Multiscale Energy Transfers and Conversions of Kuroshio in Luzon Strait and Its Adjacent Regions

Using the local multiscale energy and vorticity analysis (MS-EVA) and based on the global high-resolution ocean reanalysis product GLORYS12V1 for 20 years, this study investigates the energy transfers and conversions of Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait and its adjacent regions through three scales, namely, the climatological scale, the seasonal scale, and the eddy scale. The results show that the inverse cascades of kinetic energy dominate the energy transfer east of Luzon (at both the eddy and seasonal scales). Kuroshio transfers the climatological kinetic energy to the eddy scale through a forward energy cascade in Luzon Strait and east of Taiwan. Because the topography of Luzon Strait and Kuroshio jointly block and limit the westward propagation of non-local eddies, the eddy energy in the South China Sea west of Luzon Strait tends to depend on local forward potential energy cascades. In these subregions, potential energy drives the accumulation of kinetic energy under the action of buoyancy conversion: interannual (seasonal) potential energy as the source of multiscale energy in the Luzon Strait (the east of Taiwan).

Automated summary

This study investigates the energy transfers and conversions of Kuroshio in the Luzon Strait and its adjacent regions through multiscale energy and vorticity analysis. The results show that kinetic energy inverse cascades dominate the energy transfer east of Luzon, while potential energy cascades drive the accumulation of eddy energy in the South China Sea west of Luzon Strait. The study highlights the importance of local and non-local interactions in understanding the energy dynamics in these regions.