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.     

Distribution of Overturn Induced by Internal Tides and Thorpe Scale in Uchiura Bay

The vertical mixing process induced by internal tides was investigated by repeated conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) measurements and bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) in Uchiura Bay from July 24 to 25, 2001. Internal tides were observed with a wave height of 40 m and a horizontal current of 0.3 ms⁻¹. Density inversions were found in the CTD data, and the method of Galbraith and Kelley (1996) was applied to the data to identify overturns and to calculate Thorpe scale. Most of the overturns distributed in the region of low Richardson number, so that they were considered to be caused by shear instability associated with the internal tides. Thorpe scale was calculated to be 0.48 m. From the Thorpe scale, the vertical eddy diffusivity due to internal tides in Uchiura Bay was estimated as K _ρ ∼ 10⁻⁴ m²s⁻¹. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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.     

Fluctuation of dissolved organic carbon in seawater of Sagami Bay during 1971–1972

Fluctuation of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was studied during 1971–1972 at monthly intervals in surface layers of Sagami Bay. Concentration of DOC varied from 0.8 to 1.7 mgC/l in surface water (0 m). Maximum concentration of 1.7 mgC/l was observed in July 1971 and after then DOC decreased gradually to a minimum of 0.8 mgC/l in May 1972. The fluctuation of DOC during the observation periods seems to have close relations with those of water temperature and salinity. High DOC concentration found in summer months may be associated with bloom of phytoplankton or intrusion of seawater from Tokyo Bay and/or inland water containing high DOC.     

Transition processes between the three typical paths of the Kuroshio

Transitions between the three typical paths of the Kuroshio south of Japan (the nearshore and offshore non-large-meander paths and the large-meander path) are described using sea level data at Miyake-jima and HachijÔ-jima in the Izu Islands and temperature data at a depth of 200 m observed from 1964 to 1975 and in 1980.In transitions between the nearshore and offshore non-large-meander paths the variation of the Kuroshio path occurs first in the region off Enshû-nada between the Kii Peninsula and the Izu Ridge and subsequently over the ridge. In the nearshore to offshore transition the offshore displacement of the path occurs first off Enshû-nada and then develops southeastwardly in the direction of HachijÔ-jima. In the reverse transition shoreward displacement occurs first off Enshû-nada and then throughout the region west and east of the Izu Ridge. The position of the Kuroshio south of Cape Shiono-misaki (the southernmost tip of the Kii Peninsula) is almost fixed near the coast throughout these transition periods, and significant variations of the Kuroshio path only occur east of the cape. The nearshore to offshore and offshore to nearshore transitions can be estimated to take about 25 and 35 days, respectively, during which the variation of the Kuroshio path over the Izu Ridge occurs for the last 11 and 25 days.The transitions between the non-large-meander and large-meander paths show that the large-meander path is mostly formed from the nearshore non-large-meander path and always changes to the offshore non-large-meander path.