Altimeter Measurements of Wind and Wave Modulation by the Kuroshio in the Yellow and East China Seas |
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Authors: | Email author" target="_blank">Paul?A?HwangEmail author |
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Institution: | (1) Oceanography Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Stennis Space Center, MS, 39529-5004, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | The Kuroshio is the major ocean current conveying heat and water mass in the Pacific Ocean. The impact of the Kuroshio on
regional wind and wave distributions has been studied with spaceborne-altimeter measurements in the Yellow and East China
Seas. In this region the Kuroshio trajectory is relatively stationary and the monsoon patterns dominate, making it an ideal
natural laboratory for large scale air-sea-current interaction research. Major findings from this study include: (a) The Kuroshio
exerts significant influence on the wind and wave distributions over a swath about 800-km wide along its path. (b) Seasonal
average wind speeds reach a maximum near the Kuroshio axis. The magnitude of enhancement ranges between 20 and 50 percent.
(c) The distribution of the surface wave heights displays similar spatial patterns to the wind-speed distribution. The Kuroshio
effects on wave heights are further complicated by the hydrodynamic modulation of wave-current interaction and the influence
of thermal stratification on wind-wave generation. (d) Kuroshio effects are most prominent in the first and last quarters
of the year, and least prominent in the third quarter. |
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Keywords: | Air-sea-current interaction Kuroshio modulation wave-current interaction stability |
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