Southwestward intrusion of korea strait bottom cold water observed in 2003 and 2004

Hydrographic surveys were carried out four times in the western channel of the Korea Strait in March and August 2003 and in June and November 2004. The bottom cold water, which was lower than 10°C, appeared in the channel trough except in March 2003. It flowed southwestward along the shelf of Korean coasts in August 2003 and in November 2004. The width and the maximum speed of the intrusion current were about 20 km and approximately 25 cm s^-1, respectively, off Ulsan, Korea. The volume transport of the bottom cold water was estimated 0.019 Sv (Sv≡10⁶ m³ s^-1) in August 2003 and 0.026 Sv in November 2004.     

Spatial and temporal variability of the North Korean Cold Water leading to the near-bottom cold water intrusion in Korea Strait

In the deepest region of Korea Strait, the surface temperature is highest in August (lowest in March), while the near-bottom temperature is lowest in September (highest in May). Cross-spectral analysis of the monthly temperature data between the two layers shows high coherence at the annual frequency with phase of 154°. Why and how does such a nearly opposite phasing occur between the surface and the near-bottom temperatures there? This study aims at answering these questions using historical and recently observed data.Cold and relatively fresh subsurface water flowing southward along the east coast of Korea and, known as the North Korean Cold Water (NKCW), becomes noticeable in April near the Sokcho coast. The zonal temperature gradient there is largest around June. The width of the NKCW becomes larger from April to August. After October, the NKCW retreats back toward the coast. The southward movement of the NKCW is thus strong over a period of six to seven months and weak in winter, especially in February. The NKCW flows southward relatively quickly along the coast in April to October and arrives at the Ulleung Basin within one to two months. Because of the sill between the Ulleung Basin and Korea Strait, this water cannot continue to flow to south, but piles up for about two to three months before it moves over the sill. The convergence of the subsurface cold water in the Ulleung Basin displaces the isopycnals upward and this water then intrudes over the sill along the isopycnals. This explains why in April or May, when this water appears noticeably at the Sokcho coast, the near-bottom water in Korea Strait is warmest and in August or September when the NKCW, which is piled up enough at the southern end of the Ulleung Basin, intrudes to Korea Strait, the near-bottom temperatures there are at their lowest.The origin of the NKCW seems to be the water of salinity less han 34.1 psu and surface density of 27σ_θ or higher, which sinks in the northwestern East Sea in January-March. The sinking of the water results from surface cooling in winter and is intensified due to the strong negative windstress curl. The cold and relatively fresh water, formed in the northwestern East Sea, is hypothesized to flow to the Ulleung Basin along three major paths, along the east coast of Korea, through the channel north of Ulleung-do Island, and through the channel between Ulleung-do and Dok-do Islands.     

Circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea: Overview and review

A review is made of circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea (the Ulleung Basin), and the Korea/Tsushima Strait which is a unique conduit for surface inflow into the Ulleung Basin. The review particularly concentrates on describing some preliminary results from recent extensive measurements made after 1996. Mean flow patterns are different in the upstream and downstream regions of the Korea/Tsushima Strait. A high velocity core occurs in the mid-section in the upstream region, and splits into two cores hugging the coasts of Korea and Japan, the downstream region, after passing around Tsushima Island located in the middle of the strait. Four-year mean transport into the East/Japan Sea through the Korea/Tsushima Strait based on submarine cable data calibrated by direct observations is 2.4 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s⁻¹). A wide range of variability occurs for the subtidal transport variation from subinertial (2–10 days) to interannual scales. While the subinertial variability is shown to arise from the atmospheric pressure disturbances, the longer period variation has been poorly understood.Mean upper circulation of the Ulleung Basin is characterized by the northward flowing East Korean Warm Current along the east coast of Korea and its meander eastward after the separation from the coast, the Offshore Branch along the coast of Japan, and the anticyclonic Ulleung Warm Eddy that forms from a meander of the East Korean Warm Current. Continuous acoustic travel-time measurements between June 1999 and June 2001 suggest five quasi-stable upper circulation patterns that persist for about 3–5 months with transitions between successive patterns occurring in a few months or days. Disappearance of the East Korean Warm Current is triggered by merging the Dok Cold Eddy, originating from the pinching-off of the meander trough, with the coastal cold water carried Southward by the North Korean Cold Current. The Ulleung Warm Eddy persisted for about 20 months in the middle of the Ulleung Basin with changes in its position and spatial scale associated with strengthening and weakening of the transport through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. The variability of upper circulation is partly related to the transport variation through the Korea/Tsushima Strait. Movements of the coastal cold water and the instability of the polar front also appear to be important factors affecting the variability.Deep circulation in the Ulleung Basin is primarily cyclonic and commonly consists of one or more cyclonic cells, and an anticyclonic cell centered near Ulleung Island. The cyclonic circulation is conjectured to be driven by a net inflow through the Ulleung Interplain Gap, which serves as a conduit for the exchange of deep waters between the Japan Basin in the northern East Sea and the Ulleung Basin. Deep currents are characterized by a short correlation scale and the predominance of mesoscale variability with periods of 20–40 days. Seasonality of deep currents is indistinct, and the coupling of upper and deep circulation has not been clarified yet.     

