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.     

A Review on the Currents in the South China Sea: Seasonal Circulation, South China Sea Warm Current and Kuroshio Intrusion

Researches on the currents in the South China Sea (SCS) and the interaction between the SCS and its adjacent seas are reviewed. Overall seasonal circulation in the SCS is cyclonic in winter and anticyclonic in summer with a few stable eddies. The seasonal circulation is mostly driven by monsoon winds, and is related to water exchange between the SCS and the East China Sea through the Taiwan Strait, and between the SCS and the Kuroshio through the Luzon Strait. Seasonal characteristics of the South China Sea Warm Current in the northern SCS and the Kuroshio intrusion to the SCS are summarized in terms of the interaction between the SCS and its adjacent seas.     

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…     

Intrusion of less saline shelf water into the Kuroshio subsurface layer in the East China Sea

The possible origin and cause of the less saline shelf water detected in the Kuroshio subsurface layer around the shelf edge of the East China Sea are investigated using observational results obtained in May 1998–2001 in conjunction with a dataset archived by Japan Oceanographic Data Center and a numerical model. The observations show that subsurface intrusions of less saline water are always detected in May in layers above 24.5σθ isopycnal surface, and that salinity inversions (i.e., areas in which the less saline water lies beneath the saline water) are detected around the trough of the Kuroshio frontal eddy (or wave). Analyses of the archived dataset reveal that the isopycnal surface of 24.5σθ is the deepest layer of the Kuroshio pycnocline outcropping to the sea surface on the shallow shelf in early spring. Outcropping isopycnals above 24.5σθ encounter a less saline water plume originating from the Changjiang, especially in the western East China Sea. Thereafter, the less saline water moves along isopycnal layers and reaches the Kuroshio front around the shelf edge. Numerical models demonstrate that, when the frontal wave captures the less saline water, the shelf water takes the form of a salinity inversion in the trough because isohalines in the frontal wave have a phase lag between the upper and lower layers in consequence of the baroclinic instability.     

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.     

The Kuroshio near the Luzon Strait and circulation in the northern South China Sea during August and September 1994

Wind data from NCEP and hydrographic data obtained from August 28 to September 10, 1994 have been used to compute circulation in the northern South China Sea and near Luzon Strait using three-dimensional diagnostic models with a modified inverse method. The numerical results are as follows: the main Kuroshio is located above 400 m levels near Taiwan’s eastern coast and above 800 m levels away from it. Near Luzon Strait above 400 m levels a branch of the Kuroshio joins with a part of the northward current, which comes from an area west of Luzon’s western coast and intrudes northwestward, then it branchs into western and eastern parts near 20°30′ N. The eastern part flows northward into an area east of Taiwan, while its western part continues to intrude northwestward, flowing through an area southwest of Taiwan. Net westward intruded volume transport through longitude Section AB at 121°00′ E from 19°00′ N to 21° 43′ N is about 3.5 × 10⁶ m³s⁻¹ in a layer above 400 m levels. The anticyclonic eddies W1 and W3 exist above 700 m levels east of Dongsha Islands and below 200 m levels in the eastern part of the region, respectively. The circulation in the middle region is dominated mainly by a basin-scale cyclonic gyre, and consists of three cyclonic eddies. Strong upwelling occurs in the middle region. The joint effect of baroclinity and relief and interaction between wind stress and relief both are important for real forcing of flow across contours of fH ⁻¹ in effecting the circulation pattern.     

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.     

Seasonal characteristics and forcing mechanisms of the surface Kuroshio branch intrusion into the South China Sea

Using observational data of Argos satellite-tracked drifters from 1988 to 2012, we analyzed seasonal characteristics of the surface Kuroshio branch(KB) intrusion into the South China Sea(SCS). The analysis results are as follows.The surface KB originates from the southern Balintang Channel(BLTC) and Babuyan Channel(BBYC). It begins in late September, reaches peak strength in November–December, and declines at the end of March. The mean speed of drifters along the KB path during their traverse of the Luzon Strait(LS) was 43% faster than during the two days before entering the LS for the flow originating from the southern BLTC, but there was a 24% increase in speed for the flow from the BBYC. The observations show that in winter, monthly-mean sea-level anomalies(SLAs) were positive southwest of Taiwan Island and extended to the northern LS. The SLAs were negative northwest of Luzon Island and extended to the southern LS, which acted like a pump, forcing a part of Kuroshio water westward into the SCS. The condition under which the KB forms was solved by a set of simplified motion equations. The results indicate that whether the KB can form depends upon the sea-level gradient at the central LS and region to the west, as well as the location, speed and direction of Kuroshio surface water when it enters the LS.     

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.     

