The Upper-Layer Circulation of the Japan Sea Researchers Amy S. Bower, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Physical Oceanography Dept., MS#21 Woods Hole, MA 02543 Telephone: (508) 289-2781 FAX:(508)457-2181 abower@whoi.edu Heather Furey, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Clark 318A, MS#21 Woods Hole, MA 02543 Telephone: 508 289-2916 FAX: 508 457-2181 hfurey@whoi.edu Award Numbers N00014-98-1-0184 and N00014-00-1-0688 Project Overview The circulation of the Japan/East Sea is characterized by significant temporal and spatial variability due to several factors, including seasonal fluctuations in the warm inflow through Tsushima Strait, branching of the Tsushima Warm Current downstream of the strait, and the formation of mesoscale eddies along these branches. The long-range objective of the Japan/East Sea study is to understand the dynamical processes that govern this variability. Temperature structure and circulation of the East China, southern Yellow, and southeastern Japan/East seas from four AXBT surveys provide high-resolution coverage of these regions and provide the first synoptic view of quasi-seasonal (September, February, and May) surface to 400-m temperature structure for the region. In-depth Overview (PDF document)