Major features and variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea

This is a brief introduction of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea (ECS). The main results of the study for this part of the Kuroshio system in recent years are reviewed and presented with emphases placed on the major features of the current structure, annual and inter-annual variations of the velocity and volume transport of the Kuroshio in ECS, and the relation between the variation of the Kuroshio in ECS and that of the Kuroshio south of Japan. And finally, an indirect relation between the variation of the Kuroshio in ECS and that of the North Equatorial Current system is suggested. It is shown that the fluctuation of the Kuroshio in ECS is also correlated with that of the North Equatorial Current and North Equatorial Counter-current. Ties of the above relation are the wind stress curl field over the tropical and subtropical belts.     

Numerical Study of Water and Suspended Matter Exchange Between the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

INTRODUCTIONTheYellowSeaandtheEastChinaSea (ECS)aremarginalseasofthenorthwestPacificandhaveexpansivecontinentalshelves .TheuniqueandstrikingfeaturesoftheYellowSeaandtheECSarethattheyhavestrongtidalcurrent;aresubjecttostrongmonsooninfluence ;andreceiveinflowfromthebiggestriverinChina ,theChangjiangRiver ;andthatthefamouswesternboundarycurrent,theKuroshio ,passesthroughtheECS ,withitsbranchesintrudingupwardintothecontinentalshelfareas.Generallyspeaking ,thewaterexchangecapacityofthe…     

A PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KUROSHIO FRONTAL EDDY IN THE EAST CHINA SEA IN SPRING

The Kuroshi'o front eddy's surface and sectional isothermal distribution characteristics were analyzed on the basis of observation data obtained in April 13-16 of 1989 in the East China Sea. It was found from the similarity between these isothermal distributions with those in January and beginning of June for the years 1986-1990 that the Kuroshio front eddy often occurred from March to the beginning of June. The Kuroshio front eddy movement in the East China Sea in spring was along two routes: the Okinawa Trough route, and the continental shelf slope route. The two moving routes both in the surface layer and in the section are described, their causes are discussed, and differences are compared.     

Water masses in the South China Sea and water exchange between the Pacific and the South China Sea

Water masses in the South China Sea (SCS) were identified and analyzed with the data collected in the summer and winter of 1998. The distributions of temperature and salinity near the Bashi Channel (the Luzon Strait) were analyzed by using the data obtained in July and December of 1997. Based on the results from the data collected in the winter of 1998, waters in the open sea areas of the SCS were divided into six water masses: the Surface Water Mass of the SCS (S), the Subsurface Water Mass of the SCS (U), the Subsurface-Intermediate Water Mass of the SCS (UI), the Intermediate Water Mass of the SCS (I), the Deep Water Mass of the SCS (D) and the Bottom Water Mass of the SCS(B). For the summer of 1998, the Kuroshio Surface Water Mass (KS) and the Kuroshio Subsurface Water Mass (KU) were also identified in the SCS. But no Kuroshio water was found to pass the 119.5°E meridian and enter the SCS in the time of winter observations. The Sulu Sea Water (SSW) intruded into the SCS through the Mindoro Channel between 50–75 m in the summer of 1998. However, the data obtained in the summer and winter of 1997 indicated that water from the Pacific had entered the SCS through the northern part of the Luzon Strait in these seasons, but water from the SCS had entered the Pacific through the southern part of the Strait. These phenomena might correlate with the 1998 El-Niño event.     

Impact of Kuroshio on the dissolved oxygen in the East China Sea region

A marine survey was conducted from 18 May to 13 June 2014 in the East China Sea(ECS)and its adjacent Kuroshio Current to examine the spatial distribution and biogeochemical characteristics of dissolved oxygen(DO) in spring. Waters were sampled at 10-25 m intervals within 100 m depth, and at 25-500 m beyond 100 m. The depth, temperature, salinity, and density(sigma-t) were measured in situ with a conductivity-temperature-depth(CTD) sensor. DO concentrations were determined on board using traditional Winkler titration method. The results show that in the Kuroshio Current, DO content was the highest in the euphotic layer, then decreased sharply with depth to about 1 000 m, and increased with depth gradually thereafter. While in the ECS continental shelf area, DO content had high values in the coastal surface water and low values in the near-bottom water. In addition, a low-DO zone of f the Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary was found in spring 2014, and it was formed under the combined influence of many factors, including water stratification, high primary productivity in the euphotic layers, high accumulation/sedimentation of organic matter below the euphotic layers, and mixing/transport of oceanic current waters on the shelf. Most notable among these is the Kuroshio intruded water, an oceanic current water which carried rich dissolved oxygen onto the continental shelf and alleviated the oxygen deficit phenomenon in the ECS, could impact the position, range, and intensity, thus the formation/destruction of the ECS Hypoxia Zone.     

