Numerical investigation of the control factors driving Zhe-Min Coastal Current

Yang Zhang; Fei Chai; Joseph Zhang; Yang Ding; Min Bao; Yunwei Yan; Hong Li; Wei Yu; Liang Chang

doi:10.1007/s13131-021-1849-4

Volume 41 Issue 2

Feb. 2022

Turn off MathJax

Article Contents

Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2022 > 41(2): 127-138

Yang Zhang, Fei Chai, Joseph Zhang, Yang Ding, Min Bao, Yunwei Yan, Hong Li, Wei Yu, Liang Chang. Numerical investigation of the control factors driving Zhe-Min Coastal Current[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2022, 41(2): 127-138. doi: 10.1007/s13131-021-1849-4

Citation:

Yang Zhang, Fei Chai, Joseph Zhang, Yang Ding, Min Bao, Yunwei Yan, Hong Li, Wei Yu, Liang Chang. Numerical investigation of the control factors driving Zhe-Min Coastal Current[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2022, 41(2): 127-138. doi: 10.1007/s13131-021-1849-4

Citation:

Yang Zhang, Fei Chai, Joseph Zhang, Yang Ding, Min Bao, Yunwei Yan, Hong Li, Wei Yu, Liang Chang. Numerical investigation of the control factors driving Zhe-Min Coastal Current[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2022, 41(2): 127-138. doi: 10.1007/s13131-021-1849-4

PDF( 1388 KB)

Numerical investigation of the control factors driving Zhe-Min Coastal Current

doi: 10.1007/s13131-021-1849-4

Yang Zhang^{1, 2},
Fei Chai^{1, 3
,
,},
Joseph Zhang⁴,
Yang Ding⁵,
Min Bao¹,
Yunwei Yan¹,
Hong Li⁶,
Wei Yu⁷,
Liang Chang⁷

1.
State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Hangzhou 310012, China
2.
Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Zhuhai), Zhuhai 519080, China
3.
School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469, USA
4.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary Center for Coastal Resource Management, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
5.
Physical Oceanography Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China
6.
Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Institute of Atmospheric Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
7.
College of Marine Sciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China

Funds: The Scientific Research Fund of the Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR under contract Nos JG2104 and 14283; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41730536, 42076010 and 42130403; the Shanghai Pujiang Program under contract No. 19PJ1404300; the Shandong Natural Science Foundation under contract No. ZR2021MD007; the Project of State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR under contract No. SOEDZZ2103; the Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. LY21D060003.

More Information

Corresponding author: fchai@sio.org.cn
Received Date: 2020-10-16
Accepted Date: 2021-05-20

Available Online: 2021-12-01

Publish Date: 2022-02-01

Abstract

Abstract

During the northeast monsoon season, Zhe-Min Coastal Current (ZMCC) travels along the Chinese mainland coast and carries fresh, cold, and eutrophic water. ZMCC is significantly important for the hydrodynamic processes and marine ecosystems along its path. Thus, this bottom-trapped plume deserves to be further discussed in terms of the major driving factor, for which different opinions exist. For this purpose, in this study, a high resolution Semi-implicit Cross-scale Hydroscience Integrated System Model (SCHISM) is established and validated. High correlation coefficients exist between along-shelf wind speeds and seasonal variations of both ZMCC volume transport and the freshwater signal. These coefficients imply that the wind is important in regulating ZMCC. However, for similar annual mean ZMCC volume transports, the extreme south boundaries of Zhe-Min Coastal Water (ZMCW) are different among different years. This difference is attracting attention and is explored in this study. According to the low wind/discharge experiment, it was found that although the volume transport of ZMCC is more sensitive to the variation of local wind speeds, the carried freshwater is limited by the Changjiang River discharge, which ultimately determines the south boundary of ZMCW. The momentum analysis at transects I and II shows that, for driving ZMCC, the along-shore wind forcing is as important as the buoyancy forcing. Note that this conclusion is supported by a zero-discharge experiment. It was also found that the buoyancy forcing varies with respect to time and space, which is due to variations of the discharge of Changjiang River. In addition, a particle tracking experiment shows that the substance carried by the Changjiang River diluted water would distribute along the Zhe-Min coastal region during the northeast monsoon season and it may escape due to the wind relaxation.
- coastal current,
- numerical model,
- momentum analysis,
- Changjiang River diluted water,
- East China Sea

FullText(HTML)

References(24)

