Hydrographic and hydrodynamic characteristics of the eastern basin of the Bransfield Strait (Antarctica)

Hydrographic station and current meter data are used to estimate circulation and transport in the eastern basin of the Bransfield Strait. The short distance between adjacent hydrographic stations (20 km) allows evaluation of structures at scales seldom addressed in previous studies. The main feature of the derived circulation is the Bransfield Front and its associated baroclinic jet (the Bransfield Current). This frontal current crosses the northern half of the basin in a generally SW–NE direction, has maximum geostrophic speeds of 22 cm s^−l (at the jet entrance), and has geostrophic transport relative to 500 dbar estimated to be 1 Sv. Dynamically significant mesoscale features associated with the Bransfield Current are seen to be relevant down to 500 dbar. Specific aspects inferred from our analysis are the apparent high degree of stationarity of the described circulation, the shallow intrusions of Circumpolar Deep Water through the northern boundary of the domain (from the Drake Passage), and the northward sinking of Weddell Sea water over most of the domain.     

Heat fluxes across 7°30′N and 4°30′S in the Atlantic Ocean

Heat fluxes are estimated across transatlantic sections made at 4°30′S and 7°30′N in January–March 1993, following Hall and Bryden (1982. Deep-Sea Research 29, 339–359). Particular care is given to the computation of Ekman volume and heat fluxes, which are assessed both (a) from the windstress data for the period of the cruise and (b) from the comparison between geostrophic and Vessel Mounted Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (VM-ADCP) velocities. In contrast with previous studies, the two estimates for Ekman fluxes do not converge for either section: (a) (11.5±0.5 Sv; 1.01±0.05 PW) across 7°30′N and (−9.3±1.2 Sv; −0.85±0.12 PW) across 4°30′S when windstress data at the date of the hydrographic stations are used; (b) (6.3±1.1 Sv; 0.56±0.09 PW) across 7°30′N and (−3.4±3.0 Sv; −0.35±0.24 PW) across 4°30′N when the ageostrophic transport above the thermocline is used. The divergence would have been even greater at 4°30′S if the strong ageostrophic signal beneath the thermocline, which brings a transport of (8.4 Sv; 0.82 PW), had been considered. The corresponding total meridional heat fluxes are: (a) 1.40±0.16 PW and (b) 0.95±0.20 PW across 7°30′N, (a) 1.05±0.12 PW and (b) 1.67±0.14 PW (2.39±0.14 PW when the subthermocline ageostrophic transport is taken into account) across 4°30′S.The estimates based on windstress data are compared with the results from an inverse model (Lux and Mercier, 1999) to show the importance of the heat flux due to the deviation of the local depth-averaged potential temperature from its average over the section, which is neglected in the Hall and Bryden (1982. Deep-Sea Research 29, 339–359) method but is not negligible in our computation in which we do not isolate the transport of the western boundary current east of the 200 m isobath; this corrective flux amounts here to −0.19 PW across 7°30′N and 0.33 PW across 4°30′S.The seasonal variability of the meridional heat flux across 7°30′N is studied through the hydrographic data collected during the ETAMBOT 1–2 cruises, which repeated the 7°30′N section west of 35°W in September 1995 and April 1996. When the section is completed east of 35°W with CITHER 1 data and when windstress data are used for the computation of the Ekman transport, the estimates for the meridional heat fluxes are 0.20±0.14 PW in September 1995 and 1.69±0.27 PW in April 1996. The estimates fit well with results from numerical models.     

Spreading and salinity change of North Pacific Tropical Water in the Philippine Sea