Statistical analysis of intensity variations in tropical cyclones in the East China Sea passing over the Kuroshio

Journal of Oceanology and Limnology - Intensity variations of the SE-NW-oriented tropical cyclones (TC) in the East China Sea (ECS) passing over the Kuroshio are studied using multi-year...     

A modelling study of inter-annual variation of Kuroshio intrusion on the shelf of East China Sea

Inter-annual variability of the Kuroshio water intrusion on the shelf of East China Sea (ECS) was simulated with a nested global and Northwest Pacific ocean circulation model. The model analysis reveals the influence of the variability of Kuroshio transport east of Taiwan on the intrusion to the northeast of Taiwan: high correlation (r = 0.92) with the on-shore volume flux in the lower layer (50–200 m); low correlation (r = 0.50) with the on-shore flux in the upper layer (0–50 m). Spatial distribution of correlations between volume fluxes and sea surface height suggests that inter-annual variability of the Kuroshio flux east of Taiwan and its subsurface water intruding to the shelf lag behind the sea surface height anomalies in the central Pacific at 162°E by about 14 months, and could be related to wind-forced variation in the interior North Pacific that propagates westward as Rossby waves. The intrusion of Kuroshio surface water is also influenced by local winds. The intruding Kuroshio subsurface water causes variations of temperature and salinity of bottom waters on the southern ECS shelf. The influence of the intruding Kuroshio subsurface water extends widely from the shelf slope northeast of Taiwan northward to the central ECS near the 60 m isobath, and northeastward to the region near the 90 m isobath.     

A THREE-DIMENSIONAL THERMOCLINE MODEL FOR THE YELLOW SEA AND NORTHERN EAST CHINA SEA

A time-dependent, three-dimensional finite difference model is presented for simulating the stratifiedYellow Sea and northem East China Sea. The mode is forced by time-dependent observed wind, surfaceflux of heat, and tidal turbulence. With this model, momentum and temperature distribution can be computed,and an approximation for the sub-grid scale effects is introduced by the use of mass and momentumexchange coefficients. The vertical exchanges are quite dependent on these assumed coefficents, whichare complicated functions of the turbulence energy of tide and wind, of the stratified strength and otherfactors. This model was applied to describe the mechanics of the variations in strength and thickness ofthe thermocline covering almost the whole Yellow Sea and northern East Chna Sea in summer. Comparisonsof the computed output with obtained survey data led to some important conclusions.     

Influence of the Kuroshio on hydrography and hydrometeorology in the East China Sea near-shore region

The aim of the study was 1)to determine the relation between the Kuroshio meander and the intensity of the subtropic high pressure over the Pacific Ocean, and then to obtain statistical validity for the observational conclusion that the occurrence time of the Kuroshio meander leads the time of strengthened C-circulation of Europe by one or more years; 2) to develop a method to predict the occurrence time of flood or drought periods in the Changjiang River Valley from the occurrence time of the Kuroshio meander, since there is a close relation between the occurrence time of the drought or flood periods in the Changjiang River Valley and the occurrence time of the strong or weak periods of C-circulation of Europe; and 3) to develop a logical explanation verifiable by remote sensing technique and other means that the warm species phytoplanktons collected recently in the Jiaozhou Bay of Shandong Peninsula in China were carried there by a new warm current branch of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea. This paper was presented at the Conference on Western Pacific Circulation Influence on the China Seas in Qingdao, 1987, and approved for publishing as a monograph.     

ANALYSIS OF Cu, Cd, Co AND Ni IN SURFACE WATER OF THE KUROSHIO AREA IN THE EAST CHINA SEA

Study of 1986 and 1987 heavy metal distribution in surface water of the Kuroshio area in the East China Sea showed regional and slight seasonal variations in distribution and concentration . Heavy metal levels in Taiwan Strait, the sea area north of Taiwan and the continental shelf are higher than those in the main axis of the Kuroshio . Dissolved Cu in summer and winter decreases with the increase of salinity , but dissolved Cd has no obvious change with salinity .     

