how does the north equatorial current affect climate

Progress in Oceanography, 26, 307-355. This expansive biomass is influenced by elevated rates of primary production leading to large biomass in the lower trophic levels, facilitated by warmer local oceanic and atmospheric conditions. The Asymmetry of western boundary currents in the upper Atlantic Ocean, Because of the effects of wind, currents, and underwater features, the surface of the ocean is not flatmaps show differences in elevation on the surface of the sea (Fig. In addition, there was discovery of dense populations of phytoplankton at the nutricline within a ring, presumably supported by the upward mixing of nutrients. Updates? In this way, monsoonal rain events and common through the summertime and typhoon storms are enhanced as they pass over the current. [19], The magnitude of the Kuroshio Current and seafloor bathymetry results in deep sea erosion and sediment transport in multiple regions. Oceanology, 31, 155-159. The current flows faster in the thinner layer. The North Equatorial Current (NEC) is a westward wind-driven current mostly located near the equator, but the location varies from different oceans. Seasonal variability of the Equatorial Countercurrent and the North Climate change is reported to alter endemic fish larvae distribution. [32] This nitrogen fixation supplies a limiting nutrient (nitrate), to other photoautotrophs for growth and reproduction. One of the branches flows poleward feeding the Kuroshio Current, another one flows equatorward feeding the Mindanao Current. [56] The resulting homogeneous water mass typically separates the seasonal pycnocline from the surface waters in the mid to late summer months, remaining stratified below the warmer surface waters until shoaling back towards the surface with the mixed layer due to storm perturbation in the fall and winter. At the Cape of Good Hope this feeds east into the South Indian Current, which supplies the West Australian Current. It occurs due to the rotation of the globe. [60], Climate change, specifically with respect to increasing sea surface temperatures and decreasing salinity, has been predicted to strengthen the surface flow of the Kuroshio Current as well as other western boundary currents across the Pacific. The amount of sediment transport is highly dependent on the relationship between the Kuroshio Current intrusion, the China Coastal Current, and the Taiwan Warm Current. [3], This North Equatorial Current Bifurcation (NECB) plays an important role in the south Asian climate system. With shifting winds and increased gyre circulation in conjunction with a "business as usual" anthropogenic carbon input scenario, bifurcation latitudes are predicted to continue on poleward migrations into the future, contributing to the intensifying Kuroshio Current. These waters make up the other 90% of the ocean. [15] The Kuroshio Current splits into Kuroshio Current extension and the Tsushima Current, as the currents wrap around Japanese Island and reconnects, changes in flow will impact the flows of the other currents. Is the North Equatorial Current a western boundary current? The heavy rainfall of the western Pacific, associated with the monsoons of the region, gives rise to relatively low salinities. This mixing introduces nutrients from deeper cooler water to the warmer surface layer of the ocean. This strong northward surface transport is well known as the upper component of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). The Kuroshio Extension region is classified as the strongest sink for atmospheric CO2 in the North Pacific. During the southwest monsoon,. [30] Further, there are substantial dust deposition events in this region due to Asian Dust Storms from the Gobi desert. The thermostad is the deep mixed layer that has discrete boundaries and uniform temperature. Upwelling brings nutrient-rich deep waters to the surface, where algae can thrive in the . [1] Because of the vastness of the Pacific basincovering one-third of the planetthese wind and humidity changes get transmitted around the world, disrupting circulation patterns such as jet streams (strong upper-level winds). . The success of fishermen is greatly affected by this, since a weakening of an upwelling system can bring economic disaster. [43], Acropora japonica, Acropora secale, and Acropora hyacinthus are 3 more reef-building corals in the region. The Japanese flying squid (Todarodes pacificus), for example, has three populations that breed in winter, summer, and autumn. Squeezed between the equatorial currents is a well-defined countercurrent, the axis of which is always north of the Equator and which extends from the Philippines to the shores of Ecuador. Characteristically, equatorial-current systems consist of two westward-flowing currents approximately 600 miles (1,000 km) wide (North and South equatorial currents) separated by an eastward-flowing countercurrent only 300 miles (480 km) wide. The Antarctic Convergence lies in the zone of the southern westerly winds. [29] Studies confirming low genotypic diversity within the species further emphasizes this blue coral's threatened status. Within this layer, nutrient-rich water is brought to the surface, which generates a burst of primary production. [58] North Pacific subtropical mode waters are created when Kuroshio Extension waters lose large amounts of heat and moisture to the cold and dry northerly winds during boreal wintertime months, creating dense salty surface waters prone to sink and cause convection. Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [61], The Kuroshio Current can be a useful as a shipping lane as the current can save time and fuel usage when underway with the current. m And at this time, the NEC carries surface waters from the southern Bay of Bengal to the southern Arabian Sea. Usually flowing at depths of less than 1,650 feet (500 m), equatorial currents travel at rates of 10 to 40 inches per second (25 to 100 cm per second). [28] The Tokara Strait also has high cyclonic activity where the Kuroshio Current passes through. In the equatorial belt, relatively large amounts of rain fall and little evaporation occurs, both because of low wind speeds and because of the generally cloudy skies; salinity in the equatorial belt runs as low as 34 parts per thousand. For example, when the Oyashio current is well developed and protrudes southward, the cold waters are favorable for capturing sardines. The NEC, the SEC and the ECC play an important role in the climate system causing various of climate patterns, such as El NioSouthern Oscillation (ENSO), the Atlantic Meridional Mode (AMM), the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) and the seasonal monsoon in the Indian ocean. The winter spawning group is associated with the Kuroshio Current, because following spawning events in January to April in the East China Sea the larvae and juveniles travel north with the Kuroshio Current. The equatorial currents in the Pacific Ocean play an important role in the distribution of water mass and heat and freshwaters of the warm pool, which is key to the evolution of anomalous climate . The Atlantic North Equatorial Current is pushed westward by the Northeast Trade Winds between latitude 10 and 20 N. Fed in part by the South Atlantic Equatorial, it turns north as the Antilles, Caribbean, and Florida currents, which eventually become the Gulf Stream. On a seasonal time scale, variability of the heat transport is responsible for the tropical sea temperature anomaly. During January and February, thanks to the prevailing northeast wind, the NEC travels all the way to the east coast of Somalia and joins the Somali Current flowing towards the southwest to feed the SECC. Observations of temperature and salinity at different levels in the ocean reveal well-defined layers, each forming a water mass distinguished by its own temperature and salinity characteristics. This joins the Guinea Current to re-form the Atlantic South Equatorial Current. Driven by winds, they occur on the western edges of oceans, adjacent to . How do western and eastern boundary currents affect climate? During particularly strong events, El Nio can cause weather anomalies in the equatorial and southern Pacific and in northeastern South America, Asia, and North America. The NEC strengthens in La Nia years and weakens in El Nio years. Coastal upwelling occurs when cold, nutrient-rich water rises from the ocean's depths, replacing surface waters. Photograph by Walter Meayers Edwards, National Geographic Photograph Photograph Photograph [34] This upwelling event, the Kuroshio Current intrusion through the Luzon Strait and South China Sea, and summer monsoons, represent the convergence of a multitude of oceanic waters of different origin. Seasonal changes in the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre. It was named for the deep blue appearance of its waters. The motion of gyres is determined by the direction of the prevailing winds and the influence of the Coriolis effect. [4]. No catches are made within a 10km radius to the accident site and even catches outside of that zone are subject to inspection for radioactive materials, costing fisheries both time and money. These changes are thought to come as a product of wind stress and surface warming resulting from the increased stratification of the surface layers of future oceans. Ocean Currents: Suspects in Climate Change Ocean waters are constantly on the move. to the interior tropical Atlantic, In couple with NEC, there is another current called South Equatorial Current (SEC), generated by the easterly trade wind in the southern hemisphere. The Coriolis force also alters ocean currents via its effects . Another subsequent result of the Ekman transport is the upwelling, which occurs in between the NEC and the SEC, where a massive water divergence at the sea surface takes place. