Study on the interannual variability of the Kerama Gap transport and its relation to the Kuroshio/Ryukyu Current system

An analysis of a 68-year monthly hindcast output from an eddy-resolving ocean general circulation model reveals the relationship between the interannual variability of the Kerama Gap transport(KGT)and the Kuroshio/Ryukyu Current system.The study found a significant difference in the interannual variability of the upstream and downstream transports of the East China Sea-(ECS-)Kuroshio and the Ryukyu Current.The interannual variability of the KGT was found to be of paramount importance in causing the differences between the upstream and downstream ECS-Kuroshio.Additionally,it contributed approximately 37%to the variability of the Ryukyu Current.The interannual variability of the KGT was well described by a two-layer rotating hydraulic theory.It was dominated by its subsurface-intensified flow core,and the upper layer transport made a weaker negative contribution to the total KGT.The subsurface flow core was found to be mainly driven by the subsurface pressure head across the Kerama Gap,and the pressure head was further dominated by the subsurface density anomalies on the Pacific side.These density anomalies could be traced back to the eastern open ocean,and their propagation speed was estimated to be about 7.4 km/d,which is consistent with the speed of the local first-order baroclinic Rossby wave.When the negative(positive)density anomaly signal reached the southern region of the Kerama Gap,it triggered the increase(decrease)of the KGT towards the Pacific side and the formation of an anticyclonic(cyclonic)vortex by baroclinic adjustment.Meanwhile,there is an increase(decrease)in the upstream transport of the entire Kuroshio/Ryukyu Current system and an offshore flow that decreases(increases)the downstream Ryukyu Current.

Circulations east of Taiwan and in East China Sea and east of Ryukyu Islands during early summer 1985

A modified inverse method is used to compute the circulations east of Taiwan and in the East China Sec and east of the Ryukyu Islands with hydrographic data obtained during early summer of 1985. The computational region covers an area west of 129°E and from 21°45'N to 35°N. The computed results show that: (1 ) The net volume transport (VT ) of the Kuroshio through 21°45'N Section east of Ta Taiwan and west of 123°E is about 45 × 10￣6 m￣3/sduring early summer of 1985. The Kuroshio has. two current cores. One is located near Taiwan, and its velocity isvery large and its maximum velocity is 226 cm/s at the 100 m level, which is close to the maximum velocity of the beginning of the Kuroshio east of the Philippines. The other is located further to the east, and its maximum velocity is159 cm/s at the 100m level; (2) through a transect northwest Of Miyakojima Island and a transect southwest of Okinawa laaed the volume transports of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea both are about 25 × 10￣6 m￣3/s. The maximumvelocity of the Kuroshio at these two sections is 194 and 128 cm/s, respectively, and both are located on the shelfbreak; (3) beneath and east of the Kurohio there are the countercurrent (4) southeast of Okinawa Island there is anortheastward current, and its VT at Section HI is about 12. 6 × 10￣6 m￣3/s, and it comes from a westward flow at 129° This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 49476278.(Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hongzhou310012, China) (Institute of Oceanography, Taiwan University, Taipei, China)E Section and the recirculating gyre, and does not originate from the Kuroshio east of Taiwan during early summer of 1985. There is a southwestward abyssal current east of Okinawa Islands (5) there are several different scale eddies in this computational region. For example, there is a meso-scale strong cyclonic eddy east of Miyakojima Island.

The study of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea and the currents east of the Ryukyu Islands

In this study, the inverse method is used to compute the Kuroshio in the East China Sea and southeast of Kyushu and the currents east of the Ryukyu Islands, on the basis of hydrographic data obtained during September-October, 1987 by R/V Chofu Maru. The results show that: (1)A part of the Taiwan Warm Current has a tendency to converge to the shelf break; (2) the Kuroshio flows across the section C3 (PN) with a reduced current width, and the velocity of the Kuroshio at the section C3 increases and its maximum current speed is about 158 cm/s, and its volume transport here is about 26×106m3/s; (3) the Kuroshio has two current cores at the sections C3 (PN) and B2 (at the Tokara Strait); (4) the currents east of the Ryukyu Islands are found to flow northward over the Ryukyu Trench during September-October, 1987. The velocities of the currents are not strong throughout the depths. At the section C2 east of the Ryukyu Islands, the maximum current speed is at the 699 m levei and its magnitude is 25 cm/s, and its volume transport is about 21×06 m3/s; (5) the volume transports of the Kuroshio through the sections B2 (at the Tokara Strait) and C6 (southeast of Kyushu) are 23. 33, 67. 31×106 m3/s, respectively; (6) there are two meso-scale anticyclonic warm eddies between 135° E and the area east of the Ryukyu Islands, and their characters and hydrographic structure are discussed.

