Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment Research Articles

The calculated voyage: benchmarking optimal strategies and consumptions in the Japanese eel’s spawning migration

Eels migrate along largely unknown routes to their spawning ground. By coupling Zermelo’s navigation solution and data from the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 (JCOPE2M), we simulated a range of seasonal scenarios, swimming speeds, and swimming depths to predict paths that minimize migration duration and energy cost. Our simulations predict a trade-off between migration duration and energy cost. Given that eels do not refuel during their migration, our simulations suggest eels should travel at speeds of 0.4–0.6 body-length per second to retain enough energy reserves for reproduction. For real eels without full information of the ocean currents, they cannot optimize their migration in strong surface currents, thus when swimming at slow swimming speeds, they should swim at depths of 200 m or greater. Eels swimming near the surface are also influenced by seasonal factors, however, migrating at greater depths mitigates these effects. While greater depths present more favorable flow conditions, water temperature may become increasingly unfavorable, dropping near or below 5 °C. Our results serve as a benchmark, demonstrating the complex interplay between swimming speed, depth, seasonal factors, migration time, and energy consumption, to comprehend the migratory behaviors of Japanese eels and other migratory fish.

A physical explanation for an unusually long-duration slow slip event in the Nankai Trough

The Dense Oceanfloor Network System for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET) and the Long Term Borehole Monitoring System (LTBMS), installed above the source region of the 1944 Tonankai earthquake, revealed that crustal deformation is driven by slow slip events (SSEs) in the shallower extension of megathrust earthquakes. However, there are unresolved questions about (A) the duration of the SSE in February 2012, which was longer than expected for SSEs with similar magnitudes, and (B) the relationship of the spatial distribution of fault slip between the SSEs in February and December 2012 under the condition of drilling disturbance. To clarify these questions, we re-analyzed the pore/seafloor pressure data associated with the SSEs. Our refined fault models show that the SSE in February had a significantly slower propagation speed and a longer duration than others, while the SSE in December was comparable to others. We interpret that the difference in duration and propagation speed is related to external and internal stress perturbations, respectively. Using the ocean modeling JCOPE (Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment), we identified that the decrease and subsequent increase in seafloor pressure due to the passage of the Kuroshio meander coincided with the latter part of the longer duration of the SSE in February and its termination, respectively. This suggests that the Kuroshio meander might affect the duration of SSEs. Our refined fault model also indicates that the amount of shear stress accumulation was small before the occurrence of the SSE in February, which triggered the slow propagation of aseismic slip based on a rate- and state-dependent friction law. These results imply that we need to consider the variety of SSEs from the viewpoint of stress perturbation due to not only interaction between fault segments but also external forces from oceanographic phenomena.

Semidiurnal Internal Tides in a Shelf Sea South of Japan: Characteristics, Energetics, and Temporal variations

Tidal mixing in a shelf sea south of Japan (Bungo Channel) plays an important role in modulating the water exchange between the Seto Inland Sea and Pacific Ocean. In this study, based on moored observations and model results from the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment—Tides (JCOPE-T), the generation, propagation, and dissipation of semidiurnal internal tides in the Bungo Channel are investigated. Observational results indicate that semidiurnal internal tides induce strong baroclinic currents reaching 0.3 m/s. Their energy shows obvious spring-neap tidal cycles, generally coinciding with the local barotropic tidal forcing. By conducting the empirical orthogonal function analysis, we find that the observed semidiurnal internal tides are mainly dominated by the first two baroclinic modes. The JCOPE-T results suggest two main generation sites for semidiurnal internal tides in the region: one is located at a narrow strait north of the Bungo Channel, while the other is at the shelf break south of the Bungo Channel. The latter makes a major contribution to the observed semidiurnal internal tides. Northward internal tides generated at the shelf break are superposed with those generated at the narrow strait, causing a complex interference pattern in the channel. The temporal variation of semidiurnal internal tides in the Bungo Channel is affected by several factors. The intraseasonal variation of semidiurnal internal tides can be modulated by the Kuroshio warm water intrusion (Kyucho) because the occurrence of Kyucho changes the stratification in the channel and hence affects the energy conversion. The seasonal variation of semidiurnal internal tides in the Bungo Channel is determined mainly by the seasonally varying stratification; while those generated at the shelf break are under the combined influence of seasonal stratification and background currents. Southward internal tides from the shelf break are refracted due to the spatially varying stratification and background currents. The varying Kuroshio path and strength modulate the refraction of internal tides.

