Abstract
The Bohai Sea is a shallow semi-enclosed inner sea with an average depth of 18 m and is located at the west of the northern Yellow Sea. The climatological circulation pattern in summer of the Bohai Sea is studied by using a wave-tide-circulation coupled model. The simulated temperature and the circulation agree with the observation well. The result shows that the circulation pattern of the Bohai Sea is jointly influenced by the tidal residual current, wind and baroclinic current. There exists an obvious density current along the temperature front from the west part of the Liaodong Bay to the offshore area of the Huanghe Estuary. In the Liaodong Bay there exists a clockwise gyre in the area north to the 40°N. While in the area south to the 40°N the circulation shows a two-gyre structure, the flow from the offshore area of the Huanghe Estuary to the Liaodong Bay splits into two branches in the area between 39°N and 40°N. The west branch turns into north-west and forms an anti-clockwise gyre with the south-westward density current off the west of the Liaodong Bay. The east branch turns to the east and forms a clockwise gyre with the flow along the east coast of the Liaodong Bay. The forming mechanism of the circulation is also discussed in this paper.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
da Silva A, Young A C, Levitus S. 1994. Atlas of Surface Marine Data 1994. Vol 1. Algorithms and Procedures. Washington, DC: NOAA Editorial
Board of Ocean Atlas. 1992. Marine Atlas of Bohai Sea Yellow Sea East China Sea (in Chinese). Beijing: China Ocean Press, 1–524
Ezer T. 2000. On the seasonal mixed layer simulated by a basin–scale ocean model and the Mellor–Yamada turbulence scheme. Journal of Geophysical Research, 105(C7): 16843–16855, doi: 10.1029/2000JC900088
Fang Guohong, Yang Jingfei. 1985. A two–dimensional numerical model of the tidal motions in the Bohai Sea. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 3(2): 135–152, doi: 10.1007/BF02906791
Guo Binghuo. 2004. The Ocean Environment of the Marginal Seas Adjacent to China (in Chinese). Beijing: China Ocean Press, 1–446
Huang Daji, Su Jilan, Backhaus J O. 1999. Modelling the seasonal thermal stratification and baroclinic circulation in the Bohai Sea. Continental Shelf Research, 19(11): 1485–1505, doi: 10.1016/S0278–4343(99)00026–6
Kantha L H, Clayson C A. 1994. An improved mixed layer model for geophysical applications. Journal of Geophysical Research, 99(C12): 25235–25266, doi: 10.1029/94JC02257
Kantha L H, Clayson C A. 2004. On the effect of surface gravity waves on mixing in the oceanic mixed layer. Ocean Modelling, 6(2): 101–124, doi: 10.1016/S1463–5003(02)00062–8
Levitus S E. 1982. Climatological atlas of the world ocean. Washington, DC: NOAA
Lin Xiaope, Xie Shangping, Chen Xinping, et al. 2006. A well–mixed warm water column in the central Bohai Sea in summer: effects of tidal and surface wave mixing. Journal of Geophysical Research, 111(C11): C11017, doi: 10.1029/2006JC003504
Liu Guimei, Wang Hui, Sun Song, et al. 2003. Numerical study on density residual currents of the Bohai Sea in summer. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology, 21(2): 106–113
Mellor G L. 2003. The three–dimensional current and surface wave equations. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 33(9): 1978–1989, doi: 10.1175/1520–0485(2003)033<1978:TTCASW>2.0.CO;2
Mellor G L, Blumberg A. 2004. Wave breaking and ocean surface layer thermal response. Journal of Physical Oceanography, 34(3): 693–698, doi: 10.1175/2517.1
Mellor G L, Ezer T, Oey L Y. 1994. The pressure gradient conundrum of sigma coordinate ocean models. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 11(4): 1126–1134, doi: 10.1175/1520–0426 (1994)011<1126:TPGCOS>2.0.CO;2
