Distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nemopilema nomurai</Emphasis> in the southwestern Sea of Japan related to meandering of the Tsushima Warm Current     

Satoshi?KitajimaEmail author  Naoki?Iguchi  Naoto?Honda  Tatsuro?Watanabe  Osamu?Katoh 《Journal of Oceanography》2015,71(3):287-296

We investigated the horizontal distribution of Nemopilema nomurai medusae using a midwater trawl in the southwestern Sea of Japan from September to October of each year from 2006 to 2012. Numerous medusae of this species found in 2006, 2007, and 2009 were mainly distributed far (>40 km) from the mainland of Japan in the western part of the survey area, but were distributed in the stations closest (<25 km) to the mainland in the eastern part, particularly in 2006 and 2009. These distribution patterns were associated with the path of the second branch of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) that flows offshore to the west of Oki Islands and usually approaches the mainland of Japan to the east of Oki Islands. Differences in jellyfish distribution across the survey periods were related to the distribution of the second branch being associated with types, position and intensity of eddies in the eastern part of the survey area. Hence, the formations of eddies and consequent variation in the path of the TWC would be responsible for transporting medusae from offshore to near the mainland to the east of Oki Islands. Individuals with large bells accumulated in the northwestern part of the survey area, where a cyclonic eddy was present downstream of the third branch of the TWC. This variation in bell size distribution may be ascribed to differences in the physical and/or biological factors among the three branches of the TWC.  相似文献   

Seasonal and interannual variations in the East Sakhalin current revealed by TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data     

Naoto Ebuchi 《Journal of Oceanography》2006,62(2):171-183

Seasonal and interannual variations in the East Sakhalin Current (ESC) are investigated using ten-year records of the sea level anomaly (SLA) observed by the TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P) altimeter. The T/P SLA clearly documents seasonal and interannual variations in the ESC along the east coast of Sakhalin Island, although sea ice masks the region from January to April. Estimates of surface current velocity anomaly derived from T/P SLA are in good agreement with drifting buoy observations. The ESC is strong in winter, with a typical current velocity of 30–40 cm s⁻¹ in December, and almost disappears in summer. Southward flow of the ESC is confined to the shelf and slope region and consists of two velocity cores. These features of the ESC are consistent with short-term observations reported in previous studies. Analysis of the ten-year records of T/P SLA confirms that the structure of the ESC is maintained each winter and the seasonal cycle is repeated every year, although the strength of the ESC shows large interannual variations. Seasonal and interannual variations in the ESC are discussed in relation to wind-driven circulation in the Sea of Okhotsk, using wind stress and wind stress curl fields derived from European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) reanalysis data and a scatterometer-derived wind product. Seasonal and interannual variations of the anticyclonic eddy in the Kuril Basin are also revealed using T/P SLA.  相似文献   

Annual variation of methane in seawater in Funka bay,Japan     

Shuichi Watanabe  Naoto Higashitani  Nobuo Tsurushima  Shizuo Tsunogai 《Journal of Oceanography》1994,50(4):415-421

The concentration of methane in seawater was determined approximately once a month for one year from August 1990 to July 1991 at a station close to the center of Funka bay (92 m depth) and some supplementary observations were also carried out. The concentration of methane was usually increased with increasing depth, suggesting that methane was emitted from the bottom of the bay. While highly variable both spatially and temporally, the emission was intense in March and April, a period immediately after the spring bloom of phytoplankton. The maximum of methane found in the intermediate water suggests its source from the slope of the bay. The concentration of methane in the surface water changed seasonally and also interannually. The annually averaged flux of methane transferred to the atmosphere in the bay was estimated to be 6×10^–3 gCH₄m²/day. The coastal zone in the world may be a significant source of the atmospheric methane, although its source strength has yet to be accurately estimated from more data in different coastal seas.  相似文献   