Diagnostic Analysis of the Response of Volume Transport through the Tsushima Strait to the Eddy-Induced Variations in the Kuroshio Region

Abstract The Tsushima Strait (TS) is the sole passage for volume transport from the East China Sea to the Sea of Japan. To date, the process underlying the interannual variability in volume transport remains unclear. In this study, 27-yr (1993–2019) reanalysis data from the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 (JCOPE2M) system and in situ/satellite observations were employed to understand this process. The results suggest that TS transport was generally high in 1999, 2003/04, and 2010 and low in 1995/96, 2005/06, 2008, and 2014/15. The sea level anomaly (SLA) outside the entrance of the TS, that is, the upstream TS forcing, dominates the interannual TS transport variation. A high SLA pumps more water into the Sea of Japan via the TS, and vice versa. By synthesizing JCOPE2M reanalysis data and satellite observations, further analysis revealed that cyclonic mesoscale eddies from the subtropical countercurrent (STCC) could be responsible for this high SLA by reducing Kuroshio transport, enhancing Kuroshio intrusion across the shelf, and increasing the SLA around the upstream TS region. The reverse was true for anticyclonic STCC eddies. Variability in the Kuroshio intrusion southwest of Kyushu induces variations in the TS transport on an interannual time scale.

LORA: a local ensemble transform Kalman filter-based ocean research analysis

We have produced an eddy-resolving local ensemble transform Kalman filter (LETKF)-based ocean research analysis (LORA) for the western North Pacific (WNP) and Maritime Continent (MC) regions (LORA-WNP and LORA-MC, respectively). This paper describes the system configuration and validation comparisons with Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2M (JCOPE2M) reanalysis and Archiving, Validation, and Interpretation of Satellite Oceanographic Data (AVISO) observational datasets. The results show that the surface horizontal velocity in the LORA-WNP is closer to independent drifter buoy observations in the mid-latitude region, especially along the Kuroshio Extension (KE), and is less close in the subtropical region than the JCOPE2M, although the AVISO is the closest over the whole domain. The sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the LORA-WNP correspond better to assimilated satellite observations than the JCOPE2M over most of the domain except for coastal regions. The results using an independent buoy south of the KE indicate that better fit of temperature in the LORA-WNP may be limited to the upper 300 m depth, probably because of the prescribed vertical localization cutoff length of 370 m. In the MC region, the surface velocity in the LORA-MC is closer to the independent drifter buoys in the equatorial coastal region and is less close in the offshore region than the AVISO. The SSTs in the LORA-MC correspond better to the assimilated satellite observations in the offshore region than the nearshore region. Therefore, the LORA-WNP and LORA-MC have sufficient accuracy for geoscience research applications as well as for fisheries, marine transport, and environment consultants.

Long-Term Trend and Inter-Annual Variation of Ocean Heat Content in the Bohai, Yellow, and East China Seas

The long-term trend and interannual variation of ocean heat content (OHC) in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea (BYECS) were examined using 27 years (1993–2019) of daily reanalysis data from the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 (JCOPE2M). The annual mean OHC was 4.25 × 1021 J, with a linear warming rate of 0.13 W m−2 with a confidence level of 95%. The spatial distributions for the annual and linear trends of OHC in the BYECS were inhomogeneous, and a considerable quantity of heat was stored on the outer shelf. The warming rate was considerably elevated in the areas northeast of Taiwan and southwest of Kyushu, showing a rate greater than that of the Pacific and global oceans by a factor of 4–5. Heat budget analysis indicated that the Taiwan Strait (TAS) is the dominant source of heat for the BYECS. The mechanisms of the OHC interannual variation in the outer and inner shelves varied. On the outer shelf, the OHC interannual variation was dependent on the Kuroshio onshore intrusion, while on the inner shelf, the OHC interannual variation was related to the variation in air-sea heat flux. The rapid warming in the outer shelf corresponded to the increasing trends of heat transport across northeast Taiwan and southwest Kyushu, which were dominated by the temporal variation of current velocity.

