The Interannual Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Kuroshio Large Meander Region and Its Relationship to the Kuroshio Latitudinal Position at 140°E

Wang, Qiang; Tang, Youmin

doi:10.1029/2021jc017915

Cited by 7 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…The time series of the cEddy n and

\left\langle {\text{cEddy}}_{\vert amp\vert }\right\rangle

in the Kuroshio Current are weakly anti‐correlated (−0.44; Figure 11b), but present important interannual variability possibly due to westward propagating Rossby waves associated to the North Pacific Oscillation (Wang & Tang, 2022). However, on average 58% of the energy in the region corresponds to CEKE.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Similar to the signal observed in the hemispheric analysis, the eddy count seasonal cycle follows the wind maximum lagging by ∼3 months, while the amplitude of the coherent eddies lags by ∼6 months. in the Kuroshio Current are weakly anti-correlated (−0.44; Figure 11b), but present important interannual variability possibly due to westward propagating Rossby waves associated to the North Pacific Oscillation (Wang & Tang, 2022). However, on average 58% of the energy in the region corresponds to CEKE.…”

Section: Regional Climatologymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climatology, Seasonality, and Trends of Spatially Coherent Ocean Eddies

Martínez‐Moreno

Hogg

England³

2022

JGR Oceans

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Ocean eddies influence regional and global climate by mixing and transporting heat, carbon, nutrients, and other properties. One of the most recognizable and ubiquitous features of oceanic variability are mesoscale eddies (vortices and meanders/jets) with spatial scales of tens to hundreds of kilometers. Vortices resemble Gaussian‐like features in sea surface height which locally affect near‐surface wind, cloud properties, and rainfall patterns; we refer to these Gaussian‐like eddies as spatially coherent eddies. Although spatially coherent eddies are ubiquitous, their climatology, seasonality, and long‐term temporal evolution is yet to be explored. Here, we examine the kinetic energy (KE) contained in spatially coherent eddies and present their temporal variability using satellite observations between 1993 and 2020. Around half of the transient KE contained by eddies corresponds to spatially coherent eddies. A strong seasonal cycle is observed in the spatially coherent eddy field, and correlates with the wind forcing at time‐lags of 3–6 months. The seasonal correlation between wind forcing and spatially coherent eddies with diameters smaller than 120 km is faster (∼3 months), than that of coherent eddies with larger diameters (∼6 months). These lags between different spatially coherent eddy scales are consistent with the transfer of energy from small to large scales (inverse energy cascade). Our analysis highlights the relative importance of the spatially coherent eddy field in the KE budget, revealing a lagged response between the spatially coherent eddy and forcing at different time‐scales, and showcases the seasonality, and multidecadal trends of coherent eddy properties over the global ocean.

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“…The time series of the cEddy n and

\left\langle {\text{cEddy}}_{\vert amp\vert }\right\rangle

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Regional Climatologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Climatology, Seasonality, and Trends of Spatially Coherent Ocean Eddies

Martínez‐Moreno

Hogg

England³

2022

JGR Oceans

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“…Ocean mesoscale eddies play a vital role in regulating the physical and biogeochemical processes in the Kuroshio region (Lizarbe Barreto et al., 2021; Wang & Tang, 2022). An important condition for the formation and maintenance of the Kuroshio LM is the coexistence of cold‐core cyclonic and warm‐core anticyclonic eddies on the northern and southwestern sides of the Kuroshio (Kouketsu et al., 2016; Tanaka & Hibiya, 2017; Tsujino et al., 2006; Usui et al., 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mixing Dynamics Within the Kuroshio Area Are Reflected in Dissolved Inorganic Radiocarbon Values

