Spring of no Kuroshio intrusion in the southern Taiwan Strait

Abstract

The Taiwan Strait connects the East China Sea (ECS) to the South China Sea (SCS). Typically, in spring, the water in the SCS and a branch of the Kuroshio occupy the eastern part of the strait while the China coastal waters, including a large contribution from the Changjiang (Yangtze River), occupy the western part. During spring 2008, when the Taiwan Strait was under the influence of La Niña, and according to field observations, the Kuroshio branch did not contribute much to the waters in the southern Taiwan Strait. A numerical model verifies this observation. The China coastal waters also seem to have had less effect than in typical years. Since the SCS waters contain more nutrients than the Kuroshio branch, more nutrients may be transported from the SCS to the ECS in a La Niña spring than at other times.