Eddy Shedding from the Kuroshio Bend at Luzon Strait

TOPEX/POSEDIENT-ERS satellite altimeter data along with the mean state from the Parallel Ocean Climate Model result have been used to investigate the variation of Kuroshio intrusion and eddy shedding at Luzon Strait during 1992–2001. The Kuroshio penetrates into the South China Sea and forms a bend. The Kuroshio bend varies with time, periodically shedding anticyclonic eddies. Criteria of eddy shedding are identified: 1) When the shedding event occurs, there are usually two centers of high Sea Surface Height (SSH) together with negative geostrophic vorticity in the Kuroshio Bend (KB) area. 2) Between the two centers of high SSH there usually exists positive geostrophic vorticity. These criteria have been used to determine the eddy shedding times and locations. The most frequent eddy shedding intervals are 70, 80 and 90 days. In both the winter and summer monsoon period, the most frequent locations are 119.5°E and 120°E, which means that the seasonal variation of eddy shedding location is unclear.     

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。     

黑潮流轴在吕宋海峡的变化分析

黑潮在流经吕宋海峡时呈现各种时间尺度的流态变化。本文基于高分辨率的区域海洋环流模式(ROMS)输出数据,分析了黑潮主流轴在吕宋海峡附近的变化特征和可能原因。研究结果表明,黑潮流轴在该区域具有明显的年际、季节和季节内变化,其中季节内变化最为强烈;在年际和季节时间尺度上,黑潮流轴在表层主要受局地风驱动的艾克曼漂流的影响,而在次表层则主要由黑潮本身的惯性决定;在季节内时间尺度上,黑潮流轴的变化主要受制于涡旋与黑潮的相互作用。     

中尺度涡旋影响吕宋海峡黑潮变异的动力机制

使用1.5层约化重力准地转模式,研究了西边界流在西边界缺口处当处于迟滞过程的临界状态时,其路径转变受中尺度涡旋影响的动力机制,初步探讨了中尺度涡旋影响西边界流在缺口处路径变化的几种形式.结果表明,气旋和反气旋中尺度涡旋都可能使西边界流产生由入侵流态到跨隙流态的转变,而只有反气旋式中尺度涡才有可能诱发西边界流由跨隙流态向入侵流态的转变.当西边界流远离其临界状态时,其路径不容易受中尺度涡旋的影响,此时跨隙的西边界流会阻挡中尺度涡旋在缺口处的向西传播,并迫使涡旋在吕宋海峡东侧向北移动.以上结果用来解释了吕宋海峡黑潮变异的某些结构特征.     

风急流对吕宋海峡黑潮路径变异的影响及其动力机制

为研究风急流对吕宋海峡处黑潮路径的影响,本文使用1.5层约化重力浅水模式,设置了与吕宋海峡跨度相接近的缺口宽度,考虑西边界流在西边界缺口处当处于迟滞过程的临界状态时,其路径受风急流影响的动力机制,并初步探讨了在实际海陆边界条件下,实际风急流对黑潮路径的影响。结果显示,理想情况下,当西边界流处在由入侵流态到跨隙流态转变的临界状态时,西风、南风以及西南风风急流可以激发西边界流由入侵流态转变为跨隙流态。当西边界流处在由跨隙流态向入侵流态转变的临界状态时,北风、东风以及东北风风急流可以激发西边界流由跨隙流态转变为入侵流态,并且在风急流消失后西边界流不能再恢复到初始流态。实际情况下,冬季风急流有利于黑潮入侵南海,夏季风急流有利于黑潮跨越吕宋海峡,这和理想情况下的模拟结果以及实际观测结果相一致,这对进一步研究南海北部的上层环流以及南海的质量、能量输送有重要意义。     

Primary Study of the Mechanism of Eddy Shedding from the Kuroshio Bend in Luzon Strait

