Optimal estimation of absolute geostrophic velocity field in vicinity of the Luzon Strait using variational data assimilation technique

A P - vector method is optimized using the variational data assimilation technique(VDAT). The absolute geostrophic velocity fields in the vicinity of the Luzon Strait (LS) are calculated, the spatial structures and seasonal variations of the absolute geostrophic velocity field are investigated. Our results show that the Kuroshio enters the South China Sea (SCS) in the south and middle of the Luzon Strait and flows out in the north, so the Kuroshio makes a slight clockwise curve in the Luzon Strait, and the curve is strong in winter and weak in summer. During the winter, a westward current appears in the surface, and locates at the west of the Luzon Strait. It is the north part of a cyclonic gyre which exits in the northeast of the SCS; an anti-cyclonic gyre occurs on the intermediate level, and it exits in the northeast of the SCS, and an eastward current exits in the southeast of the anti-cyclonic gyre.     

Sea surface height anomaly and geostrophic circulation variations in the South China Sea from TOPEX/POSEIDON altimetry

The sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) and geostrophic circulation in the South ChinaSea (SCS) are studied using TOPEX/POSE1DON (T/P) altimetry data. The SSHA, which is obtained after tidal correction based on the tidal results from T/P data, is predominated by seasonal alternating monsoons. The results reveal that the SSHA in the central part of the SCS is positive in spring and summer, but negative in autumn and winter. It is also found that the SSHA in the SCS can be approached with the sum of tidal constituents SA and SSA. The geostrophic circulations in the SCS are calculated according to sea surface dynamic topography, which is the sum of SSHA and mean sea surface height. It is suggested that the circulation in the upper layer of the SCS is generally cyclonic and notably western intensified during autumn and winter, while the western intensification is weak during spring and summer. It is also indicated that the Kuroshio intrudes into the northeastern SCS throuth the Luzon Strait in winter. But ther     

Patterns of upper layer circulation variability in the South China Sea from satellite altimetry using the self-organizing map

Patterns of the South China Sea (SCS) circulation variability are extracted from merged satellite altimetry data from October 1992 through August 2004 by using the self-organizing map (SOM). The annual cycle, seasonal and inter-annual variations of the SCS surface circulation are identified through the evolution of the characteristic circulation patterns. The annual cycle of the SCS gener- al circulation patterns is described as a change between two opposite basin-scale SW-NE oriented gyres embedded with eddies: low sea surface height anomaly (SSHA) (cyclonic) in winter and high SSHA (anticyclonic) in summer half year. The transition starts from July--August (January--February) with a high (low) SSHA tongue east of Vietnam around 12°～14° N, which de- velopa into a big anticyclonic (cyclonic) gyre while moving eastward to the deep basin. During the transitions, a dipole structure, cyclonic (anticyclonic) in the north and anticyclonic (cyclonic) in the south, may be formed southeast off Vietnam with a strong zonal jet around 10°～12° N. The seasonal variation is modulated by the interannual variations. Besides the strong 1997/1998 e- vent in response to the peak Pacific El Nino in 1997, the overall SCS sea level is found to have a significant rise during 1999～ 2001, however, in summer 2004 the overall SCS sea level is lower and the basin-wide anticyclonic gyre becomes weaker than the other years.     

Surface current field and seasonal variability in the Kuroshio and adjacent regions derived from satellite-tracked drifter data

The muhiyear averaged surface current field and seasonal variability in the Kuroshio and adjacent regions are studied. The data used are trajectories and （1/4） ° latitude by （1/4） ° longitude mean currents derived from 323 Argos drifters deployed by Chinese institutions and world ocean circulation experiment from 1979 to 2003. The results show that the Kuroshio surface path adapts well to the western boundary topography and exhibits six great turnings. The branching occurs frequently near anticyclonic turnings rather than near cyclonic ones. In the Luzon Strait, the surface water intrusion into the South China Sea occurs only in fall and winter. The Kuroshio surface path east of Taiwan, China appears nearly as straight lines in summer, fall, and winter, when anticyclonic eddies coexist on its right side; while the path may cyclonically turning in spring when no eddy exists. The Kuroshio intrusion northeast of Taiwan often occurs in fall and winter, but not in summer. The running direction, width and velocity of the middle segment of the Kuroshio surface currents in the East China Sea vary seasonally. The northward intrusion of the Kuroshio surface water southwest of Kyushu occurs in spring and fall, but not in summer. The northmost position of the Kuroshio surface path southwest of Kyushu occurs in fall, but never goes beyond 31 °N. The northward surface current east of the Ryukyu Islands exists only along Okinawa-Amami Islands from spring to fall. In particular, it appears as an arm of an anti- cyclonic eddy in fall.     