北部湾冷水团的季节变化及其机制的数值研究

A wave-tide-circulation coupled model based on the Princeton Ocean Model is established to explore the seasonal variation of the cold water mass in the Beibu Gulf and its mechanisms. The results show that the cold water mass starts forming in March, reaches the maximum strength during June and July, and fades away since October. Strong mixing in winter transports the cold water from sea surface to bottom. The cold water mass remains in the bottom layer as the thermocline strengthens during spring, except for the shallow water where the themocline is broken by strong tidal mixing, which gradually separate the cold water mass from its surrounding warm water. Further analysis on the ocean current and stream function confirms that the cold water mass in the Beibu Gulf is locally developed, with an anticlockwise circulation caused by a strong temperature gradient. Sensitivity experiments reveal that the cold water mass is controlled by the sea surface heat flux, while the terrain and tidal mixing also play important roles.     

台湾海峡及其邻近海域表层水叶绿素α含量时空变化特征

从物理过程和营养输送方面讨论了2006～2007年台湾海峡及其邻近海域表层水叶绿素口含量的时空变化特征及其调控因素．结果表明,台湾海峡表层水体从南至北叶绿素。含量的季节变化存在着明显差异．在北部海区叶绿素口含量平均值以春季居高,冬季最低;中部海区以秋季最高,夏季最低;南部较反常,以冬季最高,夏季最低．浙闽沿岸流、海峡暖流及上升流所造成的营养盐输入方式的差异可能是决定海峡叶绿素口含量季节分布南北差异的关键因素．分析结果还表明,春、夏季叶绿素口含量的分布在南部和北部海域均主要受营养盐限制,秋季叶绿素口含量在南部和北部海域分别主要受到磷酸盐含量和水温的影响,冬季叶绿素α含量在南部和北部海域分别主要受到硝酸盐含量和水温的影响．     

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.     

1972-2013年北欧海深层水增暖

The warming of deep waters in the Nordic seas is identified based on observations during Chinese 5th Arctic Expedition in 2012 and historical hydrographic data. The most obvious and earliest warming occurrs in the Greenland Basin(GB) and shows a coincident accelerated trend between depths 2 000 and 3 500 m. The observations at a depth of 3 000 m in the GB reveal that the potential temperature had increased from-1.30°C in the early 1970 s to-0.93°C in 2013, with an increase of about 0.37°C(the maximum spatial deviation is 0.06°C) in the past more than 40 years. This remarkable change results in that deep waters in the center of the Lofton Basin(LB) has been colder than that in the GB since the year 2007. As for the Norwegian Basin(NB), only a slight trend of warming have been shown at a depth around 2 000 m since the early 1980 s, and the warming amplitude at deeper waters is just slightly above the maximum spatial deviation, implying no obvious trend of warming near the bottom. The water exchange rate of the Greenland Basin is estimated to be 86% for the period from 1982 to 2013, meaning that the residence time of the Greenland Sea deep water(GSDW) is about 35 years. As the weakening of deep-reaching convection is going on, the abyssal Nordic seas are playing a role of heat reservoir in the subarctic region and this may cause a positive feedback on the deep-sea warming in both the Arctic Ocean and the Nordic seas.     

