The spatiotemporal features of submesoscale processes in the northeastern South China Sea

The spatiotemporal features of submesoscale processes （SMPs） in the northeastern South China Sea （SCS） are analyzed based on a high-resolution simulation from 2009 to 2012. The simulation results show that the SMPs with a vertical relative vorticity that matches the local planetary vorticity are ubiquitous in the upper ocean of the northeastern SCS. The SMPs distribution shows an asymmetry due to centrifugal instability, with stronger positive vorticity than negative vorticity. Meanwhile, the SMPs demonstrate an obvious seasonal variation. The SMPs are strong and active in winter but weak and inactive in summer. An investigation of the SMPs generation mechanisms reveals that flow straining and mixed layer depth account for this seasonal variation. The strong flow straining and deep mixed layer depth in winter favor the SMP generation via frontogenesis and mixed layer instability.

Progress in research of submesoscale processes in the South China Sea

This paper overviews research progress in observation, theoretical analysis and numerical modeling of submesoscale dynamic processes in the South China Sea(SCS) particularly during recent five years. The submesoscale processes are defined according to both spatial and dynamic scales, and divided into four subcategories as submesoscale waves, submesoscale vortexes, submesoscale shelf processes, and submesoscale turbulence. The major new findings are as follows.(1) Systematic mooring observations provide new insights into the solitary waves(ISWs) and the typhoon-forced near-inertial waves(NIWs), of which a new type of ISWs with period of 23 h was observed in the northern SCS(NSCS), and the influences of background vorticity, summer monsoon onset, and deep meridional overturning circulation on the NIWs, as well as nonlinear wave-wave interaction between the NIWs and internal tides, are better understood. On the other hand, satellite altimeter sea surface height data are used to reveal the internal tide radiation patterns and provide solid evidence for that the ISWs in the northeastern SCS originate from the Luzon Strait.(2) Submesoscale offshore jets and associated vortex trains off the Vietnam coast in the western boundary of the SCS were observed from satellite chlorophyll concentration images. Spiral trains with the horizontal scale of 15–30 km and the spacing of 50–80 km were identified.(3) 3-D vertical circulation in the upwelling region east of Hainan Island was theoretically analyzed. The results show that distribution patterns of all the dynamic terms are featured by wave-like structures with horizontal wavelength scale of 20–40 km.(4) Numerical models have been used for the research of submesoscale turbulence. Submesoscale vertical pump of an anticyclonic eddy and the spatiotemporal features of submesoscale processes in the northeastern SCS are well modeled.

Spatiotemporal variability of physical-biogeochemical processes and intrinsic correlations in the semi-enclosed South Yellow Sea

Investigating the spatiotemporal variability of biogeochemical processes and ecological responses under multiple physical controls in shelf seas is of great importance for obtaining an in-depth understanding of marine ecosystem.Based on a compiled data set of historical observations and remote sensing data,the spatiotemporal variability and heterogeneity of physical-biogeochemical processes in the semi-enclosed South Yellow Sea(SYS)are investigated,and the intrinsic connectivity among different subregions and the associated mechanisms are examined.The results show that the seasonal alternation between southward transport in cold seasons and upwelling-induced vertical delivery in warm seasons is the primary physical control of the biogeochemical processes and primary production off Shidao and in the area adjacent to the Haizhou Bay.The northeastward expansion of coastal waters in the Subei Shoal constitutes an important physical driver for the offshore transport of Ulva prolifera in summer.Stratification significantly affects the biogeochemical processes in the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM)-dominated area during warm seasons,and nutrients can accumulate in bottom waters from spring to autumn,making the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass(YSCWM)be an important nutrient pool.Upwelling around the YSCWM boundary in the stratified season leads to consistency among the high chlorophyll a(Chl a)area,high primary productivity region and low-temperature upwelling zone.During cold seasons,the interactions of the southward cold waters in the western nearshore area and the northward warm waters in the central region lead to an“S”-shaped front in the SYS.In summer,upwelling can extract nutrients from the YSCWM;thus,the biogeochemical-ecological processes inside the cold-water mass and in the frontal zone are well connected via upwelling,and three typical physical-biogeochemical coupling regions are generated,namely,the Shidao coast,the area beyond the Haizhou Bay and the area off the Subei Shoal.This work refines and integrates studies on regional oceanography in the SYS and provides a comprehensive and systematic framework of physical-biogeochemical-ecological processes.

