A numerical study of the Kuroshio-induced circulation in Tosa Bay, off the southern coast of Japan

► We conduct a numerical experiment with a triply-nested high-resolution model. ► This study revisits climatological features of the Kuroshio-induced circulation in Tosa Bay. ► An anticlockwise circulation (“AC”) over the bay is maintained by the gradient wind balance. ► The primary condition to control the AC is the mesoscale movement of the Kuroshio axis. ► The secondary condition is the submesoscale disturbance such as Kuroshio frontal waves.