Seismic study of the Ulleung Basin crust and its implications for the opening of the East Sea (Japan Sea)

The Ulleung Basin (Tsushima Basin) in the southwestern East Sea (Japan Sea) is floored by a crust whose affinity is not known whether oceanic or thinned continental. This ambiguity resulted in unconstrained mechanisms of basin evolution. The present work attempts to define the nature of the crust of the Ulleung Basin and its tectonic evolution using seismic wide-angle reflection and refraction data recorded on ocean bottom seismometers (OBSs). Although the thickness of (10 km) of the crust is greater than typical oceanic crust, tau-p analysis of OBS data and forward modeling by 2-D ray tracing suggest that it is oceanic in character: (1) the crust consists of laterally consistent upper and lower layers that are typical of oceanic layers 2 and 3 in seismic velocity and gradient distribution and (2) layer 2C, the transition between layer 2 and layer 3 in oceanic crust, is manifested by a continuous velocity increase from 5.7 to 6.3 km/s over the thickness interval of about 1 km between the upper and lower layers. Therefore it is not likely that the Ulleung Basin was formed by the crustal extension of the southwestern Japan Arc where crustal structure is typically continental. Instead, the thickness of the crust and its velocity structure suggest that the Ulleung Basin was formed by seafloor spreading in a region of hotter than normal mantle surrounding a distant mantle plume, not directly above the core of the plume. It seems that the mantle plume was located in northeast China. This suggestion is consistent with geochemical data that indicate the influence of a mantle plume on the production of volcanic rocks in and around the Ulleung Basin. Thus we propose that the opening models of the southwestern East Sea should incorporate seafloor spreading and the influence of a mantle plume rather than the extension of the crust of the Japan Arc.     

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.     

黑潮水对台湾海峡东南部源水的影响：数值结果

Model output from a Pacific basin-wide three-dimensional physical-biogeochemical model during the period of 1991 to 2008 was used to investigate the impact of Kuroshio water on the source water of the southeastern Taiwan Strait. Based on the characteristic salinities of both Kuroshio water and the South China Sea water, a Kuroshio impact index (KII) was designed to measure the degree of impact. The KII correlates significantly with the northeast-southwest component of wind stress, but the former lags the latter by approximately two months. The correlation coefficient between them increases from 0.267 4 to 0.852 9, with a lag time increasing from 0 to 63 days. The impact of Kuroshio Water is greater in winter and spring than in summer and autumn. At the interannual time scale, El Niño and La Niña events play an important role in impacting the KII. During El Niño events, more Kuroshio water contributes to the source water of the southeastern Taiwan Strait. Conversely, during La Niña events, less Kuroshio water contributes to the source water.     

台湾海峡浮游甲藻的分布特征和变化趋势

根据2006-2007年“国家908”专项台湾海峡4个航次调查,分析该海域浮游甲藻的种类组成、群落结构和时空分布特征。共鉴定甲藻18属131种,其中高温高盐种为主体,占总种数的72．52％,其次为广温广盐种,占总种数的25．19％,近岸种仪占2．29％。夏季甲藻的种类最丰富,而春季甲藻的丰度最高。平均丰度为404．96×10^2cells／m3,其平面分布呈现从近岸向外海、从北向南递增的趋势。与1984-1985年的调查结果相比较,甲藻丰度的平面分布格局和季节变化趋势没有明显变化,但丰度增加3．01倍。从季节变化看,冷季甲藻丰度增加较为显著;从平面分布看,台湾海峡北部增加较多。此外,该海域甲藻群落结构也发生变化,种类多样性指数和均匀度上升,其丰度占浮游植物总丰度的比例由0．55％上升到1．02％。     

