Origins of the Kuroshio and Mindanao Currents
Abstract
The long-term goal of this work is to understand the ocean s circulation in the bifurcation region of the Kuroshio and Mindanao Currents. The westward flowing North Equatorial Current runs into the Philippine coast and bifurcates into the northward Kuroshio and the southward Mindanao Current. The partitioning of the flow into the Kuroshio and Mindanao Currents is an important observable. Quantifying these flows and understanding bifurcation dynamics are essential to improving predictions of regional circulation, and to characterizing property transports that ultimately affect Pacific climate. The objective of the OKMC program is to make observations of circulation in the area of the western Pacific Ocean where the North Equatorial Current runs into the western boundary near the Philippine Archipelago and bifurcates into the northward-flowing Kuroshio Current and the southward-flowing Mindanao Current. The observations made during OKMC include glider transects, surface drifters and profiling floats. It is anticipated that the mapped circulation will be used elucidate the ocean dynamics in the bifurcation region, and will help us understand what sets the partioning of the current transports between the Kuroshio and Mindanao Currents. It will also provide improved estimates of the transport of the Mindanao Current, which has been poorly observed historically
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 30, 2013
- Accession Number
- ADA598807
Entities
People
- Steven R. Jayne
Organizations
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution