Quasiperiodic small meanders of the Kuroshio off Cape Ashizuri and their inter-annual modulation caused by quasiperiodic arrivals of mesoscale eddies

A quasiperiodic variation of 100–110 days in the Kuroshio path off Cape Ashizuri, resulting from the passage of small meanders, was detected by observation with moored current meters during 1993–1995. TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter data covering 9 years showed that the quasiperiodic variation period was not persistent and modulated twice, with a ∼110-day period from mid-1993 to late 1996, a ∼150-day period from late 1996 to mid-1999, and a ∼110-day period from mid-1999 to late 2001. The quasiperiodic variations of the Kuroshio path migration were contemporaneous with the quasiperiodic arrivals of mesoscale eddies from the east along 27–32°N over the same ∼110- and ∼150-day period quasiperiodic variations. The periodic arrivals of the eddies configure the periodic variations of the Kuroshio path and its inter-annual modulation.     

黑潮延伸体区域50-100公里涡旋分布特征

本文使用基于热成风速度的涡旋识别拓展方法,通过海表面温度数据对黑潮延伸体区域50-100公里涡旋进行研究,发现50-100公里涡旋主要分布在黑潮延伸体流轴两侧,气旋涡和反气旋涡的寿命、半径分布具有一致性。气旋涡多出现在35°N以北,反气旋涡在35°N以南比较集中,与尺度较小的中尺度涡旋分布特征较为相似。冬夏两季涡旋地理分布存在一定差异,主要与不同季节该区域海表温度梯度及风应力旋度的变化有关。35°N以南50-100公里涡旋数量的季节性变化与风速大小的季节性变化存在明显的正相关性。35°N以南50-100公里涡旋三倍半径内风速异常和风应力旋度归一化表明,气旋涡对应风速负异常而反气旋涡对应风速正异常,反气旋涡的产生依赖于风应力负旋度,气旋涡的生成与风应力正旋度有关。     

北太平洋黑潮延伸体区域和副热带逆流区域中尺度涡能量特征研究

不同科研工作者对黑潮延伸体区域和北太平洋副热带逆流区域的中尺度现象进行过不同的研究,但对两区域中尺度涡进行统一比较分析的工作较少。因此,本文利用11年的卫星高度计海表面高度异常资料分别对这两个区域的中尺度现象特征及其能量变化过程进行系统的分析和对比。研究发现,两区域的气旋涡与反气旋涡在分布、振幅、能量和寿命上均存在差异;进一步的动能谱分析和能量串级讨论发现:两区域的动能谱密度虽均集中在2×10–3～4×10–3 周/km的波数域上,但黑潮延伸体区域大部分涡旋信号分布在经向上,而北太平洋副热带逆流区域主要分布在纬向上,这可能与两区域中尺度涡能量来源的不同有关。由于两区域在2×10–3～3×10–3 周/km的波数域上动能转移项以负值为主,这说明两区域在此波数域上均存在能量源,并且发生能量逆向串级。     

Multisatellite observations of smaller mesoscale eddy generation in the Kuroshio Extension

Smaller mesoscale eddies (SMEs) have an important effect on the transmission of ocean temperatures, salinity, energy, and marine biochemical processes. However, traditional altimeters, the dominant sensors used to identify and track eddies, have made it challenging to observe SMEs accurately due to resolution limitations. Eddies drive local upwelling or downwelling, leaving signatures on sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and chlorophyll concentrations (Chls). SST can be observed by spaceborne infrared sensors, and Chl can be measured by ocean color remote sensing. Therefore, multisatellite observations provide an opportunity to obtain information to characterize SMEs. In this paper, an eddy detection algorithm based on SST and Chl images is proposed, which identifies eddies by characterizing the spatial and temporal distribution of SST and Chl data. The algorithm is applied to characterize and analyze SMEs in the Kuroshio Extension. Statistical results on their distribution and seasonal variability are shown, and the formation processes are preliminarily discussed. SMEs generation may be contributed by horizontal strain instability, the interaction of topographic obstacles and currents, and wind stress curl.     

