PATH VARIABILITY OF THE CHANGJIANG DILUTED WATER IN SUMMER

The current system of the East China Sea, a marginal sea in the northwest Pacific, has a seasonal variation. The Changjiang Diluted Water, Chinese coastal water in the East China Sea, has different seasonal paths. It flows southward along the Chinese coast within a narrow band in winter and does northeastward the Korea/Tsushima Strait in summer, which has been a subject to many researchers. In particular, low salinity in the South Sea of Korea in 1996 and 1998 was in discord with the Changjiang River discharge and the Changjiang Diluted Water seems to play an important role in occurrence of red tide in the South Sea of Korea in 1997 and on the contrary, disappearance in the next year. These facts suggested that the Changjiang Diluted Water does not flow along the same path in every summer. According to the analyses for path of the Changjiang Diluted Water using ocean color images by SeaWiFS and salinity observations by shipboard CTD in August for recent years, the Changjiang Diluted Water in summer flowed within the range of direction from southeastward to north-northeastward anticlockwise. However, the Changjiang Diluted Water flowed northeastward toward Jeju Island of Korea for the most part. It is necessary to examine the influence of major factors on path variability of the CDW in summer such as surface wind, the Changjiang River discharge and background current.