Effects on Tidal Fluctuations by Windings of Kuroshio Current and Flow Path Monitoring by Nonlinear Analysis

Abstract

We analyze hourly-based tidal data acquired at the Izu Islands and the Kii Peninsula to investigate the behaviors of the Kuroshio’s flow axis because it has a remarkable effect on the tidal fluctuation when its flow axis approaches the southern coasts of Honshu Island. The time-frequency analysis by a wavelet transform and the nonlinear time series analysis are employed to demonstrate the effects of Kuroshio on the tide. The present study aims to reveal the tidal behaviors under the influences of Kuroshio through the visual illustrations of the results by the wavelet transform. In addition, the phase trajectories of the time series also disclose a plausible direction of the Kuroshio’s flow axis.