Diagnostic calculation of the upper-layer circulation in the South China Sea during the winter of 1998

On the basis of hydrographic data obtained in November 28 to December 27, 1998 cruise, the calculation of the circulation in the South China Sea (SCS) is made by using the P-vector method, in combination with SSH data from TOPEX/ERS-2 analysis. For study of the dynamical mechanism, which causes the pattern of winter circulation in the SCS, the diagnostic model (Yuan et al., 1982; Yuan and Su, 1992) is used to simulate numerically the winter circulation in the SCS. The following results have been obtained. (1) The main characteristics of the circulation systems in the central SCS are as follows: A coastal southward jet in winter is present at the western boundary near the coast of Vietnam; there is a stronger cyclonic circulation with a larger horizontal scale east of this coastal southward jet and west of 114°E; there is a weaker anti-cyclonic circulation in the central part of eastern SCS; there is a stronger and northeastward flow opposing the northeasterly monsoon between above a stronger cyclonic c     

南极普里兹湾暖水涌升陆架过程及在陆架上的时空分布特征分析

Hydrographic observations collected by conductivity-temperature-depth(CTD) and instrumented elephant seals on the Prydz Bay continental shelf during 2012 and 2013 are used to characterize the intrusion of modified circumpolar deep water.As a regular occurrence,modified circumpolar deep water(MCDW) intrudes onto the shelf mainly between 150–300 m layer of 73°–75°E and then turns southeast affected by the cyclonic gyre of the Prydz Bay.The southernmost point of the warm water signal is captured on the east front of Amery Ice Shelf during March 2012.In terms of vertical distribution,MCDW occupies the central layer of 200 m with about 100 m thickness in the austral summer,but when to winter transition,the layer of MCDW deepens with time on the central shelf.     

Evidence for water exchange between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean through the Luzon Strait

An analysis of historical oxygen data provides evidence on the water exchange between theSouth China Sea (SCS) and the Pacific Ocean (PO). In the vicinity of the Luzon Strait (LS) , the dissolved oxygen concentration of sea water is found to be lower on the Pacific side than on the SCS side at depths between 700 and 1500 m (intermediate layer) , while the situation is reversed above 700 m (upper layer) and below 1 500 m (deep layer). The evidence suggests that water exits the SCS in the intermediate layer but enters it from the Pacific in both the upper and the deep layers, supporting the earlier speculation that the Luzon Strait transport has a sandwiched structure in the vertical. Within the SCS basin, the oxygen distribution indicates widespread vertical movement, including the upwelling in the intermediate layer and the downwelling in the deep layer.     

The calculation of the circulation in South China Sea by a diagnostic model

A high resolved two - dimensional linear global diagnostic model combining with the dynamical calculation is used to calculate ve- locity field in the South China Sea(SCS). The study of model results shows that eddy diffusion does not change basic structure of circulation in the SCS and does not change the direction of invasive water, but changes the value of transport considerably espe- cially in straits. The velocity field is not changed whether the wind stress is considered or not. This result shows the circulation is largely determined by a density field which well records most of the important contribution of the wind stress effect. Potential vor- ticity is calculated to testify the dynamics of the model results. The result shows that a good conservation of the nonlinear PV. This indicates most effects of the important nonlinear processes are well recorded in density and the nonlinear term is negligible so that the simplified model is reliable. The model results show the water exchanges between the SCS and open ocean or surrounding seas. Cold deep water invades through Luzon Strait and Warm shallow water is pushed out mainly through Karimata Straits. The model results also reveal the structure of the circulation in the SCS basin. In two circulations of upper and middle layers, a cyclon- ic one in the north and an anti-cyclonic one in the south, reflect the climatologic average of the circulation driven by monsoon. In the deep or bottom layer, these two circulations reflect the topography of the basin. Above the middle layer, invasive water enters westward in the north but the way of invasion of Kuroshio is not clear. Below the deep layer, a current goes down south near the east basin , and invasive water enters in the basin from the west Pacific.     

Numerical investigation of the South China Sea deep circulation

Based on a two-level nested model from the global ocean to the western Pacific and then to the South China Sea（SCS）, the high-resolution SCS deep circulation is numerically investigated. The SCS deep circulation shows a basin-scale cyclonic structure with a strong southward western boundary current in summer（July）, a northeastsouthwest through-flow pattern across the deep basin without a western boundary current in winter（January）,and a transitional pattern in spring and autumn. The sensitivity ...     

