Abstract
Variations of current path and transport of the Kuroshio are summarized. The formation and decay processes of the large meander (LM) of the Kuroshio, which take about four months, begin with northward and southward shift of the Kuroshio in the Tokara Strait south of Kyushu, respectively. The characteristics of the Kuroshio are described for these transition stages as well as the periods of LM and non-LM (NLM) except the transitions. Location, shape, and vertical inclination of the Kuroshio axis in the Tokara Strait are different between LM and NLM. During the NLM, the Kuroshio flows close to the coasts of Kyushu and Shikoku and changes current velocity and surface height sharply south of Cape Shiono-misaki, the southern tip of the Kii Peninsula. This spatial change is larger for the nearshore and NLM path than the offshore NLM path. Over the Izu Ridge, the Kuroshio at mid-depth can pass through only two places, the gap between Miyake-jima and Hachijo-jima and the deep region south of Hachijo-jima; therefore, the paths of the Kuroshio are divided into the typical LM and nearshore NLM paths, which passes through the northern gap, and the offshore NLM path, which passes through the southern region. The transitions between these typical paths are summed up in terms of their characteristics and the relation to current velocity and volume transport. Moreover, the differences between respective events are noted for LM and NLM, and the LM formation process is discussed.