Potential Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion in Indonesian Waters Territory

Suprijo, T.; Poerbo, P.R.; Park, H.; Kartadikaria, A.R., and Yosi, M., 2021. Potential ocean thermal energy conversion in Indonesian waters territory. In: Lee, J.L.; Suh, K.-S.; Lee, B.; Shin, S., and Lee, J. (eds.), Crisis and Integrated Management for Coastal and Marine Safety. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 114, pp. 285–289. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. This study aims to estimate Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) resources in Indonesian Seas using six years (from 2011 to 2016) daily basis data resulted from numerical simulation of high-resolution (1/10°) ocean model, namely Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment (JCOPE), with covering a wide area (e.g. 9°N to 11°S and 95°E to 141°E). Estimation of thermal power resources was calculated based on temperature differences between surface layer and deep layer with water depth of 20 m and 1000 m from sea surface respectively. The net output power generated from OTEC and also OTEC operation is sensitive to the fluctuation of the temperature differences, therefore we also analyzed sea surface temperature variability in Indonesia Seas, in order to identify suitable waters area for OTEC operation. We found that Southern coast of Java, Nusa Tenggara and Banda waters are unsuitable for OTEC deployment area because of high temperature variability on the sea surface that can cause instability of power output from OTEC operation. The area, where is favorable for OTEC operation in Indonesia waters, is estimated about 3,773,552.7 square kilometers with total potential power rate that can be harvested around 451.7 GW per day. Surface temperature in Indonesia Seas is also influenced by global phenomena, namely the El Niño and the La Niña. When the El Niño occurs in 2015 to 2016, potential thermal power resources are decrease into 442 GW. Meanwhile, when the La Niña occurs in 2011 to 2012, the OTEC power resources are increase to 460 GW.

Submesoscale eddies in Peter the Great Bay of the Japan/East Sea in winter

Cold-core (T 27.24 kg/m3 were observed in the near-bottom layer at the shelf break in Peter the Great Bay (PGB) of the Japan/East Sea in March 2010. The anomalously cold water was 0.4 ml/l richer in oxygen than was the surrounding water, and it contained more suspended particles. The observations were carried out by using a moored automatic mobile Aqualog profiler. Profiling occurred as frequent as every hour, allowing us to obtain data with high temporal resolution. The Aqualog profiler delivered vertical profiles of the ocean current velocity, acoustic backscatter at 2 MHz, temperature, and salinity between the depths of 20 and 105 m. Other oceanographic instruments were mounted at fixed depths on the mooring line to measure current velocity, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a fluorescence, and turbidity. Complementary data included ship-borne CTD casts and satellite-borne imagery and scatterometry as well as coastal weather station records. The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) was employed to study the origin and evolution of the cold water. The model simulated the ocean dynamics at a 600-m horizontal resolution in PGB from 2009 to 2010. The model was forced by the surface momentum, heat and fresh water fluxes of the NCEP-DOE Reanalysis 2. The lateral boundary condition of the model was obtained from nesting into a Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment model data set. According to the ROMS simulation, the circulation in Ussuri Bay in the northeastern bay of PGB was anticyclonic in February–March 2010. The submesoscale cyclonic vortices generated around the anticyclonic gyre. The submesoscale cyclones tended to move southward out of the bay, and they transported the anomalously cold water towards the outer shelf. As a result, the cold water anomalies were often observed to persist for as long as 2 days near 42.5°N, 132°E. Lagrangian analysis confirmed that this cold water observed by the Aqualog profiler originated in Ussuri Bay. The model simulation showed that the submesoscale cyclonic eddies played a specific role in supplying the densest water from the northern part of PGB to the outer shelf, where the dense water was then entrained by the mesoscale eddies in the Primorye Current zone and could cascade down the continental slope into the deep northern basin of the sea. This transport of the densest water by the submesoscale eddies was estimated to be 5–10·10−3 Sv in February–March 2010.

Mesoscale Reproducibility in Regional Ocean Modelling with a Three-Dimensional Stratification Estimate Based on Aviso-Argo Data

ABSTRACTFor dynamically consistent, high-resolution, yet cost-effective regional oceanic downscaling modelling, an empirical three-dimensional (3D) density estimate based on publicly available datasets is utilized for the Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) with simple data assimilation (i.e., TS nudging, where TS stands for temperature and salinity). We rely on a method built upon the two-layer model to reconstruct a mesoscale 3D temperature and salinity field, referred to as Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology (TUMSAT)-TS, using near real-time altimeter-derived dynamic height along with Argo float profiling data. The TUMSAT-TS is first validated using in situ hydrographic data, then is implemented in the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment (JCOPE2)-ROMS downscaling system for the Kuroshio region off Japan. We explore the usability of TUMSAT-TS by carrying out three comparative simulations with temperature and salinity nudging towards the (i) TUMSAT-TS and (ii) JCOPE2-TS fields, and (iii) without the nudging. Whereas the unassimilated case fails to properly account for the Kuroshio, both datasets individually are found to help reproduce the mesoscale variability of the Kuroshio, as well as its transient paths, volume transport, associated kinetic energy (KE) and eddy KE, and seasonally varying stratification.

