Temporal variations of the winter mixed layer south of the Kuroshio Extension

A monthly mean time series of the temperature profile in the recirculation gyre south of the Kuroshio Extension has been produced for the period 1971–2007 to examine temporal variations of the winter mixed layer. The winter mixed layer depth (MLD) shows both interannual and decadal variations and is significantly correlated with variation of the mean net surface heat flux in late autumn to early winter. There is also a close relation with the strength of pre-existing subsurface stratification, measured as vertical temperature gradients in the preceding summer. Linear multiple regression analysis shows that a significant fraction of the variations in the winter MLD is explained by the surface heat flux and the strength of the stratification. The contribution of the two factors is comparable.     

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．     

源区黑潮热输送低频变异及其与中国近海SST异常变化的关系

基于长时间序列的水温和盐度资料,通过动力计算方法估算了源区黑潮（18°N断面）热输送量,分析了源区黑潮热输送变异和中国近海SST异常的年际、年代际时空变化特征及两者之间的相互关系．结果显示,源区黑潮热输送异常呈现出显著的以2—7、10～20a和约30a为主周期的年际、年代际变化,且具有线性增强的长期变化趋势．并约于1976年前后发生了一次显著气候跃变．中国近海SST年际、年代际异常变化的最显著区域位于渤海、黄海、东海海域和台湾海峡．源区黑潮热输送变异在年际、年代际尺度上与中国近海SST异常变化密切相关,源区黑潮热输送变异可能是影响中国近海SST异常变化的重要因素之一．     

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...     

Interannual variability of the Kuroshio Extension and its relation to the Southern Oscillation/El Niño

The interannual variability of the temperature structure of the Kuroshio Extension is studied by establishing time series for the period 1950 to 1970 and then comparing it with the time series of sea level differences across the North Equatorial Current obtained by Wyrtki (1975). First, the present analysis shows a significant correlation between the interannual fluctuation of the Kuroshio Extension and the eddy activity south of the Kuroshio axis, suggesting the importance of the eddy-driven mechanism. Secondly, spectral analysis shows close connections between the Kuroshio Extension and the North Equatorial Current with a reasonable time lag of about 1.5 years. This time lag of the mid-latitude variability is also supported by other independent data. In particular, the present preliminary study strongly suggests that the bimodal behavior of the Kuroshio path south of Japan and the intensity of the Kuroshio Countercurrent are closely connected with the Southern Oscillation/El Niño.     

台湾以东黑潮经向热输送变异及可能的气候效应

基于日本气象厅长序列水文再分析资料,通过估算台湾以东黑潮24°N断面热输送量,分析了该断面黑潮热输送的低频变异特征,并探讨了热输送变异与我国近海海表温度异常变化以及前期(前秋、前冬和春季)和同期(夏季)热输送变异与我国夏季降水异常变化的关联性。小波分析显示,台湾以东黑潮(24°N断面)热输送异常存在着显著的准2 a周期振荡和约16 a的年代际变化,且以上显著周期主要存在于20世纪60年代中期以后,另外,台湾以东黑潮(24°N断面)热输送变异的季节差异明显;50多年来,台湾以东黑潮(24°N断面)热输送呈现出长期增强趋势,但变化幅度不大,且各季节长期趋势也有所不同。相关分析表明,台湾以东黑潮(24°N断面)热输送低频变异可能是我国东部近海SST变化的一个重要因素。另外,回归分析发现,前期及同期台湾以东黑潮(24°N断面)热输送变异对我国东部夏季降水异常变化有显著指示性,可能存在较大影响。     

Interannual salinity variations in the Tsushima Strait and its relation to the Changjiang discharge

Interannual salinity variations in the Tsushima Strait are investigated on the basis of historical hydrographic data. The EOF analysis revealed that the most dominant mode is the in-phase salinity variation between the eastern and western channels. The time coefficients of the EOF first mode in summer show a negative correlation with the Changjiang discharge, which indicates that salinity in the Tsushima Strait tends to decrease over summer, related to a large discharge of the Changjiang. The eigenvectors of the first mode are larger in the eastern channel than those in the western channel, though the low salinity water mainly flows through the western channel. This is because the low salinity water spreads into the eastern channel as well as the western channel over summers with a large discharge of the Changjiang. The out-of-phase salinity variation between the channels is extracted as the EOF second mode; this is the predominant variation in the western channel. The time coefficients of the second mode in summer show no significant correlations to the volume transports through the western channel and the transport differences between channels. A relationship between the EOF second mode and variations in the wind stress over the East China Sea is suggested.     

