This study deals with the modulation of the Kuroshio upper layer flow (KULF) in response to the passage of Typhoon Morakot in 2009, using Regional Oceanic Modeling System (ROMS) and in situ measurements from Argos drifters and Argo floats. The analysis of the simulated current fields near the typhoon track revealed an intermittency phenomenon of the KULF, which was almost shut down for at least 6 hours. The process begun 2 days prior to the approach of typhoon center due to blockage of the KULF by the steadily northerly winds, and lasted for more than 2 days, simultaneously shifting the Kuroshio main stream (KMS) path. When the Morakot gradually moved closely to the Kuroshio, the KMS shifted vertically from the surface layer to deeper layer of 50 – 100 m depth, and the maximum current speed in the KMS decreased from more than 1.3 m s⁻¹to less than 1.1 m s⁻¹. When the Morakot center approached about 100 km to the original position of the Kuroshio, the KULF spread eastward for 1.5 degrees at 24°N. When the Morakot center moved to the original position of the KMS, the Kuroshio abruptly rushed with a maximum speed near 1.4 m s⁻¹. Meanwhile, an offshore cool jet originating from southeastern tip of Taiwan was generated and extended northward along the Kuroshio. In the cool jet, the lowest temperature reached about 5°C lower than the ambient waters. Modeled current variations and the cool jet during the Morakot passage were validated by in situ measurements.

The barrier layer (BL) is a layer of water separating the thermocline from the density mixed layer in the upper ocean, which has the capability of reducing the negative feedback effect caused by tropical cyclone (TC) acting on the upper ocean and back on the TC itself. This study analyzed in-situ Argo floats measurements, data-assimilated HYCOM/NCODA reanalysis, and the longer-term (1961–2010) variations of Ocean Reanalysis System 4 (ORAS4) based BL in the TC main development region (MDR) to characterize the BL in the western North Pacific (WNP) for different temporal scales and to understand its role in resisting TC induced sea surface cooling. First, the result indicates that the effect of BL on TC enhancement in the MDR of WNP might be overestimated. Further analysis based on partial correlation shows that the BL plays a key role in resisting the cooling response only while BL is strong (BL thickness ≥ 5 m) and TC wind forcing is weak. Meanwhile, the distribution of BL demonstrates markedly the mesoscale characteristic. BL with thickness 0–5 m occupies the highest proportion (~67.55%), while thicker BL (BL thickness (BLT) larger than 5 m) takes up about 25–30%. Besides, there are ~3% with BL thicker than 30 m. For life length, BLT with 0–5 m is limited to 5 days, while BL with thickness more than 30 m can persist for more than 30 days. The scenario is attributed to diverse processes that result in different characteristic temporal scales of BL. Additionally, the analysis of coverage region and average BLT in the recent decade shows a serious situation: both the spatial coverage and BLT increase sharply from 2001 to 2010, which implies that TC–BL interactions might occur more frequently and more vigorously in future if the changing trend of BL remains unchanged.

In this study, the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS) with a spatial resolution of 2 km is used to understand the cooling responses in the sea northeast of Taiwan associated with multiple typhoons. Sea level measurements derived from in situ tidal gauges and continuous temperature measured by a moored buoy deployed at Longdong were used to validate the model’s performance. Six far-field typhoons with similar tracks, namely, Utor (2001), Dujuan (2003), Sanvu (2005), Nanmadol (2011), Usagi (2013), and Meranti (2016), were systematically investigated to demonstrate the influences of tidal effect on upper ocean responses to typhoon passages surrounding shore regions. After integrating tidal forcing, model-simulated cold wakes behind typhoon passages were essentially enhanced. Compared with observations, the cold wakes were reproduced more realistically. Tides could promote a cooling response through the following potential mechanisms: (1) tidal mixing destratifies the water column, (2) a stronger northward current leads to a sharper bottom thermocline, (3) tidal residual currents (southward) drive the offshore-ward (downslope) bottom Ekman flow and lead to the overturning of cold bottom water and warm subsurface water, (4) the increase in bottom stress due to the interaction of tidal currents and bottom topography results in the destratification of the bottom water column, and (5) the wind–tide coupled effect. Nevertheless, the exact mechanism dominating the process of a typhoon–tide-induced stronger upper ocean response depends on different typhoon activities, tidal regimes, stratification, and bathymetry and needs further investigations. In this study, we suggest that including tidal effects is essential for the modeling of upper ocean responses to typhoon passages near the shore regions.

The biological response triggered by a tropical cyclone (TC) passage has attracted much attention due to its possible impacts on regional oceanic, ecological environment, and regional climate balance. However, the detailed progress of TC-induced chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) responses (TICRs) remains unclear due to the inherent limitation of observations in ocean color with polar-orbiting satellites as used in previous studies. The appearance of the Advanced Himawari Imager (AHI) onboard the Himawari-8 geostationary satellite opens the opportunity of correcting all our understanding of TICRs due to its hyper temporal image acquisition capability. In this study, the more real relationship between Chl-a response and TC is further clarified. Results show an essentially different reacting progress of TICRs given by AHI/Himawari-8. It shows a much quicker response relative to previous understanding. Chl-a concentrations reached the highest value on the first day under the severe influences of typhoons. The averaged Chl-a response (0–3 days behind TC passage) observed by AHI is approximately three (2.95) times stronger than that observed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer onboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Terra/Aqua satellites. The spatial characteristics of TICRs by AHI show marked differences. Overall, the rapid and strong response sheds new light on the role of TICRs in influencing the regional oceanic environment, marine ecosystem, and local climate. Whole new estimations for the impacts of TICRs on the aforementioned issues are needed urgently.

This study used a numerical model to simulate the floating trajectory of garbage falling into the sea from the landfill near the coast of Wanghaixiang Bay in northeast Taiwan to understand its impact on the local environment. The Regional Ocean Model System was used to simulate the probability densities of the distribution of garbage drifting trajectories under scenarios of no-wind, northeast monsoon, and typhoons. The results show that, in the no-wind scenario, garbage was mainly affected by tidal currents. It moved in the northwest–southeast direction outside the bay. In the northeast monsoon scenario, garbage was forced toward the shore due to the windage effect. In typhoon scenarios, strong winds forced the garbage to the shore, as typhoons continued to advance and the wind direction kept changing, the garbage trajectory was also changed. After typhoons moved away, the drifting trajectory of the garbage was again affected by tidal currents. When the garbage falling into the sea was located in the bay or the mouth of the bay, the garbage had a higher probability of being forced into the bay by typhoons.