Downcoast Redistribution of Changjiang Diluted Water due to Typhoon
Chan-Hom (2015)
Abstract
Typhoons are known to substantially influence the coastal circulation
and the associated biogeochemical processes. The transport of Changjiang
Diluted Water (CDW), an important source to the coastal current in the
East China Sea (ECS), varies markedly under the influence of typhoons.
This study quantitively details the downcoast transport of CDW driven by
Typhoon Chan-Hom in the summer of 2015. Salinity measurements 3 days
after the typhoon’s passage showed the presence of a large volume of low
salinity water, up to 70 km wide and 20 m thick along the
Zhejiang-Fujian coastal area with an estimated freshwater volume of
3.7×1010 m3. A three-endmember mixing model shows that the CDW’s
contribution to the study area’s surface waters (<10 m)
immediately after the typhoon was as high as 40% (average 32%), much
greater than the contribution under normal summer conditions of 8%
(average 3%). The vast spreading of CDW along the Zhejiang-Fujian coast
created a strong stratification in the upper water column that limited
the diffusion of CDW in the study area. The calculated and observed
results suggest that these abnormal low salinity water could stay in the
study area for 13-21 days. Additional nutrients in the CDW elevated the
Chlorophyll-a concentration in the upper water column (mean 3.74 mg m-3)
and produced large amount of particulate organic carbon (POC).