TheKyucho in Uwajima Bay

The phenomenon of rapid increase in water temperature accompanied by a sudden, swift current (Kyucho) in Uwajima Bay is described on the basis of results of long term observations from July 1985 to September 1986. This phenomenon occurs somewhat periodically with an interval of about 15 days in summer, although it does not occur in winter. The increase in water temperature occasionally reaches about 5°C. This phenomenon results from the intrusion of a warm water mass into the bay. NOAA-9 satellite images show that the warm water mass originates from the Pacific Ocean south of the Bungo Channel.     

Kuroshio warm filament and the source of the warm water of the Tsushima Current

Characteristics and evolution of the Kuroshio frontal eddies and warm filaments are analyzed according to two series of satellite images (March 5 to 7, 1986 and April 14 to 16, 1988). The results show that the frontal eddies in the East China Sea are generated at the shelf break and move along the continental slope at a speed of 15 cm/s with the Kuroshio. The frontal eddies occur about every 10 d and evolve to be warm filaments a few hundred km in length and 30-40 km in width in the area west of the Yaku-shima. Meanwhile, the existence of the warm filament was also found in the area by analysing the hydrographic data in the area west of Kyushu during May 24-June 5, 1988.The Kuroshio warm filaments move westward opposite to the Kuroshio and then turn northward at the shelf break and become the main source of the warm water of the Tsushima Warm Current. A simple dynamic explanation for the process is presented in this paper.     

Favorable conditions for cold-water intrusion from the Kuroshio intermediate layer into Osaka Bay

From 1980 to 1995, in August, the bottom layer of Osaka Bay was occupied by cold, nutrient-rich water compared with that observed during both previous and subsequent decades. To investigate the mechanisms for the intrusion of bottom-layer cold water into Osaka Bay, the intrusion into Osaka Bay via the Kii Channel is simulated using a finite-volume coastal ocean model with unstructured triangular cell grids. The initial conditions, boundary conditions, and surface temperature given to the model are obtained from daily reanalysis data provided by the Japan Coastal Ocean Predictability Experiment. The model shows that cold water uplifted on the eastern side of the Kii Peninsula is propagated westward at 1.0 m/s as a coastal boundary current; it reaches the Kii Channel mouth when the Kuroshio axis is located around 74 km south of Cape Shionomisaki. However, the modeled cold water mass at the Kii Channel mouth does not intrude further to the north of the Kii Channel; therefore, another mechanism is required to explain the cold-water intrusion into the bottom layer of Osaka Bay. A plausible explanation is the estuarine circulation established by the freshwater supply at the bay head. When the river runoff is included in the model without forced vertical mixing, the temperature in Osaka Bay decreases 6.6 days later than the temperature decreases at the Kii Channel mouth. Furthermore, the shoreward current speed in the bottom layer of the modeled estuarine circulation is 15 cm/s, which provides the mechanism required for the cold water mass to pass the Kii Channel.     

Wind-induced Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea

The Kuroshio flows north along the east coasts of the Philippines and Taiwan. Between these two land masses lies the Luzon Strait which connects the Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea. The Kuroshio usually flows north past this strait, but at times part or all of it flows west through the strait into the South China Sea forming a loop current. It has been suggested that the loop current forms when the northeast monsoon deflects the Kuroshio through the Luzon Strait. In this study, satellite-derived sea-surface temperature images are used to observe the Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait region. Together with wind data from the region, these observations indicate a loop-current development process which is largely determined by an integrated supercritical wind stress parameter. The loop current grows when a four-day average of the local wind-stress component directed to the south exceeds 0.08 Nm^–2. When this average wind-stress component drops below the critical value, the Kuroshio returns to its northward path.     

Primary production and community respiration in a warm streamer associated with Kuroshio warm core ring in spring

Daily rates of gross primary production, net community production and community respiration were determined in spring of 1997 at two stations in a warm streamer off Sanriku, Japan fromin vitro changes in dissolved oxygen. The phytoplankton community was composed of chlorophytes, cryptophytes and prymnesiophytes as determined by biomarker pigment analysis. Gross production, integrated from the surface to its 1% light level was 52.5 and 80.4 mmol O₂ m⁻²d⁻¹. The difference in gross production is ascribed to variations in photosynthetic activity of the population. Community respiration was 17.4 and 49.5 mmol O₂ m⁻²d⁻¹, and positive net community production was found within the euphotic zone. The contribution of autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration to community respiration was estimated on the basis of the observed respiration and the phytoplankton composition. Heterotrophic respiration was calculated to be highly variable and the observed difference in community respiration was due to heterotrophic respiration. Heterotrophic respiration was considered to play an important role in the rapid mineralization of organic materials.     

