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Abstract Pig red blood cells (pRBCs) represent a promising alternative to address the shortage in transfusion medicine. Nonetheless, a major obstacle to their clinical implementation is immunological rejection. In this study, we generated transgenic pigs expressing human CD47 (hCD47) and CD55 (hCD55) in α1,3-galactosyltransferase KO/β-1,4-N-acetyl-galactosaminyl transferase 2 KO/cytidine monophosphate-N-acetylneuraminic acid hydroxylase KO (TKO) pigs using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Compared to wild-type pRBCs, TKO/hCD47/hCD55 pRBCs exhibit significantly reduced human IgG/IgM antibody binding. Moreover, when transfused into Cynomolgus monkeys, TKO/hCD47/hCD55 pRBCs remained detectable for 2 h post-transfusion, whereas wild-type pRBCs were eliminated within 20 min. This study demonstrates the potential of multi-gene edited pigs to provide immunologically compatible pRBCs.

Abstract Oceanic mesoscale eddies influence air-sea interaction and atmosphere dynamics through ventilating heat and moisture upward. However, whether the sea surface temperature (SST) gradient on the eddy edge could affect the heat and moisture release is still unknown because of the limited observations and coarse-resolution climate models. Using high-resolution atmospheric simulations, this study compares the atmospheric response to the mesoscale (~ 40 km) and submesoscale (~ 4 km) SST gradients at the edge of an eddy. Results show that submesoscale SST gradient drives stronger surface heat and moisture fluxes, enhancing the vertical mixing intensity by 2–3 times within and above the marine atmospheric boundary layer. As a result, one local precipitation event is found to be an order of magnitude larger overlying the eddy. Our findings highlight the importance of resolving oceanic submesoscale features for accurately predicting atmosphere dynamics and precipitation over the ocean.

Abstract Wind‐generated near‐inertial internal waves (NIWs) are characterized by dominant long‐range equatorward radiation due to the gradient of the planetary vorticity, known as the β‐refraction effect. In this study, we analyze the effects of horizontal model resolution on the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs. In a high‐resolution Community Earth System Model (CESM‐HR) with a 0.1° oceanic resolution, about 25% (15%) of NIW energy flux injected downward the surface boundary layer base poleward of 30°N (30°S) radiates into the lower‐latitude region. This ratio decreases to about 15% (8%) in a low‐resolution CESM (CESM‐LR) with a 1° oceanic resolution. The higher long‐range equatorward radiation efficiency in the CESM‐HR than the CESM‐LR is directly attributed to the faster equatorward group velocity of the NIWs of the first three vertical modes, which reflects the better representation of equatorward propagation and beta‐refraction of smaller scale NIWs in the CESM‐HR. The enhancement of equatorward wavenumber induced by the β‐refraction is inhibited in the CESM‐LR, which underrepresent the long‐range equatorward radiation of NIWs. These results underscore the necessity of high‐resolution ocean models in accurately simulating the spatial variabilities of NIWs and their induced turbulent diapycnal mixing in the global ocean.

Abstract Submesoscale fronts, with horizontal scale of 0.1–10 km, are key components of climate system by driving intense vertical transports of heat, salt and nutrients in the ocean. However, our knowledge on how large the vertical transport driven by one single submesoscale front can reach remains limited due to the lack of comprehensive field observations. Here, based on high-resolution in situ observations in the Kuroshio-Oyashio Extension region, we detect an exceptionally sharp submesoscale front. The oceanic temperature (salinity) changes sharply from 14 °C (34.55 psu) to 2 °C (32.7 psu) within 2 km across the front from south to north. Analysis reveals intense vertical velocities near the front reaching 170 m day−1, along with upward heat transport up to 1.4 × 10−2 °C m s−1 and salinity transport reaching 4 × 10−4 psu m s−1. The observed heat transport is much larger than the values reported in previous observations and is three times as that derived from current eddy-rich climate models, whereas the salinity transport enhances the nutrients concentration with prominent implications for marine ecosystem and fishery production. These observations highlight the vertical transport of submesoscale fronts and call for a proper representation of submesoscale processes in the next generation of climate models.