On the Tectonic Problems of the Southern East China Sea and Adjacent Regions:Evidence from Gravity and Magnetic Data

In this paper, two sets of gravity and magnetic data were used to study the tectonics of the southern East China Sea and Ryukyu trench-arc system： one data set was from the ＇Geological-geophysical map series of China Seas and adjacent areas＇ database and the other was newly collected by R/VKexue Ⅲ in 2011. Magnetic and gravity data were reorganized and processed using the software MMDP, MGDP and RGIS. In addition to the description of the anomaly patterns in different areas, deep and shallow structure studies were performed by using several kinds of calculation, including a spectrum analysis, upward-continuation of the Bouguer anomaly and horizontal derivatives of the total-field magnetic anomaly. The depth of the Moho and magnetic basement were calculated. Based on the above work, several controversial tectonic problems were discussed. Compared to the shelf area and Ryukyu Arc, the Okinawa Trough has an obviously thinned crust, with the thinnest area having thickness less than 14km in the southern part. The Taiwan-Sinzi belt, which terminates to the south by the NW-SE trending Miyako fault belt, contains the relic volcanic arc formed by the splitting of the paleo Ryukyu volcanic arc as a result of the opening of the Okinawa Trough. As an important tectonic boundary, the strike-slip type Miyako fault belt extends northwestward into the shelf area and consists of several discontinuous segments. A forearc terrace composed of an exotic terrane collided with the Ryukyu Arc following the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate. Mesozoic strata of varying thicknesses exist beneath the Cenozoic strata in the shelf basin and significantly influence the magnetic pattern of this area. The gravity and magnetic data support the existence of a Great East China Sea, which suggests that the entire southern East China Sea shelf area was a basin in the Mesozoic without alternatively arranged uplifts and depressions, and might have extended southwestward and connected with the northern South China Sea shelf basin.

Origin and formation of the Ryukyu Current revealed by HYCOM reanalysis

The origin of the Ryukyu Current(RC)and the formation of its subsurface velocity core were investigated using a 23-year(1993–2015)global Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model(HYCOM)dataset.The volume transport of the RC comes from the Kuroshio eastward branch(KEB)east of Taiwan and part of the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre(p-NPSG).From the surface to 2000m depth,the KEB(p-NPSG)transport contributes 41.5%(58.5%)to the mean total RC transport.The KEB originally forms the subsurface velocity core of the RC east of Taiwan due to blockage of the subsurface Kuroshio by the Ilan Ridge(sill depth:700 m).Above 700m,the Kuroshio can enter the East China Sea(ECS)over the Ilan Ridge,meanwhile,the blocked Kuroshio below 700m turns to the right and flows along the Ryukyu Islands.With the RC flowing northeastward,the p-NPSG contribution strengthens the subsurface maximum structure of the RC owing to the blockage of the Ryukyu Ridge.In the surface layer,the p-NPSG cannot form a stable northeastward current due to frequent disturbance by mesoscale eddies and water exchange through the gaps(with net volume transport into ECS)between the Ryukyu Islands.

Seismic detection of the X-discontinuity beneath the Ryukyu subduction zone from the SdP conversion phase

The X-discontinuity,which appears at the depth of approximately 300 km,is an important seismic interface with positive velocity contrasts in the upper mantle.Detecting its presence and topography can be useful to understand phase transformations of relevant mantle minerals under the high-temperature and high-pressure circumstance of the Earth's interior.In this study,we detect the X-discontinuity beneath the Ryukyu subduction zone using five intermediate-depth events recorded by the dense Alaska Regional Network(AK).The X-discontinuity is successfully revealed from the robust slant stacking of the secondary down-going and converting Sd P phases.From the depth distribution of conversion points,we find that the X-discontinuity's depth ranges between 269 km and 313 km,with an average depth of 295 km.All the conversion points are located beneath the down-dipping side of the Philippine Sea slab.From energy comparisons in vespagrams for observed and synthetic seismograms,the strong converted energy is more likely from a thin high-velocity layer,and the S-wave velocity jumps across the X-discontinuity are up to 5% to 8% with an average of 6.0%.According to previous petrological and seismological studies,the X-discontinuity we detected can be interpreted as the phase transformation of coesite to stishovite in eclogitic materials within the oceanic crust.

