Shallow and Deep Current Variability in the Southwestern Japan/East Sea
Principal Investigators
D. Randolph Watts, University of Rhode Island
Mark Wimbush, University of Rhode Island
William Teague, Naval Research Laboratory, SSC
Funding for this project is supplied by the Office of Naval
Research
Award Numbers: N000149810246, N000149910595, N0001498WX30245, and
N0001400WX20337
Objectives
The scientific objective of this project is to understand the
physics of the mesoscale circulation of the Japan/East Sea in the
southwestern region. The goals of this project are:
- Observe the time-varying transports in the branches of the
Tsushima Current
- Produce daily maps from observations of the upper layer
circulation and path variability of the Offshore Branch and the East
Korean Warm Current with mesoscale resolution
- Understand the physical coupling between the shallow and deep
currents and eddies within this region which contains large-amplitude
meanders, steep loop formation, and ring pinch-off
- At intermediate levels, quantify cross-frontal and vertical
fluxes associated with mesoscale processes in the East Korean Warm
Current
Field Program
From June
1999 to July 2001 a suite of instrumentation was moored within the
Ulleung Basin of the Japan/East Sea. The array consisted of 25
inverted echo sounders with pressure gauges (PIESs)
arranged in a 5 by 5 array with 55-60 km spacing between sites. Deep
current meters were placed nominally midway between the PIES sites.
Four current meter moorings were maintained by scientists at the
Korean Ocean Reasearch and Development Institute (KORDI) and one mooring was
maintained by Japanese scientists at the Research Institute for Applied
Mechanics (RIAM). The PIESs sites are indicated by the yellow
diamonds and current meters by magenta circles. Site designations are
indicated on a larger view of the array obtained by clicking on the
figure.
It was particularly important to inform the Korean deep-crab
fishing captains of our mooring positions. There is intense fishing and
crabbing in the Ulleung Basin, including bottom fishing at depths as
great as 2,000 meters. Scientists at
KORDI took a lead role in periodically reminding the fishermen of
the instrument locations.
A full-depth CTD profile was obtained at each
PIES site before its release, to provide additional information for
calibration / verification. The data recovery rate (23 of 25 PIES and
12 of 13 RCMs), while not 100%, is more than adequate to meet our
objectives of mapping the current and eddy fields. As we processed the
data records, we found evidence that several of the PIES sites were
dragged short distances during their mooring period. Both of the lost
PIESs were in regions of relatively high fishing activity. Given that 7
of the recovered PIESs were hit and dragged numerous times,
we feel fortunate not to have lost more than 2 instruments!
This field program is just one of several studies conducted
on
the Japan/East Sea under the sponsorship of ONR. An overview of the
full program can be found at http://jes.apl.washington.edu
.
Data
Hourly and low-pass filtered acoustic travel time,
pressure, temperature and current time series are available from
the Japan/East Sea Data Archive and NODC.
Data reports describing the records and the processing steps
are provided.
- Chang, K.-I.,
W. J. Teague, S. J. Lyu, H. T. Perkins, D.-K. Lee, D. R. Watts, Y. B. Kim,
D. A. Mitchell, C. M. Lee, and K. Kim.
Circulation and currents in the southwestern East/Japan Sea.
Progress in Oceanography, 61:105–156, 2004.
(PDF)
- Mitchell,
D. A., M. Wimbush, D. R. Watts, and W. J. Teague.
The Residual GEM technique and its application to the southwestern
Japan/East Sea.
J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 21:1895–1909, 2004.
(PDF)
- Mitchell,
D. A., W. J. Teague, M. Wimbush, D. R. Watts, and G. G. Sutyrin.
The Dok Cold Eddy.
J. Phys. Oceanogr., 35:273–288, 2005.
(PDF)
- Mitchell,
D. A., D. R. Watts, M. Wimbush, W. J. Teague, K. L. Tracey, J. W. Book, K.-I.
Chang, M.-S. Suk, and J.-H. Yoon.
