| Fluctuations of the Kuroshio axis in the East China Sea and their relations to variations of temperature and sea surface height are investigated using HYCOM data. Prominent fluctuations of the Kuroshio axis are shown in the east of Taiwan, northeast of Taiwan, and southwest of Kyushu. Local changes of temperature associated with the fluctuations of the Kuroshio axis at the three regions show dipole-like structures, cooling (warming) on the immediate onshore (offshore) side of Kuroshio axis when the Kuroshio axis is located offshore. The dipole-like structures are also shown in changes of sea surface height, but their centers are not located along the Kuroshio axis but on the offshore side of the Kuroshio axis. |