The Relationship Between the Taiwan Warm Current and Tsushima Warm Current

The Taiwan Warm Current (TWC) and the Tsushima Warm Current (TSWC) flow northward over the shelf in the East China Sea (ECS), which some previous studies regard as a Taiwan-Tsushima Warm Current (TTWC) System. But the roles of the TWC and TSWC in the formation of the TTWC system have not been clarified. This article will show that the TSWC is more important in the TTWC system. Using a three-dimensional baroclinic model, we conducted several numerical experiments to reveal the dynamic relationship between the TWC and TSWC. The results show that the TWC has little effect on the TSWC, while the TSWC has a significant effect on the TWC. A source-sink driven mechanism along isobaths may be used to explain this phenomenon. The perennial northward flow through the Tsushima Strait pumps the response over the northern shelf in the ECS that gives rise to the TWC. Although the TSWC is located at the “downstream” region, it could induce about 0.5 Sv to TWC in annual mean values.