Upper circulation patterns in the Ulleung Basin.
Deep-Sea Res II, 52:1617–1638, 2005.
(PDF)
- Nam, S.-H., and
J.-H. Park.
Semidurnal internal tides off the east coast of Korea inferred from synthetic
aperture radar images.
Geophys. Res. Lett., 35(L05602), 2008.
(doi:10.1029/2007GL032536)
- Nam, S.-H., S.-J.
Lyu, Y.-H. Kim, K. Kim, J.-H. Park, and D. R. Watts.
Correction of TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data for nonisostatic sea level
response to atmospheric pressure in the Japan/East Sea.
Geophysical Research Letters, 31, 2004.
(doi:10.1029/2003GL018487)
- Park,
J.-H., and D. R. Watts.
Near-inertial oscillations interacting with mesoscale circulation in the
southwestern Japan/East Sea.
Geophys. Res. Let., 32(L10611), 2005.
(PDF)
(doi:10.1029/2005GL022936)
- Park,
J.-H., and D. R. Watts.
Response of the southwestern Japan/East Sea to atmospheric pressure.
Deep-Sea Res II, 52:1671–1683, 2005.
(PDF)
- Park, J.-H.,
and D. R. Watts.
Internal tides in the southwestern Japan/East Sea.
J. Phys. Oceanogr., 36:22–34, 2006.
(PDF)
- Park, J.-H., D. R.
Watts, K. L. Tracey, and D. A. Mitchell.
A multi-index GEM technique and its application to the southwestern
Japan/East Sea.
J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 22:1282–1293, 2005.
(PDF)
- Park, J.-H., D. R.
Watts, M. Wimbush, J. W. Book, K. L. Tracey, and Y. Xu.Rapid variability in the Japan/East Sea: basin oscillations, internal
tides, and near-inertial oscillations.
Oceanography, 19:76–85, 2006.
(PDF)
- Teague, W. J.,
G. A. Jacobs, D. A. Mitchell, M. Wimbush, and D. R. Watts.
Decadal current variations in the southwestern Japan/East Sea.
Journal of Oceanography, 60:1023–1033, 2004.
(PDF)
- Teague, W. J.,
K. L. Tracey, D. R. Watts, J. W. Book, K.-I. Chang, P. J. Hogan, D. A.
Mitchell, M.-S. Suk, M. Wimbush, and J.-H. Yoon.
Observed deep circulation in the Ulleung Basin.
Deep-Sea Res II, 52:1802–1826, 2005.
(PDF)
- Watts, D. R.,
M. Wimbush, K. L. Tracey, W. J. Teague, J.-H. Park, D. A. Mitchell, J.-H.
Yoon, M.-S. Suk, and K. I. Chang.
Currents, eddies, and a "fish story" in the southwestern Japan/East
Sea.
Oceanography, 19:64–75, 2006.
(PDF)
- Xu, Y., D. R. Watts,
M. Wimbush, and J.-H. Park.
Fundamental-mode basin oscillations in the Japan/East Sea.
Geophysical Research Letters, 34, 2007.
(doi:10.1029/2006GL028755)
- Xu, Y., D. R. Watts,
and J.-H. Park.
De-aliasing of large-scale high-frequency barotropic signals from satellite
altimetry in the Japan/East Sea.
J. Atmos. Oceanic Technol., 25:1703–1709, 2008.
(PDF)
(doi:10.1175/2008JTECHO582.1)
- Xu, Y., D. R. Watts,
and M. Wimbush.
Coupled patterns between fields of dynamic height and bottom pressure in the
Japan/East Sea.
Ocean Science Journal, 44(1):35–44, 2009.
(PDF)
(
doi:10.1007/s12601-009-0005-4)
Conference Presentations
Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, February 2006
- Xu, Y., D. R. Watts,
M. Wimbush, and J.-H. Park.
Basin mode oscillations in the Japan/East Sea.