Abstract The East China Sea Kuroshio (ECS‐Kuroshio) and the Ryukyu Current are the major poleward heat carriers in the North Pacific. Anomalous changes of ECS‐Kuroshio and Ryukyu Current could exert substantial influence on the climate in mid‐latitude regions. However, owing to limited observations and coarse resolution of climate models, how they might change under anthropogenic warming remains unknown. Here, we find an accelerating ECS‐Kuroshio (1.5 Sv) and a decelerating (−2.2 Sv) Ryukyu Current using in‐situ observation during 1958–2022, equivalent to 7% strengthening and 20% weakening in the 65 years. The trend is also simulated by four high‐resolution climate models, with multi‐model ensemble‐mean acceleration (deceleration) of the ECS‐Kuroshio (Ryukyu Current) of 1.2 ± 0.6 Sv (−6.2 ± 2.5 Sv) over 1950–2050. The weakening subtropical wind field reduces their summed transport o. Enhanced stratification, which induces uplift of current system and weaker topography‐flow interaction, leads to the intensifying ECS‐Kuroshio and disappearing Ryukyu Current.

Abstract Air‐sea exchanges across oceanic fronts are critical in powering cloud formation, precipitation, and atmospheric storms. Oceanic submesoscale fronts of scales 1–10 km are characterized by strong sea surface temperature (SST) gradients. However, it remains elusive how submesoscale fronts affect the overlying atmosphere due to a lack of high‐resolution observations or models. Based on rare high‐resolution in situ observations in the Kuroshio Extension region, we quantify the air‐sea exchanges across an oceanic submesoscale front. The cross‐front SST and turbulent heat flux gradients reaches 2.4°C/km and 47 W/m2/km, respectively, far stronger than that typically found in mesoscale‐resolving products. The stronger SST gradient drives substantially stronger air‐sea fluxes and vertical mixing than mesoscale fronts, enhancing cloud formations. The intense air‐sea exchanges across submesoscale fronts are confirmed in idealized model simulations, but not resolved in mesoscale‐resolving climate models. Our finding provides essential knowledge for improving simulations of cloud formation, precipitation, and storms in climate models.

Abstract Marine heatwaves (MHWs) are prolonged extreme warm water events in the ocean, exerting devastating impacts on marine ecosystems. A comprehensive knowledge of physical processes controlling MHW life cycles is pivotal to improve MHW forecast capacity, yet it is still lacking. Here, we use a historical simulation from a global eddy-resolving climate model with improved representation of MHWs, and show that heat flux convergence by oceanic mesoscale eddies acts as a dominant driver of MHW life cycles over most parts of the global ocean. In particular, the mesoscale eddies make an important contribution to growth and decay of MHWs, whose characteristic spatial scale is comparable or even larger than that of mesoscale eddies. The effect of mesoscale eddies is spatially heterogeneous, becoming more dominant in the western boundary currents and their extensions, the Southern Ocean, as well as the eastern boundary upwelling systems. This study reveals the crucial role of mesoscale eddies in controlling the global MHW life cycles and highlights that using eddy-resolving ocean models is essential, albeit not necessarily fully sufficient, for accurate MHW forecasts.

Abstract Ocean vertical velocity (w) plays a key role in regulating the exchanges of mass, heat and nutrients between the surface and deep ocean. However, direct observation remains difficult due to its small magnitude and large spatiotemporal variability. Therefore, w fields are generally diagnosed using dynamic‐based methods. In this study, we developed a deep neural network (DNN) to reconstruct three‐dimensional fields of ocean vertical velocity based on sea surface height (SSH) fields. Compared to dynamic‐based methods, the DNN shows improved performance in the w reconstruction within upper 500 m in terms of higher correlation and less error. Remarkably, the DNN requires only a ∼45 × 45 km size SSH image as input to estimate w at the center. This suggests that the DNN has great potential for w reconstruction in the future combined with high‐resolution observations such as the Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission.

Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) resources provide a renewable solution to fuel our future. Here the authors show a significant increase of OTEC resources under greenhouse warming with the increasing rate regulated by oceanic eddies.

