Seasonal variability of intrusion of the Kuroshio water across the continental shelf northeast of Taiwan

The currents over the East China Sea continental slope northeast of Taiwan were monitored from mid-July to early December, 1992 and again from late March to early August, 1993, covering the two transition periods of monsoon seasons. In 1992, we found massive Kuroshio intrusion (onshore velocity reaching 25 cm/s or more) occurred at mid-October, a lag of one month after the wind pattern changed from southerly to northeasterly. By comparing the surface meteorological with observed cross-slope velocity, we suggest that cooling rather than direct wind forcing, i.e., mid-October cold air outbreaks associated with the Siberia highs moving across the East China Sea, may be the major cause for triggering the observed winter intrusion event. The intrusion continued until the end of the 1992 data in early December and again in late March and early April of 1993 when the data became available. In mid-April, 1993, the intrusion suddenly halted when the lows replaced the highs and the wind reversed with warm air from south. In addition, we found that short-period intrusions appeared in August and early September, 1992 and in late July, 1993. All of these summer intrusions coincide with the occurrence of typhoon passages over or further offshore of the area northeast of Taiwan.     

台湾东北部黑潮次表层水入侵的季节变化规律

台湾东北部,黑潮次表层水常年入侵东海陆架。但是黑潮次表层水入侵的季节变化规律,尚存在很多不明之处。本文基于2009至2011年间东海4个航次的CTD实测数据,研究了黑潮次表层水入侵东海过程的季节变化规律,发现:黑潮次表层水入侵在春末夏初开始加强,夏季最强,秋季开始减弱,冬季最弱。入侵的黑潮次表层水起源深度也随季节变化有所不同。另外,结果还表明黑潮次表层水入侵存在明显的短期变动。     

台湾东北部黑潮表层水入侵东海陆架的季节变化规律

基于1998～2011 年进入台湾东北部的WOCE-SVP(World Ocean Circulation Experiment -Surface Velocity Programme)计划的Argos 浮标运行轨道数据, 分析了台湾东北部的环流特征、黑潮表层水入侵东海陆架的季节变化规律。结果表明: 在春夏季, 黑潮表层水入侵仅限于陆架外缘, 而在秋冬季, 黑潮表层水可深入东海陆架或进入台湾海峡。自黑潮区入侵至100 m 和150 m 等深线的浮标数量在秋冬季较多, 春夏季较少。台湾海峡的浮标轨迹在春夏季几乎皆为北向, 在秋冬季皆为南向。在秋季, 东海中部和南部陆架会在黑潮西侧出现逆流和涡旋。可见, 台湾东北部环流具有显著的季节特征; 黑潮表层水入侵东海陆架在秋冬季较强, 春夏季较弱。本研究采用最新的Argos 浮标数据, 揭示了台湾东北部黑潮入侵东海陆架的季节变化规律。     

Movement of the Kuroshio axis to the northeast shelf of Taiwan during typhoon events

We investigated the movement of the Kuroshio axis on the northeast shelf of Taiwan associated with the passage of typhoons, using sea surface current data observed by the ocean radar system on Yonaguni and Ishigaki islands. First, we examined daily Kuroshio axis variation on the northeast shelf of Taiwan during typhoon events. The ocean radar data showed that the Kuroshio axis moved onto the shelf after passages of typhoons. The Kuroshio moved onto the shelf and stayed there after the passage of Typhoon Hai-Tang; while the Kuroshio maintained this pattern, southerly wind blew continuously for 4 days. The mean current speed northeast of Taiwan after the typhoon's passage increased by 18 cm s⁻¹. In addition, the sea level difference between two satellite altimetry tracks east of Taiwan increased by 14.4 cm. These results suggest that coastal upwelling east of Taiwan caused by the southerly wind generated an east–west sea level difference that, in turn, generated a northward geostrophic current. This current could have enhanced the Kuroshio east of Taiwan, and pushed it onto the shelf.     

Low frequency current variability on the shelf break northeast of Taiwan

A buoy-mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler was deployed on the shelf break off the northeast coast of Taiwan to monitor current variations in the upper ocean. The acquired data show that the flow in the upper water column was initially southwest and then abruptly turned northwest. This abrupt change occurred in mid-October, starting from the surface layer and then gradually extending to the deeper layer. In contrast with this flow, the flow in the lower water column was southwest over the entire record, but its amplitude was reduced after the middle of October. The abrupt change of current from southwest to northwest is related to the intrusion of Kuroshio. Examination of two CTD casts showed the salinity of the upper ocean to have increased after the directional shift in mid-October, further indicating the Kuroshio intrusion. The sea level data at Keelung provided other evidence for the intrusion of Kuroshio. The sea level descended as the intrusion occurred and kept the low value until the end of the record. The northwest flow, which carried the water away from the northern coast of Taiwan, is responsible for this descent. Although the intrusion of Kuroshio was mainly confined to the upper ocean, it did have influence on the whole water column. Examination of the wind record at Pengchiayu showed that the time of Kuroshio intrusion was not coincident with the intensification of the northeasterly monsoon. The local wind and the current at 20 m were incoherent. Both the variation of Kuroshio current and the fluctuation of Kuroshio path may be responsible for the variation of the local current. Since the intrusion of Kuroshio has a weak relationship with local wind variation, it appears to be induced by non-local factors.     

