Yellow and East China Seas response to winds and currents

The influences of the Kuroshio Current (KUC), Taiwan Warm Current (TWC), an d surface wind stress on the Yellow and East China Seas (YES) are examined using tracers in a Princeton Ocean Model. Two experiments are performed: on e with wind stress and one without. Seasonal variations in the inflow and o utflow of the TWC and Tsushima Current are specified to examine the effects of the current transports. Two separate tracers are inserted into each mod el experiment to track the pattern of KUC and TWC waters into the YES. The two main areas of KUC and TWC water movement into the Yellow Sea are the so uthern entrance to the Yellow Sea trough and the Yangtze Relict River valle y. Results indicate that KUC and TWC waters advect into the Yellow Sea rega rdless of wind stress. However, in the Yellow Sea during winter the wind st ress increases KUC and TWC concentration at 20 m. The wind stress also prod uces short time period events that horizontally advect water masses and spa tially smooth seasonally averaged water mass concentrations. The bottom Ekm an layer appears to be one of the mechanisms driving the northward bottom f low across the East China Sea shelf. The bottom friction layer is stronger in summer when the TWC velocity is high. The bottom friction layer draws KU C water across the bottom of the continental shelf into the Yangtze Relict River valley and generates upwelling along the Chinese coast.