Remote Sensing Observations of the Winter Yellow Sea Warm Current Invasion into the Bohai Sea, China

Abstract

Using ASCAT, QuikSCAT, and MODIS data, we analyzed the sea surface wind field, temperature, salinity, and chlorophyll concentrations in the mixed zone between the Bohai Sea and Yellow Sea in the winter (the period of winter 2013 included December 2013 and January-February 2014) from 2002 to 2013. We found that the intrusion of the Yellow Sea Warm Current into the Bohai Sea occurred three times in the winters of 2007 (strongest), 2004, and 2013 (weakest) during this 12-year period. We present detailed validation of the intrusion in 2013. This study shows that the intrusion of the Yellow Sea Warm Current into the Bohai Sea occurred when the wind speed, sea surface temperature, and salinity were above (or close to) the multiyear average and the chlorophyll concentration was less than the multiyear average.