Criteria for the occurrence of wind-driven coastal upwelling associated with “Aoshio” on the southeast shore of Tokyo Bay

Abstract

At the head of Tokyo Bay, coastal upwelling of oxygen-depleted bottom water, induced by northeasterly wind-driven circulation, sometimes leads to the deaths of many shellfish and other aquatic animals across large areas, resulting in substantial economic losses to coastal fisheries. One of the chemical actions associated with this dynamic process is the oxidation of hydrogen sulfide in the bottom water into a colloidal sulfur substance. When sunshine reflects off surface water containing these sulfur particles, the seawater appears milky blue. This phenomenon has been termed “Aoshio.” One of the most important issues to address concerning upwelling in relation to Aoshio is to accurately predict when it will occur as well as its area and scale. In the preliminary study described here, we propose criteria for the occurrence of wind-driven upwelling associated with Aoshio on the southeast shore of Tokyo Bay using two analytical solutions. These two solutions were derived based on some specific assumptions in the context of a two-layered fluid. Comparison with observation data suggested that the criteria were valid. The results of analyses of the sensitivity of the solutions to all of the parameters incorporated into them were also found to be in accord with our qualitative understanding of this phenomenon.