1. WESTERN AND EASTERN BOUNDARY CURRENTS

2. Schematic Model of Boundary Currents

3. Explanation of Western Intensification
Western Intensification from Beta effect
Explanation of Western Intensification
Coriolis constant
Coriolis changing with latitude

4. Low Productivity in Western Boundary Currents
Ocean Color
Low Productivity in Western Boundary Currents
- major pathway for heat, salt and nutrients transport to high latitudes
- frontal processes of important ecological implications

5. General Origin and Path of Gulf Stream

6. Sea Surface Temperature image of the Gulf Stream, in yellow and orange
Sea Surface Temperature image of the Gulf Stream, in yellow and orange. Data from the MODIS instrument on the Aqua satellite. Image provided by Norman Kuring, NASA/GSFC. (oceanmotion.org)

7. Complete View of the Gulf Stream
Poleward transport of heat

10. Along-stream Momentum Balance
U = 1 m/s, V = 0.1 m/s, W = 1x10-5 m/s, t = 4x105 s, Lx = 5x105 m, Ly =1x105 m, H = 500 m, f = 1x10-4 s-1, Ax = 10 m2/s, Az=1x10-3 m2/s
Inertia, Coriolis, Pressure Gradient

11. Across-stream Momentum Balance
U = 1 m/s, V = 0.1 m/s, W = 1x10-5 m/s, t = 4x105 s, Lx = 5x105 m, Ly =1x105 m, H = 500 m, f = 1x10-4 s-1, Ax = 10 m2/s, Az=1x10-3 m2/s
Coriolis and Pressure Gradient = Geostrophy

12. Gulf Stream Eddies
May 1997

13. Temperature cross-section of a cold-core ring in the Gulf Stream

14. Link to Gulf Stream Tutorial

15. KUROSHIO CURRENT
(Black Water)

16. Long-term mean geopotential anomaly (converted to meters) relative to 1000 db (Hasunuma and Yoshida, 1978)
Korea
Japan
China
Philippines

17. Surface mean currents in the East China Sea derived from geopotential anomaly data from (Qiu and Imasato, 1990).
Korea
Japan
China
Taiwan

18. with respect to 700 db.
(Guo et al., 2003)

19. Velocity profile along the ASUKA line: Geostrophic calculation with a reference level at 2000 m in the deep area and at the bottom in the shallow area (S. Imawaki 1995) Contour interval is 0.1 m/s; shaded areas denote negative values.

21. Kuroshio path in 2000 (from the Bulletin of Oceanic Conditions, published by the Japanese Coast Guard)

22. EASTERN BOUNDARY CURRENTS

28. Weak
Winds
Strong
Winds

29. PF = Polar Flow
CJ = Coastal Jet
GF = Geostrophic Flow
(From Tomczak)