Branching of the Tsushima Current by an Abrupt Increase of Bottom Depth

Abstract

An analytical model of the branching of an inertial current partly afloat incident upon a step fall in bottom topography is considered to account for the branching of the Tsushima Current induced by an abrupt increase of the bottom depth near the northern end of the Korea-Tsushima Strait. The grounded portion of the incident current is constraint by bottom topography and eventually runs along the depth discontinuity over the shallow region. Due to the inertia of the incident current, however, the ungrounded portion crosses the depth discontinuity and forms a free inertial jet, giving rise to the branching. The deflection angle of this free inertial jet is determined through an integrated momentum balance. The branching is more restricted as the grounded portion of the incident current becomes relatively more important, in terms of the momentum transport, than the ungrounded portion. For typical values of the bottom depth, the transport of the Tsushima Current through the Korea-Tsushima Strait, and for acceptable values of other physical parameters, it appears that branching is possible. Hence, the abrupt increase of the bottom depth near the northern end of the Korea-Tsushima Strait, combined with the inertia of current, may indeed be an important factor in the branching of the Tsushima Current.