Surface circulation in Sagami Bay: the response to variations of the Kuroshio axis

In order to study the characteristics of the surface circulation in Sagami Bay, long-term current measurements were carried out at five moored stations during the period from October 1982 to January 1984. The majority of current patterns show the existence of a cyclonic eddy in the bay, while at times the direction of the circulation is reversed. When the Kuroshio current flows over the Izu-Ogasawara Ridge and approaches Sagami Bay, the current that passes through the Oshima-West Channel north of Oshima Island (COWC), has a strong clockwise flow, while the counterclockwise circulation in the bay becomes intensified. When the Kuroshio shifts southward off the shore, the COWC and the flow in the bay are weak or at times reverse their directions.     

黑潮延伸体区域脱落涡旋的时空特征分析

本文利用1993-2015年AVISO卫星高度计融合数据,统计分析了从黑潮延伸体流轴脱落涡旋的空间分布特征、运动属性以及季节、年际和类年代际变化。研究结果表明,23年间共追踪到242个气旋涡,276个反气旋涡,脱落的涡旋主要分布在沙茨基海隆以西区域。从脱落涡旋的源地空间分布来看,气旋涡的形成区域有两个高值区,一个位于黑潮延伸体流轴稳定弯曲处,即144°~146°E之间的上游区域;另一个位于沙茨基海隆西侧156°E处。而反气旋涡的形成区域也有两个高值区,一个位于沙茨基海隆以西的下游区域,另一个位于148°E处。这些在上游和下游脱落的涡旋大多向西移动,其中有88%的涡旋再次被流轴吸收。脱落涡旋的数量显示出了明显的年际和类年代际变化。在流轴的上下游区域,类年代际和年际变化分别占主导地位。并且在上游区域,脱落涡旋的类年代际变化与黑潮延伸体的强度呈负相关。在季节变化上,夏季脱落形成的涡旋最多,冬季最少。     

长江口北支悬沙浓度及输移的时空变化

本文基于4次洪枯季同步水文观测资料,着重分析了长江口北支悬沙浓度的潮周期变化、垂向分布、纵向分布和悬沙输移及其时空差异。研究结果显示,悬沙浓度的潮周期变化过程在大中潮期以M型(双峰型)为主,下段主槽内在大潮期多出现V型,上段在枯季可出现涨潮单峰型;小潮期可出现无峰、单峰或双峰型。涨、落潮悬沙浓度峰值及均值,在枯季多涨潮大于落潮,洪季中小潮特别是小潮期易出现落潮大于涨潮;下段主槽内在大潮期易出现落潮大于涨潮。悬沙浓度的垂向分布及其变化特点,在大中潮期与悬沙的潮周期变化型式有关,其中M型存在显著的洪枯季差异。纵向上,最高悬沙浓度在枯季出现于中段灵甸港至三和港之间及附近河段,洪季则在下段三条港附近。潮周期悬沙净输移,枯季大多向陆特别是大中潮期,洪季中上段大多向海,下段大潮期多向陆、中小潮易出现向海;下段主槽内在大潮期易出现向海。     

Oceanic eddy-driven atmospheric secondary circulation in the winter Kuroshio Extension region

In the winter Kuroshio Extension region, the atmospheric response to oceanic eddies is studied using reanalysis and satellite data. The detected eddies in this region are mostly under the force of northwesterly wind, with the sea surface temperature (SST) anomaly located within the eddy. By examining the patterns of surface wind divergence, three types of atmospheric response are identified. The first type, which occupies 60%, is characterized by significant sea surface wind convergence and divergence at the edge and a vertical secondary circulation (SC) aloft, supporting the “vertical momentum mixing mechanism”. The SCs on anticyclonic eddies (AEs) can reach up to 300 hPa, but those on cyclonic eddies (CEs) are limited to 700 hPa. This can be explained by analyzing vertical eddy heat transport: When northwesterly wind passes the warmer center of an AE, it is from the cold to warm sea surface, resulting in stronger evaporation and convection, triggering stronger upward velocity and moist static heat flux. For the cases of CEs, the wind blows from warm to cold, which means less instability and less evaporation, resulting in weaker SCs. The second type, which occupies 10%, is characterized by divergence and a sea level pressure anomaly in the center, supported by the “pressure adjustment mechanism”. The other 30% are mostly weak eddies, and the atmospheric variation aloft is unrelated to the SST anomaly. Our work provides evidence for the different atmospheric responses over oceanic eddies and explains why SCs over AEs are much stronger than those over CEs by vertical heat flux analysis.     