Intrusion of Kuroshio water onto the continental shelf of the East China Sea

As a fundamental study to evaluate the contribution of the Kuroshio to primary production in the East China Sea (ECS), we investigated the seasonal pattern of the intrusion from the Kuroshio onto the continental shelf of the ECS and the behavior of the intruded Kuroshio water, using the RIAM Ocean Model (RIAMOM). The total intruded volume transport across the 200m isobath line was evaluated as 2.74 Sv in winter and 2.47 Sv in summer, while the intruded transport below 80m was estimated to be 1.32 Sv in winter and 1.64 Sv in summer. Passive tracer experiments revealed that the main intrusion from the Kuroshio to the shelf area of the ECS, shallower than 80m, takes place through the lower layer northeast of Taiwan in summer, with a volume transport of 0.19 Sv. Comparative studies show several components affecting the intrusion of the Kuroshio across the 200 m isobath line. The Kuroshio water intruded less onto the shelf compared with a case without consideration of tide-induced bottom friction, especially northeast of Taiwan. The variations of the transport from the Taiwan Strait and the east of Taiwan have considerable effects on the intrusion of the Kuroshio onto the shelf.     

Observations of the countercurrent on the inshore side of the Kuroshio northeast of Taiwan

Intensive current measurements in the area northeast of Taiwan indicate subsurface, southwestward flow existed between the inshore edge of the Kuroshio and the East China Sea continental slope. At 70 km away from Taiwan, this countercurrent has a mean speed about 30 cm s^–1 at mid-depth. Closer to Taiwan, the flow turns along with the topography, and subjects to sidewall and bottom friction. Both the magnitude and the vertical shear of this countercurrent are comparable with that inferred from hydrographic survey. The wind field features short-period (a few days) fluctuations associated with the cold front passages, however, this is not reflected on the current records. It appears that the countercurrent is fairly steady. Together with similar reversing flow found at places much further to the north, the overall pattern seems to be a general quasi-steady feature along most part of the shelf edge of the East China Sea.     

The continental shelf wave of the East China Sea and its effect on the Kuroshio

The free shelf wave theory is applied to the practical case of the continental shelf in the East China Sea to analyse the effects of the shelf wave on the Kuroshio. The results indicate that the shelf wave in lower frequency travels from north to south and its phase velocity is proportional to the Kuroshio's current velocity) the maximum current velocity of the Kuroshio lies at the continental margin. The analytical solutions obtained indicate that the hydrodynamic characters of the sea region over the shelf present band structure. The horizontal motion ( x -component) caused by the shelf wave at the margin may be one of the causes for generating wavy pattern of the Kuroshio's axis .     

夏季台湾海峡水及黑潮次表层涌升水向东海近陆架区营养盐输送通量的估算

According to historical mean ocean current data through the field observations of the Taiwan Ocean Research Institute during 1991–2005 and survey data of nutrients on the continental shelf of the East China Sea(ECS) in the summer of 2006, nutrient fluxes from the Taiwan Strait and Kuroshio subsurface waters are estimated using a grid interpolation method, which both are the sources of the Taiwan Warm Current. The nutrient fluxes of the two water masses are also compared. The results show that phosphate(PO4-P), silicate(SiO3-Si) and nitrate(NO3-N) fluxes to the ECS continental shelf from the Kuroshio upwelling water are slightly higher than those from the Taiwan Strait water in the summer of 2006. In contrast, owing to its lower velocity, the nutrient flux density(i.e., nutrient fluxes divided by the area of the specific section) of the Kuroshio subsurface water is lower than that of the Taiwan Strait water. In addition, the Taiwan Warm Current deep water, which is mainly constituted by the Kuroshio subsurface water, might directly reach the areas of high-frequency harmful alga blooms in the ECS.     

