Abstract
The seasonal variations of several main water masses in the southern Yellow Sea (SYS) and East China Sea (ECS) in 2011 were analyzed using the in-situ data collected on four cruises. There was something special in the observations for the Yellow Sea Warm Current (YSWC), the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM) and the Changjiang Diluted Water (CDW) during that year. The YSWC was confirmed to be a seasonal current and its source was closely associated with the Kuroshio onshore intrusion and the northerly wind. It was also found that the YSCWM in the summer of 2011 occupied a more extensive area in comparison with the climatologically-mean case due to the abnormally powerful wind prevailing in the winter of 2010 and decaying gradually thereafter. Resulting from the reduced Changjiang River discharge, the CDW spreading toward the Cheju Island in the summer of 2011 was weaker than the long-term mean and was confined to flow southward in the other seasons. The other water masses seemed normal without noticeable anomalies in 2011. The Yellow Sea Coastal Current (YSCC) water, driven by the northerly wind, flowed southeastward as a whole except for its northeastward surface layer in summer. The Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) was the strongest in summer and the weakest in winter in its northward movement. The Kuroshio water with an enhanced onshore intrusion in autumn was stable in hydrographic features apart from the seasonal variation of its surface layer.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chen, C. T. A., and Sheu, D. D., 2006. Does the Taiwan Warm Current originate in the Taiwan Strait in wintertime? Journal of Geophysical Research, 111, C04005, DOI: 10.1029/2005JC003281.
Chen, C. S., Xue, P. F., Ding, P. X., Beardsley, R. C., Xu, Q. C., Mao, X. M., Qi, J. H., Li, C. Y., Lin, H. C., Cowles, G., and Shi, M. C., 2008. Physical mechanisms for the offshore detachment of the Changjiang Diluted Water in the East China Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research, 113, C02002, DOI: 10.1029/2006JC003994.
Chen, D. X., 1992. Marine Atlas of Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, East China Sea: Hydrology. China Ocean Press, Beijing, 61–133.
Guo, X. Y., Miyazawa, Y., and Yamagata, T., 2006. The Kuroshio onshore intrusion along the shelf break of the East China Sea: The origin of the Tsushima Warm Current. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 36: 2205–2231.
He, C. B., Wang, Y. X., Lei, Z. Y., and Xu, S., 1959. A preliminary study of the formation of Yellow Sea Cold Mass and its properties. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica, 2(1): 1–15 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Hsueh, Y., 1988. Recent current observations in the Eastern Yellow Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research, 93(C6): 6875–6684.
Hsueh, Y., Romea, R. D., and Dewitt, P. W., 1986. Wintertime winds and coastal sea-level fluctuations in the northeast China Sea. Part II: Numerical Model. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 16: 241–261.
Hur, H. B., Jacobs, G. A., and Teague, W. J., 1999. Monthly variations of water masses in the Yellow and East China Seas, November 6, 1998. Journal of Oceanography, 55: 171–184.
Jacobs, G. A., Hur, H. B., and Riedlinger, S. K., 2000. Yellow and East China Seas response to winds and currents. Journal of Geophysical Research, 105(C9): 21947–21968.
Jan, S., and Chao, S. Y., 2003. Seasonal variation of volume transport in the major inflow region of the Taiwan Strait: The Penghu Channel. Deep-Sea Research II, 50: 1117–1126.
Jan, S., Wang, J., Chern, C. S., and Chao, S. Y., 2002. Seasonal variation of the circulation in the Taiwan Strait. Journal of Marine Systems, 35: 249–268.
Li, F. Q., and Su, Y. S., 2000. Analyzing of Oceanic Water Masses. Ocean University of Qingdao Press, Qingdao, 344pp.
Li, F. Q., Su, Y. S., and Yu, Z. X., 1984. Application of cluster analysis method to modified water-masses in the shallow sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 3(4): 451–461.
Li, G. X., Han, X. B., Yue, S. H., Wen, G. Y., Yang, R., and Kusky, T. M., 2006. Monthly variations of water masses in the East China Seas. Continental Shelf Research, 26: 1954–1970.
Lie, H. J., Cho, C. H., Lee, J. H., Lee, S., Tang, Y. X., and Zou, E. M., 2001. Does the Yellow Sea Warm Current really exist as a persistent mean flow? Journal of Geophysical Research, 106(C10): 22199–22210.