Newly formed North Pacific Tropical Water (NPTW) is carried to the Philippine Sea (PS) by the North Equatorial Current (NEC) as a subsurface salinity maximum. In this study its spreading and salinity change processes are explored using existing hydrographic data of the World Ocean Database 2009 and Argo floats. Spreading of NPTW is closely associated with the transports of the NEC, Mindanao Current (MC), and Kuroshio. Estimated for subsurface water with salinity S greater than 34.8?psu, the southward (northward) geostrophic transport of NPTW by the MC (Kuroshio) at 8°N (18°N) is about 4.4 (5.7)?Sv (1?Sv?=?10⁶?m³?s^?1), which is not sensitive to reference level choice. Fields of salinity maximum, geostrophic current, sea level variation, and potential vorticity suggest that the equatorward spreading of NPTW to the tropics is primarily afforded by the MC, whereas its poleward spreading is achieved by both the Kuroshio transport along the coast and open-ocean mesoscale eddy fluxes in the northern PS. The NPTW also undergoes a prominent freshening in the PS. Lying beneath fresh surface water, salinity decreases quicker in the upper part of the NPTW, which gradually lowers the salinity maximum of NPTW to denser isopycnals. Salinity decrease is especially fast in the MC, with along-path decreasing rate reaching O (10^?7?psu?s^?1). Both diapycnal and isopycnal mixing effects are shown to be elevated in the MC owing to enhanced salinity gradient near the Mindanao Eddy. These results suggest intensive dispersion of thermal anomalies along the subtropical-to-tropical thermocline water pathway near the western boundary.     

Intermediate Circulation in the Northwestern North Pacific Derived from Subsurface Floats

In order to examine the formation, distribution and synoptic scale circulation structure of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), 21 subsurface floats were deployed in the sea east of Japan. A Eulerian image of the intermediate layer (density range: 26.6–27.0σ_θ) circulation in the northwestern North Pacific was obtained by the combined analysis of the movements of the subsurface floats in the period from May 1998 to November 2002 and historical hydrographic observations. The intermediate flow field derived from the floats showed stronger flow speeds in general than that of geostrophic flow field calculated from historical hydrographic observations. In the intermediate layer, 8 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 10⁶ m³s⁻¹) Oyashio and Kuroshio waters are found flowing into the sea east of Japan. Three strong eastward flows are seen in the region from 150°E to 170°E, the first two flows are considered as the Subarctic Current and the Kuroshio Extension or the North Pacific Current. Both volume transports are estimated as 5.5 Sv. The third one flows along the Subarctic Boundary with a volume transport of 5 Sv. Water mass analysis indicates that the intermediate flow of the Subarctic Current consists of 4 Sv Oyashio water and 1.5 Sv Kuroshio water. The intermediate North Pacific Current consists of 2 Sv Oyashio water and 3.5 Sv Kuroshio water. The intermediate flow along the Subarctic Boundary contains 2 Sv Oyashio water and 3 Sv Kuroshio water. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Review on current and seawater volume transport through the Taiwan Strait

Patterns and features of currents and seawater volume transports in the Taiwan Strait have been reviewed by examining the results from more than 150 research papers in recent decades. It is noted that there are diverse or even conflicting viewpoints on these subjects. Here both common and different opinions are summarized. This review paper covers the studies involving in situ measurements and numerical modeling of current velocity, analyses of hydrographic data, and classification of water masses. Generally speaking, there are three currents in the Taiwan Strait: the China Coastal Current along the Fujian coast in the western Taiwan Strait, the extension of the South China Sea Warm Current in the western and central Taiwan Strait, and the Kuroshio’s branch or loop current intruding through the eastern Taiwan Strait. The current pattern in winter is quite different from that in summer, and the currents also exhibit differences between the upper and lower layers. The seawater volume transport through the Taiwan Strait is about 2.3 Sv northward in summer but about 0.8 Sv northward in winter. Both the current pattern and the seawater transport vary with local winds in the Taiwan Strait. This is particularly true in winter when the currents and the transport in the upper layer are significantly affected by strong northeasterly winds.     

Role of the Agulhas Current in Indian Ocean circulation and associated heat and freshwater fluxes

