Annual signal modulation of the Kuroshio through-flow volume transport south of Japan leading West Pacific Pattern (original) (raw)

For better understanding of interactions between the Kuroshio south of Japan and the climate system in the North Pacific, variations of the satellite-derived eddyremoved volume transport of the Kuroshio through-flow (KTVT) south of Japan in 1993 -2007 and the West Pacific Pattern index (WPPI) are compared with each other. Both of KTVT and WPPI with longer periods than 8 months have dominant components with about annual period. They have a maximum in every winter while their amplitudes change year by year. By the cross correlation analysis of their around annual period components, we found that interannual variations of WPPI in May and October lead to KTVT by 41-month while those of KTVT in February and August lead to WPPI by about 4 years, suggesting that the interactions between annual period components of WPPI and KTVT are dominated by seasonal different mechanisms.