Advances in research of the mid-deep South China Sea circulation

The South China Sea(SCS)is a large marginal sea connecting the Indian and Pacific oceans.Under the factors of monsoons,strait transport,and varied bathymetry,the SCS presents a three-layer structure and strong diapycnal mixing which is far greater than that in the open ocean.Theoretical analysis and observations reveal that internal tides,internal solitary waves,and strong winds are the sources of the strong mixing in the northern SCS.A major consequence of the strong mixing is an active mid-deep circulation system.This system promotes exchange of water between the SCS and adjacent oceans,and also regulates the upper layer of wind-driven circulation,making the 3 dimensional SCS circulation clearly different from that in other tropical and subtropical marginal seas.The mass transport capacity of the mid-deep circulation has a substantial impact on marine sedimentation,the biogeochemical cycle,and other processes in the SCS.This paper summarizes the recent advances in middeep sea circulation dynamics of the SCS,and discusses the opportunities and challenges in this area.

A Note on the South China Sea Shallow Interocean Circulation

The existing estimates of the volume transport from the Pacific Ocean to the South China Sea are summarized, showing an annual mean westward transport, with the Taiwan Strait outflow subtracted, of 3.5±2.0 Sv （1 Sv=-0^6 ma s^-1）. Results of a global ocean circulation model show an annual mean transport of 3.9 Sv from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean through the South China Sea. The boreal winter transport is larger and exhibits a South China Sea branch of the Pacific-to-Indian Ocean throughflow, which originates from the western Philippine Sea toward the Indonesian Seas through the South China Sea, as well as through the Karimata and Mindoro Straits. The southwestward current near the continental slope of the northern South China Sea is shown to be a combination of this branch and the interior circulation gyre. This winter branch can be confirmed by trajectories of satellite-tracked drifters, which clearly show a flow from the Luzon Strait to the Karimata Strait in winter. In summer, the flow in the Karimata Strait is reversed. Numerical model results indicate that the Pacific water can enter the South China Sea and exit toward the Sulu Sea, but no observational evidence is available. The roles of the throughiiow branch in the circulation, water properties and air-sea exchange of the South China Sea, and in enhancing and regulating the volume transport and reducing the heat transport of the Indonesian Throughflow, are discussed.

Features of eddy kinetic energy and variations of upper circulation in the South China Sea

The features of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) and the variations of upper circulation in theSouth China Sea (SCS) are discussed in this paper using geostrophic currents estimated from Maps of Sea Level Anomalies of the TOPEX/Poseidon altimetry data. A high EKE center is identified in the southeast of Vietnam coast with the highest energy level 1 400 cm2 ·s^(-2) in both summer and autumn. This high EKE center is caused by the instability of the current axis leaving the coast of Vietnam in summer and the transition of seasonal circulation patterns in autumn. There exists another high EKE region in the northeastern SCS, southwest to Taiwan Island in winter. This high EKE region is generated from the eddy activities caused by the Kuroshio intrusion and accumulates more than one third of the annual EKE, which confirms that the eddies are most active in winter. The transition of upper circulation patterns is also evidenced by the directions of the major axises of velocity variance ellipses between 10?and 14.5°N, which supports the model results reported before.

Sensitivity Study of the Seasonal Mean Circulation in the Northern South China Sea

A study of the circulation in the northern South China Sea （SCS） is carried out with the aid of a three-dimensional, high-resolution regional ocean model. One control and two sensitivity experiments are performed to qualitatively investigate the effects of surface wind forcing, Kuroshio intrusion, and bottom topographic influence on the circulation in the northern SCS. The model results show that a branch of the Kuroshio in the upper layer can intrude into the SCS and have direct influence on the circulation over the continental shelf break in the northern SCS. There are strong southward pressure gradients along a zonal belt largely seaward of the continental slope. The pressure gradients are opposite in the southern and northern parts of the Luzon Strait, indicating inflow and outflow through the strait, respectively. The sensitivity experiments suggest that the Kuroshio intrusion is responsible for generating the imposed pressure head along the shelf break and has no obvious seasonal variations. The lateral forcing through the Luzon Strait and Taiwan Strait can induce the southwestward slope current and the northeastward SCS Warm Current in the northern SCS. Without the lateral forcing, there is the continental slope. The wind forcing mainly causes the The wind-induced water pile-up results in the southward no high-pressure-gradient zonal belt seaward of seasonal variation of the circulation in the SCS. high pressure gradient along the northwestern boundary of the basin. Without the blocking of the plateau around Dongsha Islands, the intruded Kuroshio tends to extend northwest and the SCS branch of the Kuroshio becomes wider and stronger. The analyses presented here are qualitative in nature but should lead to a better understanding of the oceanic responses in the northern SCS to these external influence factors.

