INTERANNUAL VARIABILITY OF THE KUROSHIO CURRENT INTRUSION IN THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Abstract

The interannual variability of the Kuroshio Current intrusion into the South China Sea is investigated using a combination of satellite remote sensing data and in situ measurements. This research was conducted as part of the Asian Seas International Acoustic EXperiment (ASIAEX). The circulation of the South China Sea has been studied for years and is predominantly wind-forced by the northeast winter and southwest summer monsoons. There remains some uncertainty to the interannual nature of the circulation and the effect of Kuroshio intrusions on mesoscale features in the northeast South China Sea. Satellite observations of Sea Surface Temperature (SST) from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) and Sea Surface Height Anomalies (SSHA) from TOPEX/Poseidon are used to analyze the interannual variability in the intrusion and the effect on the region. Analysis of SST and SSHA shows the formation of a Kuroshio Intrusion varies considerably each winter. Since the circulation in the South China Sea is primarily wind-driven, ocean surface wind vectors from the NASA QuikSCAT satellite scatterometer are used to evaluate the relationship between wind stress or wind stress curl and the intensity of the winter Kuroshio Intrusion into the South China Sea