Influence of the Kuroshio Fluctuations on Sea Level Variations along the South Coast of Japan

The correlation between the Kuroshio and coastal sea level south of Japan has been examined using the altimetry and tide gauge data during the period 1992–2000. The sea level varies uniformly in a region bounded by the coast and the mean Kuroshio axis, which stretches for several hundred kilometers along the coast. These variations are related with the Kuroshio velocity, as coastal sea level decreases (or increases) when the Kuroshio is faster (or slower). To the east of the Kii Peninsula, where sea level variations are different from these to the west, movement of the Kuroshio axis additionally affects coastal sea level variations.     

Estimating the geostrophic velocity obtained by HF radar observations in the upstream area of the Kuroshio

A method to extract geostrophic current in the daily mean HF radar data in the Kuroshio upstream region is established by comparison with geostrophic velocity determined from the along-track altimetry data. The estimated Ekman current in the HF velocity is 1.2% (1.5%) and 48° (38°)-clockwise rotated with respect to the daily mean wind in (outside) the Kuroshio. Furthermore, additional temporal smoothing is found necessary to remove residual ageostrophic currents such as the inertial oscillation. After removal of the ageostrophic components, the HF geostrophic velocity agrees well with that from the altimetry data with rms difference 0.14 (0.12) m/s in (outside) the Kuroshio.     

利用卫星测高、GRACE和GOCE资料估计全球海洋表面地转流

重力恢复和气候试验GRACE(gravity recovery and climate experiment)卫星极大地提高了地球重力场的精度和分辨率,特别是中长波分量,联合卫星测高数据可获得全球海洋表面大尺度洋流循环。另外,新一代地球重力和海洋环流探测卫星GOCE(gravity field and steady-state ocean circulation explorer)于2009年3月成功发射,采用卫星重力梯度测量原理,对重力场的高频部分非常敏感,使其高分辨率监测全球海洋循环成为可能。本文利用1~7年GRACE观测数据确定的重力场模型和18个月GOCE观测数据确定的地球重力场模型GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIM_R3,联合卫星测高确定的平均海面高模型MSS_CNES_CLS_11,分别估计全球海洋表面地转流,并且与实测浮标数据结果进行比较。分析表明GOCE重力卫星确定的重力场模型具有更高的空间分辨率,能够确定高精度和高空间分辨率的全球海洋地转流,如墨西哥湾暖流的细节和特征,并且与实测浮标结果基本一致。而基于1~4年GRACE观测资料的模型不能很好估计全球地转流特征,基于7年GRACE观测资料的重力场模型ITG-Grace2010s确定的全球地转流的精度仍低于18个月GOCE观测数据确定的地球重力场模型GO_CONS_GCF_2_TIM_R3的结果,估计的全球地转流仍含有较大的噪声,不能很好地反应中小尺度地转流细节特征。并计算ITG_Grace2010s和GOCE_TIM3的稳态海面地形和全球平均地转流的内符合精度,结果显示,在全球范围内,GOCE_TIM3的稳态海面地形和全球平均地转流的精度都比ITG_Grace2010s结果的精度有着很大的改善,其中ITG_Grace2010s的稳态海面地形的精度为21.6cm,而GOCE_TIM3的结果则为7.45cm,ITG_Grace2010s的全球平均地转流的精度为40.7cm/s,而GOCE_TIM3的结果则为19.6cm/s。     

Influence of Mesoscale Eddies on Variations of the Kuroshio Path South of Japan

The influences of mesoscale eddies on variations of the Kuroshio path south of Japan have been investigated using time series of the Kuroshio axis location and altimeter-derived sea surface height maps for a period of seven years from 1993 to 1999, when the Kuroshio followed its non-large meander path. It was found that both the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies may interact with the Kuroshio and trigger short-term meanders of the Kuroshio path, although not all eddies that approached or collided with the Kuroshio formed meanders. An anticyclonic eddy that revolves clockwise in a region south of Shikoku and Cape Shionomisaki with a period of about 5–6 months was found to propagate westward along about 30°N and collide with the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu or south of Shikoku. This collision sometimes triggers meanders which propagate over the whole region south of Japan. The eddy was advected downstream, generating a meander on the downstream side to the east of Cape Shionomisaki. After the eddy passed Cape Shionomisaki, it detached from the Kuroshio and started to move westward again. Sometimes the eddy merges with other anticyclonic eddies traveling from the east. Coalescence of cyclonic eddies, which are also generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan, into the Kuroshio in the east of Kyushu, also triggers meanders which mainly propagate only in a region west of Cape Shionomisaki. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Estimating the Kuroshio Axis South of Japan Using Combination of Satellite Altimetry and Drifting Buoys