Lie, H. J., Cho, C. H., and Lee, S., 2009. Tongue-shaped frontal structure and warm water intrusion in the southern Yellow Sea in winter. Journal of Geophysical Research, 114, C01003, DOI: 10.1029/2007JC004683.
Lin, X. P., Yang, J. Y., Guo, J. S., Zhang Z. X., Yin, Y. Q., Song, X. Z., and Zhang, X. H., 2011. An asymmetric upwind flow, Yellow Sea Warm Current: 1. New observations in the western Yellow Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, C04026, DOI: 10.1029/2010JC006513.
Lin, X. P., and Yang, J. Y., 2011. An asymmetric upwind flow, Yellow Sea Warm Current: 2. Arrested topographic waves in response to the northerly wind. Journal of Geophysical Research, 116, C04027, DOI: 10.1029/2010JC006514.
Liu, Z. L., and Hu, D. X., 2009. Preliminary study on the Huanghai Sea coastal current and its relationship with local wind in summer. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 31(2): 1–7 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Liu, S. X., Shen, X. Q., Wang, Y. Q., and Han, S. X., 1993. Preliminary analysis of monthly distributions and variations in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 15(4): 1–11 (in Chinese).
Mask, A. C., O’Brien, J. J., and Preller, R., 1998. Wind-driven effects on the Yellow Sea Warm Current. Journal of Geophysical Research, 103(C13): 30713–30729.
Moon, J. H., Hirose, N., and Yoon, J. H., 2009. Comparison of wind and tidal contributions to the seasonal circulation of the Yellow Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research, 114, C08016, DOI: 10.1029/2009JC005314.
Park, S. H., Chu, P. C., and Lee, J. H., 2011. Interannual-to-interdecadal variability of the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass in 1967–2008: Characteristics and seasonal forcings. Journal of Marine Systems, 87: 177–193.
Qiao, F. L., Wang, G. S., Lü, X. G., and Dai, D. J., 2011. Drift characteristics of green macroalgae in the Yellow Sea in 2008 and 2010. Chinese Science Bulletin, 56(21): 2236–2242.
Shen, C., 2011. The Yangtze Water Resources Committee bulletined that the Yangtze River Basin belonged to a dry year in 2011. Available online: http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2011-12/12/c_111237807.htm.
Su, Y. S., 1980. The TS-comparison method for determining the boundary of modified water-masses and the analysis of modified water masses in the western area of the East China Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2(1): 1–16 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Su, Y. S., Li, F. Q., and Wang, F. Q., 1996. Distribution of water type and classification of water system in the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea and East China Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 18(6): 1–7 (in Chinese).
Su, Y. S., Yu, Z. X., and Li, F. Q., 1983. Application of cluster analysis method for analyzing the water-masses in the shallow water area and the analysis of modified water-masses in the Huanghai Sea and the East China Sea. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica, 14(1): 1–13 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Su, Z. Q., and Qian, Q. Y., 1988. A study on the origin of the Taiwan Warm Current. Journal of Shandong College of Oceanology, 18(1): 12–19 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Tang, Y. X., Zou, E. M., Lie, H. J., and Lie, J. H., 2000. Some features of circulation in the southern Huanghai Sea. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 22(1): 1–16 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Weng, X. C., and Wang, C. M., 1985. A study of Taiwan Warm Current water. Marine Sciences, 9(1): 7–10 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Xu, L. L., Wu, D. X., Lin, X. P., and Ma, C., 2009. The study of the Yellow Sea Warm Current and its seasonal variability. Journal of Hydrodynamics, 21(2): 159–165.
Yu, Z. X., Su, Y. S., Yu, G. Y., and Li, F. Q., 1984. A preliminary analysis of modified water masses in the sea area near the Yangtze River mouth and the Jizhou Island. Journal of Shandong College of Oceanology, 14(3): 1–12 (in Chinese with English abstract).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Quan, Q., Mao, X., Yang, X. et al. Seasonal variations of several main water masses in the southern Yellow Sea and East China Sea in 2011. J. Ocean Univ. China 12, 524–536 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-013-2198-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-013-2198-5