Japan/East Sea (JES) circulation and thermohaline structure
Abstract
The autocorrelation functions of temperature and salinity in the three basins (Ulleung, Japan, and Yamato
Basins) of the Japan/East Sea are computed using the U.S. Navy’s Master Oceanographic Observational Dataset
for 1930–97. After quality control the dataset consists of 93 810 temperature and 50 349 salinity profiles. The
decorrelation scales of both temperature and salinity were obtained through fitting the autocorrelation function
into the Gaussian function. The signal-to-noise ratios of temperature and salinity for the three basins are usually
larger than 2. The signal-to-noise ratio of temperature is greater in summer than in winter. There is more noise
in salinity than in temperature. This might be caused by fewer salinity than temperature observations. The
autocorrelation functions of temperature for the three basins have evident seasonal variability at the surface:
less spatial variability in the summer than in the winter. The temporal (spatial) decorrelation scale is shorter
(longer) in the summer than in the winter. Such a strong seasonal variability at the surface may be caused by
the seasonal variability of the net surface heat flux. The autocorrelation functions of salinity have weaker seasonal
variability than those of the temperature field. The temporal and horizontal decorrelation scales obtained in this
study are useful for designing an optimal observational network.
Description
Journal of Physical Oceanography, American Meteorological Society, 32, 3596-3615.
Rights
This publication is a work of the U.S. Government as defined in Title 17, United States Code, Section 101. Copyright protection is not available for this work in the United States.Collections
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