Numerical study of the influence of Kuroshio Current on the thermocline in the sea area around Taiwan Island

1 INTsoDUcrIONTemperature is one of the most impoFtant essential factors of ocean, and its verticalstructure, especially the phenomenon ofthermocline, is concerned by military and manufacturepractices at all times. There are two classes of research methods for thermocIine, statisticmethod and numerical method. In recent years, more attention has been paid to the latterwhich becomes the primary development direction. Since Munk et al (1948) pot forward1-D model of thermocline at steady sta…     

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.     

Exponential model of the seasonal thermocline

An exponential model of the seasonal thermocline is suggested within the framework of an integral hydrodynamic model of the upper ocean. The seasonal thermocline is discriminated as a boundary layer of finite thickness against the background of an asymptotic boundary layer described by an exponent. A self-similar distribution of the dimensionless temperature versus dimensionless depth is found. Its comparison with the dependence obtained previously (cubic parabola) provides a deviation of 10%. Thus, the exponential model of the seasonal thermodcline describes perfectly the temperature-depth distribution using field data.Translated by Mikhail M. Trufanov.     

The seasonal intrusion of relatively saline water on the shelf off northern and central Namibia

The surface and subsurface waters of the Angola and Agulhas Current systems significantly influence the Benguela region and its living resources, and it is probable that the movement of Central Water, which plays a key role in the coastal upwelling process, is controlled by circulation of underlying Antarctic Intermediate Water (AIW) as well as by the dynamics of the overlying subtropical water. The movement of AIW can be inferred from a study of the t-s characteristics, and the data holdings and data base of the South African Data Centre for Oceanography facilitated this investigation. Key findings of the investigation, some confirming earlier theories and hypotheses, are as follows. The mean depth of the AIW core in the South-East Atlantic is 750 m, and in the South-West Indian Ocean, 1 100 m. Agulhas Current AIW, which is modified by Red Sea Water, becomes fresher en route because of entrainment and mixing of water from the south and west. Most of the Agulhas Current AIW per se retroflects east of 18°E. A poleward movement of AIW along the West Coast to around 32°S may be inferred from the salinity and oxygen data, with a freshening en route analogous to the Agulhas Current. Relatively fresh AIW (s < 34,35 × 10^?3) is present off the South-Western Cape, the only part of the Benguela where the overlying virgin Central Water upwells. No statistically significant seasonal differences could be resolved.     

东海南部陆架水体2011年夏季温盐结构及其对台湾暖流和黑潮入侵的指示

利用2011年7月5个断面共30个站位的温盐深（CTD）测量资料,分析东海南部陆架水体的温盐结构和温跃层特征,探讨黑潮和台湾暖流对东海陆架水文状况的影响。结果显示,本区广泛存在着浅部温跃层和深部温跃层。浅部温跃层分布于20 m水深以内,跃层强度普遍较弱,具有明显的日内生消变化。深部温跃层分布于中、外陆架和台湾海峡。在中、外陆架的深水区,跃层底界深度约80 m,跃层厚度约10 m;跃层强度大,约为0.8 ℃/m,且较为稳定。在台湾海峡北部,温跃层分布于水深14～30 m,跃层厚度6～10 m,跃层强度偏弱,为0.2～0.5 ℃/m。在温跃层附近,由于上、下层水团温度、盐度的差异,其混合过程常出现盐指现象。在东海陆架90～110 m等深线之间,深部温跃层之下盘踞着一个深层冷水团,水温为16.8～17.6 ℃。黑潮水的入侵,使得外陆架温跃层强度减弱至0.2～0.5 ℃/m;同时,跃层层位上升,厚度加大。温跃层强度可以作为指示黑潮入侵的灵敏指标。当夏季深部温跃层强度低于0.6 ℃/m,同时伴随跃层厚度加大时,可判别为黑潮入侵。本区夏季黑潮锋可以到达110 m等深线附近。在中陆架50～80 m等深线之间,深部温跃层的消失,说明台湾暖流的强烈影响遍及整个水柱;而从南向北,台湾暖流的影响逐渐减弱。台湾海峡北部深层水温度较低,平均值为22.52 ℃,要比东海南部中陆架深层水低3 ℃,这可能意味着台湾暖流深层水主要源于黑潮分支的加入。     

Grain size variation across sand ridges,New Jersey continental shelf

Cross-ridge grain size profiles were determined for a nearshore and an offshore sand ridge on the New Jersey shelf. On both, the coarset sands occur on the landward flank. The range and rate of change in grain size with horizontal distance are greatest on the nearshore ridge. The grain size gradient is believed to be a response of the bottom to the cross-ridge shear stress distribution during storm flows. The difference between the two ridges may be a consequence of the relict origin of the offshore ridge versus a modern origin for the nearshore ridge, or to the different flow climates of the nearshore and offshore environments.     