Simulation of the Accumulation Process of Biogenic Gas Hydrates in the Shenhu Area of Northern South China Sea

Previous work has largely discussed the relations between sediment structures and accumulation of gas hydrates in the Shenhu area of South China Sea, but has not documented why the gas hydrates occurred at the seafloor topographic highs. Many gas hydrate exploration examples abroad also indicate that the saturation of gas hydrates was higher at seafloor topographic highs. This work aims to understand why gas hydrates accumulated at topographic highs and why their saturation is higher.

CMIP 6 models simulation of the connection between North/South Pacific Meridional Mode and ENSO

The subtropical North and South Pacific Meridional Modes(NPMM and SPMM)are well known precursors of El Niño-Southern Oscillation(ENSO).However,relationship between them is not constant.In the early 1980,the relationship experienced an interdecadal transition.Changes in this connection can be attributed mainly to the phase change of the Pacific decadal oscillation(PDO).During the positive phase of PDO,a shallower thermocline in the central Pacific is responsible for the stronger trade wind charging(TWC)mechanism,which leads to a stronger equatorial subsurface temperature evolution.This dynamic process strengthens the connection between NPMM and ENSO.Associated with the negative phase of PDO,a shallower thermocline over southeastern Pacific allows an enhanced wind-evaporation-SST(WES)feedback,strengthening the connection between SPMM and ENSO.Using 35 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6(CMIP6)models,we examined the NPMM/SPMM performance and its connection with ENSO in the historical runs.The great majority of CMIP6 models can reproduce the pattern of NPMM and SPMM well,but they reveal discrepant ENSO and NPMM/SPMM relationship.The intermodal uncertainty for the connection of NPMM-ENSO is due to different TWC mechanism.A stronger TWC mechanism will enhance NPMM forcing.For SPMM,few models can simulate a good relationship with ENSO.The intermodel spread in the relationship of SPMM and ENSO owing to SST bias in the southeastern Pacific,as WES feedback is stronger when the southeastern Pacific is warmer.

Petrology and geochemistry of South Mid-Atlantic Ridge(19°S) lava flows:Implications for magmatic processes and possible plume-ridge interactions

The South Mid-Atlantic Ridge(SMAR)19°S segment,approximately located along the line of Saint Helena volcanic chain(created by Saint Helena mantle plume),is an ideal place to investigate the issue whether the ridgehotpot interaction process affected the whole MAR.In this study,we present major and trace elemental compositions and Sr-Nd-Pb isotopic ratios of twenty fresh lava samples concentrated in a relatively small area in the SMAR 19°S segment.Major oxides compositions show that all samples are tholeiite.Low contents of compatible trace elements(e.g.,Ni=239-594 ppm and Cr=456-1010 ppm)and low Fe/Mn(54-67)and Ce/Yb(0.65-1.5)ratios of these lavas show that their parental magmas are partially melted by a spinel lherzolite mantle source.Using software PRIMELT3,this study obtained mantle potential temperatures(Tp)beneath the segment of1321-1348℃,which is lower relative to those ridges influenced by mantle plumes.The asthenospheric mantle beneath the SMAR 19°S segment starts melting at a depth of^63 km and ceases melting at^43 km with a final melting temperature of^1265℃.The extent of partial melting is up to 16%-17.6%with an average adiabatic decompression value of 2.6%/kbar.The correlations of major oxides(CaO/Al2 O3)and trace elements(Cr,Co,V)with MgO and Zr show that the parental magma experienced olivine and plagioclase fractional crystallization during its ascent to the surface.87Sr/86Sr(0.702398-0.702996),143 Nd/144 Nd(0.513017-0.513177)and 206Pb/204Pb(18.444-19.477)ratios of these lavas indicate the mantle source beneath the SMAR 19°S segment is composed of a three-component mixture of depleted MORB mantle,PREMA mantle,and HIMU mantle materials.The simple,binary mixing results among components from plume-free SMAR MORB,Saint Helena plume and Tristan plume show that asthenospheric mantle beneath the SMAR 19°S segment may be polluted by both Saint Helena and Tristan plume enriched materials.The abovementioned mantle potential temperatures,together with the low Saint Helena(<10%)and Tristan(<5%)components remaining in the asthenospheric mantle at present,show that the physically ridge-hotspot interactions at SMAR 19°S segment may have ceased.However,the trace element and SrNd-Pb isotopically binary mixing calculation results imply that these lavas tapped some enriched pockets left when Saint Helena and/or Tristan plume were once on the SMAR during earlier Atlantic rifted history.

