Satellite Observation on the Exceptional Intrusion of Cold Water and Its Impact on Coastal Fisheries Around Peng-Hu Islands, Taiwan Strait

Abstract

We used satellite-derived sea surface temperature (SST) data of the winters of 1996–2008 to examine the exceptional intrusion of China Coastal Current into the Taiwan Strait (TS). The long term observation reveals an exceptional cold water intrusion into the southern TS happened in February 2008. The warm Kuroshio Branch Current, which dominates the water around Chang-Yuen Ridge year round, was restricted to the southern Strait. Comparing the SST and wind speed during El Nino/La Nina events, we found that SST was warmer in the El Nino winters (1998, 2003, 2007) than in the La Nina winters (1996, 2000, 2008), and wind speed was more intensive in the La Nina winters than in the El Nino winters. It is suggested that in the winter of 2008, the strong and continuous northeasterly wind caused by La Nina event probably drove the cold Mainland China Costal Current more southward to penetrate into the southern TS north of the Chang-Yuen Ridge and a portion of this current intruded eastward south of the Peng-Hu Islands. The low SST event also significantly damaged marine life and cage aquaculture, causing the death of more than 73 m of resident and coral reef fishes; and at the same time brought increased abundance of migratory species.