Simulating the Oceanic Migration of Silver Japanese Eels.

The oceanic migration of silver Japanese eels starts from their continental growth habitats in East Asia and ends at the spawning area near the West Mariana Ridge seamount chain. However, the actual migration routes remain unknown. In this study, we examined the possible oceanic migration routes and strategies of silver Japanese eels using a particle tracking method in which virtual eels (v-eels) were programmed to move vertically and horizontally in an ocean circulation model (Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2, JCOPE2). Four horizontal swimming strategies were tested: random heading, true navigation (readjusted heading), orientation toward the spawning area (fixed heading), and swimming against the Kuroshio. We found that all strategies, except random swimming, allowed v-eels swimming at 0.65 m s−1 to reach the spawning area within eight months after their departure from the south coast of Japan (end of the spawning season). The estimated minimum swimming speed required to reach the area spawning within eight months was 0.1 m s−1 for true navigation, 0.12 m s−1 for constant compass heading, and 0.35 m s−1 for swimming against the Kuroshio. The lowest swimming speed estimated from tracked Japanese eels at sea was 0.03 m.s−1, which would not allow them to reach the spawning area within eight months, through any of the tested orientation strategies. Our numerical experiments also showed that ocean circulation significantly affected the migration of Japanese v-eels. A strong Kuroshio could advect v-eels further eastward. In addition, western Pacific ocean currents accelerated the migration of navigating v-eels. The migration duration was shortened in years with a stronger southward flow, contributed by a stronger recirculation south of Japan, an enhanced subtropical gyre, or a higher southward Kuroshio velocity.

Mapping surface tidal currents and Changjiang plume in the East China Sea from Geostationary Ocean Color Imager

AbstractThe spatial pattern of the semidiurnal M2 tidal currents in the East China Sea (ECS) is mapped from the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI), taking advantage of the satellite's unique 8 hourly local daytime sequential images. The GOCI‐derived surface M2 tidal currents are validated with a comprehensive set of twenty‐eight surface drifters and four mooring observations. The agreement is outstanding with the error variance less than 10% of the total variance. The gridded GOCI‐derived tidal currents are also in good agreement with the Oregon State University (OSU) high‐resolution regional tidal model of the China Seas. The detided mean flow shows a strong Changjiang plume extending hundreds of kilometers offshore, in agreement with the concurrent satellite sea surface temperature (SST) and sea surface salinity (SSS) distributions. The observed surface currents are compared with the daily mean flows derived from the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment (JCOPE2). The model results are consistent with the observations, showing the sensitivity of Changjiang plume to wind forcing. The study clearly demonstrates the utility of geostationary satellite in mapping the surface currents over a wide (∼400 km), tidally dominated continental shelf.

Impacts of Interannual Ocean Circulation Variability on Japanese Eel Larval Migration in the Western North Pacific Ocean.

The Japanese eel larvae hatch near the West Mariana Ridge seamount chain and travel through the North Equatorial Current (NEC), the Kuroshio, and the Subtropical Countercurrent (STCC) region during their shoreward migration toward East Asia. The interannual variability of circulation over the subtropical and tropical regions of the western North Pacific Ocean is affected by the Philippines–Taiwan Oscillation (PTO). This study examines the effect of the PTO on the Japanese eel larval migration routes using a three-dimensional (3D) particle tracking method, including vertical and horizontal swimming behavior. The 3D circulation and hydrography used for particle tracking are from the ocean circulation reanalysis produced by the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 (JCOPE2). Our results demonstrate that bifurcation of the NEC and the strength and spatial variation of the Kuroshio affect the distribution and migration of eel larvae. During the positive phase of PTO, more virtual eels (“v-eels”) can enter the Kuroshio to reach the south coast of Japan and more v-eels reach the South China Sea through the Luzon Strait; the stronger and more offshore swing of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea leads to fewer eels entering the East China Sea and the onshore movement of the Kuroshio to the south of Japan brings the eels closer to the Japanese coast. Significant differences in eel migration routes and distributions regulated by ocean circulation in different PTO phases can also affect the otolith increment. The estimated otolith increment suggests that eel age tends to be underestimated after six months of simulation due to the cooler lower layer temperature. Underestimation is more significant in the positive PTO years due to the wide distribution in higher latitudes than in the negative PTO years.