Structural Variability and Rifting Process of the Segmented Cenozoic Pearl River Mouth Basin,Northern Continental Margin of the South China Sea

The Pearl River Mouth Basin(PRMB)is an important area for studying the evolution of continental marginal basins in the northern South China Sea(SCS),but the structural variability and spatiotemporal rifting process remains poorly understood.This study investigates the differential structural features of the eastern,middle and western PRMB,as well as the extensional deformation laws in operation during the rifting stage,according to an integrated analysis of geometric characteristics and kinematic parameters,i.e.,horizontal displacement and stretching factors of basin and crust.The PRMB underwent at least three phases of intense extension,which varied in time and space.(1)During the middle Eocene,most sags in the PRMB were intensely stretched and high-angle planar to listric boundary faults controlled the wedge-shaped stratigraphic geometry.(2)During the late Eocene-to-early Oligocene,the stratigraphic geometry of the sags was slightly wedge-shaped and continuously controlled by boundary faults,however,the extensional strength decreased relatively in the Northern depression zone,but increased in the Southern depression zone.(3)During the late Oligocene,the extension was extremely weak in the northeast PRMB,but relatively strong in the southwest PRMB,leading to tabular stratigraphic geometry in the northeast PRMB,but localized slightly wedge-shaped stratigraphic geometry in the southwest.The southwest PRMB still underwent relatively strong extension during the early Miocene.The southwest PRMB that was induced by a small-scale localized mantle convection system constantly rifted during the late Oligocene,controlled by the weak lithosphere,westward(southwestward)diachronous opening and southward jump of the ocean ridge.The applied quantitative parameters and spatiotemporal rifting process may be used as a reference with which to study the segmented continental margin rifts.

The Mesozoic Welding Process between South and North Dabie Blocks：An Evidence from Pb Isotopes of Yanshanian Granites

The Pb isotope compositions of K-feldspar in granites is paid more and more geologists'attention,due to their importance of tracer.It is a fact that South Dabie Block(SDB)and North Dabie Block(NDB)had exited since Indosinian epoch(Wang et al.,1992;Cong et al,1994;Zhai et al.,1995;Chen et al.1995;Zhang et al,1996,Wang et al,1997).However,the welding process between SDB

The characteristic differences of tropical cyclones forming over the western North Pacific and the South China Sea

The best track dataset of tropical cyclones in the western North Pacific （WNP） and the South China Sea （SCS） from 1977 to 2005 during the satellite era, the NCEP/NCAR reanalysis dataset and the extended reconstructed sea surface temperature dataset are employed in this study. The main climatological characteristics of tropical cyclone formation over the WNP and the SCS are compared. It is found that there is obviously different for the locations of tropical cyclone origins, achieving the lowest central pressure and termination points between over the WNP and over the SCS. The annual number of tropical cyclones forming over the SCS is obviously less than over the WNP, and there is a significant negative correlation with the correlation coefficient being - 0.36 at the 5% significance level between over the WNP and over the SCS. The mean speed of tropical cyclone moving is 6.5 m/s over the WNP and 4.6 m/s over the SCS. The mean lowest central pressure of tropical cyclones is obviously weaker over the SCS than over the WNP. The tropical cyclone days per year, mean total distance and total displacement of tropical cyclone traveled over the WNP are all obviously longer than those over the SCS. Tropical cyclone may intensify to Saffir - Simpson hurricane scale 5 over the WNP, but no tropical cyclone can intensify to Saffir - Simpson hurricane scale 3 over the SCS. The changing ranges of the radii （R15,R16） of the 15.4 m/s winds them and the 25.7 m/s winds over the WNP are obviously wider than those over the SCS, and the median values of the radii over the WNP are also larger than those over the SCS. For the same intensity of tropical cyclones, both radii have larger medians over the WNP than over the SCS. The correlations of annual mean tropical cyclone size parameters between over the WNP and over the SCS are not significant. At the same time, the asymmetric radii of tropical cyclones over the WNP are different from those over the SCS.

