Volume transport of the Tsushima Warm Current, west of Tsugaru Strait bifurcation area

Northern and southern latitudinal transects were conducted west of Tsugaru Strait to estimate the volume transport in this area. It was found that the Tsushima Warm Current is the northward volume transport across the southern transect and the Northward Current is the northward volume transport across the northern transect. The current in Tsugaru Strait,viz. the Tsugaru Warm Current, is the flow remaining when the Northward Current is subtracted from the Tsushima Warm Current. Both CTD transects covered from near-shore to west of the subarctic front, and observed depths were from the surface to the bottom or to 1000-1500 m depth. Our estimations indicate that large interannual variations of volume transport occur, relative to the seasonal ones, with interannual variations sometimes exceeding seasonal variations in the Tsushima Warm Current and the Northward Current. The Tsugaru Warm Current has near-steady transport. Fluctuations in the Tsushima Warm Current are thus transmitted to the Northward Current. Further, our results revealed seasonal variations in the flow: the baloclinic structure became deeper in April and the current axis tended to shift in a near-shore direction in October. Therefore, previous studies, which had shallow reference levels and lacked nearshore stations, may have underestimated the transport and excessive seasonal variations.     

日本海环流研究综述

日本海作为东北亚地区最大的边缘海,是西北太平洋上的重要海区。由于特殊的地理位置和复杂的地形,使得日本海的环流结构呈现独有特征,如日本海内的亚极地锋现象,复杂多变的涡旋,北部形成的深水团等。概述了日本海环流状况,着重介绍了对马海峡、郁陵海盆环流情形和日本海特征水团;总结了目前仍存在的争议问题,如对马暖流源头、对马暖流空间结构等;指出了目前日本海尚待解决的科学问题,如对马暖流流量的长期变化及其原因、东韩暖流消失现象及其机制、日本海特征水的传播路径及其影响因素、日本海的某些变化产生原因及其与全球变化的响应等。     

南黄海环流的若干特征

主要根据近几年来中韩黄海水循环动力学合作调查结果,结合有关历史资料,对南黄海环流的若干特征进行了分析。所得主要认识为:(1)南黄海环流存在明显的季节变异。冬、夏季环流的基本形态有着较大的差别。(2)黄海暖流的路径和强度均有一定的年际变化。分析显示,1997年冬季,暖流路径明显偏于槽的西侧;而1986年冬,暖流的主流路径则沿槽北上。(3)黄海暖流并非对马暖流的直接分支。黄海暖流水是对马暖流水和陆架水混合而成。而且,它主要是在济州岛西侧海域,从锋区中衍生出来的。(4)夏季黄海表、底层环流大致皆是由一大的道时针向流系构成。但在其表层海盐尺度的气旋式环流内部还存在小的气旋和反气旋流环。分析亦表明,不论表层或底层,皆无高盐暖水从济州岛邻近海域进入黄海东部的明显迹象。     

Numerical Experiments of the Influences of the Transport Variation through the Korea Strait on the Japan/East Sea Upper Layer Circulation

Numerical experiments were performed in order to investigate the effects of variations of the transport through the Korea/Tsushima Strait, an inlet of the Japan/East Sea, on the upper layer circulation in the JES based on a 10-month transport observation from May 1999 to March 2000 (Perkins et al., 2000). All external forcings to the model were annual mean fields, except the transport variation through the Korea Strait. In the experiments where the periodic variation of the transport repeated continuously sinusoidally by several periods, strong variability of sea surface height (SSH) was detected in the region extending from the Korea Strait to the Japanese coast due to the geostrophy of the buoyancy forcing at the Korea Strait. The region along the Korean coast is more sensitive to the long-term variations than the short-term (≤60-day period) ones. In two experiments forced by realistic and monthly mean transport, the difference of rms of sea surface height was largest at the Japanese coast and relatively large at the East Korean Warm Current separation region (128∼130°E, 39∼41°N) and to the east of Yamato Rise. The distribution of difference of eddy kinetic energy at 100 m depth between the two experiments was similar to that of the rms of SSH. In the distributions of mean SSH and mean kinetic energy at 100 m depth the realistic transport invokes eddy variability to interact with mean current resulting in the changes of the mean SSH and the mean kinetic energy at the East Korean Warm Current separation region, but it does not produce conspicuous changes in the mean fields of entire JES compared with the mean fields forced by the seasonal transport.     

Circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea: Overview and review

A review is made of circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea (the Ulleung Basin), and the Korea/Tsushima Strait which is a unique conduit for surface inflow into the Ulleung Basin. The review particularly concentrates on describing some preliminary results from recent extensive measurements made after 1996. Mean flow patterns are different in the upstream and downstream regions of the Korea/Tsushima Strait. A high velocity core occurs in the mid-section in the upstream region, and splits into two cores hugging the coasts of Korea and Japan, the downstream region, after passing around Tsushima Island located in the middle of the strait. Four-year mean transport into the East/Japan Sea through the Korea/Tsushima Strait based on submarine cable data calibrated by direct observations is 2.4 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹). A wide range of variability occurs for the subtidal transport variation from subinertial (2–10 days) to interannual scales. While the subinertial variability is shown to arise from the atmospheric pressure disturbances, the longer period variation has been poorly understood.Mean upper circulation of the Ulleung Basin is characterized by the northward flowing East Korean Warm Current along the east coast of Korea and its meander eastward after the separation from the coast, the Offshore Branch along the coast of Japan, and the anticyclonic Ulleung Warm Eddy that forms from a meander of the East Korean Warm Current. Continuous acoustic travel-time measurements between June 1999 and June 2001 suggest five quasi-stable upper circulation patterns that persist for about 3–5 months with transitions between successive patterns occurring in a few months or days. Disappearance of the East Korean Warm Current is triggered by merging the Dok Cold Eddy, originating from the pinching-off of the meander trough, with the coastal cold water carried Southward by the North Korean Cold Current. The Ulleung Warm Eddy persisted for about 20 months in the middle of the Ulleung Basin with changes in its position and spatial scale associated with strengthening and weakening of the transport through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. The variability of upper circulation is partly related to the transport variation through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. Movements of the coastal cold water and the instability of the polar front also appear to be important factors affecting the variability.Deep circulation in the Ulleung Basin is primarily cyclonic and commonly consists of one or more cyclonic cells, and an anticyclonic cell centered near Ulleung Island. The cyclonic circulation is conjectured to be driven by a net inflow through the Ulleung Interplain Gap, which serves as a conduit for the exchange of deep waters between the Japan Basin in the northern East Sea and the Ulleung Basin. Deep currents are characterized by a short correlation scale and the predominance of mesoscale variability with periods of 20–40 days. Seasonality of deep currents is indistinct, and the coupling of upper and deep circulation has not been clarified yet.     

Eddy Field in the Japan Sea Derived from Satellite Altimetric Data

The Japan Sea is one of the eddy-rich areas in the world. Many researchers have described the variability of the eddy field and its structure in the Tsushima Warm Current region. On the other hand, since there are few data covering the northern part of the Japan Sea, we are not able to understand the detailed variability of the eddy field there. The variation of the eddy field in the Japan Sea is investigated using the temporal fluctuations of sea surface height measured by altimetric data from TOPEX/POSEIDON and ERS-2. Tidal signals are eliminated from the altimetric data on the basis of the results of Morimoto et al. (2000). Distributions of sea surface dynamic height are produced by using the optimal interpolation method every month. The distributions warm and cold eddies that we obtained coincide well with the observed isotherms at 100 m depth measured by the Japan Sea National Fisheries Research Institute and the sea surface temperature measured by satellite. There are areas with high RMS variability of temporal fluctuation of sea surface dynamic height in the Yamato Basin, the Ulleung Basin, east of North Korea, the eastern part of the Yamato Rise, the Tsushima Strait and west of Hokkaido. The characteristics of eddy propagation in the high RMS variability regions are examined using a lag correlation analysis. Seasonal variations in the number of warm and cold eddies are also examined.     