Influence of Mesoscale Eddies on Variations of the Kuroshio Path South of Japan     

Naoto Ebuchi  Kimio Hanawa 《Journal of Oceanography》2003,59(1):25-36

The influences of mesoscale eddies on variations of the Kuroshio path south of Japan have been investigated using time series of the Kuroshio axis location and altimeter-derived sea surface height maps for a period of seven years from 1993 to 1999, when the Kuroshio followed its non-large meander path. It was found that both the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies may interact with the Kuroshio and trigger short-term meanders of the Kuroshio path, although not all eddies that approached or collided with the Kuroshio formed meanders. An anticyclonic eddy that revolves clockwise in a region south of Shikoku and Cape Shionomisaki with a period of about 5–6 months was found to propagate westward along about 30°N and collide with the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu or south of Shikoku. This collision sometimes triggers meanders which propagate over the whole region south of Japan. The eddy was advected downstream, generating a meander on the downstream side to the east of Cape Shionomisaki. After the eddy passed Cape Shionomisaki, it detached from the Kuroshio and started to move westward again. Sometimes the eddy merges with other anticyclonic eddies traveling from the east. Coalescence of cyclonic eddies, which are also generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan, into the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu, also triggers meanders which mainly propagate only in a region west of Cape Shionomisaki. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.  相似文献   

Mixed layer depth climatology of the North Pacific based on Argo observations   总被引：2，自引：1，他引：1  

Yuko Ohno  Naoto Iwasaka  Fumiaki Kobashi  Yoshiko Sato 《Journal of Oceanography》2009,65(1):1-16

A monthly mean climatology of the mixed layer depth (MLD) in the North Pacific has been produced by using Argo observations. The optimum method and parameter for evaluating the MLD from the Argo data are statistically determined. The MLD and its properties from each density profile were calculated with the method and parameter. The monthly mean climatology of the MLD is computed on a 2° × 2° grid with more than 30 profiles for each grid. Two bands of deep mixed layer with more than 200 m depth are found to the north and south of the Kuroshio Extension in the winter climatology, which cannot be reproduced in some previous climatologies. Early shoaling of the winter mixed layer between 20–30°N, which has been pointed out by previous studies, is also well recognized. A notable feature suggested by our climatology is that the deepest mixed layer tends to occur about one month before the mixed layer density peaks in the middle latitudes, especially in the western region, while they tend to coincide with each other in higher latitudes.  相似文献   

Total organic carbon and nitrogen contents in surface sediments of Harima Nada,eastern Seto Inland Sea,Japan: a comparison under two different trophic states     

Hitomi Yamaguchi  Naoto Hirade  Miho Kayama  Kazuhiko Ichimi  Kuninao Tada 《Journal of Oceanography》2014,70(4):355-366

Phytoplankton abundance in the surface waters of Harima Nada, eastern Seto Inland Sea of Japan, decreased after around the late 1970s following a reduction of terrestrial phosphorous inputs, and relatively low levels persisted thereafter. This symptom of de-eutrophication in recent decades might have reduced organic matter storage in surficial sediments. To test this possibility, we examined total organic carbon (TOC) and nitrogen (TN) contents of Harima Nada sediments in 2011, and compared the results to past data from more eutrophic states. In 2011, the TOC and TN varied horizontally within the basin, in relation to physicochemical properties (water and mud content) and phytoplankton remnants (pheo-pigments) of the sediments. These horizontal patterns were fundamentally similar to those of the early 1980s (1982–1983), although discrepancies between the periods were observed in some areas. Differences of mean TOC and TN in the 0–2 cm layer at 63 stations from 1982–1983 to 2011 were consequently <10 %. Hence, the recent de-eutrophication in Harima Nada was associated with little overall change of TOC and TN storage in the sediment. In Harima Nada, changes in water clarity and particle size composition of the sediment seem to have occurred during recent decades. The aforementioned paradoxical phenomenon may therefore be explained by factors that are affected by these environmental changes. Such factors include the ratio of export flux to the seafloor to phytoplankton production, phytoplankton biomass and production in the entire euphotic zone, and accumulation rate of surface sediment.  相似文献   

Mesoscale Eddies Observed by TOLEX-ADCP and TOPEX/POSEIDON Altimeter in the Kuroshio Recirculation Region South of Japan   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Naoto Ebuchi  Kimio Hanawa 《Journal of Oceanography》2000,56(1):43-57

