Study on the Meso-scale process of the Kuroshio front to the east of Taiwan

By using the reanalysis data, the impact of oceanic eddies and frontal wave on Kuroshio front to the east of Taiwan （KFETW） is studied. The result indicates that cold eddies （warm eddies） corresponding to the first baroclinic mode of Rossby wave can weaken （strengthen） the strength of the KFETW and narrow （widen） the width of this front. A frontal wave of the KFETW during January to February in 1991 is detected from the reanalysis data. And the trough （crest） of the frontal wave may weaken （strengthen） the strength of the KFETW and narrow （widen） the width and thickness of this front. It is found through the diagnostic analysis of the energy source of the frontal wave that the contribution of barotropic instability or that of baroclinic instability is more than that of Ketvin-Helmholtz （K-H） instability by 1 - 2 order of magnitude, and the contribution of the baroclinic instability is 5 times than that of the barotropic instability, thereby the frontal wave is basically driven by the baroclinic instability.

The Kuroshio front to the east of Taiwan: seasonal feature, variability and mechanism

Oceanic front, especially Kuroshio front, is an important phenomenon that is of great significance for scientific research, national economy and military uses. However, Kuroshio front to the east of Taiwan （KFETW in brief） was rare investigated. In this study, reanalysis method is used to study the KFETW＇s temporal and spatial variability and frontogenesis mechanism. It is found that although surface thermal front to the east of Taiwan is not obvious, there is an all-year strong Kuroshio thermal front called KFETW under the surface. The KFETW is connected to the south section of Kuroshio front in the East China Sea （KFECS in brief） and distributes along the east coastline of Taiwan. The KFETW has multi-scale variation feature. It has significant seasonal signal, and its intensity and width reach their maximum in summer. By using the reanalysis results obtained from this study, frontogenesis and changing mechanisms of the KFETW are discussed. It is found that both the Kuroshio and up-welling to the east of Taiwan can affect this front, and the up-welling may be the predominant factor in KFETW＇s frontogenesis and maintenance mechanism.

Spatiotemporal variations of the surface Kuroshio east of Taiwan Island derived from satellite altimetry data

Spatiotemporal variation of the surface Kuroshio east of Taiwan Island is investigated by quantitatively analyzing 23-year(1993–2015)sea surface Absolute Dynamic Topography data.The annual mean state of the Kuroshio is shown,with a flow width ~136 km and surface transport ~7.75×10~4 m^2/s.The corresponding standard deviations of these are 28 km and 2.14×10~4 m^2/s.Results of power spectrum analysis indicate that the primary periods of Kuroshio surface transport east of Taiwan Island are 1 and 2.8 years,respectively.Spatially,the Kuroshio surface transport southeast of Taiwan Island has greater variability than that to its northeast.That transport showed strong seasonality,with a maximum 8.8×104 m^2/s in summer and minimum 7.5×10~4 m^2/s in winter,which was mainly caused by local monsoon winds.A linear long-term upward trend of Kuroshio surface transport during 1993–2015 was found,during which the mean,southeast,and northeast of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan Island increased by 0.30×10~4,0.22×10~4 and 0.36×104 m^2/s,respectively.Correlation and composite analysis show that the Philippines-Taiwan Oscillation(PTO)is important in the interannual variability of the Kuroshio.PTO-induced relative intensity of anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies is the dominant influence on the interannual variability of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan Island.

Numerical study on interaction between eddies and the Kuroshio Current east of Taiwan,China

We investigated the interaction between mesoscale eddies and the Kuroshio Current east of Taiwan,China,using a fine-resolution regional general circulation model.Mesoscale eddies are injected into a region east of Taiwan,China,according to the quasi-geostrophic theory of stratified fluids.Modeled eddies propagated westward at the velocity of the first baroclinic mode Rossby wave.When eddies collide with the Kuroshio Current east of Taiwan,China,the spatial structure and volume transport of the Kuroshio Current shows a significant variation.The upper 600 m of the anticyclonic eddy cannot cross the Kuroshio Current to reach the region west of the Kuroshio Current;rather,these waters flow northward along the eastern side of the Kuroshio Current.The upper water carried by the anticyclonic eddies cannot reach the shelf of the East China Sea(ECS).In contrast,the waters in the upper layer of the cyclonic eddy reach the western side of the Kuroshio Current and then flow northward.The dynamic mechanism analysis shows that the interaction between the Kuroshio Current and the cyclonic(anticyclonic)eddy decrease(increase)the horizontal potential vorticity(PV)gradient,or PV barrier,whereby the cyclonic(anticyclonic)eddy can(cannot)cross the Kuroshio Current.This study implies that the continental shelf could potentially be influenced by cyclonic eddies in the open ocean,which can transport heat and material from the upper open ocean across the Kuroshio Current to the shelf waters.