Seasonal variation of the vertically averaged flow caused by the Jebar effect in the Tsushima Strait

The seasonal variation in the barotropic mode of motion caused by joint effect of the baroclinicity and bottom relief (Jebar effect) in the Tsushima Strait is investigated with the use of the diagnostic numerical model in this study. The Jebar effect in the Tsushima Strait is mainly caused by the intrusion of the Bottom Cold Water along the Korean coast in summer. This Jebar effect along the Korean coast locally supplies the negative vorticity in situ, and it forces the coastal current to be intensified. In summer, the volume transport of the Tsushima Warm Current entering the Tsushima Strait is biassed to the western part of the strait comparing with the flow pattern calculated in winter.     

Effect of Taiwan Strait Current on the onshore intrusion of Kuroshio: A geostrophic adjustment model

The effect of the Taiwan Strait Current on the onshore intrusion of Kuroshio, both contributing to the formation of Tsushima Warm Current, is addressed theoretically by invoking a geostrophic adjustment model previously proposed. The idealized model assumes two unbounded basins, shallow and deep, separated by an infinitely long and thin barrier. On either side of the barrier, a western boundary current in the deep basin and a shelf current in the shallow basin flow along the barrier with the surface elevation of the former higher than that of the latter. When a part of the barrier is removed and a gap is created, the onshore part of the western boundary current intrudes onto the shallow basin through the gap while conserving its potential vorticity. Both the intruding current and the shelf current will later geostrophically adjust themselves to the disturbances created by the intrusion. Model results show that the transport of onshore intrusion increases with the sea level difference imposed initially between the deep and shallow basins across the barrier, indicating that the sea level rise associated with the strengthening of shelf current inhibits the shelf-ward intrusion. The intruding current is in jet mode when its transport is maximized, which otherwise is in coastal mode. The maximization of transport occurs when the sea level difference between the two basins is sufficiently large. Although this model greatly idealizes the problem, it explains well the observed fact that the transport of Tsushima Warm Current is fed mostly by the Taiwan Strait Current in summer when the latter becomes the strongest, and by the onshore intrusion of Kuroshio in winter when the Taiwan Strait Current nearly vanishes, suggesting that the seasonal variation of the onshore intrusion of Kuroshio is largely due to the seasonal variation in the strength of the Taiwan Strait Current.     

Supply of Heat by Tsushima Warm Current in the East Sea (Japan Sea)

A significant surface net heat loss appears around the Kuroshio and the Tsushima Warm Current regions. The area where the surface heat loss occurs should require heat to be supplied by the current to maintain the long-term annual heat balance. Oceanic heat advection in these regions plays an important role in the heat budget. The spatial distribution of the heat supply by the Tsushima Warm Current near the surface was examined by calculating the horizontal heat supply in the surface layer of the East Sea (the Japan Sea) (ESJS), directly from historical sea surface temperature and current data. We have also found a simple estimation of the effective vertical scale of heat supply by the current to compensate net heat loss using the heat supplied by the current in the surface 10 m layer. The heat supplied by the current for the annual heat balance was large in the Korea/Tsushima Strait and along the Japanese Coast, and was small in the northwestern part of the ESJS. The amount of heat supplied by the current was large in the northwestern part and small in the south-eastern part of the ESJS. These features suggest that the heat supplied by the Tsushima Warm Current is restricted to near the surface around the northeastern part and extends to a deeper layer around the southeastern part of the ESJS. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Variability of sea surface temperature in the Japan Sea and its relationship to the wind-curl field