Numerical Experiments of the Influences of the Transport Variation through the Korea Strait on the Japan/East Sea Upper Layer Circulation

Numerical experiments were performed in order to investigate the effects of variations of the transport through the Korea/Tsushima Strait, an inlet of the Japan/East Sea, on the upper layer circulation in the JES based on a 10-month transport observation from May 1999 to March 2000 (Perkins et al., 2000). All external forcings to the model were annual mean fields, except the transport variation through the Korea Strait. In the experiments where the periodic variation of the transport repeated continuously sinusoidally by several periods, strong variability of sea surface height (SSH) was detected in the region extending from the Korea Strait to the Japanese coast due to the geostrophy of the buoyancy forcing at the Korea Strait. The region along the Korean coast is more sensitive to the long-term variations than the short-term (≤60-day period) ones. In two experiments forced by realistic and monthly mean transport, the difference of rms of sea surface height was largest at the Japanese coast and relatively large at the East Korean Warm Current separation region (128∼130°E, 39∼41°N) and to the east of Yamato Rise. The distribution of difference of eddy kinetic energy at 100 m depth between the two experiments was similar to that of the rms of SSH. In the distributions of mean SSH and mean kinetic energy at 100 m depth the realistic transport invokes eddy variability to interact with mean current resulting in the changes of the mean SSH and the mean kinetic energy at the East Korean Warm Current separation region, but it does not produce conspicuous changes in the mean fields of entire JES compared with the mean fields forced by the seasonal transport.     

长江口水体溶解氧的季节变化及底层低氧成因分析

利用2006-2007年“908-ST04区块”任务单元在长江口开展的春、夏、秋、冬四季多学科综合调查资料,分析了长江口水体溶解氧的季节变化,探讨了其底层低氧的形成机制,结果表明:冬季,表层和底层水体溶解氧值总体上呈近岸高、外陆架低的分布趋势,水体上下混合均匀;春季,藻华开始出现,水体层化初成,外陆架入侵的低溶解氧浓度...     

Temperature inversion in the Huanghai Sea bottom cold water in summer

Using conductivity-Temperature-depth data of a recent cruise during July 22-28, 2008 and historical data, it is found that temperature inversions occur from time to time in the Huanghai Sea(Yellow Sea) cold water mass (HSCWM) in summer. The temperature inversions are produced by the movement of the fresh and cold HSCWM masses above the warm and saline Huanghai Sea Warm Current water at the central bottom of the Huanghai Sea Trough. The non-homogeneous profiles of the temperature and the salinity suggest that vertical mixing in the HSCWM, which is of great importance to the circulation in the Huanghai Sea in summer, is weak. Trajectories of satellite-tracked surface drifters suggest that waters in the northern reach of the Huanghai Sea move southward along the 40-50 m isobaths and descend into the southern Huanghai Sea to form the western core of the HSCWM.     

基于潜标观测的吕宋海峡以东深海海流的低频变异

本文利用在菲律宾海布放的一套锚系潜标获取的长时间海流和水温观测数据,分析了吕宋海峡以东的深海海洋环境特征,着重阐释了该海域海流的全水深垂向结构及其低频变化特征。研究表明,表层(100～160 m)平均流向为西偏北,流速约为12.5 cm/s;中层(810 m)的平均流为西向,流速为2.6 cm/s;深层(1 550 m和2 560 m)的平均流速在1 cm/s以内,近底(4 040 m)的流向为较稳定的西南向,流速为2.3 cm/s。上层海流的动能比中层和深层大1～2个量级,总动能、平均动能、涡动动能均在表层最大,中层次之、深层最小,各层次涡动能均大于平均动能。中上层海流的低频变化具有极高的相似性,全年为81～85 d的周期振荡;近底层海流则不同,变化周期约为51 d。     

