Heat and salt transport throughout the North Pacific Ocean  

作　　者：杨丽娜 袁东亮 

机构地区：[1]Institute of Oceanology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Qingdao 266071,China [2]University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China [3]Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Waves,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Qingdao 266071,China [4]Qingdao Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Science and Technology,Qingdao 266003,China

出　　处：《Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology》2016年第6期1347-1357,共11页中国海洋湖沼学报（英文版）

基　　金：Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program)(No.2012CB956001);the CMA(No.GYHY201306018);the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS)(No.XDA11010301);the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41176019,41421005,U1406401);the State Oceanic Administration(SOA)(No.GASI-03-01-01-05)

摘　　要：Absolute geostrophic currents in the North Pacific Ocean are calculated using the P-vector method and gridded Argo profiling data from January 2004 to December 2012. Three-dimensional structures and seasonal variability of meridional heat transport(MHT) and meridional salt transport(MST) are analyzed. The results show that geostrophic and Ekman components are generally opposite in sign, with the southward geostrophic component dominating in the subtropics and the northward Ekman component dominating in the tropics. In combination with the net surface heat flux and the MST through the Bering Strait, the MHT and MST of the western boundary currents(WBCs) are estimated for the fi rst time. The results suggest that the WBCs are of great importance in maintaining the heat and salt balance of the North Pacifi c. The total interior MHT and MST in the tropics show nearly the same seasonal variability as that of the Ekman components, consistent with the variability of zonal wind stress. The geostrophic MHT in the tropics is mainly concentrated in the upper layers, while MST with large amplitude and annual variation can extend much deeper. This suggests that shallow processes dominate MHT in the North Pacific, while MST can be affected by deep ocean circulation. In the extratropical ocean, both MHT and MST are weak. However, there is relatively large and irregular seasonal variability of geostrophic MST, suggesting the importance of the geostrophic circulation in the MST of that area.Absolute geostrophic currents in the North Pacific Ocean are calculated using the P-vector method and gridded Argo profiling data from January 2004 to December 2012. Three-dimensional structures and seasonal variability of meridional heat transport（MHT） and meridional salt transport（MST） are analyzed. The results show that geostrophic and Ekman components are generally opposite in sign, with the southward geostrophic component dominating in the subtropics and the northward Ekman component dominating in the tropics. In combination with the net surface heat flux and the MST through the Bering Strait, the MHT and MST of the western boundary currents（WBCs） are estimated for the fi rst time. The results suggest that the WBCs are of great importance in maintaining the heat and salt balance of the North Pacifi c. The total interior MHT and MST in the tropics show nearly the same seasonal variability as that of the Ekman components, consistent with the variability of zonal wind stress. The geostrophic MHT in the tropics is mainly concentrated in the upper layers, while MST with large amplitude and annual variation can extend much deeper. This suggests that shallow processes dominate MHT in the North Pacific, while MST can be affected by deep ocean circulation. In the extratropical ocean, both MHT and MST are weak. However, there is relatively large and irregular seasonal variability of geostrophic MST, suggesting the importance of the geostrophic circulation in the MST of that area.

关 键 词：absolute geostrophic current P-vector meridional heat transport（MHT） meridional salt transport（MST） 

分 类 号：P731[天文地球—海洋科学]