Impact of the eastern water diversion from the south to the north project on the saltwater intrusion in the Changjiang Estuary in China

The south to the north project (WDP) on the saltwater intrusion in the Changjiang Estuary is studied by the improved three-dimensionai (3D) numerical model.The net unit width flux in the Changjiang Estuary as well as the sectional salt flux is calculated in the North Branch (NB),the South Branch (SB),the North Channel (NC),the South Channel (SC),the North Passage (NP) and the South Passage (SP),respectively.The net seaward water flux in the SB is reduced,and the net water flux spilling over from the NB to the SB is enhanced after the eastern WDP.Under the mean river discharge condition in the dry season,the net salt flux spilling over from the NB to the SB is increased by 2.09 t/s and 0.52 t/s during the spring and neap tides,respectively,due to the eastern WDP.The saltwater intrusion in the Changjiang Estuary is enhanced by the eastern WDP.Compared with that during the spring tide,the net water diversion ratio during the neap tide in the NC is smaller,and thus the enhancement of the saltwater intrusion by the eastern WDP is smaller in the NC,and larger in the NP and the SP.The tidally averaged surface salinity at the water intakes of the Dongfengxisha Reservoir,the Chenhang Reservoir and the Qingcaosha Reservoir rises both during the spring and neap tides.

DEFINITING AND ITS GEOLOGIC MEANING OF SOUTH-NORTH TREND FAULTED STRUCTURE BELT IN QIANGTANG BASIN, NORTH PART OF TIBET

There were more expounding to north—west (west) trend fault and north\|east trend fault within Qiangtang Basin, North Part of Tibet, in the past literature. With increasing of geophysical exploration data, nearly east\|west trend structure began to be taken note to. Since the year of 1995, by a synthetic study to geophysical and geological data, that south\|north trend faulted structures are well developed. These structures should be paid much more attention to, because they have important theoretical meaning and practical significance.1 Spreading of south\|north faulted structure belt According to different geological and geophysical data, the six larger scale nearly south\|north faulted structure belt could be distinguished within the scope of east longitude 84°～96° and near Qiangtang Basin. The actual location of the six belts are nearly located in the west of the six meridian of east longitude 85°,87°,89°,91°,93°,95° or located near these meridian. The six south\|north faulted structure belts spread in the same interval with near 2° longitude interval. The more clear and much more significance of south\|north trend faulted structure belts are the two S—N trend faulted structure belts of east longitude 87° and 89°. There are S—N trend faulted structure belts in the west of east longitude 83°,81°, or near the longitudes. The structure belts spreading features,manifestation,geological function and its importance, and inter texture and structure are not exactly so same. The structure belts all different degree caused different region of geological structure or gravity field and magnetic field. There is different scale near S—N trend faulted structure belt between the belts.

Mass movements in small canyons in the northeast of Baiyun deepwater area, north of the South China Sea

The process of mass movements and their consequent turbidity currents in large submarine canyons has been widely reported, however, little attention was paid to that in small canyons. In this paper, we document mass movements in small submarine canyons in the northeast of Baiyun deepwater area, north of the South China Sea （SCS）, and their strong effects on the evolution of the canyons based on geophysical data. Submarine canyons in the study area arrange closely below the shelf break zone which was at the depth of -500 m. Within submarine canyons, seabed surface was covered with amounts of failure scars resulted from past small-sized landslides. A complex process of mass transportation in the canyons is indicated by three directions of mass movements. Recent mass movement deposits in the canyons exhibit translucent reflections or parallel reflections which represent the brittle deformation and the plastic deformation, respectively. The area of most landslides in the canyons is less than 3 km2. The trigger mechanisms for mass movements in the study area are gravitational overloading, slope angle and weak properties of soil. Geophysical data indicate that the genesis of submarine canyons is the erosion of mass movements and consequent turbidity currents. The significant effects of mass movements on canyon are incision and sediment transportation at the erosion phases and fillings supply at the fill phases. This research will be helpful for the geological risk assessments and understanding the sediment transportation in the northern margin of the SCS.

