Affiliations: Kagoshima Environmental Research and Service,
Nanatsushima 1-1-5, Kagoshima 891-0132, Japan. E-mail:
[email protected] | Department of Environmental and Information Sciences,
Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University, Shimoarata 4-50-20, Kagoshima
890-0056, Japan. E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: From the field observations and the buoy robot data, the warm ocean
water is known to intrude into Kagoshima Bay intermittently in winter. We first
visualize these phenomena using some satellite thermal infrared images. Then
the numerical analysis is performed employing a multi-level finite difference
method (FDM). It is found from the numerical analysis that the intrusion occurs
when the warm water comes into touch with the bay water at the mouth of the
bay. The calculated warm water distribution in the bay is similar to the
satellite images and the velocity of the intrusion is the same order with the
ones estimated by the buoy robot data and the satellite images. The intrusion
occurs even without the tidal effect, the role of the tide is only to rectify
some warm water distribution in the bay.
Keywords: Kagoshima Bay, Intrusion, Warm water, Satellite image, Numerical simulation