The mechanism of the anticyclonic eddy's shedding from the Kuroshio bend in Luzon Strait has been studied using a nonlinear 2 1/2 layer model, in a domain including the North Pacific and South China Sea. The model is forced by steady zonal wind in the North Pacific. Energy analysis is adopted to detect the mechanism of the eddy shedding. Twelve experiments with unique changes of wind forcing speed (to obtain different Kuroshio transports at Luzon Strait) were performed to examine the relationship between the Kuroshio transport (KT) and the eddy shedding events. In the reference experiment with KT of 22.7 Sv (forced with zonal wind idealized from the annual mean wind stress from the COADS data set), the interval of eddy shedding is 70 days and the shed eddy centers at (20°N, 117.5°E). When the Kuroshio bend extends westward, the southern cyclonic perturbation grows so rapidly as to form a cyclonic eddy (18.5°N, 120.5°E) because of the frontal instability in the south of the Kuroshio bend. In the evolution of the cyclonic eddy, it cleaves the Kuroshio bend and triggers the separation of the anticyclonic eddy. In statistical terms, anticyclonic eddy shedding occurs only when KT fluctuates within a moderate range, between 21 Sv and 28 Sv. When the KT is larger than 28 Sv, a stronger frontal instability south of the Kuroshio bend tends to generate a cyclonic eddy of size similar to the width of the Luzon Strait. The bigger cyclonic eddy prevents the Kuroshio bend from extending into the SCS and does not lead to eddy shedding. On the other hand, when the KT decreases to less than 21 Sv, the frontal instability south of the Kuroshio bend is so weak that the size of corresponding cyclonic eddy is smaller than half the width of the Luzon Strait. The cyclonic eddy, lacking power, fails to cleave the Kuroshio bend and cause separation of an anticyclonic eddy; as a result, no eddy shedding occurred then, either.     

Index of Kuroshio penetrating the Luzon Strait and its preliminary application

A method of quantifying the penetration of the Kuroshio into the Luzon Strait is improved with simulated salinity. The new method is applied in an area bounded by 0.6 correlation coefficient contour to the point of 20 N, 118 E which is determined by EOF analysis. The results suggest that the method is suitable for indicating Kuroshio’s intrusion into the South China Sea quantitatively. As an indicator, the Kuroshio penetrating the Luzon index (KLI) reveals obvious annual cycle and weak bimodality. For annual periods, indexes on the surface and subsurface which point the same events have totally opposite signs due to the winter burst of surface westward current. On long-term period, the surface and subsurface indexes have consistent signs. A subsurface index on 150 m avoiding high frequency signals from the surface can be used for indicating long-term Kuroshio intrusion variation. An anti-phase pattern in wavelet coherence map between KLI and Japan large meander index shows that the Luzon Strait is a "smoother" reducing the variability of the Kuroshio transport changes on long-term periods.     

Evolution of the Kuroshio Tropical Water from the Luzon Strait to the east of Taiwan

This study examines the evolution of the Kuroshio Tropical Water (KTW) from the Luzon Strait to the I-Lan Ridge northeast of Taiwan. Historical conductivity temperature depth (CTD) profiles are analyzed using a method based on the calculation of the root mean square (rms) difference of the salinity along isopycnals. In combination with analysis of the distribution of the salinity maximum, this method enables water masses in the Kuroshio and the vicinity, to be tracked and distinguished as well as the detection of the areas where water masses are modified. Vertical and horizontal eddy diffusivities are then calculated from hydrographic and current velocity data to elucidate the dynamics underlying the KTW interactions with the surrounding water masses. Changes in KTW properties mainly occur in the southern half of the Luzon Strait, while moderate variations are observed east of Taiwan on the right flank of the Kuroshio. In spite of a front dividing the KTW from the South China Sea Tropical Water (SCSTW) on Kuroshio׳s western side, mixing between these two water masses seemingly occurs in the Luzon Strait. These water masses׳ interaction is not evident east of Taiwan. The estimation of eddy diffusivities yields high horizontal diffusivities (K_h~10² m² s⁻¹) all along the Kuroshio path, due to the high current shear along the Kuroshio׳s flanks. The vertical diffusivity approaches 10⁻³ m² s⁻¹, with the highest values in the southern Luzon Strait. Instabilities generated when the Kuroshio encounters the rough topography of this region may enhance both vertical and horizontal diffusivities there.     

理想台风驱动的涡旋对吕宋海峡黑潮影响的数值研究*

吕宋海峡以东即北太平洋热带地区常年存在着大量的涡旋,这些涡旋在向西运动的过程中遇到吕宋海峡黑潮后是否会穿越黑潮进入南海值得研究。文章用数值模式来模拟吕宋海峡的黑潮以及吕宋海峡以东的众多涡旋,结果表明没有一个涡旋可以穿越吕宋海峡进入南海。在此基础上引入了一个理想台风风场,通过风应力旋度的形式驱动出强劲的气旋式和反气旋式涡旋,这两个涡旋分别添加在源区黑潮附近,也是在源区黑潮流量最小的8月。以往研究表明,黑潮流量小而涡旋强劲的时候涡旋容易穿越吕宋海峡进入南海,但由何种原因产生的涡旋可以穿越吕宋海峡难以确定;而文章的数值计算结果表明,即使在黑潮较弱的夏季8月,由风应力旋度产生的中尺度涡,无论是气旋式还是反气旋式,都受到了吕宋海峡的阻挡而难以穿越。     

