Continental slope flow northeast of Taiwan

Abstract

Hydrographic observations and current measurements with a Shipboard Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler over the continental shelf-slope junction northeast of Taiwan during 10-17 August 1994 allow the construction of the mesoscale flow pattern generated by the collision of the Kuroshio and a stretch of the continental shelf that has turned to run nearly east-west. The pattern is made up of a deflected Kuroshio mainstream to the east, an intrusion of Kuroshio water onto the continental shelf region, a counterclockwise circulation over Mien-Hwa Canyon (MHC) immediately northeast of Taiwan, a deep southwestward countercurrent along the northern wall of MHC, and a seaward outflow of continental shelf water around the northern coast of Taiwan. The hydrography features a cold dome over the west side of MHC that consisted of subsurface Kuroshio water. A temperature-salinity plot of all the station data shows the incorporation in the neighborhood of Taiwan of continental shelf water into the Kuroshio.