Effect of Mesoscale Eddies on the Taiwan Strait Current

AbstractThis study shows that mesoscale eddies can alter the Taiwan Strait Current. The 20-yr data-assimilated Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 (JCOPE2) reanalysis data are analyzed, and the results are confirmed with idealized experiments. The leading wind-forced seasonal cycle is excluded to focus on the effect of the eddy. The warm eddy southwest of Taiwan is shown to generate a northward flow, whereas the cold eddy produces a southward current. The effect of the eddy penetrates onto the shelf through the joint effect of baroclinicity and relief (JEBAR). The cross-isobath fluxes lead to shelfward convergence and divergence, setting up the modulation of the sea level slope. The resulting along-strait current anomaly eventually affects a wide area of the Taiwan Strait. The stronger eddy leads to larger modification of the cross-shelf flows and sea level slope, producing a greater transport anomaly. The composite Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) serves as an indicator to show the change in Chl-a concentration in the strait in response to the eddy-induced current. During the warm eddy period, the current carries the southern water of lower concentration northward, reducing Chl-a concentration in the strait. In contrast, Chl-a is enhanced because the cold eddy–induced southward current carries the northern water of higher concentration southward into the strait.

Short-term fluctuations south of Japan and their relationship with the Kuroshio path: 8- to 36-day fluctuations

To detect short-term fluctuations south of Japan, we applied wavelet analysis to ocean reanalysis data of the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 with a horizontal resolution of 1/36°. It was found that fluctuations of the 8- to 36-day period band appear as frontal waves in the Kuroshio Current. The amplitude of the fluctuations increases toward the downstream of Cape Shionomisaki. The fluctuations have a wavelength of about 300 km, and the signals propagate eastward. The fluctuations of the 8- to 36-day period band are stronger during the period of the nearshore non-large-meander Kuroshio path than during the period of the offshore non-large-meander Kuroshio path. We suggest that the 8- to 36-day fluctuation is a result of the instability of the accelerated velocity of the Kuroshio Current downstream of Cape Shionomisaki.

Comment on “Wave‐turbulence interaction and its induced mixing in the upper ocean” by Huang and Qiao

Comment on “Wave‐turbulence interaction and its induced mixing in the upper ocean” by Huang and Qiao

Ensemble numerical forecasts of the sporadic Kuroshio water intrusion (kyucho) into shelf and coastal waters

The finite volume coastal ocean model downscaling ocean reanalysis and forecast data provided by the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment (JCOPE2) are used to forecast sudden Kuroshio water intrusion events (kyucho) induced by frontal waves amplified south of the Bungo Channel in 2010. Two-month hindcast computations give initial conditions of the following 3-month forecasts computations which consist of ten ensemble members. The temperature time series computed by these ten members are averaged to compare with that actually observed in the Bungo Channel, where sudden temperature rises related to kyucho events are remarkable in February, August, and September. Overall, the intense kyucho events actually observed in these months are predicted successfully. However, intense kyucho events are forecasted frequently during the period of May through June even though intense kyucho events are absent during this period in the actual ocean. It is suggested that the present downscaling forecast model requires reliable lateral boundary conditions provided by JCOPE2 data to which numerous Argo data are assimilated to enhance the accuracy. In addition, it seems likely that the model accuracy is reduced by small eddies moving along the shelf break.

Favorable conditions for cold-water intrusion from the Kuroshio intermediate layer into Osaka Bay

