Abstract
In this study, the effects of oceanic mesoscale eddies on the looping path of the Kuroshio intrusion (KI) were symmetrically investigated by composite analysis using merged satellite data. We found that the mesoscale eddies propagating from the east have a significant impact on the looping path over a time scale of 30–60 days. Cyclonic eddies (CEs) enhance the looping path, but anticyclonic eddies decrease it. We also found that strong eddies do not have strong effects on the looping path. For instance, strong CEs induce the strong surface intrusion of the Kuroshio, but the looping currents are weak due to the presence of the strong Luzon Cold Eddy in the South China Sea, which tends to prevent loop formation. The complicated relationship between eddies and the path of the KI results in a nonsignificant correlation coefficient between the KI and eddy activities in the western Pacific.
Highlights
The Kuroshio may intrude into the SCS through the LS via different paths
By examining the evolution of the looping currents by using the Kuroshio Warm Eddy Index (KWI)[26] every 5 days, which is defined to describe the anticyclonic eddy in the SCS formed by the Kuroshio loop, we find that the loop for a weak Cyclonic eddies (CEs) becomes stronger than that for a strong CE when the CE occurs
According to previous work[23,27] and the characteristics of eddies in our study, we select a key region as the place where eddies begin to interact with the Kuroshio, which means that the beginning of the interaction is defined as when an eddy can be detected in the key region
Summary
The Kuroshio may intrude into the SCS through the LS via different paths. Four or five different paths have been identified in earlier studies[7,8,9]. The looping path accounts for approximately 15% of the KI and is mostly sensitive to the impacts of ocean mesoscale eddies compared with the other two paths (see Supplementary Fig. S1) This difference arises mainly because the Kuroshio is relatively weak and can be disturbed by eddies when a looping path occurs. We performed a composite analysis on the looping paths when eddies (both CEs and AEs) are present east of the LS and further investigate the magnitudes of the looping currents when an interaction occurs between the Kuroshio and stronger/weaker CEs or AEs. This paper represents the first study attempt to systematically clarify the connection between mesoscale eddies in the Pacific Ocean and the looping path in the LS. The results of this study will help us to gain a better understanding of the effects of the mesoscale process in the Pacific on the circulation and eddies of the LS as well as the effects on their interactions
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