Variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea in 1995

A modified inverse method is used to oanpute the Kurnshio in the East China Sea with the CTD and wind data collected by R/V Chofu Maru during four cruises of 1995.The computed results show that:(1) The volume trasport (herafter VT) of the Kuroshio through Section PN is 23.3×10⁶,34.1×10⁶,21.1×10⁶ and 26.7×10⁶ m³/s.respectively.during winter,spring,summer and autumn,ie.,its VT is largcst in spring but smallest in the summes of 1995.However,from the statistical average results e.g.,Yuan et al.(1993) ],its VT is largest in summer but smallest in autumn.This means that the year 1995 is an ananalous year,which can also be shown from the T-S distributions.The heat transport(hereafter HT) through Section PN is 1.6×10¹⁵,2.5×10¹⁵,1.7×10¹⁵ and 2.1×10¹⁵ W,respectively,during winter,spring,summer and autumn.This shows also that the year 1995 is an anomalous year.VT through Section TK (at the Tokara Strait) is also largest in the spring of 1995.(2) There are two current cores at Section PN during winter,spring and summer,and three cores in autumn.(3) The Kuroshio velocitics at Section PN are stronger in spring and autumn than those in the winter and summer of 1995.(4) There are countercurrents under and east of the Kuroshio at Section PN.(5) The average rate of heat transfer in the oomputed area from the ocean to the atrrnsphere is 6.28×10³,-0.83×10³,-2.09×10³ and 2.49×10³ J /(cm²·d),respectively,during winter,spring,summer and autumn.