Onshore warm tongue and offshore cold tongue in the western Yellow Sea in winter: the evidence

Abstract

A winter onshore warm tongue extending from the Yellow Sea Warm Current to the southern Jiangsu coast, and an offshore cold tongue extending from the southern Jiangsu coast to the southwest of Jeju Island (South Korea), are newly identified based on the sea-surface temperature from satellite remote sensing, and further confirmed by the distribution of suspended sediments. In addition, there are two obvious thermal fronts associated with the onshore warm tongue and offshore cold tongue. The narrow gap between the two thermal fronts is supposed to be the pathway for the offshore transport of cold coastal water and suspended sediments. The concurrence of onshore warm and offshore cold tongues suggests the concurrence of onshore and offshore currents in the western Yellow Sea in winter, which seems to be inconsistent with the previously accepted view that, in winter, the Yellow Sea Coastal Current flows from the Old Huanghe Delta to the southwest of Jeju Island. This distinctive phenomenon helps establish an updated view of the circulation in the western Yellow Sea in winter.