Variability of Kuroshio axis at Luzon Strait

Abstract

Abstract: The Kuroshio Current undergoes large variations on various time scales in the vicinity of the Luzon Strait. Based on the output of a high-resolution regional ocean model (ROMS), this study analyzed the variability of the Kuroshio axis near the Luzon Strait and its possible causes. It is shown that the Kuroshio axis exhibits apparent interannual, seasonal and intra-seasonal fluctuations, with the intra-seasonal signal being the strongest. On the interannual and seasonal scales, the Kuroshio axis is primarily influenced by the wind-driven Ekman drift in the surface layer and by the inertia of the Kuroshio itself in the subsurface water column, while on the intra-seasonal scale, it is largely controlled by the interaction of eddies with the Kuroshio.

Key words: interannual variation, seasonal variation, intra-seasonal variation, Kuroshio axis, eddy, Luzon Strait

CLC Number:

P731.27

DING Rui-bin, CHEN Da-ke, JIANG Liang-hong. Variability of Kuroshio axis at Luzon Strait[J]. Journal of Marine Sciences, 2013, 31(2): 16-25.

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