Characteristics of Pegmatite-Related Fluids and Significance to Ore-Forming Processes in the Zhaxikang Pb-Zn-Sb Polymetallic Deposit,Tibet,China

The Zhaxikang Pb-Zn-Sb polymetallic deposit is one of the most important deposits in the newly recognized southern Tibet antimony-gold metallogenic belt.Compared to the porphyry deposits in the Gangdese belt,much less researches have addressed these deposits,and the genesis of the Zhaxikang deposit is still controversial.Based on field investigation,petrographic,microthermometric,Laser Raman Microprobe（LRM） and SEM/EDS analyses of fluid,melt-fluid,melt and solid inclusions in quartz and beryl from pegmatite,this paper documents the characteristics and the evolution of primary magmatic fluid which was genetically related to greisenization,pegmatitization,and silification in the area.The results show that the primary magmatic fluids were derived from unmixing between melt and fluid and underwent a phase separation process soon after the exsolution.The primary magmatic fluids are of low salinity,high temperature,and can be approximated by the H_2O-NaCl-CO_2 system.The presence of Mn-Fe carbonate in melt-fluid inclusions and a Zn-bearing mineral（gahnite） trapped in beryl and in inclusions from pegmatite indicates high Mn,Fe,and Zn concentrations in the parent magma and magmatic fluids,and implies a genetic link between pegmatite and Pb-Zn-Sb mineralization.High B and F concentrations in the parent magma largely lower the solidus of the magma and lead to late fluid exsolution,thus the primary magmatic fluids related to pegmatite have much lower temperature than those in most porphyry systems.Boiling of the primary magmatic fluids leads to high-salinity and high-temperature fluids which have high capacity to transport Pb,Zn and Sb.The decrease in temperature and mixing with fluids from other sources may have caused the precipitation of Pb-Zn-Sn（Au） minerals in the distal fault systems surrounding the causative intrusion.

Effects of South China Sea/western North Pacific summer monsoon on tropospheric biennial oscillation （TBO）

Several theories have been developed to explain tropical biennial oscillation （TBO）, as an air-sea interactive system to impact Asian and global weather and climate, and some models have been established to produce a TBO. A simple 5-box model, with almost all the key processes associated with TBO, can produce a TBO by including airsea interactions in the monsoon regions. Despite that, the South China Sea/western North Pacific summer monsoon （SCS/WNPSM）, a very important monsoon subsystem, is neglected. In this paper, based on the dynamical framework of 5-box model, the term of SCS/WNPSM has been added and a 6-box model has been developed. Comparing the difference of TBO sensibilities with several key parameters, air-sea coupling coefficient α, SST-thermocline feedback coefficient γand wind-evaporation feedback coefficient λ, between the modified model and original model, TBO is more sensible to the parameters in the new model. The results imply that the eastern Pacific and local wind-evaporation play more important roles in the TBO when including SCS /WNPSM.

Warm water wake off northeast Vietnam in the South China Sea

Due to orographic blockage, a weak wind wake occurs in summer off northeast Vietnam in the South China Sea. Under the wind wake, warm water is observed from both high-resolution satellite data and hydrographic observations. The wake of warm water forms in June, continues to mature in July and August, starts to decay in September, and disappears in October. The warm water wake also shows robust diurnal variation – it intensifies during the day and weakens in the night. Warm water wakes can be generated through wind-induced mixing and thermal（latent heat flux） processes. In this paper, a mixed layer model is used to evaluate the relative importance of the two processes on seasonal and diurnal timescales, respectively. The results demonstrate that thermal processes make a greater contribution to the wake than wind-induced mixing processes on a seasonal timescale, while the warm water wake is dominated by wind-induced mixing processes on a diurnal timescale.

The destiny of the North Pacific Intermediate Water in the South China Sea

The previous studies show that the spreading path of the subtropical salinity minimum of the North Pacific Intermediate Water （NPIW） is southwestward pointing to the Luzon Strait. Based on the P -vector method and generalized digital environmental model （GDEM） data, the volume transport of NPIW through Luzon Strait and the upward transport on the NPIW lower and upper boundaries are calculated to examine the destiny of NPIW in the South China Sea （SCS）. On the annual mean, the estimation of NPIW transport into the SCS through the Luzon Strait is 1.72 Sv （1Sv=10 6 m 3 /s）. The upward transport over the SCS is 0.31 Sv on the NPIW upper boundary and 1.31 Sv on the NPIW lower boundary. There is no strait or passage deeper than the surface for the NPIW to extend, except for the Luzon Strait. For the volume balance in the SCS NPIW, the volume transport of 2.72 Sv has to flow out of the SCS NPIW layer through the Luzon Strait.