Lan,

Yokoyama,

Hirabayashi

et al. 2024

JGR Oceans

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Kuroshio is an important western boundary current system in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Mesoscale eddies play an important role in Kuroshio path variations, which significantly affect fisheries, marine navigation, and climate in regions along the Kuroshio path. However, the direct physical impacts of the Kuroshio variabilities on mixing dynamics within the water columns off the southern coast of Japan remain unclear due to the lack of observational records. The radiocarbon (Δ14C) in dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) of seawater has been used as a reliable tracer of water circulation and mixing processes. Here, we present the high‐resolution dissolved inorganic radiocarbon (DIC ∆14C) measurements for water samples collected during the Kuroshio large‐meander (LM) period in March 2022 to observe the mixing dynamics within the Kuroshio area and elucidate the controls of mixing processes. In the present study, horizontal variations (12–175‰) in DIC Δ14C values were observed between 400 and 1,000 m and were attributed mainly to changes in the depth of isopycnal surfaces associated with mesoscale eddies and the position of the Kuroshio axis. Furthermore, fluctuations in DIC Δ14C values (10–25‰) were observed on the same isopycnal surfaces ( 25.5–27.0), suggesting the occurrence of diapycnal mixing. By comparing this newly obtained data with values previously reported at similar locations, variations in penetration depths of high bomb 14C signals from past observations are found to be mainly caused by changes in the depth of isopycnal surfaces associated with mesoscale eddies and Kuroshio path variations.

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“…This LM lasted for the whole year of 2019, and the southernmost location of the flow axis reached as far as 30 • N, which is significantly farther than the offshore distance based on Ambe et al's census [21] from 1992 to 2000 by drifters and satellite altimetry. More recently, Wang et al [23] extended this census to 2014 based on the updated satellite altimeter data, and the southernmost location of the LM occurrences were still within 31 • N. There are also other data sources that have been used to identify the LM of the Kuroshio and its path. The Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) has been providing the time series of the southernmost location of the Kuroshio between 136 • E and 140 • E since 1965; it is based on temperature profiles and satellite-derived sea surface temperature.…”

Section: Summary and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Kuroshio south of Japan exhibits a peculiar bimodal path, which are the large meander (LM) path and the non-large meander (NLM) path; the NLM path can be further distinguished into the nearshore and offshore NLM paths [20]. The flow pattern with an irregular alternation between the LM and NLM suggests that the Kuroshio has significant interannual and long-term variations [21][22][23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lagrangian Observation of the Kuroshio Current by Surface Drifters in 2019

Sun

Lin

et al. 2022

JMSE

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In this research, the features of the Kuroshio Current in 2019 were studied based on the observations of 29 self-developed surface current experiment drifters deployed in the western Pacific Ocean and the East China Sea. The Kuroshio flow pattern and velocity magnitude observed in 2019 were largely consistent with the climatology based on the historical drifter dataset, but they still exhibited distinctive characteristics. The intrusion of the Kuroshio into the South China Sea in the spring was observed by a group of drifters crossing the Luzon Strait from east to west, which is a notable departure from the non-intrusion pattern noted to occur in the spring in most of the historical records. A strong intrusion of the Kuroshio into the East China Sea was also observed, taking an anti-cyclonic turn in the northeast of Taiwan Island. Both the drifter trajectories and altimeter-derived dynamical topography captured the large meander pattern of the Kuroshio south of Japan in 2019, with the flow path having a maximum offshore distance of 470 km. In addition, Lagrangian statistics (lateral diffusivity, integral time scale, and integral space scale) were estimated for four selected regions with adequate drifter samplings. The lateral diffusivity had large values along the Kuroshio segment in the East China Sea and small values on the continental shelf of the East China Sea. The integral time scales for the four regions ranged from 0.8 to 3.7 days, with a corresponding integral space scale of 19~128 km.

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The Interannual Variability of Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Kuroshio Large Meander Region and Its Relationship to the Kuroshio Latitudinal Position at 140°E

Cited by 7 publications

References 33 publications

Climatology, Seasonality, and Trends of Spatially Coherent Ocean Eddies

Climatology, Seasonality, and Trends of Spatially Coherent Ocean Eddies

Mixing Dynamics Within the Kuroshio Area Are Reflected in Dissolved Inorganic Radiocarbon Values

Lagrangian Observation of the Kuroshio Current by Surface Drifters in 2019

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