Water exchange through the Kerama Gap estimated with a 25-year Pacific HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model

Variations in water exchange through the Kerama Gap （between Okinawa Island and Miyakojima Island） from 1979 to 2003 were estimated with the 0.08° Pacific HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model （HYCOM）. The model results show that the mean transport through the Kerama Gap （KGT） from the Pacific Ocean to the East China Sea （ECS） was 2.1 Sv, which agrees well with the observed mean KGT （2.0 Sv） for 2009- 2010. Over the time period examined, the monthly KGT varied from -10.9 Sv to 15.8 Sv and had a standard deviation of ＋5.0 Sv. The water mainly enters the ECS via the subsurface layer （300-500 m） along the northeastern slope of the Kerama Gap and mainly flows out of the ECS into the southwest of the Kerama Gap. The seasonal and interannual variations of the KGT and the Kuroshio upstream transport were negatively correlated. The Kuroshio upstream transport was largest in summer and smallest in auamm while the KGT was smallest in summer （1.02 Sv） and largest in spring （2.94 Sv） and autumn （2.44 Sv）. The seasonal and interarmual variations in the Kuroshio downstream （across the PN-line） transport differed significantly from the Kuroshio upstream transport but corresponded well with the KGT and the sum of the transport through the Kerama Gap and the Kuroshio upstream, which indicates that information about variation in the KGT is important for determining variation in the Kuroshio transport along the PN-line.

Validation and Application of Skeletochronology for Age Determination of the Ryukyu Ground Gecko, Goniurosaurus kuroiwae(Squamata: Eublepharidae)

Skeletochronology is a method commonly used for estimating the age of amphibians and reptiles in the wild. However, the number of lines of arrested growth （LAGs） does not necessarily reflect age in some species. We validated the applicability of this method to an endangered eublepharid gecko, Goniurosaurus kuroiwae, then inferred its longevity and age structures in wild populations. We classified young geckos into three groups using previously published data for early growth： Group 1 contained hatchlings before the first winter, Group 2 contained hatchlings after the first win- ter, and Group 3 included yearlings after the second winter. LAG numbers in these groups were then compared. All individuals in Group 1 possessed a single LAG, which was considered as a hatching line. Most individuals in Groups 2 and 3 possessed one and two additional LAGs, respectively （LAG1 and LAG2）, corroborating the notion that LAGs are formed annually. A few geckos exhibited fewer LAGs than expected. Analysis of variations in LAG and marrow cavity diameter demonstrated that in animals with fewer LAGs, endosteal resorption or fusion of hatching line and LAG1 had occurred. LAG2 was never lost by endosteal resorption and was identifiable by its diameter. Thus, the age of adult geckos could be determined by counting LAGs outward from LAG2. Application of this method to wild populations re- vealed that the longevity of this species is not less than 83 months, but that almost all individuals in fragmented habitats die before 50 months, suggesting lower population sustainability in such habitats.

Progress of studies in China from July 2010 to May 2015 on the influence of the Kuroshio on neighboring Chinese seas and the Ryukyu Current

The influence of the Kuroshio on neighboring Chinese seas and the Ryukyu Current is a very important subject of interest in physical oceanography. To deeply explain the research progress made by Chinese scientists from July2010 to May 2015, the following three aspects are reviewed in this paper. The first concerns the Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea（SCS） and its circulation around the Luzon Strait. There are two very important points to be explained： the seasonal and inter-annual variation of the Kuroshio intrusion and the mechanisms of the Kuroshio intrusion and the influence of the Kuroshio on currents in the Luzon Strait and circulation in the northern SCS. The second concerns the variability of the Kuroshio and its interaction with the East China Sea（ECS）. There are following four interesting topics to be explained： an overview of studies on the Kuroshio in the ECS; the Kuroshio intrusion into the ECS, water exchange, and dynamic impacts; the downstream increase of nutrient transport by the Kuroshio; and the application of satellite remote sensing on terrestrial material transport by the Kuroshio intrusion into the ECS. Third, the interaction between the Ryukyu Current and Kuroshio in the ECS are also discussed. Finally, the main results are summarized and areas of further study are simply discussed.

