By combining TOPEX/POSEIDON altimeter and climatological data within a
two-layer reduced gravity model
upper-layer thickness and baroclinic transport can be
calculated and used to identify the Kuroshio Extension,
the Bifurcation Point, and the Northern Branch,
The longitude of the Bifurcation Point ranged from 147° to 160°E.
When the latitude of the Kuroshio Extension at the first crest
shifts northward (southward), the volume transport decreases (increases) and the
longitude of the Bifurcation Point shifts westward (eastward).
Estimates of baroclinic transport at the Kuroshio Extension and
its Northern Branch decrease steadily to the east through the region of
study from 35 to 11 Sv and from 10 to 3 Sv, respectively.
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