speed northeast of Taiwan after the typhoon's passage increased by 18 cm s⁻¹. In addition, the sea level difference between two satellite altimetry tracks east of Taiwan increased by 14.4 cm. These results suggest that coastal upwelling east of Taiwan caused by the southerly wind generated an east–west sea level difference that, in turn, generated a northward geostrophic current. This current could have enhanced the Kuroshio east of Taiwan, and pushed it onto the shelf.     

Numerical modeling of the Arctic Ocean ice system response to variations in the atmospheric circulation from 1948 to 2007

The results of model calculations aimed at reproducing climate changes in the Arctic Ocean due to variations in the atmospheric circulation are presented. The combined ocean-ice numerical model is based on NCAR/NCEP reanalysis data and its modified version of CIAF on the state of the lower atmosphere, radiative fluxes, and precipitation from 1948 to the present. The numerical experiments reveal the effect of the ice cover, water circulation, and thermohaline structure of the Arctic Ocean on variations in the state of the atmosphere. We found the heating and cooling periods in the Atlantic water layer, as well as the freshwater accumulation regimes in the Canadian Basin and freshwater flow through the Fram Strait and Canadian Archipelago straits. The numerical model reproduces a reconfiguration of the water circulation of the surface and intermediate layers of the ocean, a shift in the boundary between Atlantic and Pacific waters, and a significant reduction of the ice area.     

Intrusion events of the intermediate Oyashio Water into Sagami Bay, Japan

Intermediate intrusion of low salinity water (LSW) into Sagami Bay was investigated on the basis of CTD data taken in Sagami Bay and off the Boso Peninsula in 1993–1994. In October 1993, water of low temperature (<7.0°C), low salinity (<34.20 psu) and high dissolved oxygen concentration (>3.5 ml I⁻¹) intruded along the isopycnal surface of {ie29-1} at depths of 320–500 m from the Oshima East Channel to the center of the bay. On the other hand, the LSW was absent in Sagami Bay in the period of September–November 1994, though it was always found to the south off the Boso Peninsula. Salinity and dissolved oxygen distributions on relevant isopycnal surfaces and water characteristics of LSW cores revealed that the LSW intruded from the south off the Boso Peninsula to Sagami Bay through the Oshima East Channel. The LSW cores were distributed on the continental slope along 500–1000 m isobaths and its onshore-offshore scales were two to three times the internal deformation radius. Initial phosphate concentrations in the LSW revealed its origin in the northern seas. These facts suggest that the observed LSW is the submerged Oyashio Water and it flows southwestward along the continental slope as a density current in the rotating fluid. The variation of the LSW near the center of Sagami Bay is closely related to the Kuroshio flow path. The duration of LSW in Sagami Bay is 0.5 to 1.5 months.     

Processes controlling cobalt distribution in two temperate estuaries,Sagami Bay and Wakasa Bay,Japan

Concentrations of cobalt (Co) in surface waters from the Sagami River to northern Sagami Bay and from the Yura River to southwestern Wakasa Bay in Japan were determined in order to investigate the factors governing the distribution of this metal during estuarine mixing. Dissolved (<0.2 μm) and particulate (>0.2 μm) Co showed non-conservative mixing behavior with low or mid-salinity maxima within those two estuarine regions, indicating benthic remobilization and/or sewage input apart from riverine input during the estuarine mixing. These results are supported by a suite of complementary measurements of other parameters, such as manganese, phosphate, and suspended particulate matter concentrations. In addition, the concentration ratio of dissolved Co to total Co (dissolved plus particulate) increased along the salinity gradient, implying the potential for desorption of this metal from suspended particulate matter on estuarine mixing.     

Occurrence patterns of mesopelagic fish larvae in Sagami Bay, central Japan

The species composition, seasonal abundance, and vertical distribution of mesopelagic fish larvae are described based on discrete depth sampling from the surface down to 1000 m depth during four cruises at a fixed sampling station in Sagami Bay. The abundances of total mesopelagic fish larvae in April, July, September, and December were 65.7, 13.6, 118.9, and 17.2 individuals per 10 m² sea surface, respectively. Twenty species or types of mesopelagic fish larvae belonging to 10 families were collected. Diaphus garmani, Lipolagus ochotensis, Diogenichthys atlanticus, Sigmops gracile, and Maurolicus japonicus were the five most abundant larvae and accounted for 43.1, 14.5, 7.4, 6.3, and 5.9% of the total mesopelagic fish larvae, respectively. These five species showed clear seasonal changes in abundance, i.e. L. ochotensis, D. atlanticus, and S. gracile larvae mainly occurred during winter— spring; D. garmani and M. japonicus were collected during summer—autumn. No obvious diel vertical migration was found in these larvae. The larvae of D. garmani and M. japonicus were concentrated in the 25–50 and 50–100 m depth layers, respectively. The transforming stage of L. ochotensis, S. gracile, and D. atlanticus occurred at 400–1000 m depth, while their larvae (<8 mm standard length) occurred in the upper 100 m layer, indicating that metamorphosis of these species takes place in the 400–1000 m layer. Based on the occurrence of mesopelagic fish larvae and oceanographic processes in Sagami Bay, with the exception of D. garmani and M. japonicus, most larvae are considered to originate from the Kuroshio region where their main spawning grounds are formed.     

Seasonal and annual variation in the primary production regime in the central part of Sagami Bay

Seasonal variations in the primary production regime in the upper water column were assessed by shipboard observations using hydrocasts and natural fluorescence profiling at a fixed station in the central part of Sagami Bay, Japan. The observations were conducted as a part of ‘Project Sagami’ dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of seasonality in bathyal benthic populations and its coupling with water column processes. Based on the time-series observations at intervals of about 1 to 2 months, primary productivity in terms of chlorophyll abundance appeared to be elevated during the spring of 1997, but the observed peaks of biomass were much less significant in the spring of 1998. Meanwhile, the organic matter flux, as indicated by sediment trap data and benthic observations, had a significant peak in the spring of 1998 as well, and its magnitude was comparable to that in 1997. Satellite images of ocean color obtained during the spring of 1997 indicate the importance of events with time scales much shorter than a month, and suggest qualitative differences in the phytoplankton community in the euphotic zone for each bloom event during this period. The possible mechanisms that could yield the spring maximum of material input to the benthic community are discussed.