The Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

2027 Xiamen Symposium on Marine Environmental Sciences

January 12-15, 2027

Typhoon-induced Reorganization of Cyclonic Eddy Alters Nutrient Distributions and Diapycnal Fluxes in the Western North Pacific Subtropical Gyre
ID:1046 Oral Presentation

2027-01-13 16:35 (China Standard Time)

Session:Session 3 - Tropical Cyclone-Ocean Interactions: From Weather to Climate Scales

Abstract
        The western North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (wNPSG) is a typical oligotrophic region where nutrient supply to the surface ocean is strongly limited. Cyclonic eddies (CEs) can uplift isopycnals and shoal the nutricline, while typhoons can modulate eddy evolution and enhance vertical mixing. However, how typhoon forcing modifies nutrient distribution and diapycnal transport within a CE remains insufficiently constrained by direct observations. In this study, we examine this issue by tracing a mature CE in the wNPSG before and after the successive passages of typhoons Toraji and Usagi in November 2024, using hydrographic, nutrient, turbulence, and remote sensing data. The observations showed that the CE underwent post-typhoon structural reorganization with the core sea level anomaly increasing from -0.17 to -0.15 m, mean eddy amplitude increasing from 0.13 to 0.17 m, and effective radius expanding from 189 to 229 km. Meanwhile, following typhoon passage, dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) concentrations became detectable in the upper ~80 m, where it had been largely below the limit of quantitation before the typhoon, suggesting that post-typhoon CE reorganization was accompanied by changes in upper-ocean nutrient distributions. Mean diapycnal DIN flux at the base of the euphotic zone in the CE also increased from 3.43 ± 4.22 to 5.31 ± 5.12 μmol m-2 d-1, indicating strengthened upward nutrient supply. However, upper-ocean N:P ratios of 0.31 - 1.39, despite enhanced DIN availability associated with typhoon forcing and CE dynamics, remained far below the Redfield ratio of 16, demonstrating persistent N limitation in the wNPSG. These findings highlight the importance of typhoon–eddy interactions in regulating nutrient distribution and supply in oligotrophic oceans.
Speaker
Wenjing Wang College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University

Author
Wenjing Wang College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University

    Important Dates

    • Jan 30

      2026

      Session / Event proposals open

    • Mar 31

      2026

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    • Apr 30

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    • Jun 30

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    • Aug 31

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    • Sep 15

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    • Jan 12–15

      2027

      XMAS 2027