Overview of the South China Sea circulation and its influence on the coastal physical oceanography outside the Pearl River Estuary (original) (raw)
Related papers
Recent progress in studies of the South China Sea circulation
Journal of Oceanography, 2008
The South China Sea (SCS) is a semi-enclosed marginal sea with deep a basin. The SCS is located at low latitudes, where the ocean circulations are driven principally by the Asia-Australia monsoon. Ocean circulation in the SCS is very complex and plays an important role in both the marine environment and climate variability. Due to the monsoon-mountain interactions the seasonal spatial pattern of the sea surface wind stress curl is very specific. These distinct patterns induce different basin-scale circulation and gyre in summer and winter, respectively. The intensified western boundary currents associated with the cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres in the SCS play important roles in the sea surface temperature variability of the basin. The mesoscale eddies in the SCS are rather active and their formation mechanisms have been described in recent studies. The water exchange through the Luzon Strait and other straits could give rise to the relation between the Pacific and the SCS. This paper reviews the research results mentioned above.
Izvestiya, Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics, 2016
Based on numerical simulations, we calculate the integral water circulation of the South China Sea on the eastern Vietnam shelf in the Vietnam coastal current area. The main objective of simulations was to study the hydrodynamic structures of this current in the winter-summer interseasonal period. The calcu lations were performed for the period from April to June 1999, which had the necessary primary field data. Two types of atmospheric processes were considered: the first is characterized by a small pressure gradient over the South China Sea and the second includes tropical cyclones in the southern part of the sea. The sim ulation results showed that there are three hydrodynamic gyres in the study area during the given time period: two anticyclonic gyres and a cyclonic gyre that separates them, which together form a complex pattern of the Vietnam current. These gyres persist for the given types of atmospheric processes and are quasi stationary structures. The Vietnam current carries coastal water masses from south to north within the anticyclonic gyres in summer and from north to south within the cyclonic gyres in winter.
The Current System in the Yellow and East China Seas
2002
During the 1990s, our knowledge and understanding of the current system in the Yellow and East China Seas have grown significantly due primarily to new technologies for measuring surface currents and making high-resolution three-dimensional numerical model calculations. One of the most important new findings in this decade is direct evidence of the northward current west of Kyushu provided by satellitetracked surface drifters. In the East China Sea shelf region, these recent studies indicate that in winter the Tsushima Warm Current has a single source, the Kuroshio Branch Current in the west of Kyushu, which transports a mixture of Kuroshio Water and Changjiang River Diluted Water northward. In summer the surface Tsushima Warm Current has multiple sources, i.e., the Taiwan Warm Current, the Kuroshio Branch Current to the north of Taiwan, and the Kuroshio Branch Current west of Kyushu. The summer surface circulation pattern in the East China Sea shelf region changes year-to-year corresponding to interannual variations in Changjiang River discharge. Questions concerning the Yellow Sea Warm Current, the Chinese Coastal Current in the Yellow Sea, the current field southwest of Kyushu, and the deep circulation in the Okinawa Trough remain to be addressed in the next decade.
Interannual Variability of Shelf and Slope Circulations in the Northern South China Sea
Journal of Ocean University of China, 2020
The northern South China Sea (NSCS) is a dynamically complex region whose shelf and slope currents are driven by different mechanisms. In this study, we used field measurements to identify clear interannual variations in the circulation related to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle. To investigate the modulation mechanisms, we used a high-resolution numerical model that covers the shelf and slope regions of the NSCS. The results indicate that the stronger southwestward slope current during La Niña and stronger northeastward shelf current during El Niño in summer and winter are largely related to changes in wind forcing. The Kuroshio intrusion into the NSCS does not appear to significantly affect the circulation in the southwestern shelf region.
Circulation in the South China Sea in summer of 1998
Chinese Science Bulletin, 2000
Based on the CTD and meteorological data obtained by R/VXiangyanghong No. 14 in the South China Sea (SCS) in the summer of 1998, both current velocity and volume transport are calculated by using a modified inverse model. Circulation in the SCS is analyzed by combining the calculated results with ADCP data. The following results are obtained, (i) The most important feature of the circulation in the northeastern SCS is that a branch of the Kuroshio intrudes into the SCS with a small volume transport. It flows anticyclonically through the Bashi Strait and towards the southwest off the Taiwan Island, and it does not intrude into the inner SCS. (ii) The northern SCS is dominated mainly by a cyclonic circulation system with two cold eddies, (iii) The central and southwestern SCSs are mainly occupied by anticyclonic circulation systems, including three anticyclonic and one stronger cyclonic eddies. (iv) In the southeastern SCS, there is a large scope of cyclonic circulation extending in the SW-NE direction, (v) There is a “multi-eddy phenomenon” in the SCS, and a larger eddy contains several small eddies. (vi) There is western intensifying of the currents and eddies in the SCS.
Geostrophic and Tidal Currents in the South China Sea , Area III : West Philippines
2000
The study area II of the Collaborative Research was along the western coast of Luzon and Palawan Islands, in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Philippines. The bathymetry of the area indicated the bottom depth up to more than 4000 m (Fig 1). The area is part of the South China Sea connected to the Pacific Ocean through the Bashi Strait to the north, and the lesser extent through the Visayas Sea. In addition, the area is also connected to the Sulu Sea to the south.
Journal of Geophysical Research, 2002
1] The temporal-spatial structure and the formation mechanisms of the South China Sea (SCS) circulation are studied using the Princeton Ocean Model (POM). The model well reproduces the observed sea surface height (SSH) annual cycle and some current system such as the SCS Western Boundary Current (SCSWBC) system and the Kuroshio Loop Current (KLC). Four sensitivity experiments are carried out to reveal the dynamic mechanisms of the SCS circulation. The results show that most of the seasonal variability of the SCS is controlled predominantly by wind forcing. The Kuroshio affects the mean SSH significantly but contribute little to the variability. The SCSWBC system consists of the SCS Warm Current (SCSWC) and the Vietnam Coastal Current (VCC). In winter the SCSWBC splits into two branches separated at $14°-18°N. The northern branch is the SCSWC flowing northward and the southern branch is the VCC flowing southward. In summer, however, the SCSWBC flows unidirectionally northward from the Karimata Strait to the Taiwan Strait. The temporal variation of the SCSWBC, especially the VCC, is determined by the wind forcing over the interior SCS. Buoyancy forcing can strengthen (weaken) the summer (winter) SCSWBC. The KLC is crucial to the SCS circulation north of 18°N. It ultimately determines the appearance of the SCSWC in winter.