A reduced estimate of Agulhas Current transport provides the motivation to examine the sensitivity of Indian Ocean circulation and meridional heat transport to the strength of the western boundary current. The new transport estimate is 70 Sv, much smaller than the previous value of 85 Sv. Consideration of three case studies for a large, medium and small Agulhas Current transport demonstrate that the divergence of heat transport over the Indian Ocean north of 32°S has a sensitivity of 0.08 PW per 10 Sv of Agulhas transport, and freshwater convergence has a sensitivity of 0.03×10⁹ kg s⁻¹ per 10 Sv of transport. Moreover, a smaller Agulhas Current leads to a better silica balance and a smaller meridional overturning circulation for the Indian Ocean. The mean Agulhas Current transport estimated from time-series current meter measurements is used to constrain the geostrophic transport in the western boundary region in order to re-evaluate the circulation, heat and freshwater transports across 32°S. The Indonesian Throughflow is taken to be 12 Sv at an average temperature of 18°C. The constrained circulation exhibits a vertical–meridional circulation with a net northward flow below 2000 dbar of 10.1 Sv. The heat transport divergence is estimated to be 0.66 PW, the freshwater convergence to be 0.54×10⁹ kg s⁻¹, and the silica convergence to be 335 kmol s⁻¹. Meridional transports are separated into barotropic, baroclinic and horizontal components, with each component conserving mass. The barotropic component is strongly dependent on the estimated size of the Indonesian Throughflow. Surprisingly, the baroclinic component depends principally on the large-scale density distribution and is nearly invariant to the size of the overturning circulation. The horizontal heat and freshwater flux components are strongly influenced by the size of the Agulhas Current because it is warmer and saltier than the mid-ocean. The horizontal fluxes of heat and salt penetrate down to 1500 m depth, suggesting that warm and salty Red Sea Water may be involved in converting the intermediate and upper deep waters which enter the Indian Ocean from the Southern Ocean into warmer and saltier waters before they exit in the Agulhas Current.     

On the circulation of bottom water in the region of the Vema Channel

The circulation and transport of Antarctic Bottom Water (σ₄<45.87) in the region of the Vema Channel are studied along three WOCE hydrographic lines, the geostrophic velocities referenced to previously published direct current measurements. The primary supply of water to the deep Vema Channel is from the Argentine Basin's deep western boundary current, with no indication of an inflow from the southeast. In the northern Argentine Basin, detachment of lower North Atlantic Deep Water from the continental slope is associated with a deep thermohaline front near 34°S. To the north of this front, the upper part of the AABW bound for the Vema Channel (σ₄<46.01) exhibits a significant NADW influence. Further modification of the throughflow water occurs near 30°30′S, where the channel orientation changes by ∼50°. Southward flow of bottom water on the eastern flank of the Vema Channel, amounting to ∼1.5 Sv, represents a significant countercurrent to the deep channel transport. Inclusion of this countercurrent reduces the net flow of AABW through the Vema Channel from 3.2±0.7 to 1.7±1.1 Sv. Water properties imply that the near-zero net flow over the Santos Plateau results from a near-closed cyclonic circulation fed by the deep Vema Channel throughflow. A disruption of the northward boundary current in the upper AABW (lower circumpolar water) is required by this flow pattern. The extension of the cyclonic circulation on the Santos Plateau enters the Brazil Basin as a ∼1 Sv flow distinct from the outflow in the Vema Channel Extension (6.2 Sv). The high magnitude of the latter suggests a southward recirculation of bottom water near the western boundary to the north of the region of study.     

Deep-water circulation at low latitudes in the western North Pacific

Full-depth conductivity-temperature-depth-oxygen profiler (CTDO₂) data at low latitudes in the western North Pacific in winter 1999 were analyzed with water-mass analysis and geostrophic calculations. The result shows that the deep circulation carrying the Lower Circumpolar Water (LCPW) bifurcates into eastern and western branch currents after entering the Central Pacific Basin. LCPW colder than 0.98°C is carried by the eastern branch current, while warmer LCPW is carried mainly by the western branch current. The eastern branch current flows northward in the Central Pacific Basin, supplying water above 0.94°C through narrow gaps into an isolated deep valley in the Melanesian Basin, and then passes the Mid-Pacific Seamounts between 162°10′E and 170°10′E at 18°20′N, not only through the Wake Island Passage but also through the western passages. Except near bottom, dissolved oxygen of LCPW decreases greatly in the northern Central Pacific Basin, probably by mixing with the North Pacific Deep Water (NPDW). The western branch current flows northwestward over the lower Solomon Rise in the Melanesian Basin and proceeds westward between 10°40′N and 12°20′N at 150°E in the East Mariana Basin with volume transport of 4.1 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s⁻¹). The current turns north, west of 150°E, and bifurcates around 14°N, south of the Magellan Seamounts, where dissolved oxygen decreases sharply by mixing with NPDW. Half of the current turns east, crosses 150°E at 14–15°N, and proceeds northward primarily between 152°E and 156°E at 18°20′N toward the Northwest Pacific Basin (2.1 Sv). The other half flows northward west of 150°E and passes 18°20′N just east of the Mariana Trench (2.2 Sv). It is reversed by a block of topography, proceeds southward along the Mariana Trench, then detours around the south end of the trench, and proceeds eastward along the Caroline Seamounts to the Solomon Rise, partly flowing into the West Mariana and East Caroline Basins. A deep western boundary current at 2000–3000 m depth above LCPW (10.0 Sv) closes to the coast than the deep circulation. The major part of it (8.5 Sv) turns cyclonic around the upper Solomon Rise from the Melanesian Basin and proceeds along the southern boundary of the East Caroline Basin. Nearly half of it proceeds northward in the western East Caroline Basin, joins the current from the east, then passes the northern channel, and mostly enters the West Caroline Basin (4.6 Sv), while another half enters this basin from the southern side (>3.8 Sv). The remaining western boundary current (1.5 Sv) flows over the middle and lower Solomon Rise, proceeds westward, then is divided by the Caroline Seamounts into southern (0.9 Sv) and northern (0.5 Sv) branches. The southern branch current joins that from the south in the East Caroline Basin, as noted above. The northern branch current proceeds along the Caroline Seamounts and enters the West Mariana Basin.     