Eos Trans. AGU, 87(36), 2006.
Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS36D-27.
(PDF)
IAPSO/SCOR Ocean Mixing Conference, Victoria, BC, October 2004
- Park, J.-H.,
and D. R. Watts.
Interaction of internal gravity waves with mesoscale circulation observed
in
the southwestern Japan/East Sea.
2004.
Ocean Sciences Meeting, Portland, Oregon, January 2004
- Mitchell,
D. A., W. J. Teague, M. Wimbush, and D. R. Watts.
The Dok cold eddy.
Eos Trans. AGU, 84(52), 2004.
Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS41B-08.
- Park, J.-H.,
and D. R. Watts.
Internal tides in the southwestern Japan/East Sea.
Eos Trans. AGU, 84(52), 2004.
Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS41F-04.
- Teague, W. J.,
G. A. Jacobs, D. A. Mitchell, M. Wimbush, and D. R.
Watts.
Decadal connections of mesoscale current variability in the Ulleung Basin.Eos Trans. AGU, 84(52), 2004.
Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS41B-05.
IUGG/IAPSO Symposium, Sapporo, Japan, June 2003
- Park, J.-H., D. A.
Mitchell, K. L. Tracey, K.-I. Chang, M.-S. Suk, and D. Watts.
Intermediate water circulation in the southwestern Japan/East Sea.
2003.
CREAMS/PICES Symposium, Seoul, Korea, August 2002
- Chang, K.-I.,
K. Kim, H. Perkins, W. Teague, R. Watts, D. Mitchell, M.-S. Suk, S. J. Ly,
D.-K. Lee, and J.-H. Yoon.
Currents and circulation in the Ulleung Basin and the Korea/ Tsushima
Strait.
2002.
Ocean Sciences Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, February 2002
- Mitchell,
D. A., W. J. Teague, D. R. Watts, M. Wimbush, and K. Tracey.
Daily maps of temperature, salinity, and velocity in the southwestern
Japan/East Sea.
Eos Trans. AGU, 2002.
Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS21Q-07.
- Watts, D. R.,
M. Wimbush, K. L. Tracey, D. A. Mitchell, W. J. Teague, J. W. Book, M.-S.
Suk, and J.-H. Yoon.
Shallow and deep current variability in the southwestern Japan/East Sea.
Eos Trans. AGU, 2002.
Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS21Q-05.
- Wimbush, M.,
K. L. Tracey, D. R. Watts, D. A. Mitchell, J. W. Book, and W. J. Teague.
Tides of the southwest Japan/East Sea determined from an array of 23
bottom pressure recorders.
Eos Trans. AGU, 2002.
Ocean Sci. Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS21Q-06.
CREAMS/PICES Symposium, Honolulu, Hawaii, February 2001
- Mitchell, D. A.,
M. Wimbush, and D. R. Watts.
Determining gravest empirical modes from hydrographic data in the southwest
Japan/East Sea.
2000.
AGU Meeting, San Francisco, California, December 2000
- Mitchell,
D. A., W. J. Teague, D. R. Watts, and M. Wimbush.
Gravest empirical modes determined from historical hydrographic observations in the southwestern Japan/East Sea.
Eos Trans. AGU, 81(48), 2000.
Fall Meet. Suppl., Abstract OS12B-04.
Annual Reports of ONR Sponsored Research
- Watts, D.R., M. Wimbush, W.J. Teague, and Z. Hallock,
"Shallow and deep current variability in the Southwestern Japan/East Sea."
1999
2000
- Watts, D.R., M. Wimbush, and W.J. Teague,
"Shallow and deep current variability in the Southwestern Japan/East Sea."
2001
2002
2003
- Watts, D.R. and M. Wimbush,
"Variability in the Japan/East Sea: processes governing scales from hours
to years."
2004
2005
Return to the Dynamics of Ocean Currents
and
Fronts Homepage
Last Updated: May 4, 2009
URL: http://po.gso.uri.edu/dynamics/jes/