Mellor G L, Oey L Y, Ezer T. 1998. Sigma coordinate pressure gradient errors and the seamount problem. Journal of Atmospheric and Oceanic Technology, 15(5): 1122–1131, doi: 10.1175/1520–0426(1998)015<1122:SCPGEA>2.0.CO;2
Mellor G L, Yamada T. 1982. Development of a turbulence closure model for geophysical fluid problems. Reviews of Geophysics, 20(4): 851–875, doi: 10.1029/RG020i004p00851
Qiao Fangli, Chen Shunnan, Li Chenxin, et al. 1999. The study of wind, wave, current extreme parameters and climatic characters of the South China Sea. Marine Technology Society Journal, 33(1):61–8.1–12
Qiao Fangli, Ma Jian, Yang Yongzeng, et al. 2004a. Simulation of the temperature and salinity along 36°N in the Yellow Sea with a wave–current coupled model. Journal of Korea Society of Oceanography, 39: 35–45
Qiao Fangli, Yuan Yeli, Yang Yongzeng, et al. 2004b. Wave–induced mixing in the upper ocean: distribution and application to a global ocean circulation model. Geophysical Research Letters, 31(11): L11303, doi: 10.1029/2004GL019824
Wan Xiuquan, Bao Xianwen, Wu Dexing, et al. 2004. Numerical diagnostic simulation of summertime tide–induced, wind–driven and thermohaline currents in the Bohai Sea. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica (in Chinese), 35(1): 41–47
Wei Zexun, Li Chunyan, Fang Guohong, et al. 2003. Numerical diagnostic study of the summertime circulation in the Bohai Sea and the water transport in the Bohai Strait. Advances in Marine Science (in Chinese), 21(4): 454–464
Wu Dexing, Wan Xiuquan, Bao Xianwen, et al. 2004. Comparison of summer thermohaline field and circulation structure of the Bohai Sea between 1958 and 2000. Chinese Science Bulletin, 49(4): 363–369, doi: 10.1007/BF02900319
Xia Changshui, Qiao Fangli, Yang Yongzeng, et al. 2006. Three–dimensional structure of the summertime circulation in the Yellow Sea from a wave–tide–circulation coupled model. Journal of Geophysical Research, 111(C11): C11S03, doi: 10.1029/2005JC003218
Xu Ruyan, Zhao Baoren, Huang Jingzhou, et al. 2006. The mean residual circulations in the Bohai Sea. Marine Sciences (in Chinese), 30(11): 47–52
Yang Yongzeng, Qiao Fangli, Zhao Wei, et al. 2005. MASNUM ocean wave numerical model in spherical coordinates and its application. Haiyang Xuebao (in Chinese), 27(2): 1–7
Yu Weidong, Qiao Fangli, Yuan Yeli, et al. 1997. Numerical modeling of wind and waves for Typhoon Betty (8710). Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 16(4): 459–473
Yuan Yeli. 1991. LAGDF–WAM numerical wave model. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 10: 483–488
Zhao Baoren, Zhang Guowen, Cao Deming, et al. 1995. Circulation, tidal residual currents and their effects on the sedimentations in the Bohai Sea. Oceanologia et Limnologia Sinica (in Chinese), 26(5): 466–473
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Foundation item: The National Key Research and Development Program of China under contract Nos 2017YFA0604101, 2016YFB0201103, 2017YFA0604104, 2016YFC0503602, 2016YFC1401403 and 2017YFC1404000; the China Ocean Mineral Resources R&D Association program under contract No. DY135-E2-1-06; the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China under contract No. 2014CB745004; the Ocean Forecast System project of the China-ASEAN Maritime Coopeartion Fund; the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences under contract No. XDA11020301; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 41206025.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Xia, C., Guo, J., Wang, G. et al. The summertime circulation of the Bohai Sea simulated from a high-resolution wave-tide-circulation coupled model. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 38, 32–37 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-018-1145-0
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-018-1145-0