The mid-depth circulation of the northwestern tropical Atlantic observed by floats

A comprehensive analysis of velocity data from subsurface floats in the northwestern tropical Atlantic at two depth layers is presented: one representing the Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW, pressure range 600–1050 dbar), the other the upper North Atlantic Deep Water (uNADW, pressure range 1200–2050 dbar). New data from three independent research programs are combined with previously available data to achieve blanket coverage in space for the AAIW layer, while coverage in the uNADW remains more intermittent. Results from the AAIW mainly confirm previous studies on the mean flow, namely the equatorial zonal and the boundary currents, but clarify details on pathways, mostly by virtue of the spatial data coverage that sets float observations apart from e.g. shipborne or mooring observations. Mean transports in each of five zonal equatorial current bands is found to be between 2.7 and 4.5 Sv. Pathways carrying AAIW northward beyond the North Brazil Undercurrent are clearly visible in the mean velocity field, in particular a northward transport of 3.7 Sv across 16°N between the Antilles islands and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. New maps of Lagrangian eddy kinetic energy and integral time scales are presented to quantify mesoscale activity. For the uNADW, mean flow and mesoscale properties are discussed as data availability allows. Trajectories in the uNADW east of the Lesser Antilles reveal interactions between the Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) and the basin interior, which can explain recent hydrographic observations of changes in composition of DWBC water along its southward flow.     

Numerical Study of the Upper-Layer Circulation in the South China Sea

Upper-layer circulation in the South China Sea has been investigated using a three-dimensional primitive equation eddy-resolving model. The model domain covers the region from 99° to 122°E and from 3° to 23°N. The model is forced by the monthly averaged European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model winds and the climatological monthly sea surface temperature data from National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC). Inflow and outflow through the Taiwan Strait and the Sunda shelf are prescribed monthly from the Wyrtki estimates. Inflow of the Kuroshio branch current in the Luzon Strait is assumed to have a constant volume transport of 12 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³/s), and the outflow from the open boundary to the east of Taiwan is adjusted to ensure the net volume transport through all open boundaries is zero at any instant. The model reveals that a cyclonic circulation exists all year round in the northern South China Sea. During the winter time this cyclonic eddy is located off the northwest of Luzon, coinciding with the region of positive wind stress curl in this season. This cyclonic eddy moves northward in spring due to the weakening of the northeast winds. The cyclonic circulation becomes weak and stays in the continental slope region in the northern South China Sea in the summer period. The southwest wind can raise the water level along the west coast of Luzon, but there is no anticyclonic circulation in the northern South China Sea. After the onset of the northeast monsoon winds in fall, the cyclonic eddy moves back to the region off the west coast of Luzon. In the southern South China Sea and off the Vietnam coast, the model predicts a similar flow structure as in the previous related studies. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Volume transport and distribution of deep circulation at 165°W in the North Pacific