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 the South China Sea and is fed by a western boundary current flowing to the north at the base of the thermocline. Corresponding to the western boundary currents, the basin circulation of the South China Sea is cyclonic gyres at the surface and in the abyss but an anti-cyclonic gyre at the intermediate depth. The vorticity balance of the gyre circulation is between the vortex stretching and the meridional change of the planetary vorticity. Based on these facts, it is hypothesized that the Luzon Strait transports are determined by the diapycnal mixing inside the entire South China Sea. The South China Sea plays the role of a 'mixing mill' that mixes the surface and deep waters to return them to the Luzon Strait at the intermediate depth. The gyre structures are consistent with the Stommel and Arons theory (1960), which suggests that the mixing-induced circulation inside the South China Sea should be cyclonic gyres at the surface and at the bottom but an anti-cyclonic gyre at the intermediate depth. The simulated gyre circulation at the intermediate depth has been confirmed by the dynamic height calculation based on the Levitus hydrography data. The sandwich transports in the Luzon Strait are consistent with recent hydrographical observations.Model results suggest that the Kuroshio tends to form a loop current in the northeastern South China Sea. The simulated Kuroshio Loop Current is generated by the pressure head at the Pacific side of the Luzon Strait and is enhanced by the β-plane effects. The β - plane appears to be of paramount importance to the South China Sea circulation and to the Luzon Strait transports. Without the β-plane, theLuzon Strait transports would be greatly reduced and the South China Sea circulation would be complete-ly different.

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 general 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 develops 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 event in response to the peak Pacific El Nio 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.

Effect of Langmuir circulation on upper ocean mixing in the South China Sea

Effect of Langmuir circulation （LC） on upper ocean mixing is investigated by a two-way wave-current coupled model. The model is coupled of the ocean circulation model ROMS （regional ocean modeling system） to the surface wave model SWAN （simulating waves nearshore） via the model-coupling toolkit. The LC already certified its importance by many one-dimensional （1D） research and mechanism analysis work. This work focuses on inducing LC＇s effect in a three-dimensional （3-D） model and applying it to real field modeling. In ROMS, the Mellor-Yamada turbulence closure mixing scheme is modified by including LC＇s effect. The SWAN imports bathymetry, free surface and current information from the ROMS while exports signifi- cant wave parameters to the ROMS for Stokes wave computing every 6 s. This coupled model is applied to the South China Sea （SCS） during September 2008 cruise. The results show that LC increasing turbulence and deepening mixed layer depth （MLD） at order of O （10 m） in most of the areas, especially in the north part of SCS where most of our measurements operated. The coupled model further includes wave break- ing which will brings more energy into water. When LC works together with wave breaking, more energy is transferred into deep layer and accelerates the MLD deepening. In the north part of the SCS, their effects are more obvious. This is consistent with big wind event in the area of the Zhujiang River Delta. The shallow water depth as another reason makes them easy to influence the ocean mixing as well.