黑潮延伸体区域50~100 km涡旋分布特征

本文使用基于热成风速度的涡旋识别拓展方法,通过海表面温度数据对黑潮延伸体区域50~100 km涡旋进行研究,发现50~100 km涡旋主要分布在黑潮延伸体流轴两侧,气旋涡和反气旋涡的寿命、半径分布具有一致性。气旋涡多出现在35°N以北,反气旋涡在35°N以南比较集中,与尺度较小的中尺度涡旋分布特征较为相似。冬夏两季涡旋地理分布存在一定差异,主要与不同季节该区域海表温度梯度及风应力旋度的变化有关。35°N以南50~100 km涡旋数量的季节性变化与风速大小的季节性变化存在明显的正相关性。35°N以南50~100 km涡旋三倍半径内风速异常和风应力旋度归一化表明,气旋涡对应风速负异常而反气旋涡对应风速正异常,反气旋涡的产生依赖于风应力负旋度,气旋涡的生成与风应力正旋度有关。     

黑潮延伸体区域脱落涡旋的三维合成结构研究

Using AVISO satellite altimeter observations during 1993–2015 and a manual eddy detection method, a total of 276 anticyclonic rings and 242 cyclonic rings shed from the Kuroshio Extension(KE) were identified, and their three-dimensional(3D) anomaly structures were further reconstructd based on the Argo float data and the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology(JAMSTEC) cruise and buoy data through an interpolation method. It is found that the cyclonic(anticyclonic) rings presented consistent negative(positive) anomalies of potential temperature;meanwhile the relevant maximum anomaly center became increasingly shallow for the cyclonic rings whereas it went deeper for the anticyclonic rings as the potential temperature anomaly decreased from the west to the east. The above deepening or shoaling trend is associated with the zonal change of the depth of the main thermocline. Moreover, the composite cold ring between 140° and 150°E was found to exhibit a double-core vertical structure due to the existence of mode water with low potential vorticity. Specifically, a relatively large negative(positive) salinity anomaly and a small positive(negative) one appeared for the composite cyclonic(anticyclonic) ring at the depth above and below 600 m, respectively. The underlying driving force for the temperature and salinity anomaly of the composite rings was also attempted, which varies depending on the intensity of the background current and the temperature and salinity fields in different areas of the KE region, and the rings’ influences on the temperature and salinity could reach deeper than 1 000 m on average.     

The numerical simulation of the Kuroshio frontal eddies in the East China Sea using a hybrid coordinate ocean mode

A hybrid coordinate ocean model (HYCOM) is used to simulate the Kuroshio frontal eddies in the East China Sea (ECS). The research area is located (20°-32°N, 120°-132°E). Using the simulating data, it is figured out that the Kuroshio frontal eddies occur in summer as well as in the other season in this area. The life cycle of the Kuroshio and its frontal eddies is different with the position. The life-cycle of the Kuroshio frontal eddies of the northwest Diaoyu Islands is about 14 d; and the life cycle of the Kuroshio frontal eddies of southwest Yakushima about 20 d. This result extends the in situ researching results greatly. In addition, the vertical impact depth of the Kuroshio frontal eddies is also changing with the position. On the whole, in the ECS, the maximum impact depth of the Kuroshio frontal eddies of the northwest Taiwan Islands is about 75 m; the maximum impact depth of the Kuroshio frontal eddies of the northwest Diaoyu Islands is more than 125 m, but no more than 200 m; and the maximum impact depth of the Kuroshio frontal eddies of southwest Yakushima is up to 100 m.     