Interannual variability of the Kuroshio intrusion in the South China Sea

The interannual variability of intrusions of the Kuroshio into the South China Sea (SCS) is investigated using satellite remote sensing data supported by in-situ measurements. The mesoscale circulation of the SCS is predominantly wind-forced by the northeast winter and southwest summer monsoons. Although the region has been studied extensively, considerable uncertainty remains about the annual and interannual mesoscale nature of the circulation. The frequency and characteristics of Kuroshio intrusions and their effect on circulation patterns in the northeast SCS are also not well understood. Satellite observations of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) and Sea Surface Height Anomalies (SSHA) from TOPEX/ Poseidon for the period 1997–2005 are used here to analyze the annual and interannual variability in Kuroshio intrusions and their effects on the region. Analysis of SST and SSHA shows the formation and characteristics of intrusions vary considerably each year. Typically, the intrusion occurs in the central region of Luzon Strait and results in an anticyclonic circulation in the northeastern SCS. However, in some years, the intrusion is located in the northern portion of Luzon Strait and a cyclonic intrusion results. Wind stress and wind stress curl derived from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) QuikSCAT satellite scatterometer are used to evaluate the relationship between wind stress or wind stress curl and the presence of winter Kuroshio intrusions into the SCS.     

近岸波浪和波生流环境中泥沙输运的数值模拟

Owing to lack of observational data and accurate definition,it is difficult to distinguish the Kuroshio intrusion water from the Pacific Ocean into the South China Sea(SCS).By using a passive tracer to identify the Kuroshio water based on an observation-validated three-dimensional numerical model MITgcm,the spatio-temporal variation of the Kuroshio intrusion water into the SCS has been investigated.Our result shows the Kuroshio intrusion is of distinct seasonal variation in both horizontal and vertical directions.In winter,the intruding Kuroshio water reaches the farthest,almost occupying the area from 18°N to 23°N and 114°E to 121°E,with a small branch flowing towards the Taiwan Strait.The intrusion region of the Kuroshio water decreases with depth gradually.However,in summer,the Kuroshio water is confined to the east of 118°E without any branch reaching the Taiwan Strait;meanwhile the intrusion region of the Kuroshio water increases from the surface to the depth about 205 m,then it decreases with depth.The estimated annual mean of Kuroshio Intrusion Transport(KIT) via the Luzon Strait is westward to the SCS in an amount of –3.86×106 m3/s,which is larger than the annual mean of Luzon Strait Transport(LST) of –3.15×106 m3/s.The KIT above 250 m accounts for 60%–80% of the LST throughout the entire water column.By analyzing interannual variation of the Kuroshio intrusion from the year 2003 to 2012,we find that the Kuroshio branch flowing into the Taiwan Strait is the weaker in winter of La Ni?a years than those in El Ni?o and normal years,which may be attributed to the wind stress curl off the southeast China then.Furthermore,the KIT correlates the Ni?o 3.4 index from 2003 to 2012 with a correlation coefficient of 0.41,which is lower than that of the LST with the Ni?o 3.4 index,i.e.,0.78.     

Hydrological analysis of Kuroshio water intrusion into the South China Sea

IN~crIONInvestigation of physical oceanography in the sleuth China Sea can be traced back tO the early17th century. America, England, Japan and Russia all carried out investigations in the sea. Butthe survey areas were limited and the data were scrappy. After entering this century big progresshas been achieved in the investigation of the sea both in the scale of survey and the depth ofstudy. So far the papers such as "Wind and drift currents in the mouth China Sea" (Dale, 1956)and "Phys…     

Seasonal variation of eddy shedding from the Kuroshio intrusion in the Luzon Strait

Altimeter data and output from the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model global assimilation run are used to study the seasonal variation of eddy shedding from the Kuroshio intrusion in the Luzon Strait. The results suggest that most eddy shedding events occur from December through March, and no eddy shedding event occurs in June, September, or October. About a month before eddy shedding, the Kuroshio intrusion extends into the South China Sea and a closed anticyclonic eddy appears inside the Kuroshio loop which then detaches from the Kuroshio intrusion. Anticyclonic eddies detached from December through February move westward at a speed of about 0.1 m s⁻¹ after shedding, whereas eddies detached in other months either stay at the place of origin or move westward at a very slow speed (less than 0.06 m s⁻¹). The HYCOM outputs and QuikSCAT wind data clearly show that the seasonal variation of eddy shedding is influenced by the monsoon winds. A comparison between eddy volume and integrated Ekman transport indicates that, once the integrated Ekman transport exceeds 2 × 10¹² m³ (which roughly corresponds to the volume of an eddy), the Kuroshio intrusion expands and an eddy shedding event occurs within 1 month. We infer that the Ekman drift of the northeasterly monsoon pushes the Kuroshio intrusion into the SCS, creates a net westward transport into the Strait, and leads to an eddy detachment from the Kuroshio.     