Intercomparison of three South China Sea circulation models

Three numerical oceanic circulation models: POM(Princeton ocean model), MICOM(Miami isopycnal coordinates ocean model) and GFDL model, which adopt sigma coordinate, isopycnal coordinate and depth coordinate respectively, are used in the South China Sea(SCS) circulation modeling. Model domain has the same topography, grid resolution, initial conditions and surface boundary conditions. The maximum ocean depth is set as 1 000 m. Grid resolution is 0.5o×0.5o.Initial conditions are supplied by climatological temperature and salinity data in January. Climatological wind stress, surface temperature and salinity are used as surface forcing. Lateral boundaries take enclosed boundary conditions artificially. Focusing on the common point of different ocean circulation models, the circulation pattern in winter and summer, sea surface height in the northern SCS, seasonal cycle of the mixed layer thickness in the southern SCS, barotropic stream function in winter are selected to carry out intercomparison. In winter, a strong cyclonic gyre occupies the whole SCS. In summer, a strong anticyclonic gyre occupies the southern SCS and a weak cyclonic gyre occupies the northern SCS. The thickness of the mixed layer shows bimodal features in the southern SCS. Sea surface height anomaly(SSHA) in the northern SCS has an eastward propagating feature, in agreement with the remote sensing observation. Barotropic stream functions indicate that the circulation of the upper ocean is mainly forced by inputting of wind stress curl under closed boundary conditions. In addition, three models also show distinct differences. The basin-scale circulation from MICOM is distinct. Output of POM has more mesoscale eddies than others. GFDL model seems good at simulating westward intensification.

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 velocity 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 especially 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 vorticity 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 cyclonic 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.

DETERMINATION OF ONSET DATE OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA SUMMER MONSOON IN 2006 USING LARGE-SCALE CIRCULATIONS

Since the South China Sea (SCS) summer monsoon (SCSSM) is pronouncedly featured by abruptly intensified southwesterly and obviously increased precipitation over the SCS,the lower-tropospheric winds and/or convection intensities are widely used to determine the SCSSM onset.The methods can be used successfully in most of the years but not in 2006.Due to the intrusion of Typhoon Chanchu(0601)that year,the usual method of determining SCSSM onset date by utilizing the SCS regional indices is less capable of pinpointing the real onset date.In order to solve the problem,larger-scale situations have to be taken into account.Zonal and meridional circulations would be better to determine the break-out date of SCSSM in 2006.The result indicates that its onset date is May 16.Moreover,similar onset dates for other years can be obtained using various methods,implying that large-scale zonal and meridional circulations can be used as an alternative method for determining the SCSSM onset date.

Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

In this study, we develop a variable-grid global ocean general circulation model （OGCM） with a fine grid （1/6）° covering the area from 20°S-50°N and from 99°-150°E, and use the model to investigate the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea （SCS）. The simulated results show four layer structures in vertical： the surface and subsurface circulation of the SCS are characterized by the monsoon driven circulation, with basin-scaled cyclonic gyre in winter and anti-cyclonic gyre in summer. The intermediate layer circulation is opposite to the upper layer, showing anti-cyclonic gyre in winter but cyclonic gyre in summer. The circulation in the deep layer is much weaker in spring and summer, with the maximum velocity speed below 0.6 cm/s. In fall and winter, the SCS deep layer circulation shows strong east boundary current along the west coast of Philippine with the velocity speed at 1.5 m/s, which flows southward in fall and northward in winter. The results have also revealed a fourlayer vertical structure of water exchange through the Luzon Strait. The dynamics of the intermediate and deep circulation are attributed to the monsoon driving and the Luzon Strait transport forcing.

Numerical study on the summer circulation of the upper South China Sea and its establishment

A coupled single-layer/two-layer model is employed to study the South China Sea (SCS) upper circulation and its response before and after the onset of summer monsoon. It is found that, in summer, due to the β effect and the first baroclinic mode of the wind-driven current, a northward western boundary jet current is formed along the Indo-China Peninsula coast, and it leaves the coast at about 13° N and diffuses towards northeast; next to the Indo-China Peninsula, a large anticyclonic gyre in the southern SCS and a cyclonic eddy to the north of this gyre are induced. There are two possible mechanisms for the generation of this anticyclonic gyre: first, it is induced by the summer wind stress curl; second, it is associated with the westward moving of two anticyclonic eddies, which are originally generated to the west of Palawan Island and over the Nansha Trough respectively, in winter. The cyclonic eddy north of this anti-cyclonic gyre may be induced by the summer wind stress curl or related to the southwestward moving of the cyclonic eddy/gyre induced by the Kuroshio branch in the northern SCS.

