Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970
The Kuroshio Current (KC) has witnessed rapid surface warming during the past half-century, impacting the marine ecosystems in surrounding regions. However, the vertical structure of the warming KC remains unclear. This study utilizes historical hydrographic observational data and ocean model experi...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Environmental Research Communications |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adbba1 |
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| author | Xiaoqian Li Yuanlong Li Kai Ge Xiaohui Tang Shouhua Liu Shanliang Zhu |
| author_facet | Xiaoqian Li Yuanlong Li Kai Ge Xiaohui Tang Shouhua Liu Shanliang Zhu |
| author_sort | Xiaoqian Li |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The Kuroshio Current (KC) has witnessed rapid surface warming during the past half-century, impacting the marine ecosystems in surrounding regions. However, the vertical structure of the warming KC remains unclear. This study utilizes historical hydrographic observational data and ocean model experiments to investigate temperature changes of the KC in the East China Sea since 1970. The KC at the Pollution Nagasaki (PN) section has shown rapid warming in the upper 350 m and insignificant warming or cooling trends in the subsurface layer of 350–800 m. Our diagnosis suggests that the rapid upper-layer warming results from the downward displacement of isopycnal surfaces, whereas the subsurface cooling arises from lateral advection along isopycnal surfaces. In addition to surface heating, surface wind changes over the subtropical North Pacific-induced by the phase shift of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)-also enhance the upper-layer warming of the KC by driving downwelling Rossby waves. The subsurface cooling reflects property changes of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) which can be traced to buoyancy fluxes in the subpolar northwestern Pacific. By linking the regional changes observed in the ECS to basin-scale processes over the North Pacific, this work contributes to the understanding of the response of the KC to climate change. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3ff0bbe5e5f8428fa3a712e65bc70faf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2515-7620 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Environmental Research Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-3ff0bbe5e5f8428fa3a712e65bc70faf2025-08-20T02:05:21ZengIOP PublishingEnvironmental Research Communications2515-76202025-01-017303501610.1088/2515-7620/adbba1Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970Xiaoqian Li0Yuanlong Li1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7239-5756Kai Ge2https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9486-6420Xiaohui Tang3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9809-3561Shouhua Liu4Shanliang Zhu5School of Mathematics and Physics, Qingdao University of Science and Technology , Qingdao 266061, People’s Republic of China; Key Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Forecasting and Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Forecasting and Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People’s Republic of China; Laboratory for Ocean Dynamics and Climate, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center , Qingdao, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Forecasting and Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences , Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaKey Laboratory of Ocean Observation and Forecasting and Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences , Qingdao 266071, People’s Republic of China; Laboratory for Ocean Dynamics and Climate, Qingdao Marine Science and Technology Center , Qingdao, People’s Republic of ChinaNational Marine Data and Information Service, Ministry of Natural Resources, Tianjin 300171, People’s Republic of ChinaSchool of Mathematics and Physics, Qingdao University of Science and Technology , Qingdao 266061, People’s Republic of ChinaThe Kuroshio Current (KC) has witnessed rapid surface warming during the past half-century, impacting the marine ecosystems in surrounding regions. However, the vertical structure of the warming KC remains unclear. This study utilizes historical hydrographic observational data and ocean model experiments to investigate temperature changes of the KC in the East China Sea since 1970. The KC at the Pollution Nagasaki (PN) section has shown rapid warming in the upper 350 m and insignificant warming or cooling trends in the subsurface layer of 350–800 m. Our diagnosis suggests that the rapid upper-layer warming results from the downward displacement of isopycnal surfaces, whereas the subsurface cooling arises from lateral advection along isopycnal surfaces. In addition to surface heating, surface wind changes over the subtropical North Pacific-induced by the phase shift of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO)-also enhance the upper-layer warming of the KC by driving downwelling Rossby waves. The subsurface cooling reflects property changes of the North Pacific Intermediate Water (NPIW) which can be traced to buoyancy fluxes in the subpolar northwestern Pacific. By linking the regional changes observed in the ECS to basin-scale processes over the North Pacific, this work contributes to the understanding of the response of the KC to climate change.https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adbba1Kuroshio CurrentEast China Seasurface warmingsubsurface cooling |
| spellingShingle | Xiaoqian Li Yuanlong Li Kai Ge Xiaohui Tang Shouhua Liu Shanliang Zhu Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970 Environmental Research Communications Kuroshio Current East China Sea surface warming subsurface cooling |
| title | Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970 |
| title_full | Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970 |
| title_fullStr | Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970 |
| title_short | Warming structure of the Kuroshio in the East China Sea since 1970 |
| title_sort | warming structure of the kuroshio in the east china sea since 1970 |
| topic | Kuroshio Current East China Sea surface warming subsurface cooling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/adbba1 |
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