A review on the South China Sea western boundary current

The advances in understanding the South China Sea (SCS) western boundary current (SCSwbc) have been reviewed since the works of Dale (1956) and Wyrtki (1961) in the middle of the 20th century. The features of the pattern of SCSwbc and the oceanic phenomena associated with it are focused on. The current is driven mainly by monsoon over the SCS and partially by winds over the tropical Pacific governed by the island rule. The SCSwbc exhibits strong seasonal variation in its direction and patterns. In winter, the current is strong and flows southwestward along the South China shelf and slope from the east of Dongsha Islands to the northern central Vietnamese coast, then turns to the south along the central and southern Vietnamese coast, and finally partially exits the SCS through the Karimata Strait. In summer and early fall, the SCSwbc can be divided into three segments based on their characteristics. The southern segment is stable, flowing northward from the Karimata Strait up to about 11 N, where it separates from the coast forming an eastward offshore current. The separation of the current from Vietnamese coast induces some striking features, such as upwelling and cold sea-surface temperature. The middle segment off the central Vietnamese coast may have a bimodal behavior: northward coastal current and meandering current in early summer (June-July), and cyclonic gyre in later summer and early fall (August-September). The northern segment is featured by the summer SCS Warm Current on the South China shelf and a southwestward subsurface current along the continental slope.     

南海环流动力机制研究综述

南海的环流复杂,但通过近20 a来的研究工作,国内外学者对此已取得了不少的成果.本文就南海环流框架性的问题,综述了有关的文献,认为对南海上层海洋三方面的环流分量的驱动机制已有了初步的认识.这三方面分别是:(1)准季节性风场;(2)黑潮向南海的净输运;(3)黑潮向南海的涡度平流输送.但是对这些驱动的时空变化仍相当不清楚.三者皆增强了南海北部的海盆尺度气旋式环流,其强化的西南向西边界流靠近东沙群岛,建议称为“东沙海流”.没有水文证据显示黑潮水是以分支形式进入南海,其向南海的输运也不可能主要通过中尺度涡过程,具体机制有待研究.每年在南海生成的中尺度涡平均约有10个,风场与沿岸地形所生成的强风应力旋度可能是其主要的驱动机制.作为框架性的认识,也有三方面的工作进行得较少,即:(1)吕宋海峡的上层水交换;(2)南海的中尺度涡生成机制,虽然强风应力旋度及前述的第三种环流驱动机制也有中尺度涡伴生;(3)自吕宋海峡进入的深层水对南海上层海洋环流的影响.     

A numerical study of the South China Sea deep circulation and its relation to the Luzon Strait transport

A fine-resolution MOM code is used to study the South China Sea basin-scale circulationand its relation to the mass transport through the Luzon Strait. The model domain includes the South China Sea, part of the East China Sea, and part of the Philippine Sea so that the currents in the vicinity of the Luzon Strait are free to evolve. In addition, all channels between the South China Sea and the Indonesian seas are closed so that the focus is on the Luzon Strait transport. The model is driven by specified Philippine Sea currents and by surface heat and salt flux conditions. For simplicity, no wind-stress is applied at the surface.The simulated Luzon Strait transport and the South China Sea circulation feature a sandwich vertical structure from the surface to the bottom. The Philippine Sea water is simulated to enter the South China Sea at the surface and in the deep ocean and is carried to the southern basin by western boundary currents. At the intermediate depth, the net Luzon Strait transport is out of t     

Recent progress in studies of the South China Sea circulation

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.     

P矢量方法在南海夏季环流诊断计算中的应用

基于1998年6～7月南海调查航次的CTD资料,对南海环流采用最近发展的P矢量方法进行诊断计算.计算结果:黑潮向西入侵南海,然后做反气旋弯曲向东北方向流动,最终有通过巴士海峡流出南海的趋势.在南海北部存在一个气旋性环流,这个环流的强度和范围随深度增加而减小.该环流的冷中心位置随深度增加稍向南移.南海中部、越南以东海域存在一个明显的气旋涡和反气旋涡,尤其在200m及其以上水层均相当稳定,反气旋涡位于越南以东,其中心位置在11°53'N,111°50'E,气旋涡的中心位置在13°17'N,112°55'E,两者的尺度皆约为250km.吕宋岛西侧存在一个反气旋涡.在计算海区南部、巴拉望岛西南海域,100m以上层存在一个反气旋式涡.从各层流场分布均可以显示海流在西部强化的现象.     

