Cite this paper:
QI Jifeng, YIN Baoshu, XU Zhenhua, LI Delei. Spatiotemporal variations of the surface Kuroshio east of Taiwan Island derived from satellite altimetry data[J]. Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 2018, 36(1): 77-91

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

QI Jifeng1, YIN Baoshu1,2, XU Zhenhua1, LI Delei1
1 Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences and Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266071, China;
2 University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
Abstract:
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~7.75×104 m2/s. The corresponding standard deviations of these are 28 km and 2.14×104 m2/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 m2/s in summer and minimum 7.5×104 m2/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 0.30×104, 0.22×104 and 0.36×104 m2/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.
Key words:    Kuroshio east of Taiwan Island|seasonal and interannual variation|Philippines-Taiwan Oscillation (PTO)|mesoscale eddy   
Received: 2016-12-01   Revised: 2017-01-17
Tools
PDF (2175 KB) Free
Print this page
Add to favorites
Email this article to others
Authors
Articles by QI Jifeng
Articles by YIN Baoshu
Articles by XU Zhenhua
Articles by LI Delei
References:
Andres M, Park J H, Wimbush M et al. 2009. Manifestation of the Pacific decadal oscillation in the Kuroshio. Geophysical Research Letters, 36(16), https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL039216.
Ashok K, Behera S K, Rao S A et al. 2007. El Niño Modoki and its possible teleconnection. Journal of Geophysical Research, 112(C11), https://doi.org/10.1029/2006JC003798.
Chang Y L, Oey L Y. 2011. Interannual and seasonal variations of Kuroshio transport east of Taiwan inferred from 29 years of tide-gauge data. Geophysical Research Letters, 38(8):L08603, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011GL047062.
Chang Y L, Oey L Y. 2012. The Philippines-Taiwan oscillation:monsoonlike interannual oscillation of the subtropicaltropical western North Pacific wind system and its impact on the ocean. Journal of Climate, 25(5):1 597-1 618.
Chen C T A. 1996. The Kuroshio intermediate water is the major source of nutrients on the East China Sea continental shelf. Oceanologica Acta, 19(5):523-527.
Chu T Y. 1974. The fluctuations of the Kuroshio current in the eastern sea area of Taiwan. Acta Anaesthesiologica Taiwanica, 4:1-12.
Chuang W S, Liang W D. 1994. Seasonal variability of intrusion of the Kuroshio water across the continental shelf northeast of Taiwan. Journal of Oceanography, 50(5):531-542.
Gilson J, Roemmich D. 2002. Mean and temporal variability in Kuroshio geostrophic transport south of Taiwan (1993-2001). Journal of Oceanography, 58(1):183-195.
Guo X Y, Miyazawa Y, Yamagata T. 2006. The Kuroshio onshore intrusion along the shelf break of the East China Sea:the origin of the Tsushima Warm Current. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 36(12):2 205-2 231.
Hsin Y C, Qiu B, Chiang T L et al. 2013. Seasonal to interannual variations in the intensity and central position of the surface Kuroshio east of Taiwan. Journal of Geophysical Research, 118(9):4 305-4 316.
Hsin Y C, Wu C R, Shaw P T. 2008. Spatial and temporal variations of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan, 1982-2005:a numerical study. Journal of Geophysical Research, 113(C4), https://doi.org/10.1029/2007JC004485.
Hwang C, Kao R. 2002. TOPEX/POSEIDON-derived spacetime variations of the Kuroshio Current:applications of a gravimetric geoid and wavelet analysis. Geophysical Journal International, 151(3):835-847.
Jan S, Yang Y J, Wang J et al. 2015. Large variability of the Kuroshio at 23.75°N east of Taiwan. Journal of Geophysical Research, 120(3):1 825-1 840.
Jia Y L, Liu Q Y, Liu W et al. 2004. The interannual variation of the Kuroshio transport east of Taiwan. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica, 35(6):507-512. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Johns W E, Lee T N, Zhang D X, Zantopp R, Liu C T, Yang Y. 2001. The Kuroshio east of Taiwan:moored transport observations from the WOCE PCM-1 array. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 31(4):1 031-1 053.
