Scientists unravel the structure of the East Sea currents
Scientists have revealed for the first time the structure of ocean currents in the South China Sea, which is key to monitoring areas such as climate change, ecology and fish productivity in the surrounding waters 1/ 5 world population.
Mr. Gan Jianping from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology led the research team and found the three-layer structure of the rotational circulation in the sea. They found that the currents rotate counterclockwise in the upper layer, clockwise in the middle layer, and counter-clockwise again in the bottom layer.
East Sea area. Photo: Google Maps
According to the researchers, ocean currents cause up and down motion, respectively. Upward motion brings cold, nutrient-rich water to the surface, providing food for marine life. Downward motion causes the deposition and dispersion of organic carbon into the ocean.
Gan, a lead professor specializing in ocean circulation, says changes in ocean currents have a major impact on biological productivity and on fisheries.
“Take fisheries for example, if ocean currents become weaker, for example due to climate change, less nutrients will be brought to the surface and fish yields will decrease,” he said. That means less fish to supply to countries around the South China Sea such as China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore."
Researchers from HKUST, the University of Macau and the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen published their findings in the journal Nature Communications in April.
"This three-dimensional circulation has profound effects on the water mass path and energy and biochemical transport in the South China Sea," the team wrote.
The structure of ocean currents in the East Sea. Photo: SCMP
Marginal seas, such as the Baltic Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico, the Red Sea and the South China Sea, the researchers say, have alternating cyclic patterns that are forced by currents that exchange water with other regions. neighboring oceans through the straits.
The South China Sea, which connects to the Western Pacific via the Luzon Strait, is the largest marginal sea in Southeast Asia and is surrounded by countries that are home to about 22 percent of the world's population, according to the research team. .
Based on their findings, the scientists in March launched an online 3D simulation platform called WavyOcean, which visualized the marine environment around Guangdong province, Hong Kong and Macau, as well as the South China, East China, Yellow and Bohai seas and the western Pacific Ocean.
Gan said the platform provides data, including on 3D ocean currents, temperature, salinity and nitrate levels, supporting marine research in the region and helping policymakers plan development development, including the Lantau Tomorrow Vision program.
The program aims to create a new municipality on artificial islands in the waters off Lantau Island in Hong Kong, which Mr. Gan noted could affect the local marine ecosystem.