We conducted full-depth hydrographic observations between 8°50′ and 44°30′N at 165°W in 2003 and analyzed the data together with those from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment and the World Ocean Database, clarifying the water characteristics and deep circulation in the Central and Northeast Pacific Basins. The deep-water characteristics at depths greater than approximately 2000 dbar at 165°W differ among three regions demarcated by the Hawaiian Ridge at around 24°N and the Mendocino Fracture Zone at 37°N: the southern region (10–24°N), central region (24–37°N), and northern region (north of 37°N). Deep water at temperatures below 1.15 °C and depths greater than 4000 dbar is highly stratified in the southern region, weakly stratified in the central region, and largely uniform in the northern region. Among the three regions, near-bottom water immediately east of Clarion Passage in the southern region is coldest (θ<0.90 °C), most saline (S>34.70), highest in dissolved oxygen (O₂>4.2 ml l^?1), and lowest in silica (Si<135 μmol kg^?1). These characteristics of the deep water reflect transport of Lower Circumpolar Deep Water (LCDW) due to a branch current south of the Wake–Necker Ridge that is separated from the eastern branch current of the deep circulation immediately north of 10°N in the Central Pacific Basin. The branch current south of the Wake–Necker Ridge carries LCDW of θ<1.05 °C with a volume transport of 3.7 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s^?1) into the Northeast Pacific Basin through Horizon and Clarion Passages, mainly through the latter (～3.1 Sv). A small amount of the LCDW flows northward at the western boundary of the Northeast Pacific Basin, joins the branch of deep circulation from the Main Gap of the Emperor Seamounts Chain, and forms an eastward current along the Mendocino Fracture Zone with volume transport of nearly 1 Sv. If this volume transport is typical, a major portion of the LCDW (～3 Sv) carried by the branch current south of the Wake–Necker and Hawaiian Ridges may spread in the southern part of the Northeast Pacific Basin. In the northern region at 165°W, silica maxima are found near the bottom and at 2200 dbar; the minimum between the double maxima occurs at a depth of approximately 4000 dbar (θ～1.15 °C). The geostrophic current north of 39°N in the upper deep layer between 1.15 and 2.2 °C, with reference to the 1.15 °C isotherm, has a westward volume transport of 1.6 Sv at 39–44°30′N, carrying silica-rich North Pacific Deep Water from the northeastern region of the Northeast Pacific Basin to the Northwest Pacific Basin.     

Formation, Distribution and Volume Transport of the North Pacific Intermediate Water Studied by Repeat Hydrographic Observations

In order to examine the formation, distribution and transport of North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW), repeated hydrographic observations along several lines in the western North Pacific were carried out in the period from 1996 to 2001. NPIW formation can be described as follows: (1) Oyashio water extends south of the Subarctic Boundary and meets Kuroshio water in intermediate layers; (2) active mixing between Oyashio and Kuroshio waters occurs in intermediate layers; (3) the mixing of Oyashio and Kuroshio waters and salinity minimum formation around the potential density of 26.8σ_θ proceed to the east. It is found that Kuroshio water flows eastward even in the region north of 40°N across the 165°E line, showing that Kuroshio water extends north of the Subarctic Boundary. Volume transports of Oyashio and Kuroshio components (relative to 2000 dbar) integrated in the potential density range of 26.6–27.4σθ along the Kuroshio Extension across 152°E–165°E are estimated to be 7–8 Sv (10⁶ m³s⁻¹) and 9–10 Sv, respectively, which is consistent with recent work. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

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.     

On the structure and the transport of the eastern Weddell Gyre

The circulation pattern and volume transports in the eastern Weddell Gyre are estimated on the basis of hydrographic data collected by R.V. Polarstern between 1989 and 1996. In the northeastern edge of the Weddell Gyre, eastward-flowing water masses from the Antarctic Circumpolar Current and the Weddell Sea converge. Due to the strong effect of topographic constraints on ocean currents in the weakly stratified waters of high latitudes, the wedge-like structure of the Southwest Indian Ridge can cause the convergence. The increased shear leads to instabilities of the current at the eastern end of the ridge, which produce an intense mesoscale eddy field between 15° and 30°E. In the eddies, water from the Weddell cold regime and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current waters mix and form the water masses of the Weddell warm regime. These waters are advected southward and flow towards the westward southern rim current, which is driven by the Antarctic eastwind band. Hence, there is not a continous flow from the northern to the southern rim, but a decay of the mean flow in the northeast and a reformation in the south. Volume transports across the Greenwich Meridian, estimated on the basis of a combined CTD/ADCP data set, result in an eastward flow of 61 Sv in the northern rim current and a westward return flow of 66 Sv in the southern part of the gyre. The transport is about twice as high as previous estimates between Kapp Norvegia and the northern tip of the Antarctic Pensinsula, indicating a significant gyre circulation north of 70°S.     