Kashino Y, España N, Syamsudin F et al. 2009. Observations of the North Equatorial current, Mindanao current, and Kuroshio current system during the 2006/07 El Niño and 2007/08 La Niña. Journal of Oceanography, 65(3):325-333.
Kwon Y O, Alexander M A, Bond N A et al. 2010. Role of the Gulf Stream and Kuroshio-Oyashio systems in large-scale atmosphere-ocean interaction:a review. Journal of Climate, 23(12):3 249-3 281.
Liang W D, Tang T Y, Yang Y J, Ko M T, Chuang W S. 2003. Upper-ocean currents around Taiwan. Deep Sea Research Part Ⅱ, 50(6-7):1 085-1 105.
Liu Z Q, Gan J P. 2012. Variability of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea derived from satellite altimetry data. Deep Sea Research Part I, 59:25-36.
Nitani H. 1972. Beginning of the Kuroshio. In:Stommel H, Yoshida K eds. Kuroshio:Its Physical Aspects. University of Tokyo Press, Tokyo, Japan. p.129-163.
Oey L Y, Chang M C, Chang Y L et al. 2013. Decadal warming of coastal China Seas and coupling with winter monsoon and currents. Geophysical Research Letters, 40(23):6 288-6 292.
Oey L Y, Chang Y L, Lin Y C et al. 2014. Cross flows in the Taiwan Strait in winter.JournalofPhysicalOceanography, 44(3):801-817.
Oey L Y, Hsin Y C, Wu C R. 2010. Why does the Kuroshio northeast of Taiwan shift shelfward in winter? Ocean Dynamics, 60(2):413-426.
Qi J F, Yin B S, Yang D Z et al. 2014. The inter-annual and inter-decadal variability of the Kuroshio volume transport in the East China Sea. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica, 45(6):1 141-1 147. (in Chinese with English abstract)
Qu T D, Lukas R. 2003. The bifurcation of the north equatorial current in the Pacific. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 33(1):5-18.
Shen M L, Tseng Y H, Jan S et al. 2014. Long-term variability of the Kuroshio transport east of Taiwan and the climate it conveys. Progress in Oceanography, 121:60-73.
Soeyanto E, Guo X Y, Ono J et al. 2014. Interannual variations of Kuroshio transport in the East China Sea and its relation to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation and mesoscale eddies. Journal of Geophysical Research, 119(6):3 595-3 616.
Tang T Y, Yang Y J. 1993. Low frequency current variability on the shelf break northeast of Taiwan. Journal of Oceanography, 49(2):193-210.
Tozuka T, Yamagata T. 2003. Annual ENSO. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 33(8):1 564-1 578.
Tsui I F, Wu C R. 2012. Variability analysis of Kuroshio intrusion through Luzon Strait using growing hierarchical self-organizing map. Ocean Dynamics, 62(8):1 187-1 194.
Wang J, Ikeda M. 1997. Diagnosing ocean unstable baroclinic waves and meanders using the quasigeostrophic equations and Q-vector method. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 27(6):1 158-1 172.
Wu C R. 2013. Interannual modulation of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) on the low-latitude western North Pacific. Progress in Oceanography, 110:49-58.
Wu L X, Cai W J, Zhang L P et al. 2012. Enhanced warming over the global subtropical western boundary currents. Nature Climate Change, 2(3):161-166.
Yan X M, Zhu X H, Pang C G et al. 2016. Effects of mesoscale eddies on the volume transport and branch pattern of the Kuroshio east of Taiwan. Journal of Geophysical Research, 121(10):7 683-7 700.
Yu J Y, Kim S T. 2013. Identifying the types of major El Niño events since 1870. International Journal of Climatology, 33(8):2 105-2 112.
Zhang Q L, Hou Y J, Yan T Z. 2012. Inter-annual and interdecadal variability of Kuroshio heat transport in the East China Sea. International Journal of Climatology, 32(4):481-488.
Zhu X M, Liu G M, Wang J et al. 2015. A numerical study on the relationships of the variations of volume transport around the China Seas. Journal of Marine Systems, 145:15-36.
Copyright © Haiyang Xuebao