南海北部内孤立波生成对黑潮响应的初步研究

为了研究南海北部黑潮入侵对内孤立波生成造成的影响,本研究在对合成孔径雷达图像处理分析的基础上,运用二维非静力模式,对南海北部内孤立波生成以及其对黑潮入侵的响应做了初步的模拟和分析。对4 a(2007~2010年)的合成孔径雷达(SAR)图像统计分析发现,内波出现频率呈现明显的季节变化。月平均数据表明,内波出现频率在5月到8月期间较高并在6月达到峰值,占全年总数的29%;而在11月到次年的2月份期间出现频率较低并在12月和1月达到最低,各占全年的0.5%。通过二维、非静力近似数值模拟研究发现:黑潮入侵引起的平流对吕宋海峡区域内孤立波的激发产生具有明显的影响。具体表现为,黑潮入侵引起的的西向平均流拉伸了内孤立波波形并加强内孤立波的能量的频散,使得大振幅内孤立波演变成多个分散的波动,波长变长、振幅变小。敏感性实验通过替换夏季温盐场为冬季温盐场,对模拟结果并无实质上的影响,表明冬夏季温盐场的差异并非是SAR观测内波出现频率呈季节变化的重要因素。     

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.     

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...     

进入中国南海的黑潮脱落中尺度涡的特征——基于OFES模式数据

自黑潮脱落并由吕宋海峡进入中国南海的中尺度涡(简称脱落涡旋)对黑潮与南海的水体交换、热量及物质输送等过程均有十分重要的作用.基于1993—2013年OFES(OGCM for the Earth Simulator)模式数据产品,分析研究了脱落涡旋的统计特征及其温盐流三维结构,并与卫星观测结果进行对比分析.OFES模式...     

黑潮水入侵东海陆架及陆架环流的若干现象

利用WOCE-SVP和中国近海环流观察项目的卫星跟踪表层测流浮标资料，详细分析了黑潮及其入侵东海陆架和东海陆架上层环流的分布状况，结果表明：黑潮从台湾东部进入东海后，明显入侵陆架，并在复杂地形的作用下使其流路呈现多种变化，分析结果还显示，对马暖流不仅仅是黑潮的延续，而是多支流合成的结果，通过资料分析发现：秋节东海黑潮西侧100m等深线处可能存在一支与黑潮反向的逆流，关于它存在的季节变化和动力机制有待进一步的深入研究。     

黑潮反气旋涡脱落时南海北部的海温分布

利用WOCE-OUT的温度资料,结合TOPEX/POSEDIENT-ERS卫星高度计资料、ParallelOceanClimateModel结果,分析了1994年2月9-19日,1994年10月26日-11月6日,1995年2月4日-14日和1997年6月23日-7月4日四个反气旋涡旋脱落时间段内南海北部的海温状况,探讨了海平面高度场中的反气旋涡在温度场中的表现特征。发现海平面高度资料中的反气旋涡对应着温度场中的高(或暖舌)温中心,其中,反气旋涡脱落发生在夏、秋季时,高温中心比海平面高度的高值中心偏西南;发生在冬季时,暖舌与海平面高度的高值中心基本一致。脱落的反气旋涡对海温的影响深度约为130～180m。     

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。     

Skewed Water Temperature Occurrence Frequency in the Sea off Sanriku, Japan, and Intrusion of the Pure Kuroshio Water

Temperature and salinity data obtained by the Iwate Fisheries Technology Center were analyzed for the period 1971–1995. It was found that occurrence frequency distributions of temperature and salinity are very skewed at depths deeper than 200 m and that temperature sometimes exceeds m + 5σ (m: mean and σ: standard deviation. If such abnormally high temperatures are real the 3σ criterion cannot be adopted. Oceanic conditions were surveyed in 1972 and 1979, when temperatures exceeding m + 5σ were observed. It was found that the abnormally high temperature (and high salinity) water was the pure Kuroshio Water introduced into the region due to some special conditions such as abnormal approach of large warm-core ring to the Sanriku Coast or abnormal northward extension of the Kuroshio along the coast. These events are very rare, occurring only twice in the 25-year period analyzed, but the abnormally high temperature observed is real. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea in 1995

INTRODUCTIONTherearemanyresearchworksabbottheKUrOShioVTanditSSeaSOnalvacationintheEastChinaho(GUan,1988;Nishizawaetal.,1982;TangandTaShiro,1993;SunandKaneko,1993;Yuanetal.,1990;Yuanetal.,1993;Yuanetal.,1994;Yuanetal.,1995;LiuandYuan,1997a,b).~previou...     

1992年东海黑潮的变异

基于1992年4个航次的水文调查资料,运用改进逆方法计算了东海黑潮的流速、流量和热通量．计算结果表明：（1）PN断面黑潮在春季和秋季都有两个流核,冬季和夏季则只有一个流核．主核心皆位于坡折处．Vmax值春季最大,冬季和夏季次之,而秋季最小．黑潮以东及以下都存在逆流．（2）TK断面黑潮在冬季为两核,春、夏季为3核．海峡南端及海峡深处存在西向逆流．（3）通过A断面的对马暖流Vmax值在秋季最大,冬季最小．黄海暖流位于其西侧,相对较弱．（4）通过PN断面净北向流量夏季最大,秋季最小,而冬、春季介于上述二者之间,1992年四季平均值为28．0×106m3/s;TK断面的净东向流量也是在夏季最大;A断面净北向流量则在秋季最大．（5）PN断面4个航次的平均热通量为2．03×1015W．TK断面3个航次的平均热通量为2．00×1015W．（6）在计算海区,冬、春和秋季都是由海洋向大气放热;夏季则从大气吸热．冬季海面上热交换率最大,而夏季热交换率最小．关键词##4东海;;黑潮;;季节变化