The structure and variability of the currents in the Luzon Strait during spring of 2002 are studied, based on the current measurements at the average position of the mooring station (20°49′57"N, 120°48′12"E) from March 17 to April 15, 2002, satellite geostrophic currents in the Luzon Strait, and the spectral analyses, using the maximum entropy method. The subtidal currents at the mooring station show de-creased amplitudes downward with an anti-cyclonic rotation, suggesting that the currents enter and exit the South China Sea in the upper and intermediate layers, respectively. The vertical structure of the currents in the Luzon Strait suggests strongly the sandwiched structure of the LST, even though the bottom part of the profile is not resolved by the observational grid. The spectral analyses show the following periods of significant spectral peaks: (1) the tidal currents variability in the vertical direction; (2) the period about 4-6 d for the two cases of frequency f >0 and f<0 at the 200 and 500 m levels, but at the 800 m level only for the case of f >0; (3) The fluctuation in the period range is about 2-3 days for the two cases of f >0 and f<0 at the 200, 500 and 800 m levels, namely the Luzon Strait currents exhibit significant synoptical variability throughout the water column up to 800 m deep. Both direct current measurements and in situ hydrographic and satellite survey suggest no Kuroshio loop current in the Luzon Strait during the spring of 2002.
YUAN YaoChuLIAO GuangHongWANG HuiQunLOU RuYunCHEN Hong
The characteristics of internal tides in the upper layer of the Luzon Strait are investigated on the basis of direct-observation current data recorded on April 25 and September 26, 2008 by an acoustic Doppler current profiler. Spectral analysis and energy estimation show that the diurnals and semidiurnals carry most of the energy of internal tides. Values of the depth-integrated total energy E for the three frequency bands of diurnal, semidiurnal, and high frequencies are 31, 6.9, and 3.4 kJ·m, respectively. Near-inertial peaks are only present in the baroclinic component. The behavior of typical tidal frequencies (i.e., O1, K1, M2, MK3, and M4) and the near-inertial frequency is basically consistent with linear internal wave theory, which predicts E + (ω)/E (ω)=(ω f) 2 /(ω+f) 2 at depths above 66 m, while not all prominent tidal components coincide well with the relation of the linear internal wave field at other depths. Examinations of depth structures of the baroclinic tides and temporal variations show that the surface tides and internal tides are both of mixed type, having diurnal inequality and spring-neap fortnight periods. The K1 and O1 tides have comparable cross-and along-shelf components, while the M2 and S2 tides propagate toward the shelf in the northern South China Sea as wave beams. The amplitude and phase of internal tides vary with time, but M2 and S2 tides appear to have structures dominated by the first mode, while the K1 and O1 tides resemble second-mode structures. The minor to major axis ratios are close to expected values of f/ω in the thermocline.
