Journal of Oceanography

The distribution of inorganic nitrogen compounds and the metabolic rates of these compounds by microorganisms as a whole were investigated in the Seas of Hiuchi and Bingo. The results obtained are as follows:

Temperature and salinity data from 2001 through 2005 from Argo profiling floats have been analyzed to examine the time evolution of the mixed layer depth (MLD) and density in the late fall to early spring in mid to high latitudes of the North Pacific. To examine MLD variations on various time scales from several days to seasonal, relatively small criteria (0.03 kg m−3 in density and 0.2°C in temperature) are used to determine MLD. Our analysis emphasizes that maximum MLD in some regions occurs much earlier than expected. We also observe systematic differences in timing between maximum mixed layer depth and density. Specifically, in the formation regions of the Subtropical and Central Mode Waters and in the Bering Sea, where the winter mixed layer is deep, MLD reaches its maximum in late winter (February and March), as expected. In the eastern subarctic North Pacific, however, the shallow, strong, permanent halocline prevents the mixed layer from deepening after early January, resulting in a range of timings of maximum MLD between January and April. In the southern subtropics from 20° to 30°N, where the winter mixed layer is relatively shallow, MLD reaches a maximum even earlier in December–January. In each region, MLD fluctuates on short time scales as it increases from late fall through early winter. Corresponding to this short-term variation, maximum MLD almost always occurs 0 to 100 days earlier than maximum mixed layer density in all regions.

Around the thermocline, difference in the depth of the maximum concentration between particulate manganese and iron was observed above the basin located at the south-western corner of the Beppu Bay, along with the remarkable difference in pH and Eh.

Sea level variability along the Japanese coast and its relation to the Kuroshio-Kuroshio Extension (KE) are investigated using ocean reanalysis data. The first mode of an empirical-orthogonal-function for the coastal sea-level represents a simultaneous sea-level change along the whole Japanese coast, which is synchronized with sea levels in the KE region , the Japan Sea and the East China Sea. The second mode is characterized by an east–west dipole pattern at the south coast. The first mode is correlated with the Kuroshio variations around the Izu–Ogasawara Ridge (IOR) and tends to be in a positive phase when the Kuroshio takes a nearshore path around IOR. The Kuroshio’s position around IOR is closely related to the KE dynamic state. When the KE jet is in a stable (unstable) state, a nearshore (meandering) Kuroshio path is formed around IOR. A composite analysis suggests that the sea level along the Japanese coast becomes high due to propagation of coastal trapped waves when the Kuroshio takes a nearshore path around IOR. That is why the first mode is synchronized with the KE decadal variability. The second mode has a close relation with the Kuroshio Large Meander (LM). The eastern positive anomaly at the coast between the Izu and Kii Peninsulas is formed by warm Kuroshio water brought by a westward branch flow along the coast. The western negative anomaly is attributed to a southward shift in the Kuroshio south of the Kii Peninsula associated with the LM.

Marine ferromanganese crusts and nodules, which contain a variety of metals, are potential seabed mineral resources. Given their low growth rates, they are regarded as condensed stratigraphic sections that archive millions of years of paleoceanographic information. Ferromanganese crusts and nodules incorporate trace elements like Cu, Zn, Mo, Tl and Ni during growth. The non-traditional isotopic systems of these metals are increasingly being developed as powerful tracers in the modern ocean and as proxies for the paleo-ocean, due to their tendency to be fractionated by redox-related and/or biological processes. In recent years, both the global variations of metal stable isotopes in ferromanganese crust/nodule surface scrapings and some depth profiles through the ferromanganese crusts were systematically analysed. These studies established the isotopic variability present in ferromanganese crusts, nodules and seawater, explored the isotopic fractionation mechanisms associated with the formation of ferromanganese deposits, and determined whether these ferromanganese crusts can be used as documents of deep water metal isotope compositions and long-term seawater isotope variations. In addition, some isotopes of ferromanganese deposits have been successfully applied to constrain the metal sources and geochemical cycles in the ocean, reconstruct paleo-oceanic redox conditions and seawater isotope record, and reveal continental weathering and climate changes. Nevertheless, it is worth noting that a few limitations of current applications of some non-traditional isotopes as paleoceanographic proxies still remain. Therefore, there is still a great need for a community effort to develop and enhance non-traditional isotope geochemistry of marine ferromanganese crusts and nodules.

Motivated by an analysis of a satellite sea surface temperature image suggesting that a train of extra-tropical cyclones induces amplification of the Kuroshio meander, a regional Kuroshio/Oyashio general circulation model was used to investigate the impact of high-frequency wind on the Kuroshio path variations. Near Japan, the standard deviation of the wind stress curl can be 10 times larger than the monthly mean, so the synoptic variations of the wind stress curl cannot be neglected. With the bimodal Kuroshio case realized in the model, sensitivity tests were conducted using monthly and daily mean QuikSCAT-derived wind stress forcings. The comparison showed that the high-frequency local wind perturbed the Shikoku recirculation gyre (SRG) and caused a transition of the path from straight to meander. The strong anticyclonic eddy within the SRG triggered the meander in the latter case. The high-frequency wind perturbed the motion of the eddy that would have otherwise detached from the Kuroshio, migrated south and terminated the meandering state. The result reinforces the suggestion from previous studies that the anticyclonic eddy within the SRG plays an active role in controlling the Kuroshio path variations.