“有趣”与“真实”之间——英国航海家巴塞尔·霍尔笔下的琉球

一巴塞尔·霍尔到访琉球19世纪英国著名航海家巴塞尔·霍尔(Basil Hall,1788-1844),出身苏格兰贵族,1802年加入英国皇家海军,曾多次参加航海远征、科学考察及外交活动。①1816年,他作为英国海军轻型军舰"里拉号"(Lyra)的舰长,指挥该舰与另一艘军舰"阿尔切斯特"号[Alceste,舰长为默里·马克斯韦尔(Murray Maxwell,1775-1831)]组成舰队,护送英国阿美士德(William Pitt Amherst)使团访华。舰队经中国东南沿海的香港、澳门、广州等地,一路抵达天津白河口。1816年8月9日,英国使节阿美士德等人登岸,北上觐见清朝嘉庆皇帝,并指示舰队返回广州。但巴塞尔·霍尔的舰队(以下简称"霍尔舰队")却并未直接南返,而是沿中国北方沿海展开勘察测绘。

WAVENUMBER AND DEPTH PROPERTIES OF TEMPERATURE FINESTRUCTURE IN THE REGION AROUND THE RYUKYU ISLANDS

Forty two CTD profiles gathered in summertime of 1997 were used for finestructure studies around the Ryukyu Islands indicating that finestructure properties varied with depth; and that the wavenumber spectra density is a negative (-3～-4) power function of the wavenumber in the high wavenumber range. The identical finestructure spectral features in different stations indicate considerable water exchange through the Kerama Trench. The wavelet spectrum’s spatial structure and intermittency is related to the vertical mixing of water.

Seismicity and stress field in Okinawa Trough and Ryukyu regions

According to the seismic data (mb≥5. 0) from 1977 to 1991 and the focal mechanisms of 68 earthquakes from 1961 to 1991, the characters of seismicity and stress field in Okinawa Trough and Ryukyu regions are discussed in this paper, and the paper suggests that: ① The Tokara Channel fault belt is a fault belt with seismicity, cutting through lithosphere. ② The different stress state in the both subducting slabs on the both sides of Tokara Channel fault belt are caused by the difference of subducting depth of the both slabs. ③ The seismicity and stress field in the Okinawa Trough and Ryukyu regions are related not only to the subduction of the Philippine Sea Plate but also to the self-expanding action of Okinawa Trough.

A New Model of Lithosphere Deformation Beneath the Okinawa Trough Based on Gravity Data

The Ryukyu trench-arc system can be divided into two types according to its subduction model. The normal subduction in the northern part of the Philippine Sea plate creates a hinge sedimentary wedge with large deformation at the collision front, while the oblique subduction in the southern part gives rise to a smaller accretion with small deformation than that in the northern part. The mechanisms that cause the distinction between these two types have been analysed and calculated by using gravity data based on the lithosphere rheology and the stress state of the lithosphere in the subduction boundary. The two types of subduction model are associated with the internal extension in the southern Okinawa Trough and the small extension in the northern part. The difference of the stress state between the two types of subduction model is also manifested in other tectonic features, such as topography, volcanic activity and crust movement. Modeling bathymetric and gravity data from this area suggests that the oblique subduction of low angle, together with smooth geometry of the overlying plate crust, results in small stress released on the south of the trench by the subduction plate. The intraplate faults in the southern Okinawa Trough behind the trench stand in surplus intensive stress. On the other hand, the normal subduction of high angle, together with strong undulation geometry of the overlying crust, results in more intensive stress released in the northern Ryukyu Trench than that in the south. The intraplate faults in the northern Okinawa Trough behind the northern Ryukyu Trench stand in small stress.

Study on the mesoscale eddies around the Ryukyu Islands

Results of the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator（OFES） from January 1977 to December2006 are used to investigate mesoscale eddies near the Ryukyu Islands. The results show that：（1） Larger eddies are mainly east of Taiwan, above the Ryukyu Trench and south of the Shikoku Island. These three sea areas are all in the vicinity of the Ryukyu Current.（2） Eddies in the area of the Ryukyu Current are mainly anticyclonic, and conducive to that current. The transport of water east of the Ryukyu Islands is mainly toward the northeast.（3）The Ryukyu Current is significantly affected by the eddies. The lower the latitude, the greater these effects.However, the Kuroshio is relatively stable, and the effect of mesoscale eddies is not significant.（4） A warm eddy south of the Shikoku Island break away from the Kuroshio and move southwest, and is clearly affected by the Ryukyu Current and Kuroshio. Relationships between the mesoscale eddies, Kuroshio meanders, and Ryukyu Current are discussed.

On the Live Coloration and Partial Mitochondrial DNA Sequences in the Topotypic Population of Goniurosaurus kuroiwae orientalis(Squamata: Eublepharidae), with Description of a New Subspecies from Tokashikijima Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan

Careful investigations of live coloration and other characters in the eublepharid gecko Goniurosaurus kuroiwae orientalis from Tonakijima Island, the type locality of the subspecies in the Central Ryukyus, Japan, revealed its slight but consistent external differences from the consubspecific Tokashikijima population, whose phylogenetically divergent status against the former had been strongly suggested in a previous molecular study. A new subspecies, Goniurosaurus kuroiwae sengokui subsp. nov., is thus described for the Tokashikijima population. In life, Goniurosaurus k. sengokui subsp. nov. can be discriminated from G. k. orientalis in showing tint of reddish or pinkish, instead of yellowish, coloration in dorsal body pattern, and also usually darker and more or less reddish, instead of yellowish or grayish, iris in both adults and juveniles. Recalculation of sequence data at hand with relevant Gen Bank data confirmed substantial sequence divergences of G. k. sengokui from all other congeneric taxa of the Ryukyus described so far.

