Introduction

The Kuroshio current is a western boundary current that stretches from the Philippines to the

northern most island in the Japanese archipelago. It is roughly one hundred kilometers wide and varies

in depth as it traverses a multitude of differing bathymetric features including sea mounts, trenches, and

underwater plateaus covered in coral reefs. With these dimensions, it has an estimated surface area of

1.33 million km2. It is capable of moving a large volume of water, and is second in magnitude only to

Gulf Stream. The Kuroshio current is of significant importance to the western pacific. In the past

shipwrecked seaman knew of the current that pushed them north to the Japanese islands, providing

salvation. During the time of Japanese Isolationism, westerner sea captains took note of a current

existing off the coast of Japan that either significantly sped up their journey, or simply got them lost. In

the modern arena of research, more quantifiable data has been accumulated. We now are aware that it

transports large amounts of warm equatorial water northward which in turn has profound effects on

climate ranging from Taiwan to the southern coast of Alaska. It also produces significant upwelling,

providing a mixing that carries chlorophyll deep into the ocean, thus supporting an abundance of

phytoplankton and diverse populations of sea life. Seaweed beds also thrive in the mixing waters

produced by the collision of the Kurioshio and its various neighbor currents. These seaweed beds

provide the foundation for a fishery that supports the local economy and diet of the many island nations

that call this region home. Unlike the Gulf Stream, which has been extensively studied, the Kuroshio

still draws ambiguous and arguable conclusions from the information gathered by various researchers

throughout history. This is largely due to the large variability of the Kuroshio Current versus the small,

seasonally predicted variation of the Gulf Stream. The Kuroshio is a meandering current. Like a stream

weaving its way to the sea, the Kuroshio turns toward shore, then back toward the open sea repeatedly

throughout its journey northward. As it approaches the various islands and landmasses, it also splits and

forms several other currents, then rejoins them once again further down its path. This constant
interaction with differing currents of opposing direction causes eddies to form. These mesoscale gyres

are visible from space, and can retain a discernible form for up to a month at a time, set apart from the

rest of the ocean with the churning phytoplankton swirling in their spirals. Recently research has begun

to determine the effect these eddies impart on the overall physical flow of the Kuroshio Current. Effort

has been made to determine their effect on a wide range of features within the current, ranging from

volume transport, to temperature variability and direction.

A viable site for studying the variations in the Kuriosho Current is the East Taiwan Channel,

where the current is confined between the island of Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands. This location

mimics the Straits of Florida, a site that allowed researchers to determine the average transport another

large boundary current, the Gulf Stream. Historically, the transport of the Kuroshio has been recorded

from 15 Sv to 50 Sv, with mean estimates ranging from 21-33 Sv. The cycle has been reported as semi

annual, with maximum and minimum flows months apart. Recent observations of transport variability

suggest that the cycle occurrs in 100-day timescales, with secondary peaks at 40 and 18 days.

Once the Kuroshio exits the East Taiwan Channel, it enters the East China Sea. The warm water

coming from equatorial regions then interacts and mixes with the cooler, fresher water along the

continental shelf. This mixing significantly affects biological and sedimentary processes within the East

China Sea, and ultimately the heat and freshwater balance of the North Pacific.

Data Collection:

The PCM-1 current meter array, located in the East Taiwan Channel, is the first current meter

array to span the depth and width of the Kuroshio, providing a thorough cross section of the current.

The East Taiwan Channel is formed by the Ilan ridge between the east coast of Taiwan and the island of

Iriomote . The maximum depth in the channel is 1000m, and it serves as a choke point for the current

as it flows into the East China Sea. The PCM-1 Array consists of 11 moorings, each with sensors

capable of measuring a variety of variables. For the purpose of research, an axes were determined both
perpendicular and parallel to the array, and a third cross sectional field of T was established to describe

temperature. Sensors were deployed at determined depths and capable of measuring current velocity

and temperature, with additional sensors capable of measuring changes in pressure to determine

mooring position. Data is collected along the vertical component of each mooring, and then

interpolated horizontally across the array.

The sea surface topography was typically recorded through the use of a co-owned French and

U.S. Satellite known as TOPEX/Poseidon. This satellite was capable of determining differences in sea

level accurate to within 3.3 centimeters using its radar. The raw data collected from the satellite was

then corrected for several factors influencing sea level including tides, wet and dry tropospheric range

delay, atmospheric loading, and electromagnetic bias using historical. Unreasonable data with a slope

greater than 10 cm/km was discarded.

Data Interpretation:

The East Taiwan Channel is largely located between only a few of the moorings in the array.

The rest of the moorings are located on the shallow banks found on either side of the channel. The

maximum observed flow in the direction parallel to the array is 5 cm/s toward the east. The flow

parallel to the array is generally weak, however in this specific case, a topographic constriction causes

it to accelerate laterally. The downstream velocity of the Kuroshio vacillates, with the direction of the

current shifting toward and away from the shore. During one 40 day period, the current migrates to mid

channel, sweeps shore-ward, and then returns to its original path. Temperature also varies as the current

sweeps back and forth across the channel. Pulses of weak current across the entire channel are observed

at 100 day intervals, all of which are preceded by shifts in the current direction toward shore.

Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis is applied to reduce the sample space and assist in resolving

the complex variance patterns into dominant modes. The results of the EOF analysis suggest that the

meandering amplitude is larger than the width of the array. This suggests that the current is migrating
outside the East Taiwan Channel, and this is the cause of the 100 day lows in transport. Drifting buoys

were deployed to determine the track of the current and compare it to the data acquired by the array. At

the time of the 100 day low, the drifting buoys were headed east of the Ryukyu Islands, further

reinforcing the theory that the current is migrating outside the East Taiwan Channel. The path of the

drifting buoys suggests that parcels of water in the anticyclonic side of the Kuroshio are forced to the

east of the Ryukyu Islands. Data collected from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite indicated anticyclonic

eddies to the south of the array at the time of the large meander. This large meander ultimately caused

the 100 day low in transport due to the shift in direction to the east side of the Ryukyu Islands and out

of the East Taiwan Channel. This effect was similarly reproduced in the numerical model.

Conclusions:

The variations in current flowing parallel and perpendicular to the East Taiwan Channel, along with the

temperature gradient within the channel, have proven to provide a measurable impact on the transport

and meandering of the Kuroshio current as it navigates the choke point. Further analysis involving

empirical orthogonal function explained the largest fraction of the Kuroshio's variability depends on

transport. It has thus been determined that the Kuroshio meanders at three frequency bands closely

related to transport variations. The 7-11 day meanders are mostly comfined within the East Taiwan

Channel and involve little variation in transport. During the lower frequency bands, the current begins

to interact with topography, ultimately resulting in part of the current moving outside the East Taiwan

Channel and along the east coast of the Ryukyu. This is caused by the arrival of an anticyclonic eddy,

which causes an offshore trough, resulting in the Kuroshio's migration. The results of this particular

study have a farther reaching impact on the Kuroshio as it moves northward along the Japanese

archipelago.
Results of Related Studies:

Observations of interactions between the Kuroshio Current and cyclonic eddies in the

Recirculation Region east of Japan support the results of this study. As noted in the “Prompt Report on

Oceanographic Condition,” a small meander in the Kuroshio Current appeared shortly after it

coalesced with a small cyclonic eddy to its west. The