# Ariake Sea

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{{Short description|Body of salt water off the coast of Kyūshū, Japan}}
thumb|A NASA satellite image of the Ariake Sea in 2007

The {{nihongo|'''Ariake Sea'''|有明海|Ariake-kai}} is a body of salt water surrounded by [Fukuoka](/source/Fukuoka_Prefecture), [Saga](/source/Saga_Prefecture), [Nagasaki](/source/Nagasaki_Prefecture), and [Kumamoto Prefecture](/source/Kumamoto_Prefecture)s, all of which lie on the island of [Kyūshū](/source/Ky%C5%ABsh%C5%AB) in [Japan](/source/Japan).<ref name="kotobank">{{cite web |author =  |url = https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%9C%89%E6%98%8E%E6%B5%B7-27933 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220503192102/https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%9C%89%E6%98%8E%E6%B5%B7-27933 |archive-date = 2022-05-03 |title = 有明海 |lang = ja |website = kotobank.jp |publisher =  |date =  |access-date = 2022-05-03 }}</ref> It is the largest bay in Kyūshū. Its deepest point is only about 20 meters deep,<ref name="kotobank" /> and extreme tides exceed {{convert|4|m|ft|sp=us|0}}, covering roughly {{convert|1,700|km2|sqmi}}.<ref name="kotobank" /> [Isahaya Bay](/source/Isahaya_Bay) is a branch of the Ariake Sea. Across the [Amakusa Islands](/source/Amakusa_Islands) lies the [Yatsushiro Sea](/source/Yatsushiro_Sea).

Many harbors are located on the coast of the Ariake Sea. Among them are Misumi (in the city of [Uki, Kumamoto](/source/Uki%2C_Kumamoto) Prefecture), Shimabara ([Shimabara, Nagasaki](/source/Shimabara%2C_Nagasaki)), Taira ([Unzen, Nagasaki](/source/Unzen%2C_Nagasaki)), Nagasu ([Nagasu, Kumamoto](/source/Nagasu%2C_Kumamoto)), Kumamoto ([Kumamoto, Kumamoto](/source/Kumamoto%2C_Kumamoto)), Miike ([Omuta, Fukuoka](/source/Omuta%2C_Fukuoka)), Kuchinotsu ([Minamishimabara, Nagasaki](/source/Minamishimabara%2C_Nagasaki)), and Oniike ([Amakusa, Kumamoto](/source/Amakusa%2C_Kumamoto)). Five [ferry](/source/ferry) routes cross the Ariake Sea.

Various species of fauna, including [mudskipper](/source/mudskipper)s, [pen shells](/source/Pinnidae) (''Atrina pectinata''), and [fiddler crab](/source/fiddler_crab)s, live in the Ariake Sea. In autumn, the ''[Suaeda](/source/Suaeda)'' [halophyte](/source/halophyte) ''shichimenso'' (''[Suaeda japonica](/source/Suaeda_japonica)'') grows along the shore.

The Ariake Sea has an extensive network of [tidal flats](/source/tidal_flats), which are replenished with [volcanic ash](/source/volcanic_ash) carried from [Mount Aso](/source/Mount_Aso) and [Mount Kujū](/source/Mount_Kuj%C5%AB) to the sea by the [Chikugo River](/source/Chikugo_River).<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Theater Company with 3 Players: Ariake Sea Tidal Flats {{!}} People, Wetlands, Wildlife |url=https://pwwj.org/a-theater-company-with-3-players-ariake-sea-tidal-flats/ |access-date=2023-03-04 |language=ja}}</ref> In addition to being used for fishing, every year around the end of May, the flats at [Kashima](/source/Kashima%2C_Saga) serve as the venue for the [Gatalympics](/source/Kashima_Gatalympics), a novelty sports event.

[Mount Unzen](/source/Mount_Unzen) overlooks the Ariake Sea; the [Arie River](/source/Arie_River), which has its source on the volcano, flows into the Ariake Sea.

The Ariake Sea is used for [aquaculture](/source/aquaculture), with ''[nori](/source/nori)'' being a major product. Recent years have brought increasing pollution, with resultant [red tide](/source/red_tide)s. There is ongoing land reclamation, as evidenced by satellite imagery, despite government attempts to dissuade farmers from carrying out the activity.

== See also ==
* [1792 Unzen earthquake and tsunami](/source/1792_Unzen_earthquake_and_tsunami)
* [Kashima Gatalympics](/source/Kashima_Gatalympics)
* ''[Shiranui](/source/Shiranui_(optical_phenomenon))'', an [optical phenomenon](/source/optical_phenomenon) resembling fire which occurs along the coasts of the Ariake Sea

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.ariake.civil.saga-u.ac.jp/ 有明海総合研究プロジェクト] "Ariake Sea General Research Project" (Saga University, in Japanese)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070703105635/http://ay.fish-jfrca.jp/ariake/index.asp 有明海等環境情報・研究ネットワーク] "Environmental Information on Ariake Etc.: Research Network" (Japan Fisheries Resource Conservation Association, in Japanese)

{{Authority control}}{{Coord|32|54|25|N|130|22|20|E|region:JP_type:waterbody_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}

Category:Bays of Kyushu
Category:Bays of the Pacific Ocean
Category:Kyushu region
Category:Landforms of Fukuoka Prefecture
Category:Landforms of Kumamoto Prefecture
Category:Landforms of Nagasaki Prefecture
Category:Landforms of Saga Prefecture
Category:Ōmuta, Fukuoka

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ariake Sea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariake_Sea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ariake_Sea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.