Temporal variations in the current structure and volume transport of the Coastal Oyashio revealed by direct current measurement

Direct current measurements by a shipboard and bottom-mounted acoustic Doppler current profiler and concurrent hydrographic observations with a CTD were conducted off southeastern Hokkaido, Japan, between January and May 2005 to reveal temporal variations in the current structure and volume transport of the Coastal Oyashio (CO). The CO, which has a baroclinic jet structure with southwestward speeds exceeding 90 cm s^?1 and a width of 7–8 km, was associated with a surface-to-bottom density front and was formed on the offshore side of the shelf break. The volume transport of CO (T _CO) was estimated by integrating the fluxes of lower-density water that was trapped against the coast along the density front represented by the 26.2 σ _θ isopycnal line. This transport decreased monotonously from 0.79 Sv (1 Sv = 10⁶ m³ s^?1) in January to 0.21 Sv in March and subsequently to 0.12 Sv in May, possibly due to the decay of the East Sakhalin Current Water in the Okhotsk Sea. Accompanied by a decrease in T _CO, the location of the jet structure associated with the density front moved toward the coast while the maximum speed of the jet decreased and the tilt of the front became more horizontal. Consequently, more saline offshore Oyashio water flowed into the deep part of the shelf area, and the current structure altered from relatively barotropic in winter to baroclinic in spring. This study is the first to estimate the observed volume transport of the CO from direct current measurements.     

Temporal variations of surface oceanic and atmospheric CO2 fugacity and total dissolved inorganic carbon in the northwestern North Pacific

In order to examine temporal variations of the surface oceanic and atmospheric fCO₂ and the DIC concentration, we analyzed air and seawater samples collected during the period May 1992–June 1996 in the northwestern North Pacific, about 30 km off the coast of the main island of Japan. The atmospheric CO₂ concentration has increased secularly at a rate of 1.9 ppmv yr⁻¹, and it showed a clear seasonal cycle with a maximum in spring and a minimum late in summer, produced mainly by seasonally-dependent terrestrial biospheric activities. DIC also showed a prominent seasonal cycle in the surface ocean; the minimum and maximum values of the cycle appeared in early fall and in early spring, respectively, due primarily to the seasonally-dependent activities of marine biota and partly to the vertical mixing of seawater and the coastal upwelling. The oceanic fCO₂ values were almost always lower than those of the atmospheric fCO₂, suggesting that this area of the ocean acts as a sink for atmospheric CO₂. Values varied seasonally, mainly reflecting seasonal changes of SST and DIC, with a secular increase at a rate of 3.7 μatm yr⁻¹. The average values of the annual net CO₂ flux between the ocean and the atmosphere calculated by using the different bulk equations ranged between −0.8 and −1.7 mol m⁻²yr⁻¹, and its magnitude was enhanced and reduced late in spring and mid-summer, respectively, due mainly to the seasonally varying oceanic fCO₂.     

冬季黑潮延伸体海表温度变率的年代际变化及其与阿留申大气低压系统的关系

By utilizing multiple datasets from various sources available for the last 100 years, the existence for the interdecadal change of the winter sea surface temperature(SST) variability in the Kuroshio Extension(KE) region is investigated. And its linkage with the Aleutian Low(AL) activity changes is also discussed. The results find that the KE SST variability exhibits the significant ~6 a and ~10 a oscillations with obvious interdecadal change. The ~6 a oscillation is mainly detected during 1930–1950, which is largely impacted by the anomalous surface heat flux forcing and Ekman heat transport associated with the AL intensity variation. The ~10 a oscillation is most evident after the 1980s, which is predominantly triggered by the AL north-south shift through the bridge of oceanic Rossby waves.     

Sea level variations at the Izu Islands and typical stable paths of the Kuroshio

Differences in daily mean sea level between Kushimoto and Uragami and daily mean sea levels at Miyake-jima and HachijÔ-jima in the Izu Islands are examined during the 1964–1980 period, and characteristics of the typical paths of the Kuroshio corresponding to the dominant sea level states are described.Sea levels at the islands show three dominant states: high and low sea level states (45 % and 31 %) in the non-large-meander period (October 1963 –7 August 1975) and high sea level state (64 %) in the large-meander period (8 August 1975–15 March 1980). This indicates the existence of three typical paths of the Kuroshio, and the states correspond to the nearshore and offshore non-large-meander paths and the typical large-meander path, respectively. The first path is located near the coast throughout the whole southern area off Japan, the second path leaves the coast around the Izu Ridge and passes south of HachijÔ-jima, and the third path is located near the coast over the ridge after meandering far to the south of Enshû-nada.The positions of the three typical paths are almost the same in the farthest upstream and downstream regions south of Japan between 131E and 142E. The nearshore and offshore non-large-meander paths overlap between Kyûshû and the Kii Peninsula, being invariably close to the coast, while the typical large-meander path south of Shikoku is located offshore and changes its position meridionally.At the mid-depth of 400 m the nearshore non-large-meander and typical large-meander paths pass the Izu Ridge through the deep channel between Miyake-jima and HachijÔ-jima, while the offshore non-large-meander path passes through the deep region south of HachijÔjima. The path of the Kuroshio at mid-depth is well constrained by the bottom topography of the Izu Ridge.     