Oceanic mesoscale eddies are important dynamical processes in the Southern Ocean. Using high-resolution (∼0.1° for the ocean) Community Earth System Model (CESM-HR) simulations under a high-carbon emission scenario, we investigate the role of mesoscale eddies in regulating the response of the Subantarctic Front (SAF) to global warming. The CESM-HR simulates more realistic oceanic fronts and mesoscale eddies in the Southern Ocean than a coarse-resolution (∼1° for the ocean) CESM. Under global warming, the SAF is projected to intensify. The mean flow temperature advection intensifies the front, whereas the mesoscale-eddy-induced temperature advection and atmospheric dampening play primary (∼67%) and secondary (∼28%) roles in counteracting the effect of mean flow temperature advection. Our study suggests the importance of mesoscale eddies on inhibiting the SAF intensification under global warming and necessity of mesoscale-eddy-resolving simulations for faithful projection of future climate changes in the Southern Ocean.

The Antilles Current (AC) off the Bahamas Islands is an important component for both wind-driven and thermohaline circulation system in the North Atlantic. The evolution of AC intensity could exert substantial impacts on mid-latitude climate and surrounding environment. For instance, an anomalous weaker AC is found to decelerate the nutrient transport in the shelf regions, risking the deep-water corals. In addition, a weaker AC could reduce the poleward heat transport of the Gulf Stream and the North Atlantic Drift and further influence the climate in Western Europe. Based on nine high-resolution coupled climate models, we find a 3.8 Sv weakening of the AC, which is equivalent to 63% of its climatology transport during 1950–2050. The deceleration of AC introduces a −0.17 PW of heat transport decrement, dominating the total heat transport change across 26.5° N. Further analysis reveals that change of AC is mainly attributed to the evolution of thermohaline circulation in a changing climate and is partly influenced by wind stress curl in the North Atlantic. Our finding highlights the needs to establish a long-term monitoring network for the AC and a comprehensive understanding of associated impacts.

The Kuroshio Current (KC) in the East China Sea is one of the most prominent components of the ocean circulation system in the North Pacific. The onshore intensification of the KC is found to drive nutrient-rich upwelling in the shelf regions, induce anomalous warming that leads to coastal marine heatwaves, and reduce the ability of the oceans to absorb anthropogenic carbon dioxide. Based on altimeter and in situ observations, we find an onshore acceleration and offshore deceleration of the KC over the past three decades. This intensification is characterized by a spatial mean onshore acceleration (offshore deceleration) of 0.39 (−0.63) cm s ^−1 per decade. This phenomenon can be attributed to changes in wind stress curl (WSC) and oceanic stratification over the subtropical North Pacific. The weakened WSC decreases the vertical extent of the KC by reducing its transport and contributes to the offshore deceleration, whereas the enhanced stratification drives the uplift of the KC and contributes to the onshore acceleration. Our findings underscore the importance of establishing and maintaining a long-term monitoring network for the zonal variations of the KC in the future to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the associated impacts.

Abstract The Agulhas Current (AC) is a critical component of the global ocean circulation. Climate models consistently project the AC to decline in the 21st century. Previous studies typically attributed the weakening of AC to changes in Indian Ocean wind and/or a decline of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF) transport. However, our analysis suggests that changes in local surface wind and ITF can only explain a portion of the model‐simulated AC changes. Using a hierarchy of models, we show that the decline of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) strength in a warming climate could also contribute substantially to the AC weakening. Following a weakening of the AMOC, the baroclinic structure of the AC is also modified such that the AC is shoaled to a shallower depth, communicated between basins via Kelvin waves. Our results highlight the importance of remote processes in future western boundary current changes.

The ocean surface current influences the roughness of the sea surface, subsequently affecting the scatterometer’s measurement of wind speed. In this study, the effect of surface currents on ASCAT-retrieved winds is investigated based on in-situ observations of both surface winds and currents from 40 open ocean moored buoys in the tropical and mid-latitude oceans. A total of 28,803 data triplets, consisting of buoy-observed wind vectors, current vectors, and ASCAT Level 2 wind vectors, were collected from the dataset spanning over 10 years. It is found that the bias between scatterometer-retrieved wind speed and buoy-observed wind speed is negatively correlated with the ocean surface current speed. The wind speed bias is approximately 0.96 times the magnitude of the downwind surface current. The root-mean-square error between the ASCAT wind speeds and buoy observations is reduced by about 15% if rectification with ocean surface currents is involved. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate surface current information into wind speed calibration, particularly in regions with strong surface currents.

