Abstract
Comprehensive observations of tidal currents and water properties (temperature, salinity and density) have been conducted in Zanpa Sea of Okinawa. This sea area has very complicated bottom sea topography, coastal configuration and shelf. Getting the eight significant components of the harmonic tide-current from the raw current data, the characteristics of barotropic tide current and internal waves are clarified. The characteristiccurve analysis of internal wave groups reveals the generating and transmitting mechanisms of the internal waves that mainly control the East-westward current in the sea are identified. These results may contribute to the understanding of the currents around islands of Okinawa.