Spreading of warm water from the Kuroshio Extension into the Perturbed Area

The path of the Kuroshio Extension describes two stationary meanders with crests at approximately 144°E and 150°E. The short-term meridional fluctuations of the warm water spreading northward from the first crest at the surface and its vertical structure were analyzed by using 5-day-mean surface temperature maps published by JAFIC, montly 100-m-depth temperature maps edited by the JMA, and CTD data obtained by the R.Vs.Kofu-Maru, Hakuho-Maru andTansei-Maru cruises from 1990 to 1994. A Northern Boundary of the Spreak Kuroshio Water (NBSKW) and a Southern Boundary of the Spread Kuroshio Water (SBSKW) at the surface were defined as the northern and southern boundary of the pronounced meriodional temperature gradients, respectively. The vertical structure of the Spread Kuroshio Water was analyzed in terms of its T-S properties. The location of the NBSKW at the surface corresponds well with the northern boundary of the subsurface high salinity water that represents the Spread Kuroshio Water. The short-term meridional fluctuations of the northern and southern boundary of the Spread Kuroshio Water at the surface were studied through the spectral analysis of the maximum latitude of the two lines defined. We obtained the following results: (1) the meridional fluctuations of the NBSKW and SBSKW at the first creast have major periods between 16 and 38 days; (2) the 50 day running mean of the SBSKW at the first crest, for the purpòse of this study, can be generally used as indicative of the location of the Kuroshio axis; and (3) the northward extent of the Spread Kuroshio Water and the velocity of the meridional shift suggest seasonal variability that could be related with their vertical structure.     

涡分辨率海洋模式及其海气耦合模式中吕宋海峡处的黑潮入侵

比较了准全球涡分辨率海洋模式（简记为LICOMH）及其海气耦合模式（简记为LICOMHC）中的黑潮入侵南海与观测中黑潮入侵的差异。我们发现在单独海洋模式中黑潮入侵与观测相比过强,而在其海气耦合模式中这一差异得到了改善。冬季的吕宋海峡输送（LST）在LICOMH中为-8.8×10⁶ m³s^-1,而在LICOMHC中则下降到-6.0×10⁶ m³s^-1 。进一步的研究表明是大尺度风场,局地风应力和吕宋海峡以东中尺度涡旋的共同作用导致了黑潮入侵在两个模式中的不同。LICOMH中吕宋岛东北部相对较强的气旋导致了较弱的黑潮输送及吕宋海峡处较强的黑潮入侵。以上三者共同作用造成的LST差异大约是2.0×10⁶ m³s^-1,与两个模式间的LST差异大小基本相当。进一步对LICOMH与LICOMHC中的EKE收支进行分析表明,LICOMH中更强的EKE输送及斜压转换项导致了黑潮以东存在更强的气旋,而海表风场对两个模式中的涡旋差异贡献极小。     

Mean circulation induced over bottom topography by mesoscale variabilities in the Kuroshio Extension

Circulation could be generated over bottom topography by vertical shrinking or stretching of a water parcel, in which potential vorticity is conserved. The water parcel moves up or down over the bottom topography yielding shrinking or stretching. In addition to a prevailing current which advects the water parcel in one direction, an oscillatory motion can also induce shrinking and stretching, and circulation is consequently generated over the bottom topography, once it is averaged in time. A two-layer quasi-geostrophic model has been used to reproduce mesoscale variabilities both in and under the Kuroshio Extension around the Shatsky Rise. A combination of TOPEX and ERS altimeters provided information on an eddy field near the sea surface, while a data assimilation method was used to reconstruct the flow field below the main thermocline. Among various mesoscale processes associated with the Kuroshio, it is remarkable that topographic Rossby waves trapped over the Shatsky Rise are generated by the upper-layer mesoscale variability. A persistent anticyclonic circulation is produced on the Shatsky Rise through a water parcel moving up and down over the bottom slope, and is consistent with the observed density anomaly in the WOA94.     