Gas diffusion in nano-scale porous media of deeply burried shale includes bulk diffusion (Fick and Knudsen diffusions) and surface diffusion. To reveal the migration mechanism of this process, the influence of temperature and pressure on diffusion coefficient needs to be quantitatively evaluated. A case study was made with the Cambrian Niutitang Formation in the Maoping area, Zigui, western Hubei, South China. Gas diffusion was simulated by isobaric diffusion experiments under different temperature and pressure conditions. The results indicated that: (1) The diffusion coefficient DF decreases with increasing of pressure (when the pressure is higher than 30 MPa, DF tends to be constant), and increases with increasing of temperature; (2) In the high temperature-pressure setting, DF is affected significantly by pressure and generally tends to decrease. Moreover, the impacts of temperature, pressure, porosity and lithology were quantitatively calculated, and a mathematical model of gas diffusion was established, which had comparable results with simulation experiment. The following conclusions were thus drawn: (1)Higher temperature will cause stronger molecular kinetic energy, resulting in increasing bulk and surface diffusion coefficients, while higher pressure will slightly strengthen the Fick and surface diffusions, but significantly limit the Knudsen diffusion, and cause lower total diffusion coefficient; (2) Larger pore size leads to stronger bulk diffusion, but weaker surface diffusion. Finally, according to the studies of a specific research block, high pressure setting is conducive to the preservation of nano-scale porous gas reservoir in shale, while the uplift accompanied by pressure release is the main stage of shale gas loss.

Abstract Background Toll‐like receptor 4 (TLR4) participates in the initiation of neuroinflammation in various neurological diseases, including central nervous system injuries. NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome‐mediated microglial pyroptosis is crucial for the inflammatory response during secondary spinal cord injury (SCI). However, the underlying mechanism by which TLR4 regulates NLRP3 inflammasome activation and microglial pyroptosis after SCI remains uncertain. Methods We established an in vivo mouse model of SCI using TLR4‐knockout (TLR4‐KO) and wild‐type (WT) mice. The levels of pyroptosis, tissue damage and neurological function recovery were evaluated in the three groups (Sham, SCI, SCI‐TLR4‐KO). To identify differentially expressed proteins, tandem mass tag (TMT)‐based proteomics was conducted using spinal cord tissue between TLR4‐KO and WT mice after SCI. For our in vitro model, mouse microglial BV2 cells were exposed to lipopolysaccharides (1 µg/ml, 8 h) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) (5 mM, 2 h) to induce pyroptosis. A series of molecular biological experiments, including Western blot (WB), real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR), enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunofluorescence (IF), immunohistochemical (IHC), chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), Dual‐Luciferase Reporter assay (DLA) and co‐immunoprecipitation (Co‐IP), were performed to explore the specific mechanism of microglial pyroptosis in vivo and in vitro. Results Our results indicated that TLR4 promoted the expression of dead‐box helicase 3 X‐linked (DDX3X), which mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation and microglial pyroptosis after SCI. Further analysis revealed that TLR4 upregulated the DDX3X/NLRP3 axis by activating the JAK2/STAT1 signalling pathway, and importantly, STAT1 was identified as a transcription factor promoting DDX3X expression. In addition, we found that biglycan was increased after SCI and interacted with TLR4 to jointly regulate microglial pyroptosis through the JAK2/STAT1/DDX3X/NLRP3 axis after SCI. Conclusion Our study preliminarily identified a novel mechanism by which TLR4 regulates NLRP3 inflammasome‐mediated microglial pyroptosis in response to SCI—providing a novel and promising therapeutic target for SCI.

About one-fifth of the population suffers from liver diseases in China, meaning that liver disorders are prominent causative factors relating to the Chinese mortality rate. For patients with end-stage liver diseases such as hepatocellular carcinoma or acute liver diseases with life-threatening liver dysfunction, allogeneic liver transplantation is the only life-saving treatment. Hepatocyte transplantation is a promising alternative for patients with acute liver failure or those considered high risk for major surgery, particularly for the bridge-to-transplant period. However, the lack of donors has become a serious global problem. The clinical application of porcine xenogeneic livers and hepatocytes remains a potential solution to alleviate the donor shortage. Pig grafts of xenotransplantation play roles in providing liver support in recipients, together with the occurrence of rejection, thrombocytopenia, and blood coagulation dysfunction. In this review, we present an overview of the development, potential therapeutic impact, and remaining barriers in the clinical application of pig liver and hepatocyte xenotransplantation to humans and non-human primates. Donor pigs with optimized genetic modification combinations and highly effective immunosuppressive regimens should be further explored to improve the outcomes of xenogeneic liver and hepatocyte transplantation.

