Variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea, and its Relationship to the Ryukyu Current

2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Wimbush ◽  
D. R. Watts ◽  
William J. Teague
Keyword(s):  
East China Sea ◽  
East China ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Ryukyu Current ◽  
The Kuroshio

scholarly journals Variability of the nutrient stream near Kuroshio's origin

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chen-Tung Arthur Chen ◽  
Ting-Hsuan Huang ◽  
Chi-Hsuan Wu ◽  
Haiyan Yang ◽  
Xinyu Guo
Keyword(s):  
Pacific Ocean ◽  
Continental Shelf ◽  
East China Sea ◽  
Kuroshio Extension ◽  
Subsurface Water ◽  
East China ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
High Productivity ◽  
China Sea ◽  
The Kuroshio

AbstractThe Kuroshio—literally “the Black Stream”—is the most substantial current in the Pacific Ocean. It was called the Black Stream because this oligotrophic current is so nutrient-poor in its euphotic zone that the water appears black without the influence of phytoplankton and the associated, often colored dissolved organic matter. Yet, below the euphotic layer, nutrient concentrations increase with depth while current speed declines. Consequently, a core of maximum nutrient flux, the so-called nutrient stream, develops at a depth of roughly between 200 and 800 m. This poorly studied nutrient stream transports nutrients to and supports high productivity and fisheries on the East China Sea continental shelf; it also transports nutrients to and promotes increased productivity and fisheries in the Kuroshio Extension and the subarctic Pacific Ocean. Three modes of the Kuroshio nutrient stream are detected off SE Taiwan for the first time: one has a single-core; one has two cores that are apparently separated by the ridge at 120.6–122° E, and one has two cores that are separated by a southward flow above the ridge. More importantly, northward nutrient transports seem to have been increasing since 2015 as a result of a 30% increase in subsurface water transport, which began in 2013. Such a nutrient stream supports the Kuroshio's high productivity, such as on the East China Sea continental shelf and in the Kuroshio Extension SE of Japan.

scholarly journals Rapid warming of sea surface temperature along the Kuroshio and the China coast in the East China Sea during the 20th century

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-43
Author(s):  
Yoshi N. Sasaki ◽  
Chisato Umeda
Keyword(s):  
20Th Century ◽  
East China Sea ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
East China ◽  
Model Output ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
China Sea ◽  
Sst Warming ◽  
The Kuroshio ◽  
China Coast

AbstractIt has been reported that the sea surface temperature (SST) trend of the East China Sea during the 20th century was a couple of times larger than the global mean SST trend. However, the detailed spatial structure of the SST trend in the East China Sea and its mechanism have not been understood. The present study examines the SST trend in the East China Sea from 1901 to 2010 using observational data and a Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) with an eddy-resolving horizontal resolution. A comparison among two observational datasets and the model output reveal that enhanced SST warming occurred along the Kuroshio and along the coast of China over the continental shelf. In both regions, the SST trends were the largest in winter. The heat budget analysis using the model output indicates that the upper layer temperature rises in both regions were induced by the trend of ocean advection, which was balanced to the increasing of surface net heat release. In addition, the rapid SST warming along the Kuroshio was induced by the acceleration of the Kuroshio. Sensitivity experiments revealed that this acceleration was likely caused by the negative wind stress curl anomalies over the North Pacific. In contrast, the enhanced SST warming along the China coast resulted from the ocean circulation change over the continental shelf by local atmospheric forcing.

scholarly journals Deep Atmospheric Response to the Spring Kuroshio over the East China Sea*

2011 ◽  
Vol 24 (18) ◽  
pp. 4959-4972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haiming Xu ◽  
Mimi Xu ◽  
Shang-Ping Xie ◽  
Yuqing Wang
Keyword(s):  
Wind Speed ◽  
East China Sea ◽  
Surface Wind ◽  
Convective Precipitation ◽  
East China ◽  
Atmospheric Response ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
Sst Front ◽  
China Sea ◽  
The Kuroshio

Abstract The atmospheric response to the spring Kuroshio Front over the East China Sea is investigated using a suite of high-resolution satellite data and a regional atmospheric model. The atmospheric response appears to extend beyond the marine atmospheric boundary layer, with frequent occurrence of cumulus convection. In spring, Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) wind speed shows a clear effect of sea surface temperature (SST), with high (low) wind speed observed over the warm (cold) tongue. This in-phase relationship between SST and surface wind speed is indicative of SST influence on the atmosphere. Wind convergence is found on the warmer flank of the Kuroshio Front, accompanied by a narrow rainband. The analysis of satellite-borne radar measurements indicates that deep convection appears over the Kuroshio warm tongue in the spring season, with enhanced convective precipitation, frequent occurrence of cumulus convection, and increased precipitation (cloud) tops in altitude. These deep convective activities along the Kuroshio warm tongue are further supported by enhanced lightning flash rate observed by satellite and atmospheric heating estimated by a Japanese reanalysis. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to investigate the precipitation response to the spring Kuroshio SST front over the East China Sea. Forced by observed SST [control (CTL)], the model well simulates a narrow band of precipitation, high wind speed, and surface wind convergence that closely follows the Kuroshio warm current, consistent with satellite observations. This narrow rainband completely disappears in the model when the SST front is removed by horizontally smoothed SST (SmSST). The results show that it is convective precipitation that is sensitive to the Kuroshio SST front. A case study for an eastward-moving extratropical cyclone indicates that convective precipitation increases its intensity and duration in the CTL run compared to the SmSST run. Local enhancement of upward sensible and latent heat fluxes and convective instability in the lower atmosphere are the key to anchoring the narrow band of convective precipitation that closely follows the Kuroshio.

scholarly journals Variability of the chemical hydrography at the frontal region between the East China Sea and the Kuroshio north-east of Taiwan

1991 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
George T.F. Wong ◽  
Su-Cheng Pai ◽  
Kon-Kee Liu ◽  
Cho-Teng Liu ◽  
Chen-Tung A. Chen
Keyword(s):  
East China Sea ◽  
Frontal Region ◽  
East China ◽  
The East China Sea ◽  
China Sea ◽  
North East ◽  
The Kuroshio
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