Abstract
Along the southwest coast of the Kii Peninsula, a bifurcation current is regularly observed. By using ADCP data taken on board the R/V Wakayama of the Wakayama Prefectural Fisheries Experimental Station, characteristics of this bifurcation current are analyzed. The occurrence frequency of the bifurcation current reaches about 70% in the period from 1988 to 1996. The bifurcation point appears to be changeable and occurs almost evenly between Cape Ichie and Cape Shionomisaki. The current divergence in the alongshore direction was also investigated. Positive divergence values dominated in the whole analyzed area, and an onshore current appears to be dominant along the southwest coast of the Kii Peninsula, except in 1990 when the Kuroshio flowed in a large meandering path.
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Kawabe, N. (1980): Sea level variations along the south coast of Japan and the large meander in the Kuroshio.J. Oceanogr. Soc. Japan,36, 97–104.
Sakamoto, T. (1991) Fishing and hydrographic conditions of the coastal waters of Wakayama Prefecture.Umi-to-Sora,66, special volume, 347–366 (in Japanese).
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Takeuchi, J., Honda, N., Morikawa, Y. et al. Bifurcation current along the southwest coast of the Kii Peninsula. J Oceanogr 54, 45–52 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02744380
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02744380