Observation of Upper Ocean and Lower Atmosphere Characteristics over the Western North Pacific in Summer 2018

Hanna Na1, Seungyong Lee2, Young-Gyu Park3, Dong Guk Kim4, Seongbong Seo4 and Albert Joocheul Noh4, (1)Seoul National University, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South), (2)Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, Republic of (South), (3)Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Ocean Circulation Research Center, Busan, South Korea, (4)Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Busan, South Korea
Abstract:
Strong meridional gradient highlights the upper ocean characteristics over the Kuroshio Extension (KE) and subarctic frontal zone (SAFZ) in the western North Pacific. The KE and SAFZ, however, contribute oceanic thermal variations at different depths; the KE-associated variability is observed in the main thermocline (about 200–600 m), while that related to the SAFZ is found in the mixed layer. Accordingly, the KE exhibits a distinct meridional gradient of sea surface height (SSH) and a modest sea surface temperature (SST) gradient, whereas the SAFZ shows a strong meridional gradient in SST, not in SSH. The characteristics of upper-ocean together with those of lower atmosphere were observed onboard in the summer of 2018, by using CTD, underway CTD, XCTD, and radiosonde. This study describes the in situ vertical profiles of upper ocean, atmospheric boundary layer and lower troposphere, and discusses cross-frontal differences in the lower atmospheric structure possibly due to the strong meridional gradient of the upper ocean characteristics.
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