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/POSEIDON (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 there is no indication of Kuroshio intruding into the SCS in summer.

Advances in Studying Oceanic Circulation from Hydrographic Data with Applications in the South China Sea

Methods for studying oceanic circulation from hydrographic data are reviewed in the context of their applications in the South China Sea. These methods can be classified into three types according to their different dynamics as follows: (1) descriptive methods, (2) diagnostic methods without surface and bottom forcing, and (3) diagnostic methods with the above boundary forcing. The paper discusses the progress made in the above methods together with the advancement of study in the South China Sea circulation.

Model study of the upper circulation in the Sulu Sea and its relation to the South China Sea circulation

According to the satellite remote sensing monthly mean sea surface temperature data from 1998 to 2002, it is shown that, the Sulu Sea is dominated by a cold eddy both in summer and winter. A coupled single-layer/two-layer model is employed here to study the summery and wintry characteristics and dynamic mechanism of the upper circulation in the Sulu Sea. According to the numerical experiments, it is found that, due to the local monsoon stress curl, the upper circulation in the Sulu Sea is dominated by a weak anticyclonic eddy in summer and a strong cyclonic eddy in winter. Once there is a large outflow via the Sibutu Passage flowing out of the Sulu Sea in summer, the upper circulation in the Sulu Sea may be dominated by a cyclonic eddy instead of the normal anticyclonic one. Moreover, in summer, the water exchange between the Sulu Sea and South China Sea via the Mindoro and Balabac Straits might have some effect on the separation position and strength of the northward western boundary current next to the Indo-China Peninsula in the southern South China Sea.

The shallow meridional overturning circulation in the South China Sea and the related internal water movement

The structure of the annual-mean shallow meridional overturning circulation （SMOC） in the South China Sea （SCS） and the related water movement are investigated, using simple ocean data assimilation （SODA） outputs. The distinct clockwise SMOC is present above 400 m in the SCS on the climatologically annual-mean scale, which consists of downwelling in the northern SCS, a southward subsurface branch supplying upwelling at around 10°N and a northward surface flow, with a strength of about 1x 108 ma/s. The formation mechanisms of its branches are studied separately. The zonal component of the annual-mean wind stress is predominantly westward and causes northward Ekman transport above 50 m. The annual-mean Ekman transport across 18°N is about 1.2×106 m^3/s. An annual-mean subduction rate is calculated by estimating the net volume flux entering the thermocline from the mixed layer in a Lagrangian framework. An annual subduction rate of about 0.66×106 ma/s is obtained between 17° and 20°N, of which 87% is due to vertical pumping and 13% is due to lateral induction. The subduction rate implies that the subdution contributes significantly to the downwelling branch. The pathways of traced parcels released at the base of the February mixed layer show that after subduction water moves southward to as far as 1 I^N within the western boundary current before returning northward. The velocity field at the base of mixed layer and a meridional velocity section in winter also confirm that the southward flow in the subsurface layer is mainly by strong western boundary currents. Significant upwelling mainly occurs off the Vietnam coast in the southern SCS. An upper bound for the annual-mean net upwelfing rate between 10° and 15°N is 0.7×108 ma/s, of which a large portion is contributed by summer upwelling, with both the alongshore component of the southwest wind and its offshore increase causing great upwelling.

THREE-DIMENSIONAL BAROCLINIC NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA CIRCULATION'S SEASONAL CHARACTERISTICS II. MIDDLE AND DEEP CIRCULATION

A three-dimensional baroclinic shelf sea model’s numerical simulation of the South China Sea (SCS) middle and deep layer circulation structure showed that: 1. In the SCS middle and deep layer, a southward boundary current exists along the east shore of the Indo-China Peninsula all year long. A cyclonic eddy (gyre) is formed by the current in the above sea areas except in the middle layer in spring, when an anticyclonic eddy exists on the eastern side of the current. In the deep layer, a large-scale anticyclonic eddy often exists in the sea areas between the Zhongsha Islands and west shore of southern Luzon Island. 2. In the middle layer in summer and autumn, and in the deep layer in autumn and winter, there is an anticyclonic eddy (gyre) in the northeastern SCS, while in the middle layer in winter and spring, and in the deep layer in spring and summer, there is a cyclonic one. 3. In the middle layer, there is a weak northeastward current in the Nansha Trough in spring and summer, while in autumn and winter it evolves into an anticyclonic eddy (gyre), which then spreads westward to the whole western Nansha Islands sea areas.