Velocity structures and transports of the Kuroshio and the Ryukyu current during fall of 2000 estimated by an inverse technique

An inverse calculation using hydrographic section data collected from October to December 2000 yields velocity structure and transports of the Kuroshio in the Okinawa Trough region of the East China Sea (ECS) and south of central Japan, and of the Ryukyu Current (RC) southeast of the Ryukyu Islands. The results show the Kuroshio flowing from the ECS, through the Tokara Strait (TK), with a subsurface maximum velocity of 89 cm s⁻¹ at 460 dbar. In a section (TI) southeast of Kyushu, a subsurface maximum velocity of 92 cm s⁻¹ at 250 dbar is found. The results also show the RC flowing over the continental slope from the region southeast of Okinawa (OS) to the region east of Amami-Ohshima (AE) with a subsurface maximum velocity of 67 cm s⁻¹ at 400 dbar, before joining the Kuroshio southeast of Kyushu (TI). The volume transport around the subsurface velocity maximum southeast of Kyushu (TI) balances well with the sum of those in TK and AE. The temperature-salinity relationships found around these velocity cores are very similar, indicating that the same water mass is involved. These results help demonstrate the joining of the RC with the Kuroshio southeast of Kyushu. The net volume transport of the Kuroshio south of central Japan is estimated to be 64∼79 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 10⁶ m³s⁻¹), of which 27 Sv are supplied by the Kuroshio from the ECS and 13 Sv are supplied by the RC from OS. The balance (about 24∼39 Sv) is presumably supplied by the Kuroshio recirculation south of Shikoku, Japan.     

The Kuroshio East of Taiwan and in the East China Sea and the currents East of Ryukyu Islands during early summer of 1996

Using hydrographic data and moored current meter records and the ADCP observed current data during May–June 1996, a modified inverse method is applied to calculate the Kuroshio east of Taiwan and in the East China Sea and the currents east of Ryukyu Islands. There are three branches of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan. The Kuroshio in the East China Sea comes from the main (first) and second branches of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan. The easternmost (third) branch of the Kuroshio flows northeastward to the region east of Ryukyu Islands. The net northward volume transports of the Kuroshio through Section K₂ southeast of Taiwan and Section PN in the East China Sea are 44.4×10⁶ and 27.2×10⁶ m³s⁻¹, respectively. The western boundary current east of Ryukyu Islands comes from the easternmost branch of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan and an anticyclonic recirculating gyre more east, making volume transports of 10 to 15×10⁶ m³s⁻¹. At about 21°N, 127°E southeast of Taiwan, there is a cold eddy which causes branching of the Kuroshio there.     

The Kuroshio east of Taiwan and the currents east of the Ryūkūy-guntōduring October of 1995

On the basis of hydrographic data obtained during two October cruises of 1995, a modified inverse method is used to compute the Kuroshio east of Taiwan and the currents east of the Ryukyu-gunto.The net northward volume transport(VT) of the Kuroshio through Section TK₂-K₂ southeast of Taiwan is about 57.8×10⁶ m³/s.There are four current cores of the Kuroshio at Section TK₂-K₂.Its main core is near the south of Taiwan, and its maximum speed is about 257 cm/s at the surface.After the Kuroshio flows through Section TK₂-K₂, there are three branches of the Kuroshio.The main branch of the Kuroshio flows northward into Section TKa east of Su''ao.The second branch of the Kuroshio flows northward through Section TKa and then enters the East China Sea through the region between Yonakunijima and Iriomote-shima.The net northward VT of the Kuroshio through Section TK4 is about 21.6×10⁶ m³/s.The eastern branch of the Kuroshio flows northeastward through the region between a stronger cyclonic eddy and a recirculating anticyclonic gyre, and then flows continuously northeastward to the region east of the Ryūkyū-guntō and becomes a part of the origin of the western boundary current east of the Ryūkyū-guntō.Another part of the origin of the western boundary current east of the Ryūkyū-guntō comes from a recirculating anticyclonic gyre.From the above, in the regions east of Taiwan end east of the Ryūkyū-guntō the pattern of circulation during October of 1995 differs from the pattern of circulation during early summer of 1985.There are several eddies of different scales in this computational region.For example, there is a meso-scale stronger cyclonic eddy whose center is located at about 23°N, 124°20''E.     

