Spreading of warm water from the Kuroshio Extension into the Perturbed Area

The path of the Kuroshio Extension describes two stationary meanders with crests at approximately 144°E and 150°E. The short-term meridional fluctuations of the warm water spreading northward from the first crest at the surface and its vertical structure were analyzed by using 5-day-mean surface temperature maps published by JAFIC, montly 100-m-depth temperature maps edited by the JMA, and CTD data obtained by the R.Vs.Kofu-Maru, Hakuho-Maru andTansei-Maru cruises from 1990 to 1994. A Northern Boundary of the Spreak Kuroshio Water (NBSKW) and a Southern Boundary of the Spread Kuroshio Water (SBSKW) at the surface were defined as the northern and southern boundary of the pronounced meriodional temperature gradients, respectively. The vertical structure of the Spread Kuroshio Water was analyzed in terms of its T-S properties. The location of the NBSKW at the surface corresponds well with the northern boundary of the subsurface high salinity water that represents the Spread Kuroshio Water. The short-term meridional fluctuations of the northern and southern boundary of the Spread Kuroshio Water at the surface were studied through the spectral analysis of the maximum latitude of the two lines defined. We obtained the following results: (1) the meridional fluctuations of the NBSKW and SBSKW at the first creast have major periods between 16 and 38 days; (2) the 50 day running mean of the SBSKW at the first crest, for the purpòse of this study, can be generally used as indicative of the location of the Kuroshio axis; and (3) the northward extent of the Spread Kuroshio Water and the velocity of the meridional shift suggest seasonal variability that could be related with their vertical structure.     

Spatial and temporal variations of stable isotopes in precipitation in midlatitude coastal regions

Spatial and temporal variations of the isotopic composition of precipitation were investigated to better understand their controlling factors. Precipitation was collected from six locations in Hokkaido, Japan, and event‐based analyses were conducted for a period from March 2010 to February 2013. Relatively low δ values and a high d‐excess for annual averages were observed at three sites located along the Japan Sea compared to the three sites at Pacific Ocean side. Lower δ values in spring and fall and higher d‐excess in winter were observed for the region along the Japan Sea. In total, 264 precipitation events were identified. Precipitation originated predominantly from low‐pressure system (LPS) events, which were classified as northwest (LPS‐NW) and southeast (LPS‐SE) events according to the routes of the low‐pressure center, that passed northwest and southeast of Hokkaido, respectively. LPS‐SE events showed lower δ¹⁸O than LPS‐NW events, which is attributable to the lower δ¹⁸O of water vapor resulting from heavy rainfalls in the upstream region of the LPS air mass trajectories over the Pacific Ocean. This phenomenon observed in Hokkaido can be found in other midlatitude coastal regions and applied for hydrological, atmospheric, and paleoclimate studies. A characteristic spatial pattern was found in LPS‐NW events, in which lower δ¹⁸O was observed on the Japan Sea side than on the Pacific Ocean side in each season. This is likely due to the location of the sampling sites and their distance from the LPS: Precipitation with lower δ¹⁸O in the region along the Japan Sea occurs in a well‐developed cloud system near the low‐pressure center in cold and warm sectors of LPS, whereas precipitation with higher δ¹⁸O on the Pacific side mainly occurs in a warm sector away from the low‐pressure center. Air mass from the north does not always cause low δ in precipitation, and the precipitation process in the upstream region is another important factor controlling the isotopic composition of precipitation, other than the local temperature and precipitation amount.     

Impact of El Niño events and climate regime shift on living resources in the western North Pacific

Features of El Niño events and their biological impacts in the western North Pacific are reviewed, focusing on interactions between ENSO and the East Asian monsoon. Impacts of El Niño on the climate in the Far East become evident as ‘cool summers and warm winters’. Effects of climate regime shift on ENSO activities, western boundary currents and upper-ocean stratification, as well as their biological consequences are summarized. These have been:

1. In the western equatorial Pacific, an eastward extension of the warm pool associated with El Niño events induces an eastward shift of main fishing grounds of skip jack and big eye tunas.

2. The surface salinity front in the North Equatorial Current region retreats southward, associated with El Niño events. This leads to a southward shift of the spawning ground of Japanese eel, which is responsible for a reduction in the transport of the larval eels to the Kuroshio and Japanese coastal region, causing poor recruitment.

3. Intensification of winter cooling and vertical mixing associated with La Niña (El Niño) events in the northern subtropical region of the western (central) North Pacific reduces surface chlorophyll concentration levels and larval feeding condition for both Japanese sardines and the autumn cohort of Neon squid during winter–early spring. The semi-decadal scale calm winter that occurred during the early 1970s triggered the first sharp increase of sardine stock around Japan.

4. A remarkable weakening of southward intrusion of the Oyashio off the east coast of Japan during 1988–91, resulted in a decrease in chlorophyll concentrations and mesozooplankton biomass in late spring–early summer of the Kuroshio-Oyashio transition region. Changes occurred in the dominant species of small pelagic fish, through successive recruitment failures of Japanese sardine.

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.     

