Interannual salinity variability of the Northern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass

Abstract

This paper discusses the interannual variability of the Northern Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (NYSCWM) and the factors that influence it, based on survey data from the 1976-2006 national standard section and the Korea Oceanographic Data Center, monthly E-P flux data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and meridional wind speed data from the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set. The results show that: 1) the mean salinity of the NYSCWM center has a slightly decreasing trend, which is not consistent with the high salinity center; 2) both the southern salinity front and the halocline of the NYSCWM display a weakening trend, which indicates that the difference between the NYSCWM and coastal water decreases; 3) the Yellow Sea Warm Current intrusion, the E-P flux of the northern Yellow Sea, and the strength of the winter monsoon will affect the NYSCWM salinity during the following summer.