Abstract
The Taiwan Strait (TS) is one of the main sources of phosphate that supports the large fish catches of the phosphate-limited East China Sea (ECS). The Penghu Channel is the deepest part of the TS, and most of the flow of the TS towards the ECS is principally through this channel. Empirical equations that are based on measurements made during 19 cruises (2000–2011) were combined with water velocity, salinity, and temperature, which were modeled using HYCOM (the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model) to obtain the annual fluxes for total alkalinity (TA), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), nitrate plus nitrite, phosphate, and silicate fluxes. The TA and DIC are mainly transported in the top layer (0–55 m) because the current is much stronger there than in the bottom layer (55–125 m) whereas the TA and DIC concentrations in the top layer are only slightly smaller compared with the bottom layer. In contrast, the nitrate plus nitrite flux is mainly transported in the bottom layer because the concentrations are much higher in the bottom layer. Generally, nutrient flux increases with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index, but TA and DIC fluxes increase as the PDO index decreases.
Highlights
The Taiwan Strait (TS) directly connects the South China Sea (SCS) and the East China Sea (ECS), which are two bountiful marginal seas
Nutrient flux increases with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index, but total alkalinity (TA) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) fluxes increase as the PDO index decreases
The model salinity increased with depth from 33.9 to 34.8, but the temperature decreased with depth from 29 ◦C to 18 ◦C (Figure 4a–d)
Summary
The Taiwan Strait (TS) directly connects the South China Sea (SCS) and the East China Sea (ECS), which are two bountiful marginal seas. The three major water masses in the TS are the Minzhe Coastal Water, the surface water of the SCS, and the surface water of the West Philippines Sea (WPS). The Minzhe Coastal Water has the highest nutrient concentrations among these three water masses, and the surface water of the WPS, which is brought into the TS through Kuroshio intruding the SCS, contains the lowest nutrient concentrations. The TS transports a mixture of SCS water and WPS water to the ECS mostly in the summer, while the Minzhe Coastal Water flows southward along the western side of the TS to the northern SCS in the winter. Through the exchange of water masses, the TS transports nutrients between these two seas [1,2]. The nutrient budgets in the ECS are influenced by fluvial transport, Kuroshio Intermediate Water, and TS seawater [3,4]. The biological uptake ratio between nitrogen and phosphate is around 16:1 in the ocean, and this is called the Redfile ratio
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