THE HYDROGRAPHIC FEATURES OF THE OCEAN REGION AROUND THE RYUKYU ISLANDS DURING SUMMER OF 1997

Study of CTD data collected by the R/V DONG FANG HONG 2 in a 1997 summercruise in the ocean region around the Ryukyu Islands showed: 1) the existence, in the upper layer, of ahigh salinity water (HSW) core at about 200 dbar, and a low salinity water (LSW) core, centered atabout 700 dbar on the Pacific Ocean side of the Ryukyu Ridge, and located shallower on the East Chinafor (ECS) side; 2) the existence, in the upper layer, of warm water regions (WWR) west of Amami Is-land and Ishigaki Island, and a cold water region (CWR) east of Okinawa Ieland; in the lower layer, ofa CWR (WWR) southwest (southeast) of Okinawa Island; 3) the intrusion of North Pacific IntermediateWater into the ECS through the Kerama Trench located south of Okinawa Island and the strait east of Tai-wan Island.

Satsuma's Invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom and Changes in the Geopolitical Structure of East Asia

The late 16th and early 17th centuries witnessed a significant change in the geopolitical structure of East Asia. The power of the Ming dynasty was declining due to internal and external troubles and depleted finances, whereas Japan had been rising steadily since Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified the country. The traditional East Asian international order, centered on the Ming dynasty and based on the tributary system, faced a challenge from Japan. Against this background, the invasion of the Ryukyu Kingdom by the Japanese feudal domain of Satsuma had a great effect on the existing regional geopolitical structure. With the establishment of the ＂dual subordination＂ of the Ryukyu Kingdom, a new geopolitical structure gradually took shape in which the two great powers, China and Japan, competed for dominance. The Ming dynasty＇s limited awareness of maritime issues and of the geostrategic importance of the Ryukyu Islands, its passive attitude towards Satsuma＇s invasion, and especially, its tolerance of the Ryukyu Kingdom＇s ＂dual subordination＂ fed Japan＇s ambitions for further expahsion and encouraged its ultimate annexation of the kingdom by force. It can be said that the military conquest of the Ryukyu Kingdom by Satsuma foreshadowed the decline of the Ming and the rise of Japan.

Autumn intensification of the Ryukyu Current during 2003-2007

Inverse calculations using data from 16 repeat hydrographic transects collected from April 2003 to June 2007 have yielded velocity structures and volume transports(VTs) of the Ryukyu Current in the region east of the northern Ryukyu Islands.The inverse calculation results show that the Ryukyu Current is dominated by a subsurface velocity core with maximum velocities from 15.1 to 80.0 cm/s,whose positions vary between 110 and 600 dbar and 27.2°-28.2°N along the transect.The mean velocity exhibits a subsurface velocity core with a maximum value of 24.6 cm/s at 326 dbar depth,a VT of 14.0 Sv(1 Sv≡106 m3/s),a vertical dimension of 800 m,and a horizontal dimension of 60 km.The seasonal mean velocities show that the Ryukyu Current is stronger in autumn than in other seasons.It is suggested that this seasonal variation is coincident with the intensification of the anticyclonic eddy south of Shikoku,Japan.

The American Rejuvenation Policy of Ryukyu Traditional Culture and Its Transformation in the Early Period of Occupation

Based on the observation of the Ryukyu ethnic group during the World WarⅡand the need for post-war military occupation,the United States formulated the rule of“pro-U.S.and separating from the Japan,strengthening the initiative of natives.”1 in the early days of the occupation of Ryukyu.In the field of culture,the United States has carried out activities such as the compilation of post-war textbooks,attempts to restore native language,protection of traditional art and historical sites,and they also revived the traditional culture of Ryukyu.Since then,due to the transformation of the U.S.Asia-Pacific strategy,the U.S.’s traditional culture policy for Ryukyu has gradually changed to allow Japanese culture to re-enter Ryukyu.The Ryukyu traditional cultural rejuvenation policy in the early postwar period led to the development and strengthening of the community awareness of the Ryukyu community,which had disappeared and been suppressed for a long time.