The three dimensional structure of the western boundary current east of the Vietnam coast was determined from measurements by Argo profiling floats which deployed near the east of the Vietnam Coast in October 2007. The trajectories of the Argo floats provided robust evidence that there does exist southward flowing current along the Vietnam coast. The southward current begins at about 15°N, 111°E, flowing along the 1 000 m isobath and extending to 5°N south. The estimated surface and parking depth velocities obtained from the floats suggest that this southward current can extend to 1 000 m depth. The mean surface velocity of the western boundary current is about 49 cm/s, with the maximum speed exceeding 100 cm/s occurring at 11.6°N, 109.5°E in the direction of 245°. The mean parking depth （1 000 m） velocity is 12-16 cm/s with the maximum speed of 36 cm/s occurring at 12.1°N, 109.7°E in the direction of 239°. The water mass analysis suggests that the Kuroshio surface water and NPIW are not apparent in the western boundary current although this time was the favored season for the Kuroshio intrusion into Luzon Strait. The mean geostrophic currents suggest that the Kuroshio intrusion into Luzon Strait during October to December 2007 is very weak, as most of the intruding water was carried eastward at 14°N near the western boundary and little flowed southward along the western boundary, providing an explanation for the absence of Kuroshio surface water and NPIW in the water mass analysis. There is a strong cyclonic circulation in the SSCS during this time, which induces a strong mixing in the western boundary companied by a homogeneous salinity layer between 300 600 m in the salinity vertical distribution. No reversal undercurrent occurred at the intermediate depth along the western boundary east of the Vietnam coast during October to December 200%
The meso-scale circulation at the intermediate depth east of Mindanao is studied using Argo profiling floats observations. The trajectories and the parking-depth velocities of Argo floats show that the intermediate-depth circulation east of Mindanao contains significant meso-scale features that are highly variable both in space and in time. Both cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies at the intermediate depth (1000–2000 m) are indicated by the trajectories east of Mindanao. The mean tangential velocities of these eddies are about 10 cm/s at 2000 m and over 20 cm/s at 1000 m, which indicates that the geostrophic calculation may contain large errors due to the vigorous eddy activity at the reference levels. The analyses also suggest that these eddies might play an important role in mass and vorticity balances of the intermediate-depth circulation east of Mindanao.
ZHOU Hui1, YUAN DongLiang1, GUO PeiFang2, SHI MaoChong2 & ZHANG QiLong 1 Key Laboratory of Ocean Circulation and Wave Studies, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