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). The South Atlantic. Winds cause water to pile up in some places and form low places in others, which in turn affects water movement. s Journal of Physical Oceanography, 18, 1050-1060. [2], The granulometry of the Kenting Plateau and surrounding area demonstrates the eroding qualities of the Kuroshio Current. The Kuroshio strengthens significantly when it rejoins the Pacific Ocean, reaching 65Sv (65 million cubic metres per second) southeast of Japan,[7] although this transport has significant seasonal variability. Geophysical Research Letters, 29(17), 1840. Meanwhile, in areas influenced by upwelling with higher nutrient and carbon concentrations, diatoms are important contributors to carbon and nitrogen out of the euphotic zone due to the weight of their "glass houses" made of silica and their tendencies to sink. The temperature anomaly at the sea surface is a possible cause that leads to Atlantic hurricane season. The NEC is driven by the north-hemisphere easterly trade wind. c [30][31] During these events, dust clouds transport and deposit phosphate and trace metals which subsequently stimulate growth in both Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus as well as diatoms. , lower than in the Pacific. This is the reason why hurricanes in the northern hemisphere rotate clockwise, but in the southern hemisphere, they rotate counterclockwise. The surface waters of the Bering Sea circulate in a counterclockwise direction. Many species of fish larvae are also found in zooplankton communities transported by the current. On the circulation in the upper layer of the western equatorial Atlantic, There are many complex interactions within warm-core rings and thus, lifetime productivity is not very different from the surrounding shelf water. This flow, known as the Kuro Current, moves north as far as Japan, then east as the North Pacific Current (West Wind Drift), part of which then turns south as the California Current, which joins the equatorial countercurrent to form the Pacific North Equatorial Current. Besides, the NEC is more equatorward from January to June. To either side the trade winds blow constantly and push great volumes of water westward in the equatorial currents, raising the sea level in the west. [44] The Crown-of-thorns starfish feeds on corals. 1 In addition, winter spawning sites over the continental shelf and slope in the East China Sea are expanding. The Pearl River sediments contains high levels of kaolinite and titanium (Ti) and is trapped above the abyssal basin between Hainan Island and the Pearl River mouth. It ranges from the sea surface down to 400 m in the western Pacific. As it reaches the South American coast in the region of 45 S, one branch flows northward along the coast to form the Peru (Humboldt) Current, and a second branch flows southward to pass through the Drake Passage. How they move influences climate and living conditions for plants and animals in the oceans, and on land. One of the more significant oceanic sinks for atmospheric CO2 is the Kuroshio Current. The summer spawning is in another part of the East China Sea, from which the larvae are entrained into the Tsushima current that flows north between the islands of Japan and the mainland. Schott, F.A., P. Brandt, M. Hamann, J. Fischer and L. Stramma, 2002: Stramma, L., and G. Siedler, 1988: To the east of Japan the Kuroshio swings eastward to form the Kuroshio Extension. Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, "Pacific western boundary currents and their roles in climate", "Deep-sea submarine erosion by the Kuroshio Current in the Manila accretionary prism, offshore Southern Taiwan", "Why Does Global Warming Weaken the Gulf Stream but Intensify the Kuroshio? Tropical Atlantic geostrophic currents and ship drifts, Afterward, the current meets a southward flowing cold coastal current, the Liman Current. The Kuroshio Current has significant effects on both physical and biological processes of the North Pacific Ocean, including nutrient and sediment transport, major pacific storm tracks and regional climate, and Pacific mode water formation. Marine mammals such as seals, sea lions and cetaceans also make use of the high biodiversity within the Kuroshio Current. The Atlantic North Equatorial Current is pushed westward by the Northeast Trade Winds between latitude 10 and 20 N. Fed in part by the South Atlantic Equatorial, it turns north as the Antilles, Caribbean, and Florida currents, which eventually become the Gulf . Resident fish of this area include reef fish like rabbitfish and parrotfish, pelagic fishes such as sardines, anchovies, mackerel, and sailfish, and higher trophic predators such as sharks.