scholarly journals Fish Catch Is Related to the Fluctuations of a Western Boundary Current

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 705-721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lie-Yauw Oey ◽  
Jia Wang ◽  
M.-A. Lee
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Fish Larvae ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Wind Stress Curl ◽  
Chl A ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Fish Catch

AbstractIn eastern boundary upwelling ecosystems, substantial variance of biological productivity (~50%) can often be related to physical forcing such as winds and ocean temperatures. Robust biophysical connections are less clear-cut in western boundary currents. Here the authors show that interannual variation of fish catch along the western boundary current of the North Pacific, the Kuroshio, significantly correlates (r = 0.67; p < 0.001) with the current’s off-slope (more fish) and on-slope (less fish) sideways shifts in the southern East China Sea. Remotely, transport fluctuations and fish catch are related to the oscillation of a wind stress-curl dipole in the tropical–subtropical gyre of the western North Pacific. Locally, the current’s sideways fluctuations are driven by transport fluctuations through a feedback process between along-isobath pressure gradients and vertical motions: upwelling (downwelling) during the off-slope (on slope) shift, which in turn significantly enhances (depresses) the chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration in winter and early spring. The authors hypothesize that changes in the phytoplankton biomass as indicated by the Chl-a lead to changes in copepodites, the main food source of the fish larvae, and hence also to the observed variation in fish catch.

scholarly journals Weak Thermocline Mixing in the North Pacific Low-Latitude Western Boundary Current System

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (20) ◽  
pp. 10,530-10,539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiyu Liu ◽  
Qiang Lian ◽  
Fangtao Zhang ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Mingming Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Current System ◽  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Low Latitude ◽  
The North ◽  
The North Pacific

scholarly journals Tidally modified western boundary current drives interbasin exchange between the Sea of Okhotsk and the North Pacific

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hung-Wei Shu ◽  
Humio Mitsudera ◽  
Kaihe Yamazaki ◽  
Tomohiro Nakamura ◽  
Takao Kawasaki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Pacific ◽  
Sea Of Okhotsk ◽  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Exchange Flows ◽  
The Sea Of Okhotsk ◽  
The North ◽  
Interbasin Exchange ◽  
The North Pacific

AbstractThe interbasin exchange between the Sea of Okhotsk and the North Pacific governs the intermediate water ventilation and fertilization of the nutrient-rich subpolar Pacific, and thus has an enormous influence on the North Pacific. However, the mechanism of this exchange is puzzling; current studies have not explained how the western boundary current (WBC) of the subarctic North Pacific intrudes only partially into the Sea of Okhotsk. High-resolution models often exhibit unrealistically small exchanges, as the WBC overshoots passing by deep straits and does not induce exchange flows. Therefore, partial intrusion cannot be solely explained by large-scale, wind-driven circulation. Here, we demonstrate that tidal forcing is the missing mechanism that drives the exchange by steering the WBC pathway. Upstream of the deep straits, tidally-generated topographically trapped waves over a bank lead to cross-slope upwelling. This upwelling enhances bottom pressure, thereby steering the WBC pathway toward the deep straits. The upwelling is identified as the source of joint-effect-of-baroclinicity-and-relief (JEBAR) in the potential vorticity equation, which is caused by tidal oscillation instead of tidally-enhanced vertical mixing. The WBC then hits the island chain and induces exchange flows. This tidal control of WBC pathways is applicable on subpolar and polar regions globally.

scholarly journals A Quality Control Procedure for Climatological Studies Using Argo Data in the North Pacific Western Boundary Current Region

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (12) ◽  
pp. 2717-2733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenjing Jia ◽  
Dong Wang ◽  
Nadia Pinardi ◽  
Simona Simoncelli ◽  
Andrea Storto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
North Pacific ◽  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Control Procedure ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
The North ◽  
Current Region ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The North Pacific

AbstractA quality control (QC) procedure is developed to estimate monthly mean climatologies from the large Argo dataset (2005–12) over the North Pacific western boundary current region. In addition to the individual QC procedure, which checks for instrumental, transmission, and gross errors, the paper describes and shows the impact of climatological checks (collective QC) on the quality of both processed profiles and resultant climatological distributions. Objective analysis (OA) is applied progressively to produce the gridded climatological fields. The method uses horizontal regional climatological averages defined in five regime-oriented subregions in the Kuroshio area and the Japan Sea. Performing the QC procedure on specific coherent subregions produces improved profiling data and climatological fields because more details about the local hydrodynamics are taken into consideration. Nonrepresentative data and random noises are more effectively rejected by this method, which has value both in defining a climatological mean and identifying outlier data. Assessing with both profiling and coordinated datasets, the agreement is reasonably good (particularly for those areas with abundant observations), but the results (although already smoothed) can capture more detailed or mesoscale features for further regional studies. The method described has the potential to meet future challenges in processing accumulating Argo observations in the coming decades.