Pig to human xenotransplantation is considered to be a possible approach to alleviate the shortage of human allografts. Porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) is the most significant pathogen in xenotransplantation. We screened for pigs that consistently did not transmit human-tropic replication competent PERVs (HTRC PERVs), namely, non-transmitting pigs. Then, we conducted whole-genome resequencing and full-length transcriptome sequencing to further investigate the sequence characteristics of one non-transmitting pig. Using in vitro transmission assays, we found 5 (out of 105) pigs of the Chinese Wuzhishan minipig inbred line that did not transmit PERV to human cells, i.e., non-transmitting pigs. Whole-genome resequencing and full-length transcriptome sequencing of one non-transmitting pig showed that all of the pol genes were defective at both the genome and transcript levels. We speculate that the defective PERV pol genes in this pig might be attributable to the long-term inbreeding process. This discovery is promising for the development of a strain of highly homozygous and genetically stable pigs with defective PERV pol genes as a source animal species for xenotransplantation.

Abstract We present an unprecedented set of high‐resolution climate simulations, consisting of a 500‐year pre‐industrial control simulation and a 250‐year historical and future climate simulation from 1850 to 2100. A high‐resolution configuration of the Community Earth System Model version 1.3 (CESM1.3) is used for the simulations with a nominal horizontal resolution of 0.25° for the atmosphere and land models and 0.1° for the ocean and sea‐ice models. At these resolutions, the model permits tropical cyclones and ocean mesoscale eddies, allowing interactions between these synoptic and mesoscale phenomena with large‐scale circulations. An overview of the results from these simulations is provided with a focus on model drift, mean climate, internal modes of variability, representation of the historical and future climates, and extreme events. Comparisons are made to solutions from an identical set of simulations using the standard resolution (nominal 1°) CESM1.3 and to available observations for the historical period to address some key scientific questions concerning the impact and benefit of increasing model horizontal resolution in climate simulations. An emerging prominent feature of the high‐resolution pre‐industrial simulation is the intermittent occurrence of polynyas in the Weddell Sea and its interaction with an Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation. Overall, high‐resolution simulations show significant improvements in representing global mean temperature changes, seasonal cycle of sea‐surface temperature and mixed layer depth, extreme events and in relationships between extreme events and climate modes.

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) can cause various adverse effects on marine ecosystems associated with complicated social ramifications. It has been well established that the gradually rising sea surface temperature (SST) due to anthropogenic carbon emission will cause an increase of the MHW duration and intensity. However, for species with strong adaptation capacity or mobility, MHW changes due to the altered SST variability under greenhouse warming are more crucial but so far remain poorly assessed. Under the high carbon emission scenario, we show that the cumulative duration (intensity) of MHWs, with the effect of secular SST increase excluded, is projected to be 60% (100%) higher by the end of this century than in the 1990s due to an amplified SST seasonal cycle. This increase becomes more evident for stronger MHWs, reaching up to 8 (30) folds for the extreme MHW category. The amplified SST seasonal cycle also causes pronounced seasonality of MHWs, making them more active in summer-autumn than winter-spring. Our results suggest that MHWs are likely to have increasingly devastating impacts on a wide range of marine species in the future without taking effective steps for carbon emission reduction.

Abstract Complement protein C3 is the pivotal component of the complement system. Previous studies have demonstrated that C3 has implications in various human diseases and exerts profound functions under certain conditions. However, the delineation of pathological and physiological roles of C3 has been hampered by the insufficiency of suitable animal models. In the present study, we applied the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/CRISPR-associated (Cas) system to target the C3 gene in porcine fetal fibroblasts. Our results indicated that CRISPR/Cas9 targeting efficiency was as high as 84.7%, and the biallelic mutation efficiency reached at 45.7%. The biallelic modified colonies were used as donor for somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technology to generate C3 targeted piglets. A total of 19 C3 knockout (KO) piglets were produced and their plasma C3 protein was undetectable by western blot analysis and ELISA. The hemolytic complement activity and complement-dependent cytotoxicity assay further confirmed that C3 was disrupted in these piglets. These C3 KO pigs could be utilized as a valuable large animal model for the elucidation of the roles of C3.

