Role of Japan Sea Throughflow in the spatial variability of the long-term sea surface temperature trend

Abstract

The Japan Sea shows a much stronger warming of long-term sea surface temperature (SST) than surrounding oceans. The warming trend possesses a meridionally alternating zonal band pattern, with weak trends along the paths of the Japan Sea Throughflow and strong trends in the remaining interior region. Using idealized models of the Japan Sea Throughflow and atmospheric heating, this study examines the process behind the formation of such spatial patterns in the SST trend. We find that zonal band structures form in a flat rectangular coastline model, and heat budget analysis shows that horizontal heat transport, due to throughflow, reduces the warming effect created by the surface heat flux. A weak SST trend appears around the jet, while a strong SST trend appears elsewhere. Bathymetric effects are also examined using a model with realistic coastline settings. The location of the western boundary current stabilizes, and the coastal branch begins to disconnect from the Japanese coastline toward the north, allowing a more stable SST warming region to form in the southern interior region. Lagrangian particle tracking experiments confirm that a weak (strong) SST trend corresponds to a short (long) residence time, and eddies in the Japan Sea prolong the residence time in interior regions. The model results suggest that the accumulation time of surface heating is essential to the spatial distribution of the long-term SST warming trend.