The variability of sea surface temperature (SST) in the Japan Sea is investigated using the complex EOF analysis of daily data produced at Tohoku University, Japan (New Generation SST; 2002–2006). The relationship with the wind field is investigated from the daily NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data with a 1° spatial resolution. Anomalies in the SST (SSTAs) are calculated by subtracting the basin-average annual variation estimated as a leading mode of temperature. The leading mode of an SSTA represents a adjustment to the annual mean variation, most significant in December in the zone of subtropical waters entering the sea through the Korean Strait and in the northwestern sea, over which a cyclonic wind curl develops in the cold period. The semiannual variability mode is identified, which is characterized by the largest temperature increase (decrease) in the western branch of the subarctic front (in the Tatar Strait), which lags by two months behind the semiannual changes in wind curl over the sea. An episodic SSTA movement is detected in the northern part of the sea, which moves from east to west along the western branch of the Tsushima Warm Current with a speed corresponding in magnitude to an advective scale.     

Recent improvements to the physical model of the Bohai Sea,the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea Operational Oceano-graphy Forecasting System

In order to satisfy the increasing demand for the marine forecasting capacity, the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea Operational Oceanography Forecasting System (BYEOFS) has been upgraded and improved to Version 2.0. Based on the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS), a series of comparative experiments were conducted during the improvement process, including correcting topography, changing sea surface atmospheric forcing mode, adjusting open boundary conditions, and considering atmospheric pressure correction. (1) After the topography correction, the volume transport and meridional velocity maximum of Yellow Sea Warm Current increase obviously and the unreasonable bending of its axis around 36.1°N, 123.5°E disappears. (2) After the change of sea surface forcing mode, an effective negative feedback mechanism is formed between predicted sea surface temperature (SST) by the ocean model and sea surface radiation fluxes fields. The simulation errors of SST decreased significantly, and the annual average of root-mean-square error (RMSE) decreased by about 18％. (3) The change of the eastern lateral boundary condition of baroclinic velocity from mixed Radiation-Nudging to Clamped makes the unreasonable westward current in Tsushima Strait disappear. (4) The adding of mean sea level pressure correction option which forms the mean sea level gradient from the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea to the western Pacific in winter and autumn is helpful to increasing the fluctuation of SLA and outflow of the Yellow Sea when the cold high air pressure system controls the Yellow Sea area.     

Branching of the Tsushima current in the Japan Sea

Although the Tsushima Current exhibits a complicated meander in the interior region of the Japan Sea, its path is more regular in the southwest region near the Tsushima Strait, and three branches have often been recognized there by many investigators. However, the detailed structures and temporal variabilities of these branches have not been clarified, and so they are studied here by analysing temperature, salinity and sea level data. It is shown that the existence of the first branch (the nearshore branch along the Japanese coast) can be detected from salinity distributions at least during the period from March to August. The third branch (the Eastern Korean Current) exists in all seasons. On the other hand, the second branch (the offshore branch) is seasonally variable and can be identified only in summer from June to August. Along the Japanese coast of southwest Japan Sea, the main pycnocline intersects the gentle slope on the shelf at a depth between 150 and 200 m. The first branch is found on the coastal side of the line where the main pycnocline intersects the bottom slope. On the other hand, the second branch is formed just on the seaward side of this line. Sea level differences in the Tsushima Strait, i.e., between Hakata and Izuhara and between Izuhara and Pusan, show that the seasonal variation of the surface velocity (or volume transport) is small in the eastern channel and large in the western channel. The period during which the surface velocity and volume transport in the western channel increase corresponds well to the period during which the second branch exists. These results suggest that the effects of bottom topography and oceanic stratification in the Japan Sea as well as the time variation of inflow through the western channel of the Tsushima Strait play important roles in the formation of the second branch.     

