Chinese Journal of Polar Research

Chinese Journal of Polar Research ›› 2020, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (4): 469-482.DOI: 10. 13679/j.jdyj.20200030

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Ocean front locations in the Southwest Pacific

Yang Wei1,2,3, Li Bingrui3, Gao Libao4, Li Ruixiang1,2, Liu Changjian1,2, Ma Lei1,2   

  1. 1.South China Sea Marine Survey and Technology Center, State Oceanic Administration, Guangzhou 510300, China;
    2.Key Laboratory of Marine Environment Survey Technology and Application, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guangzhou 510300, China;
    3.Key Laboratory for Polar Science, Ministry of Natural Resources, Polar Research Institute of China, Shanghai 200136,China;
    4.First Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao 266061, China

  • Received:2020-03-31 Revised:2020-05-27 Online:2020-12-30 Published:2020-12-24

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Abstract:

Six expendable conductivity–temperature–depth sections from Tasmania, Australia to the Ross Sea, Antarctica, and satellite sea surface temperature (SST) data were used to study the distribution of fronts of the Southwest Pacific Ocean.The analysis showed that seasonal variation had no significant influence on the front locations, but that the frontal vertical structure differed.The Subantarctic Front (SAF) and Polar Front (PF) generally had double branches in the Southwest Pacific. For the double branches of the SAF, the temperature gradient of the South-SAF was generally greater than 2.0°C·(100km)–1, whereas the gradient of the North-SAF was generally greater than 1.0°C·(100km)–1. The front locations identified based on in-field data in this paper were basically consistent with the frontal pattern summarized by Orsi et al. in 1995, but the locations were shifted slightly northward. Because of the topographic influence of the Southeast Indian Ridge, the SAF and PF were obviously shifted to the southeast after passing south of Tasmania, Australia, and reached their southernmost points between 170°E and 175°E. The PF location identified based on the SST gradient was farther south relative to the northern boundary of the 2°C isotherm in the subsurface layer; in the 145°E section, the spacing was more than 5 degrees of latitude, whereas in the 155°E section, the spacing was about 1 degree of latitude. Because the Subtropical Front (STF), SAF, and PF had certain influences on the surface temperature, the corresponding frontal locations identified based on the satellite SST gradient were reliable.

Key words:

"> Southwest Pacific, ocean fronts, expendable conductivity-temperature-depth, satellite sea surface temperature