Measuring the Flow through the Kerama Gap
Abstract
The principal flows in and out of the East China Sea (ECS) are through channels penetrating the Ryukyu Ridge (Figure 1). Since ~20 Sv of Kuroshio mean flow enters and exits through two of these channels, they are especially well known: the East Taiwan Channel (sill depth 775 m) at the ridge's southwestern end, and the Tokara Strait (sill depth 690 m) near its northeastern end. But the deepest channel connecting the ECS to the surrounding ocean is near the ridge mid-point; it is the Kerama Gap, about 50 km wide with sill depth 1050 m. From previous studies, little is reliably known about the flow through the Kerama Gap. Mean-flow estimates from measurements and models range from 0.9 Sv out of the ECS to 7.2 Sv into it. Knowledge of the flow variability is even more uncertain, but there is evidence of transport variations with magnitude a few Sverdrups, caused by impingement of Philippine Sea eddies from the east, at intervals of a few months.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2010
- Accession Number
- ADA542714
Entities
People
- Jae-Hun Park
- Mark Wimbush
Organizations
- University of Rhode Island