[29]. to diatoms in the low-latitude Kuroshio Current in the NW Pacific", "Water mass transport through the northern Bashi Channel in the northeastern South China Sea affects copepod assemblages of the Luzon Strait", "Intrusions of the Kuroshio Current in the northern South China Sea affect copepod assemblages of the Luzon Strait", "Distribution, biomass, and species composition of salps and doliolids in the OyashioKuroshio transitional region: potential impact of massive bloom on the pelagic food web", "Changes in the fish species composition in the coastal zones of the Kuroshio Current and China Coastal Current during periods of climate change: Observations from the set-net fishery (19932011)", "The Pliocene to recent history of the Kuroshio and Tsushima Currents: a multi-proxy approach", "Genetic structure and cryptic speciation in the threatened reef-building coral, "Carotenoids in Marine Invertebrates Living along the Kuroshio Current Coast", "An Investigation into the Genetic History of Japanese Populations of Three Starfish, Acanthaster planci, Linckia laevigata, and Asterias amurensis, Based on Complete Mitochondrial DNA Sequences", "Influences of the Kuroshio on Interisland Remote Connectivity of Corals Across the Nansei Archipelago in the East China Sea", "A Review of Biological Studies on Sea Turtles in Japan", "Biogeography of small odontocetes in relation to widescale oceanographic structure in the N orth P acific Ocean", "Distribution of sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) in the subarcticsubtropical transition area of the western North Pacific in relation to oceanic fronts", "Carbon Chemistry in the Mainstream of Kuroshio Current in Eastern Taiwan and Its Transport of Carbon into the East China Sea Shelf", "Currents, Gyres, & Eddies - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution", "Formation region of North Pacific subtropical mode water in the late winter of 2003", "The Subtropical Mode Water Circulation in the North Pacific", 10.1175/1520-0485(1995)025<0958:TSMWCI>2.0.CO;2, "Formation of Subtropical Mode Water in a high-resolution ocean simulation of the Kuroshio Extension region", "Interannual Variability of the Kuroshio Extension System and Its Impact on the Wintertime SST Field", 10.1175/1520-0485(2000)030<1486:IVOTKE>2.0.CO;2, "Large variability of the Kuroshio at 23.75N east of Taiwan", "Robust Warming Pattern of Global Subtropical Oceans and Its Mechanism", "Effect of ocean currents on ship navigation in the east China sea", "Distribution of jack mackerel (Trachurus japonicus) larvae and juveniles in the East China Sea, with special reference to the larval transport by the Kuroshio Current", "FAO Fisheries & Aquaculture Seriola quinqueradiata", "10 years after tsunami: A Japanese town rebuilds its homes and heart", "Spreading of Fukushima-derived Radiocesium in the Western North Pacific Ocean by the End of 2014", "Fukushima Fishing Industry Still Far from Recovery", "Recovery and Change: Sanriku Fisheries Shifting Focus Seven Years After 3/11", "New Whale Meat on Plates in Taiji as Fishermen Adjust to Whimsical Kuroshio Current | JAPAN Forward", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kuroshio_Current&oldid=1166142004, This page was last edited on 19 July 2023, at 16:06. The major gyre in the North Pacific Ocean is called the North Pacific gyre. The Kuroshio Current has an influence of several species of foraminifera, including species G. ruber and P. obliquiloculate. Upwelling and Climate Change. [1]. [23] Plankton biomass fluctuates yearly and is typically highest in the eddy area of the Kuroshio's edge. The warm Gulf Stream originating in the tropical Caribbean, for instance, carries about 150 times more water than the Amazon River. Offshore of Southern Taiwan on the Kenting Plateau erosion is likely caused by the strong bottom currents which increase in velocity along the rise on this plateau. [8] At the Bs Peninsula, the Kuroshio finally separates from the Japanese coast and travels eastward as the Kuroshio Extension. The Kuroshio Current plays an important role in influencing regional climate and weather patterns mainly through the input of warm waters from lower latitudes northward into the western edge of the Pacific basin. Ocean Circulation Ocean waters are constantly on the move; understanding how and why they move is not an easy task. [1], The Kuroshio Extension is a dynamic but relatively unstable system, with variability in the associated bifurcation latitude occurring on interannual time scales. It is more compressed in the temperate eastern Pacific, along the coasts of North and Central America, where cold water appears at a shallower depth compared with the central and western Pacific. The downstream of the Kuroshio Current receives large amounts of nutrients at rates of 100280 kmol N*s-1. These particular characteristics, along with lower nutrient availability within the current, correspond well with the requirements of two specific cyanobacteria: Prochlorococcus and Synechococcus. Despite the well-coupled name of the two equatorial currents, the distribution of the NEC and the SEC is not in symmetry at the equator, but slightly northward to the equator. The North Atlantic Current ( NAC ), also known as North Atlantic Drift and North Atlantic Sea Movement, is a powerful warm western boundary current within the Atlantic Ocean that extends the Gulf Stream northeastward.
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