Mesoscale eddies energy characteristic in the Kuroshio Extension and north Pacific subtropical countercurrent region

Wang Ru; Li Haiyan; Meng Lei

doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253-4193.2019.11.001

Volume 41 Issue 11

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Wang Ru，Li Haiyan，Meng Lei. Mesoscale eddies energy characteristic in the Kuroshio Extension and north Pacific subtropical countercurrent region[J]. Haiyang Xuebao，2019, 41(11)：1–14，doi:10.3969/j.issn.0253−4193.2019.11.001

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Mesoscale eddies energy characteristic in the Kuroshio Extension and north Pacific subtropical countercurrent region

doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-4193.2019.11.001

Wang Ru^1
,,
Li Haiyan^{1
,
,},
Meng Lei²

1.
College of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
2.
Beijing Box 5111, Beijing 100094, China

Received Date: 2018-09-27
Rev Recd Date: 2019-03-10

Available Online: 2021-04-21

Publish Date: 2019-11-25

Abstract

Abstract

Different researchers have studied mesoscale phenomena of Kuroshio Extension (KE) and north Pacific subtropical countercurrent (STCC) area independently, but they have never made comparisons and analysis of the phenomenon in the two areas. In this paper, the mesoscale phenomenon and the change process of energy in these two regions are unified analyzed and compared by using the 11 years data of sea surface anomaly of altimeter. Firstly, the ‘Okubo-Weiss algorithm’ is used to detect and analyze the eddy, and concluded that there are differences in distribution, amplitude, energy and lifetime between the cyclonic eddies and the anticyclonic eddies in these two regions. Secondly, the kinetic energy spectrum and energy cascade of mesoscale eddies in the two regions are discussed by using the method of kinetic energy spectrum analysis. The kinetic energy spectral density of both regions is concentrated in 2×10^–3 circle/km to 4×10^–3 circle/km. The propagation direction of most of mesoscale eddies in the KE region are more meridionally, while that in the STCC region are more zonally. The kinetic energy transfer terms of the two regions are mainly negative in the range of 2×10^–3 circle/km to 3×10^–3 circle/km, which implied that there is an energy source in this wavenumber, meanwhile, there is an inverse cascade.
- Kuroshio Extension,
- north Pacific subtropical countercurrent,
- mesoscale eddy,
- Okubo-Weiss algorithm,
- kinetic energy spectrum,
- energy cascade

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References

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