The effect of the East China Sea Kuroshio Front on the marine atmospheric boundary layer

Various satellite data, JRA-25 (Japan reanalysis of 25 years) reanalyzed data and WRF (Weather Research Forecast) model are used to investigate the in situ effect of the ESKF (East China Sea Kuroshio Front) on the MABL (marine atmospheric boundary layer). The intensity of the ESKF is most robust from January to April in its annual cycle. The local strong surface northerly/northeasterly winds are observed right over the ESKF in January and in April and the wind speeds decrease upward in the MABL. The thermal wind effect that is derived from the baroclinic MABL forced by the strong SST gradient contributes to the strong surface winds to a large degree. The convergence zone existing along the warm flank of the ESKF is stronger in April than in January corresponding to the steeper SST (sea surface temperature) gradient. The collocations of the cloud cover maximum and precipitation maximum are basically consistent with the convergence zone of the wind field. The clouds develop higher (lower) in the warm (cold) flank of the ESKF due to the less (more) stable stratification in the MABL. The lowest clouds are observed in April on the cold flank of the ESKF and over the Yellow Sea due to the existence of the pronounced temperature inversion. The numerical experiments with smoothed SST are consistent with the results from the ovservations.     

Kuroshio intrusion drives the Trichodesmium assemblage and shapes the phytoplankton community during spring in the East China Sea

To understand the influence of Kuroshio intrusion on the phytoplankton community,a field investigation was conducted in spring 2017 in the East China Sea(ECS),and 130 seawater samples were collected and analyzed.Trichodesmium comprised the highest cell abundance contributing about 66%of the total phytoplankton followed by diatoms(17%) and dinoflagellates(16%).The dominance of the Kuroshio Waters(KW) and the Taiwan Warm Currents(TWC) were higher than the Coastal Waters(CW).The vertical distribution of physicochemical parameters depicted the intrusion of KW at the bottom layer,but it failed to reach the surface as strong upwelling was not initiated.Therefore,the dissolved inorganic phosphate(DIP) concentrations and P/N ratios were the lowest in the CW and the upper water layers,which limited the diatom growth in this area.Besides,the dinoflagellates cell abundance was also lower except in the surface and CW,though they comprised the maximum richness of species among the phytoplankton community.However,the unique characteristics such as diazotrophy and gas vacuoles of Trichodesmium made the situation advantageous,and they comprised the maximum cell abundance in this area especially in KW and the TWC.Temperature,DIP and P/N ratios appeared to be the major environmental drivers for Trichodesmium proliferation in the ECS during the study period.     

Tidal analysis in the venturi-shaped area between Zhenhai and Shenjiamen in the East China Sea

In order to better understand the general tidal features in the venturi-shaped area between Zhenhai and Shenjiamen in the northern coastal region of Zhejiang Province in the East China Sea, the tidal data were obtained from both the three permanent tide stations of Zhenhai, Dinghai and Shenjiamen, and four temporary tide stations of Mamu, Chuanshan, Guoju and Liuheng, along with the current speed being observed at Luotou Waterway. Results from harmonic analysis show that: (1) The area was dominated by shallow water tides with irregular semi-diurnal features, and the smallest tidal range occurred in the area near a crossing line between Zhenhai and Dinghai stations, indicating that a tidal node existed in the southern Hangzhou Bay; (2) Formulae, HS2/HM2 >0.4 and gM2-(gK1+gO1)=270° (where H and g are harmonic constants), could be used as judging criteria for high and low tidal level diurnal inequalities; (3) The duration difference between ebb and flood tides could be roughly assessed by the ratio of HM4 vs. HM2; and the larger the ratio is, the bigger the duration difference is. At the same time, the duration period could be assessed by 2gM2-gM4, the epoch difference between M2 and M4 tidal constituents. If 2gM2-gM4 <180°, then the ebb duration is longer than the flood duration; if 180°< 2gM2-gM4 <360°, the result is reversed; (4) Taking Dinghai station as a center point, the highest tidal levels and the average high tidal levels, as well as the average tidal ranges at all stations became higher and larger both southeastwards and northwestwards, while the lowest tidal levels and the average low tidal levels appeared to be lower both southeastwards and northwestwards; and (5) The tidal patterns were not all in line with the tidal current patterns. As a conclusion, the smallest tidal range occurred in the narrow part of the venturi-shaped area. Along the both sides of the area, the highest tidal level and tidal range became higher and larger, while the lowest tidal level became lower with the increase of the distance from the narrow throat area. This is somehow different from the theory that the tidal level increases gradually when it moves towards the top narrow area of a V-shaped bay or estuary.     

