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The role of an intense jet in the Tsugaru Strait in the formation of the outflow gyre revealed using high-frequency radar data
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  • Hitoshi Kaneko,
  • Ken'ichi Sasaki,
  • Hiroto Abe,
  • Shuichi Watanabe,
  • Yoshiaki Sato
Hitoshi Kaneko
Mutsu Institute for Oceanography, Mutsu Institute for Oceanography

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Ken'ichi Sasaki
Mutsu Institute for Oceanography, Mutsu Institute for Oceanography
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Hiroto Abe
Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Faculty of Fisheries Sciences
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Shuichi Watanabe
Mutsu Institute for Oceanography, Mutsu Institute for Oceanography
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Yoshiaki Sato
Mutsu Institute for Oceanography, Mutsu Institute for Oceanography
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Abstract

The seasonal pattern of the eastward jet through the Tsugaru Strait between 2014 and 2019 was investigated using surface velocity data obtained from high-frequency radar located in the eastern part of the strait. The vorticity-front-model was used to estimate the volume transport of low-vorticity water and the intensity of the vorticity gap at the front using the climatological mean zonal velocity distribution. The flow mode at the outlet was then defined as either the summer/autumn “gyre mode” or winter/spring “coastal mode”. The distribution of the parameters was consistent with the theoretical understanding, showing that in addition to the volume transport, an increase in the vorticity gap can also contribute to the development of the gyre. The results also suggest an impact from the jet in the strait on the coastal flow along the coast of Japan.
16 Nov 2021Published in Geophysical Research Letters volume 48 issue 21. 10.1029/2021GL092909