Water, Salt, Phosphorus and Nitrogen Budgets of the Japan Sea

Water, salt, phosphorus and nitrogen budgets of the Japan Sea have been calculated by box model analysis using historical data. Average residence time of the Tsushima Warm Current Water in the upper 200 m is 2.1 years and that of the Japan Sea Proper Water is 90 years. The salt flux from the Tsushima Strait balances those through the Tsugaru and Soya Straits. Average residence times of phosphorus and nitrogen from the Tsushima Strait are 2.2 years and 1.6 years, respectively, in the upper 200 m of the Japan Sea. Total nitrogen/total phosphorus ratios of riverine load, the Tsushima Warm Current water and the water in the Japan Sea are 16.4, 16.6 and 11.3, respectively. This suggests that denitrification is dominant in the Japan Sea. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

对马暖流“东海段”的流路与流速

本文全面地分析了此段海流的流路与流速结构，首次提出研究海域近底层的环流示意图。指出在夏季，韩国南岸和日本九州北岸均存在着一支南下的逆流，九州西岸出现两种或多种形式的流路。对马暖流在源地流速很弱，流向不稳定，流路时隐时显不明显，只有离开源地后才逐渐显示出一支海流轮廓；强流区在朝鲜海峡附近。该海流可明显地划分为三段。流速夏强冬弱，夏季流幅宽约８０ｋｍ。     

Structure of the Tsushima warm current in the northeastern Japan Sea

By using Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements with the four round-trips method to remove diurnal/semidiurnal tidal currents, the detailed current structure and volume transport of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) along the northwestern Japanese coast in the northeastern Japan Sea were examined in the period September–October 2000. The volume transport of the First Branch of the TWC (FBTWC) east of the Noto Peninsula was estimated as approximately 1.0 Sv (10⁶ m³/s), and the FBTWC continued to flow along the Honshu Island to the south of the Oga Peninsula. To the north of the Oga Peninsula, the Second Branch of Tsushima Warm Current and the eastward current established by the subarctic front were recombined with the FBTWC and the total volume transport increased to 1.9 Sv. The water properties at each ADCP line strongly suggested that most of the upper portion of the TWC with high temperature and low salinity flowed out to the North Pacific as the Tsugaru Warm Current. In the north of the Tsugaru Strait, the volume transport of the northward current was observed to be as almost 1 Sv. However, the component of the TWC water was small (approximately 0.3 Sv).     

Modeling of the branches of the Tsushima Warm Current in the Eastern Japan Sea

The branches of the Tsushima Warm Current (TWC) are realistically reproduced using a three-dimensional ocean general circulation model (OGCM). Simulated structures of the First Branch and the Second Branch of the TWC (FBTWC and SBTWC) in the eastern Japan Sea are mainly addressed in this study, being compared with measurement in the period September–October 2000. This is the first numerical experiment so far in which the OGCM is laterally exerted by real volume transports measured by acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) through the Tsushima Straits and the Tsugaru Strait. In addition, sea level variation measured by tide-stations along the Japanese coast as well as satellite altimeters is assimilated into the OGCM through a sequential data assimilation method. It is demonstrated that the assimilation of sea level variation at the coastal tide-stations is useful in reproducing oceanic conditions in the nearshore region. We also examine the seasonal variation of the branches of the TWC in the eastern Japan Sea in 2000. It is suggested as a consequence that the FBTWC is continuous along northwestern Honshu Island in summertime, while it degenerates along the coast between the Sado Strait and the Oga Peninsula in other seasons. On the other hand, a mainstream of the SBTWC exists with meanders and eddies in the offshore region deeper than 1000 m to the north of the Sado Island throughout the year.     

Seasonal Variation of the Cheju Warm Current in the Northern East China Sea

The Cheju Warm Current has been defined as a mean current that rounds Cheju-do clockwise, transporting warm and saline water to the western coastal area of Cheju-do and into the Cheju Strait in the northern East China Sea (Lie et al., 1998). Seasonal variation of the Cheju Warm Current and its relevant hydrographic structures were examined by analyzing CTD data and trajectories of satellite-tracked drifters. Analysis of a combined data set of CTD and drifters confirms the year-round existence of the Cheju Warm Current west of Cheju-do and in the Cheju Strait, with current speeds of 5 to 40 cm/s. Saline waters transported by the Cheju Warm Current are classified Cheju Warm Current water for water of salinity greater than 34.0 psu and modified Cheju Warm Current for water having salinity of 33.5–34.0 psu. In winter, Cheju Warm Current water appears in a relatively large area west of Cheju-do, bounded by a strong thermohaline front formed in a "" shape. In summer and autumn, the Cheju Warm Current water appears only in the lower layer, retreating to the western coastal area of Cheju-do in summer and to the eastern coastal area sometimes in autumn. The Cheju Warm Current is found to flow in the western channel of the Korea/Tsushima Strait after passing through the Cheju Strait, contributing significantly to the Tsushima Warm Current.     

