Pacific Coastal Biome
417
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
5
10
15
20
Climatology (years)
Depth (m)
Production at DCM (%)
Zm (sigma)
Zeu
Pt (at DCM)
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
SeaWiFS (HUMB): September 1997 - January 2002
Surface Chl (mg m -3
)
Pt d
-1
Chl m
-3
1999
1998
2000
2001
Pt (gC m
-2
d
-1
)
Fig. 11.20 HUMB: seasonal cycles of monthly surface chlorophyll and depth-integrated autotrophic production for the years 1997–2002 from SeaWiFS data together with characteristic seasonal cycles of mixed-layer
depths from Levitus climatological data and photic depths computed from characteristic irradiance and the
archive of chlorophyll profiles discussed in Chapter 1.
China Sea Coastal Province (CHIN)
Extent of the Province The CHIN coastal province extends from Sakhalin (45
N) down
to Hainan (20
N) and so includes the continental shelves of the eastern part of the Sea
of Japan, the Yellow Sea and its innermost gulf, the Bohai Sea, the East China Sea, and
through the Taiwan Strait to the east coast of Hainan near 20
S. Because the Kuroshio
passes along the edge of the continental shelf to the east of Taiwan, only the west coast
of this island is included. The offshore limit of the province is taken to be the edge of
the continental shelf, or else the edge of the eddy field of the Kuroshio Current if that
is farther offshore; thus, where the Kuroshio makes brief incursions over the outer shelf,
that process is not excluded. It should perhaps be noted here that for the northern part
of the province, from eastern Korea to Sakhalin, I have been able to locate very little
information: these waters lie off North Korea and the Russian Maritime Territories to
the north of Vladivostok.
Continental Shelf Topography and Tidal and Shelf-Edge Fronts
This is one of the largest areas of very shallow shelf anywhere; the Yellow Sea/Bohai Sea
basin alone comprises 38000 km
2 of an average depth of only 44 m. These shelves are
strongly influenced by the discharge of freshwater and sediments from the great rivers
draining the plains of China, principally the Yellow (Huangho) River opening into the
Bohai Sea and the Yangtse (Changjiang) River entering at Shanghai into the northern East
417
0
20
40
60
80
100
0
5
10
15
20
Climatology (years)
Depth (m)
Production at DCM (%)
Zm (sigma)
Zeu
Pt (at DCM)
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
0.40
0.60
0.80
1.00
1.20
SeaWiFS (HUMB): September 1997 - January 2002
Surface Chl (mg m -3
)
Pt d
-1
Chl m
-3
1999
1998
2000
2001
Pt (gC m
-2
d
-1
)
Fig. 11.20 HUMB: seasonal cycles of monthly surface chlorophyll and depth-integrated autotrophic production for the years 1997–2002 from SeaWiFS data together with characteristic seasonal cycles of mixed-layer
depths from Levitus climatological data and photic depths computed from characteristic irradiance and the
archive of chlorophyll profiles discussed in Chapter 1.
China Sea Coastal Province (CHIN)
Extent of the Province The CHIN coastal province extends from Sakhalin (45
N) down
to Hainan (20
N) and so includes the continental shelves of the eastern part of the Sea
of Japan, the Yellow Sea and its innermost gulf, the Bohai Sea, the East China Sea, and
through the Taiwan Strait to the east coast of Hainan near 20
S. Because the Kuroshio
passes along the edge of the continental shelf to the east of Taiwan, only the west coast
of this island is included. The offshore limit of the province is taken to be the edge of
the continental shelf, or else the edge of the eddy field of the Kuroshio Current if that
is farther offshore; thus, where the Kuroshio makes brief incursions over the outer shelf,
that process is not excluded. It should perhaps be noted here that for the northern part
of the province, from eastern Korea to Sakhalin, I have been able to locate very little
information: these waters lie off North Korea and the Russian Maritime Territories to
the north of Vladivostok.
Continental Shelf Topography and Tidal and Shelf-Edge Fronts
This is one of the largest areas of very shallow shelf anywhere; the Yellow Sea/Bohai Sea
basin alone comprises 38000 km
2 of an average depth of only 44 m. These shelves are
strongly influenced by the discharge of freshwater and sediments from the great rivers
draining the plains of China, principally the Yellow (Huangho) River opening into the
Bohai Sea and the Yangtse (Changjiang) River entering at Shanghai into the northern East