Northwestern Weddell Sea deep outflow into the Scotia Sea during the austral summers of 2000 and 2001 estimated by inverse methods

The northward outflow of cold, dense water from the Weddell Sea into the world ocean basins plays a key role in balancing the global heat budget. We estimate the geostrophic flow patterns in the northwestern Weddell Sea using box inverse methods applied to quasi-synoptic hydrographic data collected during the Brazilian DOVETAIL 2000 and 2001 austral summer cruises. The analysis is focused on the variations of the deep Weddell Sea outflow into the Scotia Sea within boxes that bound the main deep gaps over the South Scotia Ridge. To determine the geostrophic volume transports in each box, mass, salt, and heat are conserved within neutral density layers that are not in contact with the atmosphere. Implementing the inverse model and using property anomaly equations weighted by the flow estimate uncertainty our results are consistent with those reported in the literature. A bottom triangle extrapolation method is introduced, which improves the estimated property fluxes through hydrographic sections. In the austral summer of 2000 the transports of Weddell Sea Deep Water (WSDW) through the Philip Passage, Orkney Passage, and southwestern Bruce Passage are 0.01±0.01, 1.15±0.33, and 1.03±0.23 Sv (1 Sv=10⁶ m³ s⁻¹, >0 is northward), respectively. After extrapolation within bottom triangles these transports increase to 0.12±0.03, 3.48±1.81, and 1.20±2.16 Sv. Analysis of the hydrographic data reveal distinct oceanographic conditions over the Philip Passage region, with evidence of mesoscale meanders, warmer and saltier Warm Deep Water (WDW) and colder WSDW observed in 2001 than in 2000. Despite these differences the WSDW transport does not present a significant variation between 2000 and 2001. The WSDW transports through the Philip Passage in 2001 are 0.012±0.001 and 0.113±0.001 Sv after extrapolation within bottom triangles. The circulation derived from the inversion in the austral summer of 2001 suggests a sharp weakening of the barotropic cyclonic flow in the Powell Basin, which may be due to northerly and northeasterly winds associated with an atmospheric low-pressure center located west of the Antarctic Peninsula. We suggest that similar variations in atmospheric forcing may explain changes in the intensity of the cyclonic flow observed in the northwestern Weddell Sea and Powell Basin.     

An inverse modeling study in Fram Strait. Part I: dynamics and circulation

In order to reconstruct the circulation in the northern Greenland Sea, between 77°N and 81°N, and the exchanges with the Arctic Ocean through Fram Strait, a variational inverse model is applied to the density field observed in summer 1984 during the MIZEX 84 experiment. An estimate of the three-dimensional large-scale pressure field is obtained in which the solution is decomposed into a limited number of vertical modes and the mode amplitudes are described by piece-wise polynomials on a finite-element grid. The solution should be consistent with a frictional depth-integrated vorticity balance and with the density data. The global model parameters are tuned to ensure agreement between the retrieved geostrophic velocity and independent currentmeter data. In a companion paper (Schlichtholz and Houssais, 1999b), the same method, but without dynamical constraint, is applied to the same hydrographic dataset to perform a detailed water mass analysis and to estimate individual water mass transports.A comprehensive picture of the summer geostrophic circulation in Fram Strait is obtained in which northward recirculations in the East Greenland Current (EGC) and various recirculations from the West Spitsbergen Current (WSC) to the EGC are identified. It is suggested that the branch of the WSC following the upper western slope of the Yermak Plateau turns westward beyond 81°N and recirculates southward along the lower slope, then merging with a westward recirculating branch south of 79°N. At 79°N, a southward net transport of 6.5 Sv is found in the EGC which, combined with a northward net transport of only 1.5 Sv in the WSC, results in a fairly large outflow of 5 Sv from the Arctic Ocean to the Greenland Sea.The inverse solutions show that, in summer, the local induction of vorticity by the wind stress curl or by meridional advection of planetary vorticity should be small, so that, in the EGC and in the WSC, the vorticity balance is mainly achieved between the bottom pressure torque and dissipation of vorticity through bottom friction. A substantial barotropic flow associated with along-slope potential energy gradients is indeed identified on both sides of the strait.