Instability of the Kuroshio in Luzon Strait: Effects of ridge topography and stratification

The spectral analyses of moored current velocities in the central Luzon Strait reveal northward (i.e., downstream of the Kuroshio) propagation of a frontal wave with a five-day period, with wave amplitude increasing northward. Estimated from both curve fitting and frequency domain Empirical Orthogonal Function methods, the characteristics of five-day variations have wave speeds ranging from 32 to 40 cm s⁻¹, wavelengths ranging from 130 to 150 km, and e-folding time scales for growth ranging from 0.8 to 3 days. An analytical two-layer model used to explore linear stability characteristics indicates that bottom topography (two meridional ridges) is important for the Kuroshio stability characteristics in the Luzon Strait. In the two-layer model with the two ridges, the flow is stabilized for the long-wave mode but destabilized for the short-wave mode (due to increasing vertical shear in the horizontal velocity). The analytical model produces wavelengths and phase speeds for the most unstable mode which is similar to the observation, but the growth rate is underestimated. However, a spectral numerical model applied with a more realistic stratification and velocity structure does obtain faster growth rates comparable to the observations. Parameter sensitivity tests were conducted using the analytical model. The characteristics of the most unstable mode are most sensitive to the surface front location relative to the bottom topography but not sensitive to varying the density difference and thickness of the upper layer.     

An anticyclonic eddy in the intermediate layer of the Luzon Strait in Autumn 2005

The complicated flow pattern in the intermediate layer of the Luzon Strait could directly affect the efficiency of the water and energy exchange between the South China Sea (SCS) and the North Pacific. Here we present a subsurface anticyclonic eddy in the Luzon Strait deduced using observations conducted in October 2005. On the basis of the hydrographic and current measurements, an anticyclonic eddy was found in the intermediate layer, i.e., about 26.8–27.3σ_θ, 500–900 m. It captures part of the SCS Intermediate Water outflow in the northern Luzon Strait, and carries it to flow southward and then westward back into the SCS in the southern Luzon Strait, with volume transport of about 1.9 × 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹. The simulated results from Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model also suggest the existence of this anticyclonic eddy that develops and lingers for a month long.     

谱松弛动力降尺度方法及其在吕宋海峡黑潮模拟中的应用

本文采用区域高分辨率海洋数值模型,将谱松弛动力降尺度方法应用于吕宋海峡及其邻近区域,对吕宋海峡黑潮流径的流型特征进行模拟与分析。实验结果显示,应用谱松弛法能够较好地改善区域模型的模拟效果：通过约束大尺度误差,不仅能直接约束区域内的大尺度海洋状态,也间接调整了小尺度过程的演变规律,改善了吕宋海峡黑潮流径的模拟效果。     

吕宋冷涡的季节变化特征及其与风应力的关系

利用AVISO提供的1993年1月至2007年5月的多卫星融合海面高度距平（SLA）数据,对研究区域（15°～20°N,113°～121°E）SLA的季节变化特征进行了分析．其结果表明：吕宋冷涡发生在冬、春季,且该冷涡的发生、发展与局地风应力具有较好的相关性;当SLA变化滞后于风应力1个月时,SLA与风应力的负相关系数达-0．78;且当出现西南风时,SLA为正值;而在东北季风期间,S／A为负值．对幽进行主成分分析得到的前2个模态反映了黝的季节变化特性,其中第一模态的贡献率为54．14％,表现为以18．5°N,119．5°E附近为中心的SLA同步涨落,对风应力的响应迟滞1个月,而且此模态与风应力模第一模态的空间分布十分相似;第二模态的贡献率则为14．54％,表现为季风作用下海面高度的Ekman调整．     

Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea with an anticyclonic eddy: evidence from underwater glider observation

In this study, high-resolution temperature and salinity data obtained from three Sea-Wing underwater gliders were used together with satellite altimeter data to track the vertical thermohaline structure of an anticyclonic eddy that originated from the loop current of the Kuroshio southwest of Taiwan, China. One of the gliders crossed the entire eddy and it observed a remarkable warm anomaly of as much as 3.9℃ extending to 500 dbar from the base of the mixed layer. Conversely, a positive salinity anomaly was found to be above 200 dbar only in the anticyclonic eddy, with a maximum value of >0.5 in the mixed layer. Below the mixed layer, water of higher salinity (>34.7) was found, which could have been preserved through constrained vertical mixing within the anticyclonic eddy. The salinity in the upper layer of the anticyclonic eddy was much similar to that of the northwestern Pacific Ocean than the northern South China Sea, reflecting Kuroshio intrusion with anticyclonic eddy shedding from the loop current.     