By tracking the locally strongest part of the sea-surface velocity field, which was obtained by integrating data of satellite altimeters and surface drifting buoys, we extracted the Kuroshio axis south of Japan every 10 days from October 1992 to December 2000. The obtained axes clearly express the effect of the bottom topography; three modes were observed when the Kuroshio ran over the Izu Ridge. The axis was very stable to the south of ‘Tosa-bae,’ off the Kii Channel. Mean current speed at the Kuroshio axis gradually increased from 0.65 m/s south of Kyushu to 1.45 m/s off Enshu-nada. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Seasonality of the Kuroshio Transport Revealed in a Kuroshio Assimilation System

The seasonal variation of the Kuroshio transport south of Japan has been investigated using the results of an assimilation model. Annual and semiannual variations of the transport and dynamic depth anomaly are reconstructed by CEOF (complex orthogonal empirical function) analysis. In the basin west of the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge, the annual component of the variation propagates westward with the phase speed of the long Rossby wave associated with the first baroclinic mode. The variation also shows a similar tendency to that reproduced in a wind-driven, two-layer model with a ridge. This suggests that the annual variation revealed in the assimilation model is associated with the baroclinic first mode of motion excited above the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge. Furthermore, it is found that both the semiannual component and the annual component are important members determining the seasonal variation of the Kuroshio transport south of Japan. The semiannual component is revealed as a double gyre pattern in the basin west of the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

日本海西南海域现场观测和卫星高度计获取的海面高度距平的比较研究

压力传感逆式回声仪(pressure-sensor-equipped inverted echo sounders,PIES)可以用来测量海底压力和声波从海底到海面的传播时间。海底压力和声波传播时间分别被用来估计水体质量变化(正压)和比容变化(斜压)对海面高度距平的贡献。对由PIES在日本海西南海域现场观测数据得到的海面高度距平(PIES SLA)与卫星高度计海面高度距平(Sat SLA)进行了比较研究。利用相关分析法,对PIES SLA和沿轨T/P卫星、沿轨ERS-2卫星测得的海面高度距平(TP SLA、ERS-2 SLA)进行了比较;对PIES SLA和AVISO网格化海面高度距平进行了比较,估计可能的误差来源,并分析PIES SLA正压部分和斜压部分对SLA的贡献。比较发现,PIES SLA和Sat SLA的相关系数较高,且均方根误差较小,并且对特定区域和特定站点产生误差可能的原因进行了进一步的探讨。通过研究,有以下结论:(1)相对于湾流和黑潮地区,这一区域正压部分对海面高度的贡献相对较大;(2)如果再考虑斜压变化对海面高度的贡献,PIES SLA和Sat SLA相关系数会有所提升;(3)在高能区PIES SLA和Sat SLA相关系数较高,符合得相对比较好。总的来说,在日本海地区,PIES SLA和Sat SLA相关系数较高,具有较高的一致性,能为我国海洋二号(HY-2)等卫星高度计的校验提供一种可靠的方式。该研究对于PIES的研发和设计以及对于PIES的布放位置的选择都有一定的借鉴意义。     

源地黑潮及其上下游流量的变化特征

本文基于长时间序列的海流和温盐资料（最新版SODA高分辩率再分析资料和137°E断面的观测资料）,计算了黑潮流系四个主要断面的流量,并分析了它们的变化特征．结果表明,黑潮流系各主要断面流量具有显著的季节性差异,其年际、年代际变化明显．相关分析表明,源地黑潮及其上下游流量变化具有较强的独立性,变化不尽一致,其中,短期气候变化特征可能与热带太平洋的年际变化有明显关联,而年代际变化则可能与发生于北太平洋的年代际变化以及其它副热带中尺度涡旋等变化有一定联系．     

联合卫星测高和卫星重力数据研究热容海平面变化

首先用卫星测高资料计算了1993～2009年6月的全球平均海平面变化。用GRACE(gravity recovery andclimate experiment)时变重力场系数反演了2003～2009年6月全球平均海水质量变化。联合GRACE和卫星测高资料计算了2003～2009年6月的热容海平面变化,该变化呈上升趋势。用日本气象局Ishii等提供的海温数据计算了1993～2006年的海水引起的平均热膨胀海平面变化,1993～2003年间,全球海洋热膨胀引起的热容海平面呈上升趋势,约占同期平均海平面变化的一半。利用ARGO温盐数据计算了2004～2009年6月平均热容海平面变化,也呈上升态势,只是变化速率有所减慢。     

Mesoscale Eddies Observed by TOLEX-ADCP and TOPEX/POSEIDON Altimeter in the Kuroshio Recirculation Region South of Japan

