CHARACTERISTICS OF OCEANIC WATER INFLOW INTO KAGOSHIMA BAY DURING WINTER-MIXING PERIOD

Abstract

  Characteristics of oceanic water inflow into Kagoshima Bay were examined using water temperature and current velocity data as well as satellite images of thermal infrared sensor. The oceanic water was shown to enter into Kagoshima Bay along the Osumi Peninsula when the Kuroshio warm filament with horizontal scales less than 150km passes through the Tokara Strait. Moreover, it was suggested that the oceanic water moves from the mouth to the central part of the bay with current speeds in range of 0.16 to 0.26m/s at the neap tide or at the transitional tide between spring and neap tides.