From 1980 to 1995, in August, the bottom layer of Osaka Bay was occupied by cold, nutrient-rich water compared with that observed during both previous and subsequent decades. To investigate the mechanisms for the intrusion of bottom-layer cold water into Osaka Bay, the intrusion into Osaka Bay via the Kii Channel is simulated using a finite-volume coastal ocean model with unstructured triangular cell grids. The initial conditions, boundary conditions, and surface temperature given to the model are obtained from daily reanalysis data provided by the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment. The model shows that cold water uplifted on the eastern side of the Kii Peninsula is propagated westward at 1.0 m/s as a coastal boundary current; it reaches the Kii Channel mouth when the Kuroshio axis is located around 74 km south of Cape Shionomisaki. However, the modeled cold water mass at the Kii Channel mouth does not intrude further to the north of the Kii Channel; therefore, another mechanism is required to explain the cold-water intrusion into the bottom layer of Osaka Bay. A plausible explanation is the estuarine circulation established by the freshwater supply at the bay head. When the river runoff is included in the model without forced vertical mixing, the temperature in Osaka Bay decreases 6.6 days later than the temperature decreases at the Kii Channel mouth. Furthermore, the shoreward current speed in the bottom layer of the modeled estuarine circulation is 15 cm/s, which provides the mechanism required for the cold water mass to pass the Kii Channel.

Intrusion of Kuroshio-Derived bottom cold water into Osaka Bay and its possible cause

The bottom layer in Osaka Bay was occupied in August from 1980 to 1995 by a water mass of relatively low temperature and rich in nutrients in comparison to previous and following decades. The relationship between Osaka Bay bottom temperature and Kuroshio axis location south of Kii Peninsula has been investigated using the dataset archived by Osaka Research Institute of Environment of Agriculture and Fisheries and axis-location data provided by Marine Information Research Center. The correlation between bottom temperature in the bay and Kuroshio-axis distance from Cape Shionomisaki indicates that the bottom temperature in the bay decreases when the Kuroshio axis is a long distance from the cape, and vice versa. To investigate why the temperature distribution depends on the axis location, composite temperature maps are depicted using summer temperature data from 1970 to 2005 archived in the Japan Oceanographic Data Center (JODC) after dividing all data into two groups with different axis locations. These temperature maps and temperature-salinity plots using the same JODC data suggest a scenario: cold water in the Kuroshio intermediate layer is first upwelled on the eastern side of the Kii Peninsula and thereafter moves westward as a coastal boundary current in the Kelvin wave sense of the Northern Hemisphere when the Kuroshio axis is located around 74-km distance from Cape Shionomisaki. This scenario is validated using internal Froude number maps depicted using the JODC-archived hydrographic data and geostrophic current fields. In addition, the reanalysis daily data provided by Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment are used for the validation.

Water mass variability in the western North Pacific detected in a 15-year eddy resolving ocean reanalysis

This paper describes a reanalysis of the variability of water mass properties and currents in the western North Pacific using an ocean forecast system, Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment 2 (JCOPE2), to provide the basic description and information about the quality for data users. We have created the reanalysis data with high horizontal resolution of 1/12° to describe the oceanic variability associated with the Kuroshio-Kuroshio Extension, the Oyashio, and the mesoscale eddies from 1993 to 2007. The products made by an eddy-resolving ocean model combined with the three-dimensional variational data assimilation well reproduced the mean water mass property in the western North Pacific and the interannual variations of the Kuroshio-Kuroshio Extension and the Oyashio coastal branch. From the reanalysis data, we found that both the mean kinetic energy of the Kuroshio Extension axis at the first meandering crest and southward intrusion of the Oyashio coastal branch were closely related with the horizontal distribution of both the Oyashio Water and North Pacific Intermediate Water within the appropriate interannual time scale. The reanalysis data also indicated that the north-south migration of the Kuroshio Extension associated with its regime transitions affected the decadal modulation of the Subtropical Mode Water formation in the recirculation gyre of the Kuroshio Extension.

Interaction between the trigger meander of the Kuroshio and the abyssal anticyclone over Koshu Seamount as seen in the reanalysis data

[1] The JCOPE (Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment) reanalysis data is analyzed to examine the transition from the non-large meander path to the large meander path of the Kuroshio that occurred in 2004. It was preceded by the generation of “trigger meander” off the southeastern coast of Kyushu, which then propagated eastward. After passing Cape Shiono-misaki, the trigger meander amplified rapidly over Koshu Seamount (located about 200 km to the south of Cape Shiono-misaki) where the accompanying abyssal anticyclone was significantly enhanced. Strong downwelling occurred upstream of the meander trough where the abyssal anticyclone crossed the Kuroshio, causing the vertical vortex stretching (shrinking) in the upper (lower) ocean; the resulting enhanced abyssal anticyclone further amplified the meander trough in the upper ocean. All of these features agree well with the model results suggesting the importance of baroclinic instability over Koshu Seamount in the formation of the large meander path.