Kuroshio Frontal Eddy in the East China Sea

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Four times field observations were carried out at the shelf edge of the East China Sea from 1996 to 2000 in order to clarify the detailed structure of the Kuroshio frontal eddy. CTD and ADCP observations were conducted across the shelf edge every day during one week to elucidate the variability of water temperature, salinity, current, turbidity and nutrients due to the passing of a frontal eddy.As a result, we can find that the Kurosio frontal eddy has a wave length of 200 km, a period of 10 days and a phase speed of 30 cm/sec. The warm and salty water is advected to the onshore side by this eddy and the cold and fresh water to the offshore side. Accompanying with this frontal eddy, the sub-surface Kuroshio water with high concentration of nutrients upwells along the shelf edge and is transported to the shelf.The Kurosio frontal eddy is geberated by the baroclinic instability of the Kuroshio. We have to clarify the quantitative role of the Kuroshio frontal eddy in the water exchange between the shelf water and the Kurosio water across the shelf edge of the East China Sea.