Progress of studies in China from July 2010 to May 2015 on the influence of the Kuroshio on neighboring Chinese seas and the Ryukyu Current

Abstract

The influence of the Kuroshio on neighboring Chinese seas and the Ryukyu Current is a very important subject of interest in physical oceanography. To deeply explain the research progress made by Chinese scientists from July 2010 to May 2015, the following three aspects are reviewed in this paper. The first concerns the Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea (SCS) and its circulation around the Luzon Strait. There are two very important points to be explained: the seasonal and inter-annual variation of the Kuroshio intrusion and the mechanisms of the Kuroshio intrusion and the influence of the Kuroshio on currents in the Luzon Strait and circulation in the northern SCS. The second concerns the variability of the Kuroshio and its interaction with the East China Sea (ECS). There are following four interesting topics to be explained: an overview of studies on the Kuroshio in the ECS; the Kuroshio intrusion into the ECS, water exchange, and dynamic impacts; the downstream increase of nutrient transport by the Kuroshio; and the application of satellite remote sensing on terrestrial material transport by the Kuroshio intrusion into the ECS. Third, the interaction between the Ryukyu Current and Kuroshio in the ECS are also discussed. Finally, the main results are summarized and areas of further study are simply discussed.