scholarly journals IMPACTS OF SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE WESTERLIES ON THE BRAZIL CURRENT AT 30ºS

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Jessica S. Carvalho ◽  
Fabricio S. C. Oliveira ◽  
Edmo J. D. Campos
Keyword(s):  
Wind Stress ◽  
South Atlantic ◽  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Subtropical Gyre ◽  
Brazilian Coast ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
The South ◽  
Wind Stress Curl ◽  
Brazil Current

ABSTRACT. Previous studies have pointed out an intensification of the global western boundary currents induced by changes in the wind-stress curl patterns over the oceans. The Brazil Current (BC) is the western boundary current into the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, which flows southwards along the Brazilian coast. A numerical model is used to investigate the response of BC to this change in wind forcing between 1960-2010, across 30ºS. The results found here support the increasing trend noticed in the wind-stress curl and a poleward migration of the South Hemisphere westerlies in the past decades. The residual transport of BC at 30_S is composed by its southward main flow and the northward branch of a recirculation cell (Rec) east of the BC. Both the BC and Rec transports showed a decrease trend of 0.10 Sv dec1 and 0.28 Sv dec1, respectively. It suggests a southward migration of Rec in response to changes in the westerlies. The results also indicate a relative intensification in the western boundary transport and a strengthening in the South Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. Keywords: Western Boundary Current, Meridional Transport, HYCOM.RESUMO. Estudos anteriores apontam para uma intensificação das correntes de contorno oeste globais induzidas por mudanças no rotacional do estresse do vento sobre os oceanos. A Corrente do Brasil (CB) é a corrente de contorno oeste do giro Subtropical do Atlântico Sul, que flui para sul ao longo da costa brasileira. Um modelo numérico é usado para investigar a resposta da CB às mudanças na forçante do vento entre 1960-2010, ao longo de 30_S. Os resultados encontrados aqui suportam a tendência de aumento observada no rotacional do estresse do vento e a migração para o polo dos ventos de oeste do hemisfério sul nas ultimas décadas. O transporte residual da CB em 30ºS é composto pelo seu fluxo principal para sul e o braço para norte de uma célula de recirculação (Rec) a leste da CB. Ambos os transportes da CB e Rec mostraram uma tendência de redução de 0,10 Sv dec1 e 0,28 Sv dec1, respectivamente. Isto sugere uma migração para sul da Rec em resposta às mudanças dos ventos de oeste. Os resultados também indicam uma relativa intensificação do transporte na borda oeste e um fortalecimento do giro Subtropical do Atlântico Sul.Palavras-chave: Corrente de Contorno Oeste, Transporte Meridional, HYCOM.

scholarly journals Frequency-Domain Analysis of the Energy Budget in an Idealized Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Model

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 707-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paige E. Martin ◽  
Brian K. Arbic ◽  
Andrew McC. Hogg ◽  
Andrew E. Kiss ◽  
James R. Munroe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Frequency Domain ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Western Boundary Current ◽  
Spectral Energy ◽  
Western Boundary ◽  
Intrinsic Variability ◽  
Boundary Current ◽  
Ocean Atmosphere ◽  
Atmosphere Model

AbstractClimate variability is investigated by identifying the energy sources and sinks in an idealized, coupled, ocean–atmosphere model, tuned to mimic the North Atlantic region. The spectral energy budget is calculated in the frequency domain to determine the processes that either deposit energy into or extract energy from each fluid, over time scales from one day up to 100 years. Nonlinear advection of kinetic energy is found to be the dominant source of low-frequency variability in both the ocean and the atmosphere, albeit in differing layers in each fluid. To understand the spatial patterns of the spectral energy budget, spatial maps of certain terms in the spectral energy budget are plotted, averaged over various frequency bands. These maps reveal three dynamically distinct regions: along the western boundary, the western boundary current separation, and the remainder of the domain. The western boundary current separation is found to be a preferred region to energize oceanic variability across a broad range of time scales (from monthly to decadal), while the western boundary itself acts as the dominant sink of energy in the domain at time scales longer than 50 days. This study paves the way for future work, using the same spectral methods, to address the question of forced versus intrinsic variability in a coupled climate system.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document