Abstract
The Kuroshio Current has its origin in the northwestern Pacific, flowing northward to the east of Taiwan and the northern part of Luzon Island. As the Kuroshio Current flows northward, it quasi-periodically intrudes (hereafter referred to as Kuroshio intrusion (KI)) into the northern South China Sea (SCS) basin through the Luzon Strait. Despite the complex generation mechanisms of KI, the purpose of this study is to improve our understanding of the effects of KI through the Luzon Strait on the regional atmospheric and weather variations. Long-term multiple satellite observations, including absolute dynamic topography, absolute geostrophic currents, sea surface winds by ASCAT, multi-scale ultra-high resolution sea surface temperature (MURSST) level-four analysis, and research-quality three-hourly TRMM multi-satellite precipitation analysis (TMPA), was used to systematically examine the aforementioned scientific problem. Analysis indicates that the KI is interlinked with the consequential anomalous precipitation off southwestern Taiwan. This anomalous precipitation would lead to ~560 million tons of freshwater influx during each KI event. Subsequently, independent moisture budget analysis suggests that moisture, mainly from vertical advection, is the possible source of the precipitation anomaly. Additionally, a bulk formula analysis was applied to understand how KI can trigger the precipitation anomaly through vertical advection of moisture without causing an evident change in the low-level flows. These new research findings might reconcile the divisiveness on why winds are not showing a synchronous response during the KI and consequential anomalous precipitation events.
Highlights
IntroductionFrenger et al [6] examined more than 600,000 individual eddies and their associated atmospheric responses in the Southern Ocean using satellite data
Their results showed that cyclonic eddies would trigger a weakening of sea surface winds (SSWs), a decline of cloud fraction and water content, and a reduction in rainfall through the mechanism in which sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with the oceanic eddies modify turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layers
Based on the backward propagation of generation of precipitation anomaly, one can see that the marked precipitation anomaly appeared initially at the north tip of Luzon strait off southern Taiwan two weeks prior to the original composite
Summary
Frenger et al [6] examined more than 600,000 individual eddies and their associated atmospheric responses in the Southern Ocean using satellite data Their results showed that cyclonic eddies would trigger a weakening of sea surface winds (SSWs), a decline of cloud fraction and water content, and a reduction in rainfall through the mechanism in which sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies associated with the oceanic eddies modify turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layers. Because Luzon Strait is the key channel of exchange of momentum, heat, and salinity between the SCS and the western North Pacific, the target of this study on the possible linkages between local weather variations (e.g., wind, precipitation, etc.) and consequential water movement and mass exchanges through adjustments of momentum, heat, density and salinity deserves more attention.
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