Low-frequency variability of the shallow meridional overturning circulation in the South China Sea

The low-frequency variability of the shallow meridional overturning circulation（MOC） in the South China Sea（SCS） is investigated using a Simple Ocean Data Assimilation（SODA） product for the period of 1900-2010. A dynamical decomposition method is used in which the MOC is decomposed into the Ekman, external mode, and vertical shear components. Results show that all the three dynamical components contribute to the formation of the seasonal and annual mean shallow MOC in the SCS. The shallow MOC in the SCS consists of two cells： a clockwise cell in the south and an anticlockwise cell in the north; the former is controlled by the Ekman flow and the latter is dominated by the external barotropic flow, with the contribution of the vertical shear being to reduce the magnitude of both cells. In addition, the strength of the MOC in the south is found to have a falling trend over the past century, due mainly to a weakening of the Luzon Strait transport（LST） that reduces the transport of the external component. Further analysis suggests that the weakening of the LST is closely related to a weakening of the westerly wind anomalies over the equatorial Pacific, which leads to a southward shift of the North Equatorial Current（NEC） bifurcation and thus a stronger transport of the Kuroshio east of Luzon.

Vorticity Budget Study on the Seasonal Upper Circulation in the Northern South China Sea from Altimetry Data and a Numerical Model

Based on the EOF analyses of Absolute Dynamic Topography satellite data, it is found that, in summer, the northern South China Sea （SCS） is dominated by an anticyclonic gyre whilst by a cyclonic one in winter. A connected single-layer and two-layer model is employed here to investigate the dynamic mechanism of the circulation in the northern SCS. Numerical experi- ments show that the nonlinear term, the pressure torque and the planetary vorticity adveetion play important roles in the circulation of the northern SCS, whilst the contribution by seasonal wind stress curl is local and limited. Only a small part of the Kuroshio water intrudes into the SCS, it then induces a positive vorticity band extending southwestward from the west of the Luzon Strait （LS） and a negative vorticity band along the 200 m isobath of the northern basin. The positive vorticity field induced by the local summer wind stress curl is weaker than that induced in winter in the northern SCS. Besides the Kuroshio intrusion and monsoon, the water trans- ports via the Sunda Shelf and the Sibutu Passage are also important to the circulation in the northern SCS, and the induced vorticity field in summer is almost contrary to that in winter. The strength variations of these three key factors （Kuroshio, monsoon and the water transports via the Sunda Shelf and the Sibutu Passage） determine the seasonal variations of the vorticity and eddy fields in the northern SCS. As for the water exchange via the LS, the Kuroshio intrusion brings about a net inflow into the SCS, and the monsoon has a less effect, whilst the water transports via the Sunda Shelf and the Sibutu Passage are the most important influencing factors, thus, the water exchange of the SCS with the Pacific via the LS changes dramatically from an outflow of the SCS in summer to an inflow into the SCS in winter.

Influence of two inlets of the Luzon overflow on the deep circulation in the northern South China Sea

An inverse reduced-gravity model is used to simulate the deep South China Sea(SCS)circulation.A set of experiments are conducted using this model to study the influence of the Luzon overflow through the two inlets on the deep circulation in the northern SCS.Model results suggest that the relative contribution of these inlets largely depends on the magnitude of the input transport of the overflow,but the northern inlet is more efficient than the southern inlet in driving the deep circulation in the northern SCS.When all of the Luzon overflow occurs through the northern inlet the deep circulation in the northern SCS is enhanced.Conversely,when all of the Luzon overflow occurs through the southern inlet the circulation in the northern SCS is weakened.A Lagrangian trajectory model is also developed and applied to these cases.The Lagrangian results indicate that the location of the Luzon overflow likely has impacts upon the sediment transport into the northern SCS.