Published Papers Furey, H.H., and A.S. Bower, Synoptic temperature structure of the East China and southeastern Japan/East Seas, Deep-Sea Research II, 52, 1421-1442, 2005.  [ Abstract ] Gordon, A.L., C.F. Giulivi, C.M. Lee, H.H. Furey, A. Bower, and L. Talley, Japan/East Sea intrathermocline eddies, Journal of Physical Oceanography, 32, 1960-1974, 2002.  [ Abstract ] Abstracts Furey and Bower, 2005 Air-deployed expendable bathythermograph (AXBT) surveys are used to investigate the synoptic temperature structure of the East China Sea (ECS), southern Yellow Sea, and southeastern Japan/East Sea (JES) from 1992-1995, in the depth range 0-400 m. The main results of this study are as follows. The regional winter mixed layer is shallow along the paths of the Kuroshio and Polar Front due to strong advection of warm water, which suppresses vertical mixing. The region where mixing is to the bottom is generally northwest of the 100-m isobath in the ECS and in the Tsushima Strait. Two September surveys reveal two different Kuroshio Front positions: in 1992 this front was far on-shelf of its mean position, preventing the formation of eddies at Mien Hwa Canyon; in 1993, the Kuroshio Front had migrated off-shelf, and eddies along the front had formed. The Kuroshio Current Branch West of Kyushu is not seen in summer at 60 m depth, only winter and spring; however, there is evidence of this branch current in all seasons at 100 m depth. Along the entire length of the ECS in all surveys except winter (where wind mixing had homogenized the water column), cross sections show that cold water (less than 18°C) inshore of the Kuroshio reached westward of the 200-m isobath, onto the shelf, and as shallow as 60 m. From 1992-1995, the Nearshore Branch is present in all surveys, and the East Korean Warm Current is generally present in spring-fall, and strongest in each May survey. Gordon et al., 2002 Intrathermocline eddies (ITE) with diameters of 100 km and of thickness greater than 100 m are observed within each of the three quasi-stationary meanders of the Tsushima Current of the Japan/East Sea. Within the ITE homogenous, anticyclonic flowing core, the temperature is near 10°C with a salinity of 34.12 psu. Because of compensatory baroclinicity of the upper and lower boundaries of the ITE core, the ITE has minor sea level expression. The ITE core displays positive oxygen and negative salinity anomalies in comparison to the surrounding thermocline water, indicative of formation from winter mixed layer water along the southern side of the Japan/East Sea subpolar front. The winter mixing layer is then overridden, or slips below, the regional upper thermocline stratification with its characteristic salinity maximum layer. The winter mixed layer off the coast of Korea closely matches the ITE core characteristics, and is considered as a potential source region. Other sources may be present along the southern boundary of the subpolar front, including a frequently observed warm eddy over the western side of Yamato Rise.