Observed modifications to the Northwest Luzon Coastal Current from the interaction of wind and eddy fields

Leilani Solera1, Cesar Villanoy1, Charina Lyn A Repollo1, Olivia C Cabrera2 and Scientific Team of the RSVP/GV201705 research cruise , (1)Marine Science Institute, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines, (2)Institute of Environmental Science and Meteorology, University of the Philippines, Quezon City, Philippines
Abstract:
The Northwest Luzon Coastal Current (NWLCC) is a quasi-permanent and persistently northward feature in ocean models. Properties of the NWLCC were examined from shipboard observations acquired in August 2017. Along-track current profiles at transects occupied along 16°N, 17°N, and 18°N showed the NWLCC as a meandering northward flow, confined within the 4000m isobath and within 100km distance from the shore. Repeat transects show that flow along the approximate width of the observed NWLCC shifted southward over a diurnal period and is the complex result of the interaction of the regional wind field and local land-sea breeze. Further modifications to the NWLCC due to the presence of mesoscale eddies impinging on the coastal zone, as well as buoyancy changes from coastal rainfall, were also observed.
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