黑潮延伸体上游中尺度涡场的年代际振荡及其相关机制

黑潮延伸体上游区域的中尺度涡场的涡动能和涡特征尺度存在显著地年代际振荡,和黑潮延伸体路径的年代际变化有很好的相关性。当黑潮延伸体路径比较稳定时,其上游区域涡动能比较高,涡特征尺度比较大,反之相反。通过对黑潮延伸体上游区域的中尺度涡场进行集合分析发现:当黑潮延伸体处于稳定状态时,上游涡场几乎是各向均匀地,有轻微的径向伸长;而当黑潮延伸体处于不稳定状态时,上游的中尺度涡场有显著地纬向伸长。对与中尺度涡场的产生相关的线性斜压不稳定和正压不稳定进行了计算分析,结果显示,线性斜压不稳定不是控制中尺度涡场年代际变化的机制,而正压不稳定对中尺度涡场的年代际变化有积极的贡献。不稳定产生的中尺度涡之间存在非线性涡-涡相互作用。     

Monitoring the Kuroshio Extension with Dynamically Constrained Synthesis of the Acoustic Tomography, Satellite Altimeter and in situ Data

A finite-difference quasigeostrophic (QG) model of an open ocean region has been employed to produce a dynamically constrained synthesis of acoustic tomography and satellite altimetry data with in situ observations. The assimilation algorithm is based upon the 4D variational data interpolation scheme controlled by the model's initial and boundary conditions. The data sets analyzed include direct and differential travel times measured at the array of five acoustic transceivers deployed by JAMSTEC in the region of the Kuroshio Extension in 1997, Topex/Poseidon altimetry, CTD soundings, and ADCP velocity profiles. The region monitored is located within the area 27.5°–36.5°N, 143°–155°. The results of assimilation show that mesoscale variability can be effectively reconstructed by five transceivers measuring direct and reciprocal travel times supported by relatively sparse in situ measurements. The misfits between model and data lie within the observational error bars for all the data types used in assimilation. We have compared the results of assimilation with the statistical inversion of travel time data and analyzed energy balances of the optimized model solution. Energy exchange between the depth-averaged and shear components of the observed currents reveals a weak decay of the barotropic mode at the rate of 0.2 ± 0.7⋅10⁻⁵ cm²/s³ due to topographic interaction. Mean currents in the region are unstable with an estimate of the available potential energy flux from the mean current to the eddies of 4.7 ± 2.3⋅10⁻⁵ cm²/s³. Kinetic energy transition has the same sign and is estimated as 2.8 ± 2.5⋅10⁻⁵ cm²/s³. Potential enstrophy is transferred to the mesoscale at a rate of 5.5 ± 2.7⋅10⁻¹⁸ s⁻³. These figures provide observational evidence of the properties of free geostrophic turbulence which were predicted by theory and observed in numerical experiments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Nitrogen fixation driven by mesoscale eddies and the Kuroshio Current in the northern South China Sea and the East China Sea

N₂ fixation rates(NFR, in terms of N) in the northern South China Sea(nSCS) and the East China Sea(ECS) were measured using the acetylene reduction assay in summer and winter, 2009. NFR of the surface water ranged from 1.14 nmol/(L·d) to 10.40 nmol/(L·d)(average at(4.89±3.46) nmol/(L·d), n=11) in summer and 0.74 nmol/(L·d) to 29.45 nmol/(L·d)(average at(7.81±8.50) nmol/(L·d), n=15) in winter. Significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity emerged in our study: the anticyclonic eddies(AE)(P...     

Spatial and Temporal Variation of Surface xCO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Providing Net Biological Productivities in the Western North Pacific in June

