Evolution of a coastal upwelling event during summer 2004 in the southern Taiwan Strait

Abstract

A coastal upwelling event in the southern Taiwan Strait (STWS) was investigated using intensive cruise surveys (four repeated transects in a month) and satellite data in July and early August 2004. The extensive upwelling-associated surface cold water was first observed in early July (∼2.0×104 km2) along the STWS coast. Then, the cold surface water reduced in size by ∼50% with decreased chlorophyll concentrations after 15 days, indicating the weakening of the upwelling event. At the end of July, the cold surface water disappeared. The temporal variations of the surface cold water and the 3-D hydrography around Dongshan Island are thought to be mainly attributed to the weakened upwelling-favorable southwestern wind, the asymmetric spatial structure of the wind field and the intrusion of warm water from the northern South China Sea.