Miniature pigs have advantages over rodents in modeling atherosclerosis because their cardiovascular system and physiology are similar to that of humans. Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) deficiency has long been implicated in cardiovascular disease in humans. To establish an improved large animal model of familial hypercholesterolemia and atherosclerosis, the clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)-associated protein 9 system (CRISPR/Cas9) was used to disrupt the ApoE gene in Bama miniature pigs. Biallelic-modified ApoE pigs with in-frame mutations (ApoEm/m) and frameshift mutations (ApoE−/−) were simultaneously produced. ApoE−/− pigs exhibited moderately increased plasma cholesterol levels when fed with a regular chow diet, but displayed severe hypercholesterolemia and spontaneously developed human-like atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta and coronary arteries after feeding on a high-fat and high-cholesterol (HFHC) diet for 6 months. Thus, these ApoE−/− pigs could be valuable large animal models for providing further insight into translational studies of atherosclerosis.

Effective thermal conductivity (ETC), as a necessary parameter in the thermal properties of rock, is affected by the pore structure and the thermal conduction conditions. To evaluate the effect of fractures and saturated fluids on sandstone’s thermal conductivity, we simulated thermal conduction along three orthogonal (X, Y, and Z) directions under air- and water-saturated conditions on reconstructed digital rocks with different fractures. The results show that the temperature distribution is separated by the fracture. The significant difference between the thermal conductivities of solid and fluid is the primary factor influencing the temperature distribution, and the thermal conduction mainly depends on the solid phase. A nonlinear reduction of ETC is observed with increasing fracture length and angle. Only when the values of the fracture length and angle are large, a negative effect of fracture aperture on the ETC is apparent. Based on the partial least squares (PLS) regression method, the fluid thermal conductivity shows the greatest positive influence on the ETC value. The fracture length and angle are two other factors significantly influencing the ETC, while the impact of fracture aperture may be ignored. We obtained a predictive equation of ETC which considers the related parameters of digital rocks, including the fracture length, fracture aperture, angle between the fracture and the heat flux direction, porosity, and the thermal conductivity of saturated fluid.

Using eddy‐resolving Community Earth System Model (CESM) simulations, this study investigates mesoscale eddy energetics and the role of air‐sea interaction for both anticyclonic and cyclonic eddies (AEs and CEs) in the Kuroshio Extension (KE) region. Based on energy budget analysis and eddy tracking algorithm, it is found that eddy energy balance depicts similar characteristics for AEs and CEs. The eddy kinetic energy (EKE) is generated through barotropic instability, vertical buoyancy flux, as well as transported from the upper stream Kuroshio. In addition, the temperature variance, which is directly related to eddy potential energy, is maintained by baroclinic instability. Air‐sea heat flux and wind stress act as eddy killers to move energy from oceanic eddies. For both AEs and CEs, heat exchange between atmosphere and oceanic eddies dominates the dissipation of temperature variance and accounts for more than 60% and 72% of the total dissipation, respectively. In comparison, the role of wind power in damping the EKE is relatively small. Only 14% (5%) of EKE dissipation in AEs (CEs) is attributed to eddy wind power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an effective method of estimating the volume transport of the Kuroshio Extension (KE) is proposed using surface geostrophic flow inferred from satellite altimetry and vertical stratification derived from climatological temperature/salinity (T/S) profiles. Based on velocity measurements by a subsurface mooring array across the KE, we found that the vertical structure of horizontal flow in this region is dominated by the barotropic and first baroclinic normal modes, which is commendably described by the leading mode of empirical orthogonal functions (EOFs) of the observed velocity profiles as well. Further analysis demonstrates that the projection coefficient of moored velocity onto the superimposed vertical normal mode can be represented by the surface geostrophic velocity as derived from satellite altimetry. Given this relationship, we proposed a dynamical method to estimate the volume transport across the KE jet, which is well verified with both ocean reanalysis and repeated hydrographic data. This finding implicates that, in the regions where the currents render quasi-barotropic structure, it takes only satellite altimetry observation and climatological T/S to estimate the volume transport across any section. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]