Mesoscale eddies in the Kuroshio recirculation region south of Japan have been investigated by using surface current data measured by an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) installed on a regular ferry shuttling between Tokyo and Chichijima, Bonin Islands, and sea surface height anomaly derived from the TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter. Many cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies were observed in the region. Spatial and temporal scales of the eddies were determined by lag-correlation analyses in space and time. The eddies are circular in shape with a diameter of 500 km and a temporal scale of 80 days. Typical maximum surface velocity and sea surface height anomaly associated with the eddies are 15–20 cm s^–1 and 15 cm, respectively. The frequency of occurrence, temporal and spatial scales, and intensity are all nearly the same for the cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies, which are considered to be successive wave-like disturbances rather than solitary eddies. Phase speed of westward propagation of the eddies is estimated as 6.8 cm s^–1, which is faster than a theoretical estimate based on the baroclinic first-mode Rossby wave with or without a mean current. The spatial distribution of sea surface height variations suggests that these eddies may be generated in the Kuroshio Extension region and propagate westward in the Kuroshio recirculation region, though further studies are needed to clarify the generation processes.     

Sensitivity of the Interannual Kuroshio Transport Variation South of Japan to Wind Dataset in OGCM Calculation

Numerical experiments were carried out using OGCM (Ocean General Circulation Model), MOM2.2 (Modular Ocean Model Ver. 2.2), over realistic topography data, ETOPO5 (Earth Topography - 5 Minute), to investigate the interannual variability of the Kuroshio transport in 1960–2000 south of Japan; 1) the PN line located off the East China Sea, and 2) the ASUKA (Affiliated Surveys of the Kuroshio off Cape Ashizuri) line located off Cape Ashizuri. We adopted two wind datasets as driving forces of the OGCM: 1) the NCEP/NCAR (National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research) reanalysis monthly mean wind stress data, and 2) the ECMWF (European Centre for Medium-range Weather Forecasts) daily wind data. In the ECMWF experiments we replaced the NCEP/NCAR data only in 1979–1993 because of the availability of the data. The OGCMs and observation basically agree on the temporal variation patterns of the transports until 1986 on the PN line with correlation coefficients of about 0.6. During the 1990s, when data were collected on the ASUKA line, the NCEP/NCAR experiments give lower correlation coefficients (less than 0.3), on both PN and ASUKA lines, while the ECMWF experiments have a higher value on the ASUKA line (0.5). One of the reasons for the disagreement between the observations and OGCMs during the 1990s might arise from the NCEP/NCAR data. An additional analysis of a wind-driven circulation was performed to examine the sensitivity of integrated Sverdrup transport along the western boundary to the propagation speed of a baroclinic Rossby wave, which is varied by stratification. A variation of the stratification, which might be induced by variability of air-sea heat and freshwater fluxes, cannot be a main cause of the disagreement. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparison of Kuroshio surface velocities derived from satellite altimeter and drifting buoy data

Sea-surface geostrophic velocities for the Kuroshio region calculated from TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry data together within situ oceanographic data are compared with surface velocities derived from drifting buoy trajectories. The geostrophic velocities agree well with the observed velocities, suggesting that the Kuroshio surface layer is essentially in geostrophic balance, within measurement error. The comparison is improved a little when the centrifugal acceleration is taken into account. The observed velocities are divided into the temporal mean and fluctuation components, and the partitioning of velocities between these two components is examined. For the Kuroshio region, most of the fluctuation components of the velocities derived from drifting buoys are found to be positive. This result suggests that Eulerian mean velocities for the Kuroshio region estimated from drifting buoy data tend to be larger than actual means, due to the buoy’s tendency to sample preferentially in the high-velocity Kuroshio.     

Temporal-spatial oceanic variation in relation with the three typical Kuroshio paths south of Japan

Empirical orthogonal function(EOF) analysis was applied to a 50-year long time series of monthly mean positions of the Kuroshio path south of Japan from a regional reanalysis. Three leading EOF modes characterize the contributions from three typical paths of the Kuroshio meander: the typical large meander path, the offshore nonlarge meander path, and the nearshore non-large meander path, respectively. Accordingly, the spatial variation characteristics of oceanic anomaly fields can be depicted by...     