Quasi-decadal modulations of North Pacific Intermediate Water area in the cross section along the 137°E meridian: impact of the Aleutian Low activity

Temporal variations of area of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), in the repeat hydrographic section along 137°E meridian conducted by the Japan Meteorological Agency, are investigated using the de-trended variables from 1972 to 2008. Variations of NPIW area show a clear quasi-decadal (about 10 years) modulation and it is caused by the vertical displacement of isopycnal surfaces in the lower portion of NPIW around the northern boundary of its distribution (30–32°N): The downward (upward) movement of isopycnal surfaces in the lower portion of NPIW as a result of the first-mode baroclinic ocean response stretches (shrinks) the density layer equivalent of NPIW and causes strengthening (weakening) of westward flows associated with the Kuroshio Counter Current, and then it can induce an increase (decrease) of volume transport of NPIW from the east. Consequently, the NPIW northern boundary shifts northward (southward) and an increase (decrease) of the NPIW area is induced. Large-scale atmospheric forcing controlling the vertical displacements of isopycnal surfaces is explored using a wind-driven hindcast ocean model. The vertical displacements stem from the first-mode baroclinic ocean response to the two types of Aleutian Low (AL) activities: in particular, the meridional movement of the AL imparts more potential influence on them than the AL intensity variation does.     

Sedimentary records of multidecadal-scale variability of diatom productivity in the Bungo Channel, Japan, associated with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation

In order to examine the responses of primary productivity in the southern coastal sea of Japan to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) in the 20th century, sedimentary records of diatom productivity (diatom valve fluxes) were reconstructed using core samples from the Bungo Channel (BC) in southwest Japan. The record of the Thalassionema spp. flux—the best index of fall primary productivity in the BC—indicated a multidecadal-scale duration with a low flux (1943–1982) and those with a high flux (1913–1943 and 1982–2001); apparent shifts were recognized in 1943 and 1982. The shift in 1982 was also recognized in the flux records of other early summer to fall predominant genera in the BC and, previously, in the biogenic silica records from a broad region of the southeast BC. This indicates that in our records, this shift reflects a general trend in the primary production in the southeast BC. A comparison among the Thalassionema spp. flux records, meteorological data from an observatory adjacent to the core site, and the PDO index showed that the flux records were more similar to the PDO index than the other meteorological records, which suggests that the multidecadal-scale variability of the BC primary productivity may be associated with some marine-derived forcing. The bottom intrusions of nutrient-rich water that upwelled from the shelf slope into the BC, the axis movement or the transport of the Kuroshio Current off the BC, and a basin-scale wind stress in the North Pacific might play an important role in this forcing and mediate between the BC primary productivity and the PDO.     

Assessment of nitrogen loading from the Kiso-Sansen Rivers into Ise Bay using stable isotopes

Concentrations of particulate organic nitrogen (PN), dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), and their nitrogen isotope ratios (δ ¹⁵N) in the Kiso-Sansen Rivers were determined from monthly observations over the course of a year to assess variations in the form and sources of riverine nitrogen discharged into Ise Bay. The δ ¹⁵N values of NO₃ ⁻ observed in the Kiso-Sansen Rivers showed a logarithmic decreasing trend from 8 to 0‰, which varied with the river discharge, indicating mixing between point sources with high δ ¹⁵N and non-point sources with low δ ¹⁵N. The influence of isotope fractionation of in situ biogeochemical processes (mainly DIN assimilation by phytoplankton) on δ ¹⁵N of NO₃ ⁻ was negligible, because sufficient concentrations of NH₄ ⁺ for phytoplankton demand would inhibit the assimilation of NO₃ ⁻. A simple relationship between river discharge and δ ¹⁵N of NO₃ ⁻ showed that the fraction of total NO₃ ⁻ flux arising from point sources increased from 4.0–6.3% (1.1–1.8 tN day⁻¹) during higher discharge (>600 m³ s⁻¹) to 30.2–48.3% (2.6–4.1 tN day⁻¹) during lower discharge (<300 m³ s⁻¹). Riverine NO₃ ⁻ discharge from the Kiso-Sansen Rivers can explain 75% of the variations in surface NO₃ ⁻ at the head of Ise Bay over the year.     

Analysis of dust events in 2008 and 2009 using the lidar network, surface observations and the CFORS model

The Asian dust events in 2008 (May 24–June 4 in 2008) and in 2009 (March 12–25, October 13–26, and December 15–28 in 2009) were analyzed with the lidar network observations, surface observations in China, Korea, Japan, and Mongolia, and with the chemical transport model CFORS. Transport of Asian dust and mixing of dust with air pollution aerosols were studied. The event of May 24 to June 4 in 2008 was a significant event unusually late in the spring dust season. The dust event of March 12–25, 2009 was an interesting example of elevated dust layer, and transport of dust from the elevated dust layer to the ground by the boundary layer activity was observed with the lidars and surface observations in Japan. The concentration of air pollution aerosols was relatively high during the dust event, and the results suggest that vertical structure as well as transport path is important for the mixing of dust and air pollution aerosols. The dust events in October and December 2009 were examples of dust events in autumn and winter. The online mode CFORS reproduced the observation data generally well, except for the event of May 24 to June 4 in 2008. The results of the fourdimensional variational assimilation of the lidar network data reproduced the dust concentration in Korea and Japan reasonably in that event.     

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.