Water and flow variations in Sagami Bay under the influence of the Kuroshio path

Variations of water and flow in Sagami Bay in relation to the Kuroshio path variations are examined by using 100m-depth temperature and salinity data from 25 stations as well as sea level data from five stations (Minami-Izu, ItÔ, Ôshima, Aburatsubo, Mera). In regard to temperature, anomalies from the mean seasonal variations are used. Results show that water properties are clearly different between the three typical paths of the Kuroshio. The difference is more remarkable in temperature than in salinity; temperature is higher during the typical large-eander (LM) path, and lower during the offshore non-large-meander (NLM) path, compared with the nearshore NLM path. Temperature anomaly and salinity distributions, as well as the Ôshima minus Minami-Izu and Ôshima minus Mera sea-level differences strongly suggest that the flows during the typical LM path are distributed as hitherto described in past studies, that is, water in the mouth region of the bay flows clockwise around Ôshima from the west channel to the east channel, and a counterclockwise eddy exists in the interior. On the other hand, flows during the nearshore and offshore NLM paths seem to be quite different from those during the typical LM path; velocities are very weak, and the directions of circulation is frequently reversed. This tendency also can be seen during parts of LM period in which the Kuroshio takes a non-typical LM path.Water properties in Sagami Bay are most characteristic during transitions between nearshore and offshore NLM paths. During transitions from nearshore to offshore NLM paths, temperatures are extremely high as a whole in the bay, while during reverse transitions, both temperatures and salinities are very low in the entire region.     

POM模式在日本南部黑潮路径变异研究中的应用

日本南部黑潮路径变异对北太平洋地区的气候和环境具有显著的影响,对黑潮路径变异的研究具有重要的意义。本文利用POM(Princeton Ocean Model)数值模式模拟了日本南部黑潮的路径变异情况,分析了黑潮大弯曲路径形成的可能机制。研究结果表明,当黑潮处于非大弯曲路径时,相对位势涡度的平均值呈现递减趋势,说明日本南部低位势涡度水在不断积累,这样会使得四国再循环流的强度增强,迫使黑潮保持平直路径,同时,近岸黑潮垂直流速剪切增大,斜压不稳定性的作用也逐渐增大;当黑潮从非大弯曲路径向大弯曲路径过渡时,再循环流强度的减弱会导致黑潮的流速剪切减小。根据海表高度异常场以及海洋上层流场信息发现,近岸黑潮附近的气旋涡会随着再循环流区域反气旋涡的东侧向南运动,最终导致黑潮大弯曲的发生。分析涡流的能量,结果显示,黑潮大弯曲路径的形成与斜压不稳定性密切相关。     

Spectral properties of sea level and time scales of Kuroshio path variations

Spectral properties of sea levels at Naze, Nishinoomote, Kushimoto, Uragami, Miyake-jima and HachijÔ-jima are examined for the non-large-meander (February 1964 – May 1975) and large-meander (October 1975 – December 1979) periods, and the periodicity of variation of the Kuroshio path is clarified.The large meander of the Kuroshio occurs with a primary period of about 20 years and secondary period of 7 to 8. 5 years. During the non-large-meander period, the Kuroshio alternately takes the nearshore and offshore non-large-meander paths with a primary period of 1. 6–1. 8 years. This variation is moreover composed of 110-day, around 195-day and annual periods. The 110-day variation of the Kuroshio path appears to have influence on the coastal sea levels between the Kii Peninsula and the Izu Ridge;i. e., the coastal sea levels rise and fall with one-month time lag after the Kuroshio has begun to approach and leave the Japanese coast. During the large-meander period, the 70 and 110-day variations are remarkable in sea levels south of Japan except Miyake-jima and HachijÔ-jima. The 70-day variation is highly coherent throughout the south coast of Japan; the coherent area of the 110-day variation seems to be smaller.The sea-level variations at Naze and Nishinoomote are not significantly coherent for any of the periods except for annual and semiannual cycles during both the non-large-meander and large-meander periods. That is, the sea-level variations are incoherent between the onshore and offshore sides of the Kuroshio, except for seasonal variation.