COMPOSITE ANALYSIS OF SUMMER MONSOON ONSET PROCESS OVER SOUTH CHINA SEA

Based on the method of composite analysis, the onset process and preceding signs of summer monsoon over the South China Sea (SCS) is investigated. The result indicates that convection activities appear first over the Indo-China Peninsula prior to the onset of the monsoon, then around the Philippines just at the point of onset, implying that the convection activities around the Philippines serve as one of the reasons leading to the SCS monsoon onset. Before the SCS monsoon onset, the equatorial westerly over the Indian Ocean (75(E ～ 95(E ) experiences noticeable enhancement and plays an important role on the SCS monsoon onset. It propagates eastward rapidly and causes the establishment and strengthening of equatorial westerly in the southern SCS, on the one hand, it results in the migration southward of the westerly on south side of the south-China stationary front by means of shift northeastward of the westerly and convection over the Bay of Bengal, on the other. Further study also shows that the intensification of equatorial westerly in the Indian Ocean (75(E ～ 95(E) and the southern SCS is closely related to the reinforcement of the Southern-Hemisphere Mascarene high and Australian high, and cross-equatorial flow northward around Somali, at 85(E and 105(E, respectively.

Eddies in the Northwest Subtropical Pacific and Their Possible Effects on the South China Sea

Based on an analysis of drifter data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment during 1979-1998, the sizes of the eddies in the North subtropical Pacific are determined from the radii of curvature of the drifter paths calculated by using a non-linear curve fitting method. To support the drifter data results, Sea Surface Height from the TOPEX/POSEIDON and ERS2 satellite data are analyzed in connection with the drifter paths. It is found that the eddies in the North Pacific (18°-23°N and 125°-150°E) move westward at an average speed of approximately 0.098 ms-1 and their average radius is 176 km,with radii ranging from 98 km to 298 km. During the nineteen-year period, only 4 out of approximately 200 drifters (2%)actually entered the South China Sea from the area adjacent to the Luzon Strait (18°-22°N and 121°-125°E) in the winter. It is also found that eddies from the interior of the North Pacific are unlikely to enter the South China Sea through the Luzon Strait.

Geochemical variation of volcanic rocks from the South China Sea and neighboring land: Implication for magmatic process and mantle structure

Geochemical study of Kon Tum（KT） plateau, Sanshui（SS） basin and Daimao（DM） seamount volcanic rocks provides new insight into magmatic processes and characteristics of the mantle source beneath the South China Sea（SCS） basin and its surroundings. Geological signature of basaltic lavas from KT, SS and DM indicate rather than a deep-rooted plume derived from the core-mantle boundary, a shallower mantle domain, such as subcontinental lithosphere mantle or asthenospheric mantle, is more likely to be the mantle source region beneath the SCS basin and its adjacent areas. The mantle source beneath the SCS basin has been shown to be more depleted relative to the source regions of the SS basin and the KT plateau, indicating that the magmatism in the SS basin has been interrupted due to the SCS spreading and then recovered in the KT plateau area. The mantle heterogeneity has been sampled and an enriched component that is geochemically comparable to EM2 endmember has been identified in the mantle source region of the SCS basin and its surroundings. This EM2 component was formed by the recycling of Mesozoic subducted proto-SCS slab along with terrigenous sediments.

Associations between the Western North Pacific Monsoon and the South China Sea Monsoon

Based on the interannual variability of convection over the tropical western North Pacific (WNP), a region of 130°—160°E, 10°—20°N, a composite analysis is performed on the fields of surface temperature, outgoing longwave radiation and 850 hPa zonal wind. The composite results show that the weaker (stronger) WNP convection is related to the El Nino (La Nina)—pattern sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies in the preceding winter and in spring. A comparison with previous results indicates that a similar spatial and temporal distribution of SST anomalies is also associated with the onsets of both the WNP and South China Sea (SCS) monsoons. The composite results also show that the weaker (stronger) convection over the WNP corresponds to the easterly (westerly) anomalies that extend westward from the WNP into the Bay of Bengal. A numerical experiment by an atmospheric general circulation model shows a similar result. In addition, during weaker (stronger) convection summer, the convection over the WNP and lower-level zonal winds over the SCS exhibit a small (large) extent of seasonal evolution.