Kagoshima Bay
Organization
Education and Research Centre for Marine Resources and Environment, Faculty of Fisheries, Kagoshima University
Research Theme
- physical environment and resources in the closed inner bay
- chemical pollution for environment and the impact for ecosystem
- distribution of semi-tropical seagrass
- stracture of the benthos population in the intertidal reef flat and the factors determining the stracture
Site Outline
Kagoshima Bay is located at the south end of Kyushu Island. It is almost 80Km long (north and south), 20Km wide (east and west), and 1,130km2 in area. It is 117m depth on average and 237m depth at its deepest. Since it is only 100m depth at the mouth of the bay, Kagoshima Bay is considered a closed inner bay. A branch of the Kuroshio Current flows in to the bay and provides the right environment for corals, then we can find coral communities on the southern coast of Sakurajima Island. Seaweed beds composed by Sargassum algae are distributed in shallow areas and some pods of dolphin stay in the bay. We can also find benthic animals including some commercial species in the deep area and the shallowest species of vestimentifera (Lamellibrachia satsuma), a host of chemosynthetic bacterial symbionts. Thus, Kagoshima Bay has a variety of habitats and very unique environmental conditions.
Contact
- Address : 4-50-20 Shimo-Arata, Kagoshima, Kagoshima, 890-0056, Japan
- Name : Tomoko Yamamoto
- Phone : 099-286-4361
- Fax : 099-286-4296
- E-mail : yamamoto@fish.kagoshima-u.ac.jp