Volunteer Ship Survey of Japan-Australia Oceanic Variability

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In this fiscal year, the M. V. First Jupiter had one round-trip cruise to western Australia, two round trip cruises to eastern Australia end one round-trip cruise to Canada after she came back to Japan from Europe in June. After that, she entered the dock in Singapore for maintenance every three years. At this chance, two investigators of Hiroshima University visited the First Jupiter in Singapore for examining the present status of the ship-mounted ADCP, and found that the ADCP itself was well maintained while a little of mud was stored inside the plastic window below the ADCP and can be used without any repair for coming operation. During February 20-22, 2000, the head investigator and two investigators of Hiroshima University visited the OSIRO Division of Oceanography, Australia for exchanging the observation data obtained newly and reviewing the previous research. The major results for this fiscal year are summarized as follows :(1) There was no North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) in the data of January 1999, but it appeared around 3N as an energetic current in the data of July 1999. The NECC disappeared again in the September-October data of 1999.(2) The Kuroshio south of the Boso Peninsula was separated from the shore until July 1999 and close to the shore in September-October of 1999. The transport of the Kuroshio was remarkably increased in October 1999. This transport increase may be related to the large meander of the Kuroshio which took place in November 1999(3) The axis of the North Equatorial Current was placed at 14N in January 1999 and then shifted to 10N.