台湾岛以东黑潮热输运的季节及年际变化特征

黑潮热输运对我国沿海区域气候变化及海洋生态环境具有重要影响。基于JCOPE2(Japan Coastal OceanPredictabilityExperiment2)模式1993—2016年的高分辨率数值模拟结果,计算了通过台湾岛以东24°N KET(Kuroshio East of Taiwan Island)断面的黑潮热输运,分析了其季节及年际变化特征,结合ONI指数(Oceanic Nino Index)探讨了其与ENSO(厄尔尼诺-南方涛动)事件的关系。研究结果表明, KET断面黑潮热输运具有显著的季节变化,春夏季较大,秋冬季偏小;年均值为1.98 PW(1 PW=10¹⁵ W),标准差为0.18 PW,热输运强年为1996—1997年和2015年,热输运弱年为2000年, 2002年和2013年。超强ENSO过程对黑潮热输运有显著影响。受超强厄尔尼诺事件影响,台湾岛以东黑潮热输运明显增加,热输运极大值超前ONI指数极大值约5～10个月。利用方差分析得到流速方差项对KET断面黑潮热输运总时域方差贡献最大,解释了热输运总方差最大值的77%,其次是温度与流速...     

Study of the Kuroshio/Ryukyu Current system based on satellite-altimeter and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in situ</Emphasis> measurements

Data from satellite altimeters and from a 13-month deployment of in situ instruments are used to determine an empirical relationship between sea-level anomaly difference (SLA) across the Kuroshio in the East China Sea (ECS-Kuroshio) and net transport near 28°N. Applying this relationship to the altimeter data, we obtain a 12-year time series of ECS-Kuroshio transport crossing the C-line (KT). The resulting mean transport is 18.7 ± 0.2 Sv with 1.8 Sv standard deviation. This KT is compared with a similarly-determined time series of net Ryukyu Current transport crossing the O-line near 26°N southeast of Okinawa (RT). Their mean sum (24 Sv) is less than the mean predicted Sverdrup transport. These KT and RT mean-flow estimates form a consistent pattern with historical estimates of other mean flows in the East China Sea/Philippine Basin region. While mean KT is larger than mean RT by a factor of 3.5, the amplitude of the KT annual cycle is only half that of RT. At the 95% confidence level the transports are coherent at periods of about 2 years and 100–200 days, with RT leading KT by about 60 days in each case. At the annual period, the transports are coherent at the 90% confidence level with KT leading RT by 4–5 months. While the bulk of the Kuroshio enters the ECS through the channel between Taiwan and Yonaguni-jima, analysis of satellite altimetry maps, together with the transport time series, indicates that the effect of mesoscale eddies is transmitted to the ECS via the Kerama Gap southwest of Okinawa. Once the effect of these eddies is felt by the ECS-Kuroshio at 28°N, it is advected rapidly to the Tokara Strait.     

Interannual Variations of Sea Level at the Nansei Islands and Volume Transport of the Kuroshio Due to Wind Changes

Interannual variations of sea level at the Nansei Islands and volume transport of the Kuroshio during 1967–95 are calculated by integrating variations carried by windforced Rossby waves. Effects of eddy dissipation and ocean ridges are considered. Ridge effect is inferred by comparing between the calculated and observed sea levels. The calculation is satisfactory to sea levels and Kuroshio transport for the whole period. They are mostly caused by Rossby waves forced by wind and modified by the ridges, and are due to barotropic wave primarily and the first baroclinic wave secondly. The calculated Kuroshio transport well represents variations of several-year scales with maximums in respective duration of the large meander (LM) of the Kuroshio, as well as bi-decadal variation that transport was small during the non-LM period of 1967–75 and large during the LM-dominant period of 1975–91. Mean volume transport of the subtropical gyre is estimated at 57 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³s^–1) and divided by the Nansei Shoto Ridge into those of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea (25.5 Sv) and a subsurface current east of this ridge (31.5 Sv). The Subtropical Countercurrent and a southward deep current east of the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge are estimated at 16 Sv and 7 Sv, respectively. The calculated transports of the Kuroshio and other subtropical currents reach maximums at every El Niño event due to strong excitement of upwelling barotropic Rossby wave.     

Seasonal Variations of Water Masses and Sea Level in the Southwestern Part of the Okhotsk Sea

A new grid data set for the southwestern part of the Okhotsk Sea was compiled by using all the available hydrographic data from the Japan Oceanographic Data Center, World Ocean Atlas 1994 and the other additional data sources with the resolution of about 10 km. We examine the seasonal variations of areas and volumes of Soya Warm Current Water (SWCW) and East Sakhalin Current Water (ESCW) and show that the exchanges of these water masses drastically occur in April and November. The peculiar variation of sea level in this region is also related with the water mass exchange. Sea level at the Hokkaido coast of the Okhotsk Sea reaches its minimum in April about two months later than in the case of ordinary mid-latitude ocean, and its maximum in December besides the summer peak. The winter peak of sea level in December is caused by the advent of fresh and cold ESCW which is accumulated at the subsurface layers (20–150 m) through the Ekman convergence by the prevailing northerly wind. Sea level minimum in April is caused by the release of the convergence and the recovery of dense SWCW that is saline and much colder than that in summer.