Seasonal variability of the bifurcation of the North Equatorial Current (NEC) is studied by constructing the analytic solution for the time-dependent horizontal linear shallow water quasi-geostrophic equations. Using the Florida State University wind data from 1961 through 1992, we find that the bifurcation latitude of the NEC changes with seasons. Furthermore, it is shown that the NEC bifurcation is at its southernmost latitude (12.7°N) in June and the northernmost latitude (14.4°N) in November.
Deep sea circulation is important for world climate and has been a substantial research area in ocean science, leading to various breakthroughs and discoveries. With the rapid advance in research on ocean science, these matters have received increasing attention from the oceanography community. In this article, we attempt to convey the progress made in recent years. We first provide an overview of existing observations, theories, and simulations of deep South China Sea circulation. Finally, we discuss remaining issues.
Using the data of conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) intensive observations conducted during Oct.-Nov.2005,this study provides the first three-dimension quasi-synoptic description of the circulation in the western North Pacific.Several novel phenomena are revealed,especially in the deep ocean where earlier observations were very sparse.During the observations,the North Equatorial Current (NEC) splits at about 12°N near the sea surface.This bifurcation shifts northward with depth,reaching about 20°N at 1 000 m,and then remains nearly unchanged to as deep as 2 000 m.The Luzon Undercurrent (LUC),emerging below the Kuroshio from about 21°N,intensifies southward,with its upper boundary surfacing around 12°N.From there,part of the LUC separates from the coast,while the rest continues southward to join the Mindanao Current (MC).The MC extends to 2 000 m near the coast,and appears to be closely related to the subsurface cyclonic eddies which overlap low-salinity water from the North Pacific.The Mindanao Undercurrent (MUC),carrying waters from the South Pacific,shifts eastward upon approaching the Mindanao coast and eventually becomes part of the eastward undercurrent between 10°N and 12°N at 130°E.In the upper 2 000 dbar,the total westward transport across 130oE between 7.5oN and 18oN reaches 65.4 Sv (1 Sv=10-6 m3s-1),the northward transport across 18oN from Luzon coast to 130oE is up to 35.0 Sv,and the southward transport across 7.5oN from Mindanao coast to 130oE is 27.9 Sv.
Based on field observations carried out in August, 2008, we obtained a set of data on velocity, hydrography, and hydrochemistry in the Luzon Strait, with which the velocity structure of the area, especially in deep channels, was analyzed, and the material fluxes, including water, dissolved oxygen, and nutrients were calculated. The results indicate that a net eastward water flux of 7.0 Sv occurred through the Luzon Strait. The deep layer flux in the southern part, through the deep channel, was westward with a value of 1.9 Sv, which confirms that deep Pacific water flows into the South China Sea via the deep passage in the Luzon Strait. Accordingly, the net flux of dissolved oxygen was 13.2×105 mol/s, and the values for dissolved inorganic nitrogen, phosphate and silicate were 4.6×104 mol/s, 2.4×103 mol/s, and 8.9×104 mol/s, respectively. Detailed descriptions of these material fluxes in the upper layer, the upper-intermediate layer, the lower-intermediate layer, and the deep layer through the Luzon Strait are discussed. These results and interpretations highlight the importance of material exchanges between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean.
A new moored microstructure recorder(MMR) is designed, developed, tested, and evaluated. The MMR directly measures the high-frequency shear of velocity fl uctuations, with which we can estimate the dissipation rate of turbulent kinetic energy. We summarize and discuss methods for estimating the turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate. Instrument body vibrations contaminate the shear signal in an ocean fi eld experiment, and a compensating correction successfully removes this contamination. In both tank test and ocean fi eld experiment, the dissipation rate measured with the MMR agreed well with that measured using other instruments.
The method proposed by Stammer (1998) is modified using eddy statistics from altimeter observation to obtain more realistic eddy diffusivity (K) for the North Pacific. Compared with original estimates, the modified K has remarkably reduced values in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) and North Equatorial Counter Current (NECC) regions, but slightly enhanced values in the Subtropical Counter Current (STCC) region. In strong eastward flow areas like the KE and NECC, owing to a large difference between mean flow velocity and propagation velocity of mesoscale eddies, tracers inside the mesoscale eddies are transported outside rapidly by advection, and mixing length L is hence strongly suppressed. The low eddy probability (P) is also responsible for the reduced K in the NECC area. In the STCC region, however, L is mildly suppressed and P is very high, so K there is enhanced. The zonally-averaged K has two peaks with comparable magnitudes, in the latitude bands of the STCC and KE. In the core of KE, because of the reduced values of P and L, the zonally-averaged K is a minimum. Zonally-integrated eddy heat transport in the KE band, calculated based on the modified K, is much closer to the results of previous independent research, indicating the robustness of our modified K. The map of modified K provides useful information for modeling studies in the North Pacific.
In this paper,we present measurements of velocity,temperature,salinity,and turbulence collected in Prydz Bay,Antarctica,during February,2005.The dissipation rates of turbulent kinetic energy(ε) and diapycnal diffusivities(K z) were estimated along a section in front of the Amery Ice Shelf.The dissipation rates and diapycnal diffusivities were spatially non-uniform,with higher values found in the western half of the section where ε reached 10-7 W/kg and K z reached 10-2 m 2 /s,about two and three orders of magnitude higher than those in the open ocean,respectively.In the western half of the section both the dissipation rates and diffusivities showed a high-low-high vertical structure.This vertical structure may have been determined by internal waves in the upper layer,where the ice shelf draft acts as a possible energy source,and by bottom-generated internal waves in the lower layer,where both tides and geostrophic currents are possible energy sources.The intense diapycnal mixing revealed in our observations could contribute to the production of Antarctic Bottom Water in Prydz Bay.
