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Wintertime sea surface temperature fronts in the Taiwan Strait
Author(s) -
Chang Yi,
Shimada Teruhisa,
Lee MingAn,
Lu HsuehJung,
Sakaida Futoki,
Kawamura Hiroshi
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2006gl027415
Subject(s) - front (military) , geology , ridge , sea surface temperature , oceanography , mainland china , climatology , cold front , china sea , temperature gradient , polar front , china , meteorology , geography , paleontology , archaeology
We present wintertime variations and distributions of sea surface temperature (SST) fronts in the Taiwan Strait by applying an entropy‐based edge detection method to 10‐year (1996–2005) satellite SST images with grid size of 0.01°. From climatological monthly mean maps of SST gradient magnitude in winter, we identify four significant SST fronts in the Taiwan Strait. The Mainland China Coastal Front is a long frontal band along the 50‐m isobath near the Chinese coast. The sharp Peng‐Chang Front appears along the Peng‐Hu Channel and extends northward around the Chang‐Yuen Ridge. The Taiwan Bank Front evolves in early winter. As the winter progresses, the front becomes broad and moves toward the Chinese coast, connecting to the Mainland China Coastal Front. The Kuroshio Front extends northeastward from the northeastern tip of Taiwan with a semicircle‐shape curving along the 100‐m isobath.