More than 14,000 measurements of surface water xCO₂ were obtained during two cruises, 3 weeks apart in June 2000, along 155°E between 34 and 44°N in the western North Pacific Ocean. Based on the distributions of salinity and sea surface temperature (SST), the region has been divided into 6 subregions; Oyashio, Oyashio front, Transition, Kuroshio front, and Kuroshio extension I and II zones, from north to south. The surface waters were always undersaturated with respect to atmospheric CO₂. The Oyashio water was the least undersaturated: its xCO₂ decreased slightly by 7 ppm, while SST increased by 2°C. The xCO₂ normalized to a constant temperature decreased considerably. In the two frontal zones, a large drawdown of 30–40 ppm was observed after 18–19 days. In the Kuroshio extension zones, the xCO₂ increased, but the normalized xCO₂ decreased considerably. The Transition zone water may be somewhat affected by mixing with the subsurface water, as indicated by the smallest SST rise, an undecreased PO₄ concentration, and a colder and less stable surface layer than the Oyashio front water. As the uncertainty derived from the air-sea CO₂ flux was not large, the xCO₂ data allowed us to calculate the net biological productivity. The productivities around 60 mmol C m⁻²d⁻¹ outside the Transition zone indicate that the northwestern North Pacific, especially the two frontal zones, can be regarded as one of the most productive oceans in the world.     

Effects of cold eddy on phytoplankton production and assemblages in Luzon strait bordering the South China Sea

The biochemical effects of a cold-core eddy that was shed from the Kuroshio Current at the Luzon Strait bordering the South China Sea (SCS) were studied in late spring, a relatively unproductive season in the SCS. The extent of the eddy was determined by time-series images of SeaWiFS ocean color, AVHRR sea surface temperature, and TOPEX/Jason-1 sea surface height anomaly. Nutrient budgets, nitrate-based new production, primary production, and phytoplankton assemblages were compared between the eddy and its surrounding Kuroshio and SCS waters. The enhanced productivity in the eddy was comparable to wintertime productivity in the SCS basin, which is supported by upwelled subsurface nitrate under the prevailing Northeastern Monsoon. There were more Synechococcus, pico-eucaryotes, and diatoms, but less Trichodesmium in the surface water inside the eddy than outside. Prochlorococcus and Richelia intracellularis showed no spatial differences. Water column-integrated primary production (IPP) inside the eddy was 2–3 times that outside the eddy in the SCS (1.09 vs. 0.59 g C m⁻²d⁻¹), as was nitrate-based new production (INP) (0.67 vs. 0.25 g C m⁻²d⁻¹). INP in the eddy was 6 times that in the Kuroshio (0.12 g C m⁻²d⁻¹). IPP and INP in the eddy were higher than the maximum production values ever measured in the SCS basin. Surface chlorophyll a concentration (0.40 mg m⁻³) in the eddy equaled the maximum concentration registered for the SCS basin and was higher than the wintertime average (0.29 ± 0.04 mg m⁻³). INP was 3.5 times as great and IPP was doubled in the eddy compared to the wintertime SCS basin. As cold core eddies form intermittently all year round as the Kuroshio invades the SCS, their effects on phytoplankton productivity and assemblages are likely to have important influences on the biogeochemical cycle of the region.     

中尺度涡影响下的南海西部活性铝分布

To understand the distribution of aluminum(Al) under the influence of mesocale eddies in the western South China Sea(SCS), sea level anomaly, geostrophic current, environmental parameters and reactive Al were investigated in the western SCS in August 2013. The highest reactive Al concentration((180±64) nmol/L) was observed in the surface waters, indicating a substantial atmospheric input. Vertically, the reactive Al decreased from the surface high concentration to the subsurface minima at the depth of chlorophyll a(Chl a) maxima and then increased again with depth at most of the stations. The average concentration of reactive Al in the upper 100 m water column was significantly lower in the cyclonic eddy((137±6) nmol/L) as compared with that in the noneddy waters((180±21) nmol/L). By contrast, the average concentrations of Chl a and silicate in the upper 100 m water column were higher in the cyclonic eddy and lower in the anticyclonic eddy. There was a significant negative correlation between the average concentrations of reactive Al and Chl a in the upper 100 m water column. The vertical distribution of reactive Al and the negative correlation between reactive Al and Chl a both suggest that the reactive Al in the upper water column was significantly influenced by biological removal processes. Our results indicate that mesoscale eddies could regulate the distribution of reactive Al by influencing the primary production and phytoplankton community structure in the western SCS.