Characteristics of Temporal and Spatial Changes of Water Temperature During the Past 50 Years in the Ariake Sea

Puntos clave

• To clarify the characteristics of temporal and spatial changes in water temperature in the Ariake Sea over 50 years.
• Analyzed surface and bottom layer data from shallow sea fixed-point surveys from 1973 to 2022.
• Applied sinusoidal functions to fit the water temperature data and calculate representative values for each year.
• Correlated water temperature changes with salinity and river inflow data.
• Significant long-term warming trend in water temperature across the Ariake Sea was observed.
• Particularly notable uniformity in surface water temperatures in the inner bay region.
• A decreasing trend in salinity on the eastern side of the inner bay was linked to rising water temperatures and changing river inflow influences.