吕宋海峡內潮的季节变化特征及其对背景流的响应研究

基于2008年秋季至2009年夏季共9个月的锚定潜标流速资料,分析了吕宋海峡西南內潮的时空特征.谱分析结果显示,该观测点全日內潮和半日內潮较为显著,尤其体现在顺时针旋转部分.除春季第二模态占优外,全日內潮主在其余三个季节均以第一模态为主,而半日內潮呈现变化的多模态结构.此外,全日內潮的动能具有明显的季节差异,冬季能量最强,夏季紧随其后,而在春、秋两季能量最小.通过分析发现,非相干运动对此季节性特征起主要作用,它反映了內潮与背景场的相互作用.然而,半日內潮却没有显著的季节性差异,而且能量较全日內潮更小,尤其在冬季,只有全日內潮动能的三分之一.同时,半日內潮的不规则变化也是与多变的背景场相关的.半日內潮的非相干部分占到了半日內潮总能量的37%左右,而全日內潮更小一些,只有22.2%.     

Seasonal variation of mesoscale eddy intensity in the global ocean

Mesoscale eddies are a prominent oceanic phenomenon that plays an important role in oceanic mass transport and energy conversion. Characterizing by rotational speed, the eddy intensity is one of the most fundamental properties of an eddy. However, the seasonal spatiotemporal variation in eddy intensity has not been examined from a global ocean perspective. In this study, we unveil the seasonal spatiotemporal characteristics of eddy intensity in the global ocean by using the latest satellite-alti...     

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。     

卡里马塔海峡水体交换的季节变化

Four trawl-resistant bottom mounts, with acoustic Doppler current profilers(ADCPs) embedded, were deployed in the Karimata Strait from November 2008 to June 2015 as part of the South China Sea-Indonesian Seas Transport/Exchange and Impact on Seasonal Fish Migration(SITE) Program, to estimate the volume and property transport between the South China Sea and Indonesian seas via the strait. The observed current data reveal that the volume transport through the Karimata Strait exhibits significant seasonal variation. The winteraveraged(from December to February) transport is –1.99 Sv(1 Sv=1×10~6 m~3/s), while in the boreal summer(from June to August), the average transport is 0.69 Sv. Moreover, the average transport from January 2009 to December2014 is –0.74 Sv(the positive/negative value indicates northward/southward transport). May and September are the transition period. In May, the currents in the Karimata Strait turn northward, consistent with the local monsoon. In September, the southeasterly trade wind is still present over the strait, driving surface water northward, whereas the bottom flow reverses direction, possibly because of the pressure gradient across the strait from north to south.     

吕宋海峡流场季节变化的数值模拟

基于海洋模式HYCOM(Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model),利用大小区嵌套技术,分别对全球海洋和西北太平洋进行了网格嵌套数值模拟,研究了吕宋海峡海域环流场的季节性变化。考虑全球海洋环流影响的西北太平洋模式,成功地刻画了黑潮的流结构及季节变化。吕宋海峡海洋环流流场在不同深度处差异较大,存在着明显的季节变化。黑潮入侵南海主要发生在500m深度以上,冬季最明显,夏秋两季不明显。在500m层常年存在一支南海暖流流入西北太平洋,在800m层南海暖流消失。一年四季黑潮主要通过吕宋海峡的南部和中部进入南海。1 000m层流场表明,黑潮主要通过吕宋海峡的中部入侵南海。在800~1 000m处主要是黑潮水流入南海。     

利用高分辨率水体反射地震资料研究吕宋海峡以东黑潮区混合

混合过程是海洋中普遍存在的一种形式, 对气候变化、物质分布等起到了重要作用。地震海洋学是近十多年发展起来的一门新兴学科, 被广泛应用到物理海洋学问题的研究中, 具有高空间分辨率的突出优点。文章利用反射地震资料, 通过斜率谱方法, 分别获得了吕宋海峡以东黑潮区湍流段与内波段的耗散率及扩散率。结果显示, 在剖面深度200~800m的平均耗散率为10 ^-7.0W·kg ^-1, 平均扩散率为10 ^-3.3m ²·s ^-1, 比大洋统计均值10 ^-5.0m ²·s ^-1高约1~2个量级, 与前人在吕宋海峡的观测结果相一致。湍流段和内波段的扩散率空间分布差异较大: 湍流段扩散率高值区对应强流区域, 推测这里是中尺度涡边缘, 其次中尺度不稳定过程引起扰动增强, 进而引起湍流混合的加强; 内波段扩散率高值区出现在吕宋岛弧附近, 推测是内波遇到岛弧地形发生破碎, 进而引起强的内波混合。