Warm water intrusion from the Kuroshio into the coastal areas south of Japan

Sea surface temperature (SST) has been measured in the south of Japan using a thermometer set up in the ferry boat to investigate the characteristics of the warm water intrudes into the coastal areas from the Kuroshio. Time series analysis was applied to the SST data with satellite images and hydrographic observation data from April 1987 to September 1989. The results indicate that the warm Kuroshio water intruded into the coastal areas on the Enshu-nada and the Kumano-nada Seas intermittently with periods of about 50 and 20 days associated with the fluctuation of the Kuroshio path and the Kuroshio frontal disturbance respectively. The intrusion with a 50-day period was dominant when the Kuroshio took a stationary small meander path (B- and C-types). The warm water spread to the west at 20 cm s^–1, and was estimated to have a depth of 150 m at least and supply enough heat to make up the loss due to the evaporation in the coastal area. During the straight path of the Kuroshio, it was detected that the warm water intruded into coastal areas only with a 20-day period. The warm water that intrudes with a period of 20 days spreads to the west at 25 cm s^–1 in a small scale.     

西北太平洋黑潮源区沉积特征及黑潮输入对东海沉积物的影响

在对海流和地质背景分析的基础上将源区黑潮划分为3个区域,即北赤道流区、吕宋岛以东海区和台湾东部黑潮主干区,归纳总结了其沉积物矿物组成、元素组分特征和物源研究结论,探讨了黑潮输入对东海沉积物的影响。总体看来,黑潮源区沉积物的主要外来源是菲律宾群岛、菲律宾岛弧、台湾河流输入和亚洲大陆风尘的输入。黑潮源区沉积物矿物分布受菲律宾海沟的阻隔、北赤道流与黑潮的营力作用、海底火山热液活动和水深影响较大,常量元素组成主要与海底地形和水深有关,稀土元素组成表现出具有明显陆源输入的边缘海沉积特征,Sr、Nd同位素组成的研究在该区主要用于追踪亚洲风尘输入。由于黑潮入侵东海多分支的复杂性,东海黑潮对陆架沉积物的影响尚需深入研究。进一步研究应在台湾东部沉积物物源分析、黑潮输入对东海沉积物影响的历史变化、多指标整合的综合分析方法、有效物源识别端元的构建等方面展开。深入研究黑潮源区沉积特征及物源可有效揭示黑潮流域变化、构造活动和气候变化等,且探明黑潮输入对东海陆架沉积物分布的影响有利于揭示东海生态环境变化和海洋资源环境的可持续利用。     

黑潮入侵对南海东北部浮游植物群落结构的影响

To further understand the effect of Kuroshio intrusion on phytoplankton community structure in the northeastern South China Sea(NSCS, 14°–23°N, 114°–124°E), one targeted cruise was carried out from July to August, 2017. A total of 79 genera and 287 species were identified, mainly including Bacillariophyta(129 species), Pyrrophyta(150 species), Cyanophyta(4 species), Chrysophyta(3 species) and Haptophyta(1 species). The average abundance of phytoplankton was 2.14×10~3 cells/L, and Cyanobacterium was dominant species accounting for 86.84% of total phytoplankton abundance. The abundance and distribution of dominant Cyanobacterium were obviously various along the flow of the Kuroshio, indicating the Cyanobacterium was profoundly influenced by the physical process of the Kuroshio. Therefore, Cyanobacterium could be used to indicate the influence of Kuroshio intrusion. In addition, the key controlling factors of the phytoplankton community were nitrogen, silicate, phosphate and temperature, according to Canonical Correspondence Analysis. However, the variability of these chemical parameters in the study water was similarly induced by the physical process of circulations. Based on the cluster analysis, the similarity of phytoplankton community is surprisingly divided by the regional influence of the Kuroshio intrusion, which indicated Kuroshio intrusion regulates phytoplankton community in the NSCS.     

Characteristics of the eddy caused by Izu-Oshima Island and the Kuroshio branch current in Sagami Bay,Japan

Direct current measurements of the branch current of the Kuroshio intruding into Sagani Bay were carried out during 1989–1990 in order to clarify the frequency characteristics of the eddies in the lee of Izu-Oshima Island, which are well recognized as cold water mass produced by upwelling. Satellite and ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) data indicated that current velocity in the eddy fluctuates with periods of 2–4 days and 6–8 days.When the Kuroshio branch current intruding into Sagami Bay from the western channel is weak and its velocity at the depth of 400 m is approximately 10 cm s^–1, the 6–8 day period fluctuation is dominant. On the other hand, when the branch current strongly intrudes from the western channel with a velocity of approximately 20 cm s^–1, the 2–4 day period fluctuation dominates. The relationship between the periods and velocities agrees well with theory based on laboratory experiments for a flow of a homogeneous fluid past a circular obstacle. These periods correspond to the time scale of appearance of the eddy caused by the intrusion of the Kuroshio branch current into Sagami Bay and Izu-Oshima Island.     