Diagnostic calculation of the upper-layer circulation in the South China Sea during the winter of 1998

On the basis of hydrographic data obtained in November 28 to December 27, 1998 cruise, the calculation of the circulation in the South China Sea (SCS) is made by using the P-vector method, in combination with SSH data from TOPEX/ERS-2 analysis. For study of the dynamical mechanism, which causes the pattern of winter circulation in the SCS, the diagnostic model (Yuan et al., 1982; Yuan and Su, 1992) is used to simulate numerically the winter circulation in the SCS. The following results have been obtained.(1) The main characteristics of the circulation systems in the central SCS are as follows: A coastal southward jet in winter is present at the western boundary near the coast of Vietnam; there is a stronger cyclonic circulation with a larger horizontal scale east of this coastal southward jet and west of 114°E; there is a weaker anti-cyclonic circulation in the central part of eastern SCS; there is a stronger and northeastward flow opposing the northeasterly monsoon between above a stronger cyclonic circulation and a weaker anti-cyclonic circulation.(2) The circulation systems in the northern SCS are as follows: 1)There is a cyclonic circulation system northwest of Luzon, and it has three centers of the cold water; 2) There is an anti-cyclonic eddy. Its center is located near(20°N, 116°40' E); 3)There is a warm and anti-cyclonic circulation south of Hainan Island; 4) There is a northeastward flow, the South China Sea Warm Current, in winter off Guangdong coast in the northern SCS.(3) In the southem SCS there is an anti-cyclonic circulation, and also there is a smaller scale cold water and cyclonic eddy.(4) The above pattern of winter circulation in the SCS agrees qualitatively with the horizontal distribution of temperature at 200 m level.(5) The dynamical mechanism which produces the above basic pattern of winter circulation is because of the following two causes: 1) The joint effect of the baroclinity and relief (JEBAR) is an essential dynamical cause; 2) The interaction between the wind stress and bottom topographic (IBWT) under the strong northeasterly monsoon is the next important dynamical mechanism.(6) Comparing the hydrographic structure and the horizontal distribution of velocity with the SSH data from TOPEX/ERS-2 analysis in the SCS during December of 1998, it is found that they agree qualitatively.     

南海上层环流季节变化的诊断计算

通过一个全球的二维诊断模型,采用Levitus温盐资料和COADS风应力资料,并结合动力计算来研究南海上层环流的季节变化。计算结果与其它模式结果和观测结果非常相似。南海北部(南部)全年存在一气旋式(反气旋式)环流。在冬季气旋式环流几乎占据了整个南海,夏季则以反气旋式环流为主。泰国湾的环流在冬季(夏季)是气旋式的(反气旋的)。南海的西边界流有明显的季节变化,其在冬季从卡里马塔海峡流出南海,夏季部分西边界流从台湾海峡流出南海。越南离岸流在春季就开始出现,其位置比夏季的越南离岸流的位置偏北。     

南海的季节环流─TOPEX/POSEIDON卫星测高应用研究

应用1992～1996年的TOPEX/POSEIDON卫星高度计遥感资料,研究了冬、夏季风强盛期多年平均的南海上层环流结构。研究结果表明,南海上层流结构呈明显的季节变化,在很大程度上受该海区冬、夏交替的季风支配。冬季总环流呈气旋型,并发育有两个次海盆尺度气旋型环流;夏季总环流大致呈反气旋型、但在南海东部18°N以南海域未见明显流系发育。研究还表明,南海环流的西向强化趋势明显,无论冬、夏在中南半岛沿岸和巽他陆架外缘均存在急流,其流向冬、夏相反,是南海上层环流中最强劲的一支。鉴于该海流的动力特征与海洋动力学中定义的漂流不同,有相当大的地转成分,建议称为“南海季风急流(South China Sea MonsoonJet)”.冬季南下的季风急流在南海南部受巽他陆架阻挡折向东北,沿加里曼丹岛和巴拉望岛外海有较强东北向流发育。夏季北上的季风急流在海南岛东南分为两支:北支沿陆架北上,似为传统意义上的南海暖流;南支沿18°N向东横穿南海后折向东北;二者之间(陆架坡折附近)为弱流区。两分支在汕头外海汇合后,南海暖流流速增强。就多年平均而言,黑潮只在冬季侵入南海东北部,并在南海北部诱生一个次海盆尺度的气旋型环流,这时南海暖流只出现在汕头以东海域.夏季南海北部完全受东北向流控制,未见黑潮入侵迹象.用卫星跟踪海面漂流浮标观测进行的对比验证表明,以上遥感分析结果与海上观测一致。