Observations of Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea

To discuss the intrusion of the Kuroshio into the SCS, we examined the mixing between the North Pacific and South China Sea (SCS) waters based on in-situ CTD data collected in August and September 2008 and the moored ADCP data taken from mid September 2008 to early July 2009. The CTD survey included four meridional sections from 119°E to 122°E around the Luzon Strait, during which pressure, temperature, and salinity were measured. The CTD data show that the isopycnal surface tilted from the SCS to the North Pacific; and it was steeper in the lower layers than in the upper ones. Meanwhile, we found strong vertical mixing taken place in the areas near 121°E. The Kuroshio in high temperature and salinity intruded westward through Luzon Strait. The frequency of buoyancy was one order of magnitude greater than that of the common ones in the ocean, suggesting stronger stratification in the northeastern SCS. On the other hand, the long-term ADCP data show that before late October 2008, the direction of water flow in the SCS was eastward, and from November 2008 to late February 2009, it turned northwestward in the layers shallower than 150 m, while remained unchanged in deep layers from 200 to 450 m. From March to June 2009, the direction shifted with increasing depth from northward to southward, akin to the Ekman spiral. EOF analysis of the current time series revealed dominant empirical modes: the first mode corresponded to the mean current and showed that the Kuroshio intrusion occurred in the upper layers only from late December to early March. The temporal coefficient of the first and the second mode indicated clearly a dominant signal in a quasi-seasonal cycle.     

A research on statistical retrieval algorithms and spectral characteristics of the total absorption coefficients in the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea

1 INTRODUCTION The Yellow Sea and the East China Sea are typical coastal Case-II waters with high sediment load and complicate optical properties. The total absorption coefficient of sea water is one of the main parameters influencing the calculation of o…     

The formation of wind curl in the marine atmosphere boundary layer over the East China Sea Kuroshio in spring

Various data are used to investigate the characteristics of the surface wind field and rainfall on the East China Sea Kuroshio (ESK) in March and April, 2011. In March, the wind speed maximum shows over the ESK front (ESKF) in the 10 meter wind field, which agrees with the thermal wind effect. A wind curl center is generated on the warm flank of the ESKF. The winds are much weaker in April, so is the wind curl. A rainband exists over the ESKF in both the months. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used for further researches. The winds on the top of the marine atmosphere boundary layer (MABL) indicate that in March, a positive wind curl is generated in the whole MABL over the warm flank of the ESKF. The thermal wind effect forced by the strong SST gradient overlying the background wind leads to strong surface northeasterly winds on the ESKF, and a positive shearing vorticity is created over the warm flank of the ESKF to generate wind curl. In the smoothed sea surface temperature experiment, the presence of the ESKF is responsible for the strong northeast winds in the ESKF, and essential for the distribution of the rainfall centers in March, which confirms the mechanism above. The same simulation is made for April, 2011, and the responses from the MABL become weak. The low background wind speed weakens the effect of the thermal wind, thus no strong Ekman pumping is helpful for precipitation. There is no big difference in rainfall between the control run and the smooth SST run. Decomposition of the wind vector shows that local wind acceleration induced by the thermal wind effect along with the variations in wind direction is responsible for the pronounced wind curl/divergence over the ESKF.     

A NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE TIDE-SURGE INTERACTION IN THE EAST CHINA SEA AND THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Nearshore sea levels in the East China Sea(ECS) and the South China Sea(SCS) during tropical cyclones-Typhoon 8007(Joe, 1980) and Typhoon 7209(Betty 1972) were simulated. The tide-surge interactions in the two regions are remarkable and locally produced. The corresponding nonlinear effects were derived from the different nonlinear terms. The contribution of the quadratic friction term is the most important, the shallow term comes second the convective term is the least; the phases of the interactions generated by the various nonlinear terms are asynchronous. Both the quadratic friction and the convective term can stimulate and aggravate the surge structure with more peaks. The bottom friction features have crucial influences on tides and surges, and the interaction is sensitive to the changes of tide and surge.