References

[1]	Carrere L, Lyard F, Cancet M, et al. 2015. FES 2014, a new tidal model on the global ocean with enhanced accuracy in shallow seas and in the Arctic region. In: EGU General Assembly Conference. Vienna, Austria: EGU
[2]	Chapman D C, Lentz S J. 1994. Trapping of a coastal density front by the bottom boundary layer. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 24(7): 1464–1479. doi: 10.1175/1520-0485(1994)024<1464:TOACDF>2.0.CO;2
[3]	Chelton D B, DeSzoeke R A, Schlax M G, et al. 1998. Geographical variability of the first baroclinic Rossby radius of deformation. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 28(3): 433–460. doi: 10.1175/1520-0485(1998)028<0433:GVOTFB>2.0.CO;2
[4]	Csanady G T. 1978. Wind effects on surface to bottom fronts. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 83(C9): 4633–4640. doi: 10.1029/JC083iC09p04633
[5]	Fong D A, Geyer W R. 2001. Response of a river plume during an upwelling favorable wind event. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 106(C1): 1067–1084. doi: 10.1029/2000JC900134
[6]	Fore A G, Yueh S H, Tang Wenqing, et al. 2016. Combined active/passive retrievals of ocean vector wind and sea surface salinity with SMAP. IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, 54(12): 7396–7404. doi: 10.1109/TGRS.2016.2601486
[7]	Garvine R W. 1995. A dynamical system for classifying buoyant coastal discharges. Continental Shelf Research, 15(13): 1585–1596. doi: 10.1016/0278-4343(94)00065-U
[8]	Hong Huasheng, Chai Fei, Zhang Caiyun, et al. 2011. An overview of physical and biogeochemical processes and ecosystem dynamics in the Taiwan Strait. Continental Shelf Research, 31(6): S3–S12. doi: 10.1016/j.csr.2011.02.002
[9]	Huang Daji, Zeng Dingyong, Ni Xiaobo, et al. 2016. Alongshore and cross-shore circulations and their response to winter monsoon in the western East China Sea. Deep-Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 124: 6–18. doi: 10.1016/j.dsr2.2015.01.001
[10]	Lentz S J, Largier J. 2006. The influence of wind forcing on the chesapeake bay buoyant coastal current. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 36(7): 1305–1316. doi: 10.1175/JPO2909.1
[11]	Lin S F, Tang T Y, Jan S, et al. 2005. Taiwan Strait current in winter. Continental Shelf Research, 25(9): 1023–1042. doi: 10.1016/j.csr.2004.12.008
[12]	Pan Aijun, Wan Xiaofang, Guo Xiaogang, et al. 2013. Responses of the Zhe-Min Coastal Current adjacent to Pingtan Island to the wintertime monsoon relaxation in 2006 and its mechanism. Science China Earth Sciences, 56(3): 386–396. doi: 10.1007/s11430-012-4429-9
[13]	Whitney M M, Garvine W R. 2005. Wind influence on a coastal buoyant outflow. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 110(C3): C03014
[14]	Wu Hui, Deng Bing, Yuan Rui, et al. 2013. Detiding measurement on transport of the Changjiang-derived buoyant coastal current. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 43(11): 2388–2399. doi: 10.1175/JPO-D-12-0158.1
[15]	Wu Tianning, Wu Hui. 2018. Tidal mixing sustains a bottom-trapped river plume and buoyant coastal current on an energetic continental shelf. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 123(11): 8026–8051. doi: 10.1029/2018JC014105
[16]	Wu Hui, Zhu Jianrong, Shen Jian, et al. 2011. Tidal modulation on the Changjiang River plume in summer. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 116(C8): C08017. doi: 10.1029/2011JC007209
[17]	Xu Jindian, Huang Jiang, Qiu Yun, et al. 2015. Spatial structure characteristics of Zhejiang and Fujian coastal water and their evolution. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 34(1): 1–7
[18]	Xu Hongzhou, Zhang Keqi, Shen Jian, et al. 2010. Storm surge simulation along the U. S. east and gulf coasts using a multi-scale numerical model approach. Ocean Dynamics, 60(6): 1597–1619. doi: 10.1007/s10236-010-0321-3
[19]	Yankovsky A E, Chapman D C. 1997. A simple theory for the fate of buoyant coastal discharges. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 27(7): 1386–1401. doi: 10.1175/1520-0485(1997)027<1386:ASTFTF>2.0.CO;2
[20]	Zeng Dingyong, Ni Xiaobo, Huang Daji. 2012. Temporal and spatial variability of the ZheMin Coastal Current and the Taiwan Warm Current in winter in the southern Zhejiang coastal sea (in Chinese). Scientia Sinica (Terrae), 42(7): 1123–1134. doi: 10.1360/zd-2012-42-7-1123
[21]	Zhang Caiyun, Huang Yan, Ding Wenxiang. 2020. Enhancement of Zhe-Min Coastal Water in the Taiwan Strait in winter. Journal of Oceanography, 76(3): 197–209. doi: 10.1007/s10872-020-00539-5
[22]	Zhang Caiyun, Shang Shaoling, Chen Dewen, et al. 2005. Short-term variability of the distribution of Zhe-Min Coastal Water and wind forcing during winter monsoon in the Taiwan Strait. Journal of Remote Sensing, 9(4): 452–458
[23]	Zhang Yinglong, Ye Fei, Stanev E V, et al. 2016. Seamless cross-scale modeling with SCHISM. Ocean Modelling, 102: 64–81. doi: 10.1016/j.ocemod.2016.05.002
[24]	Zhou Feng, Xue Huijie, Huang Daji, et al. 2015. Cross-shelf exchange in the shelf of the East China Sea. Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans, 120(3): 1545–1572. doi: 10.1002/2014JC010567