Photosynthesis-irradiance relationship of phytoplankton and primary production in the vicinity of Kuroshio warm core ring in spring

The light-saturated maximum value (P ^B _max) and initial slope (α) of the photosynthesis-irradiance (P-E) curve were examined in a warm streamer, a cold streamer and a warm core ring off the Sanriku area in the subarctic western North Pacific Ocean during an ADEOS/OCTS Sanriku field campaign in early May 1997. BothP ^B _max and α were within the ranges of temperate populations. A regional difference was apparent inP ^B _max: populations in the warm streamer tended to show higher value ranging between 1.92 and 4.74 mgC (mgChla)⁻¹h⁻¹ than those in the cold streamer and the warm core ring (1.35–2.87 mgC (mgChla)⁻¹h⁻¹). A depth variation was also observed in α in both the warm streamer and the warm core ring: shallow populations tended to have lower α than deep populations. The depth variations in bothP ^B _max and α resulted in a lower light intensity of the light saturation in a deeper population than that of a shallower one. These depth-related variations in the P-E parameters were likely a manifestation of “shade-adaptation” of photosynthesis. Photoinhibition was not observed over in situ surface light intensity varying below ca 1600 μmol photon m⁻²s⁻¹. Water-column primary productivity was biooptically estimated to be 233 to 949 mgC m⁻²d⁻¹ using vertical distributions of the P-E parameters, chlorophylla, phytoplankton light absorption and underwater irradiance. Applicability of surface data sets for estimation of water-column productivity is discussed.     

黑潮入侵优化对南海北部中尺度涡旋模拟的影响

基于高分辨率海洋环流模式,通过比较吕宋海峡处地形优化后的黑潮入侵形态和强度不同的试验,我们研究了黑潮入侵优化后对南海中尺度涡模拟的影响。我们发现黑潮入侵的减弱导致了涡旋活动的减弱,这使得模式结果与观测结果更为相近。在这种情况下,模式模拟的吕宋海峡西部及北部陆坡区域的涡动动能明显减弱。模式涡动动能的减弱与模式反气旋式涡数量的减少和气旋式涡强度的减弱有关。涡动动能收支的分析进一步表明,黑潮入侵的优化将通过改变水平速度切变和温跃层斜率来改变涡动动能,而这两个参数分别与正压和斜压不稳定性有关。前者在模式涡动动能减弱中起着更为重要的作用,而黑潮入侵导致的涡动动能的水平输送对吕宋海峡西部区域的能量收支同样起着重要的作用。     

Water and flow variations in Sagami Bay under the influence of the Kuroshio path

Variations of water and flow in Sagami Bay in relation to the Kuroshio path variations are examined by using 100m-depth temperature and salinity data from 25 stations as well as sea level data from five stations (Minami-Izu, ItÔ, Ôshima, Aburatsubo, Mera). In regard to temperature, anomalies from the mean seasonal variations are used. Results show that water properties are clearly different between the three typical paths of the Kuroshio. The difference is more remarkable in temperature than in salinity; temperature is higher during the typical large-eander (LM) path, and lower during the offshore non-large-meander (NLM) path, compared with the nearshore NLM path. Temperature anomaly and salinity distributions, as well as the Ôshima minus Minami-Izu and Ôshima minus Mera sea-level differences strongly suggest that the flows during the typical LM path are distributed as hitherto described in past studies, that is, water in the mouth region of the bay flows clockwise around Ôshima from the west channel to the east channel, and a counterclockwise eddy exists in the interior. On the other hand, flows during the nearshore and offshore NLM paths seem to be quite different from those during the typical LM path; velocities are very weak, and the directions of circulation is frequently reversed. This tendency also can be seen during parts of LM period in which the Kuroshio takes a non-typical LM path.Water properties in Sagami Bay are most characteristic during transitions between nearshore and offshore NLM paths. During transitions from nearshore to offshore NLM paths, temperatures are extremely high as a whole in the bay, while during reverse transitions, both temperatures and salinities are very low in the entire region.     

Surface circulation in Sagami Bay: the response to variations of the Kuroshio axis

In order to study the characteristics of the surface circulation in Sagami Bay, long-term current measurements were carried out at five moored stations during the period from October 1982 to January 1984. The majority of current patterns show the existence of a cyclonic eddy in the bay, while at times the direction of the circulation is reversed. When the Kuroshio current flows over the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge and approaches Sagami Bay, the current that passes through the Oshima-West Channel north of Oshima Island (COWC), has a strong clockwise flow, while the counterclockwise circulation in the bay becomes intensified. When the Kuroshio shifts southward off the shore, the COWC and the flow in the bay are weak or at times reverse their directions.