Trace metal distributions across the continental shelf near Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

The distributions of the trace metals iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) along with hydrological parameters (salinity, temperature and reactive phosphate) across the New Zealand continental shelf near Otago Peninsula have been studied. This is a region in which the Subtropical Convergence (STC), a major oceanic front separating subtropical and subantarctic waters, is uniquely located close to land, permitting an examination of the influence of terrestrial sources of Fe and Cu on oceanic waters containing excess micronutrients. Acid-soluble (110 nmol kg⁻¹) and dissolved (6.3 nmol kg⁻¹) Fe concentrations were highest over the central shelf, and decreased rapidly across the mixing zone of the STC to about 5 nmol kg⁻¹ for both forms. The distribution of acid-soluble and dissolved Cu were similar to their counterparts for Fe. Depth-concentration profiles for acid-soluble Fe and Cu suggest resuspension of shelf sediments is the main source. The ratio of oxine-labile to acid-soluble Fe varied from 0.03 to 0.26, with the highest values found in the near surface waters. Oxine-labile Fe and Cu also decreased in concentration in a seawards direction, and with depth, indicating the influence of near surface processes on the reactivity of these elements. Cd concentrations across the continental shelf were very low (<200 pmol kg⁻¹) and exhibited no clear spatial trend and no correlation with phosphate. Comparison of the Cd/P ratio across the shelf indicated that the waters in this region were strongly depleted in Cd relative to P. Phosphate concentrations were lowest in neritic water and increased in the seawards direction because of mixing with nutrient-rich Subantarctic Surface Water.     

Transport patterns of micro nutrient elements from the continental shelf of the East China Sea to the Kuroshio area

On the basis of the in situ data of DO2, pH, SiO2. PO4-P, NO3-N and NO2-N collected in the north of the East China Sea during 1987-1988, the following points are mainly expounded.1.The inorgonic nutrients are obviously affected by continent runoff in the north of the East China Sea. Their distributions are characteristic of its distribution of terrigenous materials.2.There are three transport paths of nutrients from the shelf to the Kuroshio area. The first is mixing-diffusing-advec-tion and upwelling process, the process of biology and biochemistry belongs to the second, and the sinking process is the last one.3.The swing of the Kuroshio axis affectes both the range of the migration of substances through mixing-diffusing-advec-tion process and the upwelling degree of the subsurface Kuroshio water to the shelf.4.Most part of the substances sink as macroparticles to the deep layer before reaching the Kuroshio area.     

Fine-scale analysis of shelf–slope physiography across the western continental margin of India

We attempt here to quantify and model physiographic features off the central west coast of India in terms of power spectral exponent, amplitude parameter. We demonstrate that statistical analysis of multi-beam echo-sounder grid bathymetry data is able to characterise the outer shelf, upper slope, shelf margin basin and several structural rises in the region. A scatter diagram analysis shows that the seafloor data can be grouped into two distinct clusters. Distinctly different clustering patterns are observed over the structural rises, compared to the shelf, slope and basinal areas. This suggests different modes of formation for the members of these two clusters. In fact, the steep structural rises appear to be part of the NW–SE-trending coast-parallel Mid-Shelf Basement and Prathap ridges. These ridges are rift-induced volcanic emplacements on a stretched and thinned continental crust which probably formed during mid-Cretaceous times.     

Relationship between hydrology and seasonal distribution of suspended sediments on the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay

Numerous oceanographic cruises (with hydrology, water sampling, drift current measurements) carried out since 1980 on the continental shelf of the Bay of Biscay, together with available NOAA/AVHRR infra-red images, form the basis of a proposed explanation for the processes responsible for the distribution of suspended sediments on the shelf. The seasonal hydrographic structure of continental shelf waters is of paramount importance in sediment distribution. In summer, there is an horizontal stratification of water masses, and suspended sediment distribution is closely related to the thermo-haline structure. A fresher water mass with less suspended material lies on a thicker and more turbid homogeneous layer. During winter, when sediment discharge from the rivers often reaches its annual maximum, an oceanic thermo-haline wedge occurs on the shelf at around −100 m. As a result, winter turbidity values on the outer continental shelf are low (comparable to summer values), and a permanent nepheloı̈d layer is never observed. The wedge, which lasts for several months, may act as a filter, preventing transport to the slope. High turbidities on the external shelf and the continental slope are only measured in spring, when the thermo-haline wedge disappears. It seems possible that during winter time, suspended materials brought by rivers are deposited in the “Grande Vasière” (the “large mud patch”). It is postulated that the position of this mud patch is linked to the long-term stable location of the thermo-haline front that separates oceanic waters from the colder and less salty coastal waters.