Cross-shelf overturning in geostrophic-stress-dominant coastal fronts

Compared to the dynamics of the predominantly geostrophic along-shelf current, our understanding of the cross-shelf dynamics in the Sea of Okhotsk is inadequate despite their importance in water mixing and nutrient entrainment. We investigated the cross-shelf overturning circulation along the East Sakhalin Current, which is a source of nutrients such as iron for the western North Pacific. Here, we reveal that the cross-shelf circulation during winter is characterised by a nearshore upwelling and a shelf-break downwelling under a downwelling-favourable monsoon wind, contrary to a classical Ekman overturning (EOT). This reverse EOT is driven by the internal water stress, which is caused by intensive vertical mixing and geostrophic vertical shear in the shelf-break front produced by riverine discharges from the far-eastern Eurasian Continent. The EOT blocks the Ekman onshore transport from the open ocean, thereby producing a deep mixed layer at the shelf break. Scaling analyses indicate the applicability of this mechanism to various other shelf-break fronts.

Automated summary

Our understanding of the cross-shelf dynamics in the Sea of Okhotsk is inadequate compared to the predominantly geostrophic along-shelf current. We investigated the cross-shelf overturning circulation along the East Sakhalin Current and discovered a reverse Ekman overturning mechanism driven by internal water stress caused by intensive vertical mixing and geostrophic vertical shear.