黄海、东海表、上层实测流分析

根据迄今为止所获得的142套锚碇浮标和58套卫星跟踪漂流浮标的大范围测流资料，综合分析了黄海、东海表、上层环流。研究结果更加清晰、形象、直观地展示了黑潮及其向对马暖流的分支，台湾暖流的分叉，和黄海暖流、长江冲淡水及涡旋发达海区的若干主要特征。     

Surface circulation in the southwestern Japan/East Sea as observed from drifters and sea surface height

The mean circulation of the surface layer of the southwestern Japan/East Sea (JES) was examined using current measurements collected at 15 m by satellite-tracked drifters and merged sea level anomalies from satellite altimeters. The study of circulation patterns in this paper focused on the inflow passing through the western channel of the Korea Strait from the East China Sea. Empirical Orthogonal Function (EOF) analysis of non-seasonal sea level anomalies revealed that significant energy in the circulation pattern of Ulleung Basin was controlled by the inflow conditions through the Korea Strait. Three circulation patterns were identified that depended on the initial relative vorticity of the inflow. When inflow had initially large negative vorticity, the flow gained more negative vorticity due to deepening of the bottom (stretching) and then turned right after entering the JES. The inflow then followed the path of the Tsushima Warm Current along the coast of Japan. When the inflow was strong, with a speed in excess of 55 cm/s and with a large positive vorticity, potential vorticity appeared to be conserved. In this case, the EKWC followed isobaths along the coast and then left the coast, following topographic features north of Ulleung-Do. The northward flowing jet developed inertial meandering after leaving the coast, which is a characteristic of many western boundary currents. The regular, bimonthly deployments of drifters in the western portion of the Korea Strait revealed that splitting or branching of the flow through the western channel of the Korea Strait occurred only 15% of the time. And splitting or branching rarely occurred during the fall and winter seasons, when the inflow splitting was previously reported in hydrographic surveys. The time-averaged circulation map of the EKWC and its seaward extension were considerably enhanced by using regularly sampled geostrophic velocities calculated from sea level anomalies to remove biases in the mean velocity that were caused by irregular spatial and temporal drifter observations. The East Korean Warm Current, a mean coastal current along the Korean coast, behaved like the simple model by Arruda et al. (2004) in which the generation of the Ulleung Warm Eddy and the meandering circulation pattern were well reproduced.     

The Taiwan-Tsushima Warm Current System: Its Path and the Transformation of the Water Mass in the East China Sea

Using a temperature data set from 1961 to 1990, we estimated the monthly distribution of the vertically integrated heat content in the East China Sea. We then drew the monthly map of the horizontal heat transport, which is obtained as the difference between the vertically integrated heat content and the surface heat flux. We anticipate that its distribution pattern is determined mainly due to the advection by the ocean current if it exists stably in the East China Sea. The monthly map of the horizontal heat transport showed the existence of the Taiwan-Tsushima Warm Current System (TTWCS) at least from April to August. The T-S (temperature-salinity) analysis along the path of TTWCS indicated that the TTWCS changes its T-S property as it flows in the East China Sea forming the Tsushima Warm Current water. The end members of the Tsushima Warm Current water detected in this study are water masses in the Taiwan Strait and the Kuroshio surface layer, the fresh water from the mainland of China, and the southern tip of the Yellow Sea Cold Water extending in the northern part of the East China Sea. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.