Mesoscale eddies in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan have been investigated by using surface current data measured by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) installed on a regular ferry shuttling between Tokyo and Chichijima, Bonin Islands, and sea surface height anomaly derived from the TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter. Many cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies were observed in the region. Spatial and temporal scales of the eddies were determined by lag-correlation analyses in space and time. The eddies are circular in shape with a diameter of 500 km and a temporal scale of 80 days. Typical maximum surface velocity and sea surface height anomaly associated with the eddies are 15–20 cm s^–1 and 15 cm, respectively. The frequency of occurrence, temporal and spatial scales, and intensity are all nearly the same for the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, which are considered to be successive wave-like disturbances rather than solitary eddies. Phase speed of westward propagation of the eddies is estimated as 6.8 cm s^–1, which is faster than a theoretical estimate based on the baroclinic first-mode Rossby wave with or without a mean current. The spatial distribution of sea surface height variations suggests that these eddies may be generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region, though further studies are needed to clarify the generation processes.  相似文献   

Observational Study on the Downward Solar Radiation at the Sea Surface in the Western Pacific     

Naoto Iwasaka  Yuichi Isozaki  Susumu Kuwashima  Hirotaka Otobe  Kimio Hanawa 《Journal of Oceanography》2000,56(6):717-726

In situ observation of downward solar radiation in the Western Pacific were carried out with voluntary merchant ships for five years from autumn 1990 through autumn 1995. Daily means of the short wave radiation were computed from the observed solar radiation. Then, the effects of shadows of the ship's superstructures on the observed radiation were corrected if needed. A 5-year average of short wave radiation along the main sea-lanes in the Western Pacific was calculated based on the observed daily mean solar radiation. Maximum values of 270–280 Wm^–2 are found around 15°–20°N in May and June, while those of 290 Wm^–2 are observed south of 18°S in November and December along the lanes. Small annual variations are found in the equatorial region. Annual mean values at the equator are about 230 Wm^–2 between New Guinea and Indonesia, and 200 Wm^–2 east of New Guinea. The 5-year average of short wave radiation was compared with the climatologies given in previous studies. We have concluded that some of results of previous studies are significantly underestimated.  相似文献   

Evaluation of NSCAT-2 Wind Vectors by Using Statistical Distributions of Wind Speeds and Directions     

Naoto Ebuchi 《Journal of Oceanography》2000,56(2):161-172

In order to validate wind vectors derived from the NASA scatterometer (NSCAT), statistical distributions of wind speeds and directions retrieved by the NSCAT-2 geophysical model function have been investigated by comparison with wind data retrieved by the other model functions such as SASS-2 and NSCAT-1 and those derived from the wind analyses of the European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The histogram of the NSCAT-2 wind speeds has a similar shape to those of the ECMWF and NSCAT-1 winds, but is slightly shifted toward higher wind speed to adjust negative bias which has been found in the NSCAT-1 winds by previous buoy comparison studies. Variations of the standard deviation of the NSCAT-2 wind speeds with incidence angle are greater than those of the ECMWF and NSCAT-1 winds. The frequency distribution of wind directions relative to spacecraft flight direction has been calculated to assess the self-consistency of the wind directions. It was found that the NSCAT-2 wind vectors exhibit systematic directional preference relative to antenna beams. This artificial directivity is considered to be caused by imperfections in the antenna beam balancing and the geophysical model function. The skill of the ambiguity removal procedure is discussed as a function of wind speed and incidence angle, and is found to be improved compared to the NSCAT-1 winds, especially at high incidence angles. It is concluded that systematic errors in wind directions might be increased by modifications from NSCAT-1 to NSCAT-2, though the wind speed bias is removed and the ambiguity removal skill is improved.  相似文献   

Relations between load and settlement of circular foundations on or in a dense sand expressed by a function of diameter and depth     

Hiroaki Nagaoka  Masahiro Yamazaki  Naoto Kubota  Takashi Okamoto 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》2005,29(6):551-576

When load acts on a circular foundation on or in a dense sand, average contact pressure on the lower surface of the foundation is q and settlement of the foundation is s. Diameter and depth of the foundation are B and D_f. When the sand, B and D_f are given, we can know the relation between q and s/B by, e.g. a loading test, i.e. the relation is determined by B and D_f for the sand. Using the results of numerical analyses, we express a relation between q and s/B up to s=0.1B by functions of a single variable which is a linear combination of B and D_f. Consequently when two foundations have different B's and different D_f's but have the same value of the variable, the relations are the same. Then we examine whether the functions can express the results of eleven tests of model foundations of wide range of B and/or D_f. In all the tests, the relations are expressed with sufficient accuracy. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献