In the neighbourhood of Awasima Isle, great variations are found among the observed values of the temperature of lower layers, even in a few hours, in the stratification period. Such variations in each 6 hours of the most of observational intervals, when averaged in a month, exceed even 2°C,
e. g. at 25m and 40m in August every year. At Senbonhama and Kou each 6 km north and 4 km west of Awasima Isle, the similarly averaged variations for the lower layers do not exceed those of the surface temperature,
uiz. about 0•5°C.
The remarkable change in temperature of lower layers at Awasima is closely related to the current. Temperature suddenly rises immediately after a strong current with the speed of about 40 to 50 cm/sec or, in summer, up to about 70cm/sec, flows from northwest into the inlets of Enoura and Mito extending on both sides of this isle. It begins to fall soon and after about 1 to 2 hours, the water in the inlets begins to flow out. Such phenomenon is often repeated with a period of about half a day in summer, the variation in temperature ranging about 6 to 9°C. The strong current of this kind is clearly discriminated against the ordinary inflowing currents of the speed less than 25 cm/sec on the surface, and is equally felt at the lower layers with nearly the same speed as at the surface. As for the outflowing currents, the speed on the surface lies, in general, in the range of 4-5 m/min (6•7-8•3 cm/sec), while at the lower layers the current is very weak, the speed being nearly equal to zero.
The current in the offing was observed with currrent floats at the surface as well as at the lower layers of 20 and 50 m. The strong current appears also at the surface here with almost equally great speed as at Awasima, and at the lower levels too, though the speed isreduced to about 20cm/sec. It lasts somewhat longer here than at Awasima. As the inlet waters begin to flow out, the surface current in the offing also changes its direction either to NW,
i.e. just opposite to the inflowing direction, or to the west along the coast of Nisiura, while the bottom current follows the latter course. Surface current along the coast of Nisiura is often considerably swift for a few hours.
Seeing that a
Siome or converging current rip is observed at the front of the invading offshore water on the sea surface, with a lot of floating dust and dirt,
the mechanism of the inter-relation between the strong current and the sudden change of the temperature at lower layers of Awasima station can be accounted for by the descending of the warm surface water along the current rip.
That such a remarkable change does not appear at Senbonhama and Kou, on the other hand, can be understood because the current rip in the offing, though stretched wide from northeast to southwest, does not touch these two stations.
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