对马海峡水团组成对日本海温盐分布影响的季节及年际变化

基于WOD13(World Ocean Database 2013)的温盐观测资料,分析了对马海峡断面和日本海内一断面上温盐分布的季节变化特征,并利用水团组成混合比的方法探讨了对马海峡断面处的水团组成对日本海内断面上温盐分布的影响的季节和年际变化。研究表明:对马海峡断面上水团组成呈现显著的季节变化。冬季,整个水层被高盐水占据;夏季,对马海峡表层出现高温低盐水,底层为高盐水,次表层为表层低盐水和底层高盐水的混合水体;春秋为过渡季节。日本海断面上,秋季温盐分布最为复杂,表层为高温低盐水,次表层为高盐水,其下为低温高密水。两个断面季节变化对比可以看出,夏季对马海峡断面处的水团组成会影响秋季日本海断面上的温盐分布。夏季对马海峡表层和次表层水是秋季日本海断面表层50m以浅出现低盐水的主要原因;对马海峡深层高盐水主要影响秋季日本海断面50～150m水层,混合比可达0.82;其下为日本海固有水。夏季对马海峡处水团组成的年际变化也会影响秋季日本海断面上温盐分布的年际变化。长江流量较大的年份,夏季对马海峡表层和次表层低盐水的核心盐度值偏低,秋季其在日本海断面上的混合比就高于其他年份;对马海峡底层高盐水在日本海断面上混合比的年际变化则决定于其影响水层上的流场结构和温盐分布。     

吕宋海峡水交换季节和年际变化特征的数值模拟研究

利用ROMS(Regional Ocean Modeling System)建立了一套覆盖西北太平洋的涡尺度分辨率环流模型,并对吕宋海峡附近的环流进行了模拟研究。结果表明,吕宋海峡120.75°E断面净流量季节变化显著,全年均为西向输运,6月份达到最小,为0.40×106 m3/s,然后逐渐增大,在12月份达到最大,为6.14×106 m3/s,全年平均流量为3.04×106 m3/s。在500 m以浅,秋、冬季都有明显的黑潮流套存在,并伴有黑潮分支入侵南海,而春、夏季黑潮南海分支减弱或消失,黑潮入侵不明显。在500 m以深,冬、春季,吕宋海峡以东有非常明显的南向流存在,流速约10 cm/s,而到了夏、秋季该南向流出现明显的减弱,黑潮与南海的水交换主要通过吕宋海峡以北的吕宋海沟进行。在垂向结构上,120.75°E断面浅层呈多流核结构,并且流核的位置和强弱受黑潮的季节性变化影响显著,深层流的季节变化不大。在年际尺度方面,吕宋海峡年际体积输运量异常与Niño3.4滞后6个月相关系数达到41.6%,吕宋海峡水交换与ENSO现象有较为显著的正相关关系,并存在2~3 a和准8 a周期的年际变化。     

台湾岛周边海域近16a来海平面变化研究

利用1992年10月至2008年6月的卫星高度计融合资料对台湾岛周边海域（20°～28°N,117°～124°E）多年海平面变化进行分析.研究结果表明：（1）采用改进的月平均水位周期信号的谱分析方法计算多年来台湾岛周边海域海平面年均上升速率为0.34±0.02 cm/a,与该海域内的潮位站结果较为一致.（2）台湾岛周边海域海平面高度变化以1 a周期变化为主,其次为0.5 a、准2 a周期变化.（3）通过计算海平面异常的标准差得出多年来台湾海峡西南部海域海平面波动最为激烈.（4）分析了台湾岛周边海域海平面4个季节的变化情况,指出台湾岛周边海域海平面季节变化的主要驱动力是风场.     

Test of numerical prediction of sea water temperature in the Taiwan Strait

INTRODUTION ln the ocean environrnent prediction nurnerital medels in the China seas, the TaiwanStrait was usually considered as oPen boundary either in the study of the East China Ai or thefouth China As, so it is difficult to get a satisfactory predicted result in this strait area.Recently many stud1es on the Taiwan Strait have been made, arid the predlction serviceproects of the drine prediction stage are increasing and have achieved high--favorable econodricbenefit. Nevertheless, t…