ASA 129th Meeting - Washington, DC - 1995 May 30 .. Jun 06

2pAO12. Mode coupling effect of Kuroshio front in Taiwan's Northeast Sea.

Chifang Chen

Dept. of Naval Architecture and Ocean Eng., National Taiwan Univ., 73 Chou-Shan Road, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China

The Kuroshio current turns toward the northeast while it passes the Okinawa Trough in Taiwan's Northeast Sea. In this region, there are different waters mixing, namely, water from the Taiwan Strait, water of the East China Sea, and the Kuroshio current. During the year, except in the summer months, the Kuroshio current is characterized by its distinct temperature difference from other waters, i.e., the Kuroshio front is a predominant feature in this region. The bottom topography in this region is composed of shelf and slope features. The acoustics propagation is studied numerically using the FOR3D code. Severe mode coupling is realized while the sound is transmitted through the Kuroshio front. [Work supported by National Science Council of Republic of China.]