Barotropic current fluctuations coupled with sea level drawdown in Yellow and Bohai Seas

• Published in: Chinese journal of oceanology and limnology 2015-01, Vol.33 (1), p.272-281
• Main Author: 万凯 鲍献文 王毅 万修全 李昊倩 刘珂
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: acoustics; Barotropic mode; Doppler sonar; Drawdown; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Inflow; Marine; Mathematical models; Numerical models; Ocean currents; Oceanography; Outflow; Physics; Sea level; Sea level changes; Seasonal variation; Seasonal variations; Spatial distribution; Three dimensional models; Water exchange; Winter; 三维数字模型; 声学多普勒海流剖面仪; 季节性变化; 正压; 海平面; 渤海海域; 电流波动; 黄海北部
• ISSN: 0254-4059; 2096-5508; 1993-5005; 2523-3521
• DOI: 10.1007/s00343-015-4056-3

Sub-tidal barotropic current variations coupled with residual sea level fluctuation in the Bohai and Yellow Seas during wintertime are addressed in this study. The temporal evolution and spatial distribution of current fluctuation are investigated using moored acoustic Doppler current profiler data in a three-dimensional numerical model. It is found that a southward current followed by a northward current occurred in the northern Yellow Sea during the fluctuation, concurrent with a significant outflow followed by inflow through the Bohai Strait. The process is consistent from surface to bottom and is coupled with remarkable residual sea level fluctuation. This quasi three-day fluctuation with amplitude 0.2–0.3 m/s leads to 1 m/1.2 m drawdown in the northern Yellow and Bohai Seas, respectively, strongly influencing water exchange between those seas. Because this a prominent feature in the seas, it is necessary to evaluate its effect on fluctuation during winter in future studies, in particular, the northward current during the recovery phase of sea level in the Bohai and Yellow Seas regarding seasonal variation.