Study of Radiolaria in the surface sediments from the area east of Taiwan Island

The species and characteristics of Radiolaria in the surface sediments were systematcally investigated in the sea east of Taiwan Island. One hundred and seventy-eight species of Radiolaria (including 21 unidentified species) have been identified in the surface sediments, and they belong to 2 orders, 34 families and 101 genera. Among them there are 19 families, 70 genera, 134 species of Spumellaria and 15 families, 31 genera, 44 species of Nassellaria. Of the 178 species of Radiolaria, the individual number of Spumellaria amounts to 88.1 % of the total individual number, and that of Nassellaria amounts to 11.9% of the total individual number. It is shown that most of the dominant species belong to the tropical and subtropical dominant species and are brought into the area mainly by the Kuroshio, and some affecting factors including the submarine topography, submarine sediments, upwelling current east of Taiwan Island and carbonate dissolution play a secondary role in forming the Radiolaria distributions.

Three-dimensional numerical calculations of currents east of Taiwan Island in December 1997

Based on the wind and hydrographic data obtained from the cruise of China - Japan Cooper- ative Research on Subtropical Gyre during December 1997, the Kuroshio east of Taiwan Island and the currents southeast of the Ryukyu-gunto are computed by using three-dimensional diagnostic, semidiag- nostic and prognostic models in the a coordinate. The computed results show that: (1 ) The density and velocity fields have been adjusted when time is about 15 d, namely, the solution of semidiagnostic calcu- lation is obtained. The quasi-steady state solution has been reached after 300 d, thus and the results of prognostic calculation got. (2) From the diagnostic calculation, the following main results can be obtained-1) There is a stronger cyclonic eddy with tongue-shaped in the region south of Taiwan Island, and the Kuroshio is located east of this cyclonic eddy. Compared with the results in July 1997, the position of the main axis of the Kuroshio moves eastward. 2) There is an anticyclonic eddy south of Miyako- jima, and there is a cyclonic eddy near the middle of the southern computational boundary. 3) The upwelling dominates in an area of the Kuroshio near Taiwan Island. (3) Comparing the results of diagnostic calculation with those of semidiagnotic and prognostic calculations indicates that the hortizontal velocity fields agree qualitatively, and there is a little difference between them in quantity. For example, the maximun horizontal velocities of the Kuroshio at the sea surface at t = 0 d (diagnostic), 15 d (semiaiagnostic) and 300 d (prognostic) are 88. 6, 98. 0 and 97. 0 cm/s, respectively. As to the distributions of vertical components of velocity, there are some differences between them, which shows that the semidiagnostic and porognostic results can coincide with better the salinity and temperature distributions.

Circulations east of Taiwan and in East China Sea and east of Ryukyu Islands during early summer 1985

A modified inverse method is used to compute the circulations east of Taiwan and in the East China Sec and east of the Ryukyu Islands with hydrographic data obtained during early summer of 1985. The computational region covers an area west of 129°E and from 21°45'N to 35°N. The computed results show that: (1 ) The net volume transport (VT ) of the Kuroshio through 21°45'N Section east of Ta Taiwan and west of 123°E is about 45 × 10￣6 m￣3/sduring early summer of 1985. The Kuroshio has. two current cores. One is located near Taiwan, and its velocity isvery large and its maximum velocity is 226 cm/s at the 100 m level, which is close to the maximum velocity of the beginning of the Kuroshio east of the Philippines. The other is located further to the east, and its maximum velocity is159 cm/s at the 100m level; (2) through a transect northwest Of Miyakojima Island and a transect southwest of Okinawa laaed the volume transports of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea both are about 25 × 10￣6 m￣3/s. The maximumvelocity of the Kuroshio at these two sections is 194 and 128 cm/s, respectively, and both are located on the shelfbreak; (3) beneath and east of the Kurohio there are the countercurrent (4) southeast of Okinawa Island there is anortheastward current, and its VT at Section HI is about 12. 6 × 10￣6 m￣3/s, and it comes from a westward flow at 129° This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 49476278.(Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hongzhou310012, China) (Institute of Oceanography, Taiwan University, Taipei, China)E Section and the recirculating gyre, and does not originate from the Kuroshio east of Taiwan during early summer of 1985. There is a southwestward abyssal current east of Okinawa Islands (5) there are several different scale eddies in this computational region. For example, there is a meso-scale strong cyclonic eddy east of Miyakojima Island.