Submarine volcanism in the southern margin of the South China Sea

Submarine volcanism is widely developed in the South China Sea(SCS).However,the characteristics,distribution,and genesis of submarine volcanoes in the southern margin of the SCS remain obscure.In this study,we analyzed the characteristics of submarine volcanoes and identified a total of 43 submarine volcanoes in the southern margin of the SCS,based on a newly acquired 310-km seismic reflection profile,along with previous 45 multi-channel seismic(MCS)profiles,petrological results from volcanic rocks sampled by dredging and drilling,nearby ocean bottom seismometer(OBS)wide-angle seismic profiles,and gravity and magnetic data.The study ascertains that most of these volcanoes are located in fault-block belts and graben-horst zones with strong crustal stretching and thinning.These volcanoes exhibit positive high-amplitude external seismic reflections,weak and chaotic internal seismic reflections,and are accompanied by local deformation of the surrounding sedimentary strata.Meanwhile,they have higher positive gravity anomalies and higher magnetic anomalies than the background strata.The petrological dating results show that volcanic ages are primarily in the Pliocene-Pleistocene,with geochemical characteristics indicating dominance of oceanic island basalt(OIB)-type alkali-basalts.Extensional faults have obviously spatial correspondence with post-spreading volcanism,suggesting these faults may provide conduits for submarine volcanism.The high-velocity bodies(HVBs)in the lower crust and magma underplating exist in the southern SCS,which could provide a clue of genesis for submarine volcanism.The inference is that the intensity of post-spreading volcanism in the southern margin might be affected by stretching faults,crustal thinning and magma underplating.

Applicability evaluation of ERA5 wind and wave reanalysis data in the South China Sea

Wind and wave data are essential in climatological and engineering design applications.In this study,data from 15 buoys located throughout the South China Sea(SCS)were used to evaluate the ERA5 wind and wave data.Applicability assessment are beneficial for gaining insight into the reliability of the ERA5 data in the SCS.The bias range between the ERA5 and observed wind-speed data was-0.78-0.99 m/s.The result indicates that,while the ERA5 wind-speed data underestimation was dominate,the overestimation of such data existed as well.Additionally,the ERA5 data underestimated annual maximum wind-speed by up to 38%,with a correlation coefficient>0.87.The bias between the ERA5 and observed significant wave height(SWH)data varied from-0.24 to 0.28 m.And the ERA5 data showed positive SWH bias,which implied a general underestimation at all locations,except those in the Beibu Gulf and centralwestern SCS,where overestimation was observed.Under extreme conditions,annual maximum SWH in the ERA5 data was underestimated by up to 30%.The correlation coefficients between the ERA5 and observed SWH data at all locations were greater than 0.92,except in the central-western SCS(0.84).The bias between the ERA5 and observed mean wave period(MWP)data varied from-0.74 to 0.57 s.The ERA5 data showed negative MWP biases implying a general overestimation at all locations,except for B1(the Beibu Gulf)and B7(the northeastern SCS),where underestimation was observed.The correlation coefficient between the ERA5 and observed MWP data in the Beibu Gulf was the smallest(0.56),and those of other locations fluctuated within a narrow range from 0.82 to 0.90.The intercomparison indicates that during the analyzed time-span,the ERA5 data generally underestimated wind-speed and SWH,but overestimated MWP.Under non-extreme conditions,the ERA5 wind-speed and SWH data can be used with confidence in most regions of the SCS,except in the central-western SCS.

Validation of the multi-satellite merged sea surface salinity in the South China Sea

Sea surface salinity(SSS)is an essential variable of ocean dynamics and climate research.The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity(SMOS),Aquarius,and Soil Moisture Active Passive(SMAP)satellite missions all provide SSS measurements.The European Space Agency(ESA)Climate Change Initiative Sea Surface Salinity(CCI-SSS)project merged these three satellite SSS data to produce CCI L4SSS products.We validated the accuracy of the four satellite products(CCI,SMOS,Aquarius,and SMAP)using in-situ gridded data and Argo floats in the South China Sea(SCS).Compared with in-situ gridded data,it shows that the CCI achieved the best performance(RMSD:0.365)on monthly time scales.The RMSD of SMOS,Aquarius,and SMAP(SMOS:0.389;Aquarius:0.409;SMAP:0.391)are close,and the SMOS takes a slight advantage in contrast with Aquarius and SMAP.Large discrepancies can be found near the coastline and in the shelf seas.Meanwhile,CCI with lower RMSD(0.295)perform better than single satellite data(SMOS:0.517;SMAP:0.297)on weekly time scales compared with Argo floats.Overall,the merged CCI have the smallest RMSD among the four satellite products in the SCS on both weekly time scales and monthly time scales,which illustrates the improved accuracy of merged CCI compared with the individual satellite data.

A preliminary study on the acoustic properties of seafloor sediment in the southern U-boundary of the South China Sea

The acoustic properties of seafloor sediment are essential parameters in the exploration of marine resources,ocean scientific research and ocean engineering.Seafloor sediment samples were collected at the southern U-boundary of the South China Sea(SCS),and the acoustic and physical properties were measured in the laboratory.The correlation between physical and sound speed ratio(SSR)was discussed,and SSR-physical property empirical regressions in the Sunda Shelf were established for the first time.Compared with the northern continental shelf of SCS,the Sunda Shelf are mainly silty and sand sediment,and the SSR ranges from 0.9949 to 1.0944,which has higher SSR than the northern continental shelf,implies that the Sunda Shelf is a high SSR area.Since the same kind of sediment has different physical properties,the single physical parameter of sediment cannot fully represent the acoustic properties of sediment,therefore,the multiple parameter prediction model should develop in the future to improve the prediction precision.

Study of radioactive status in the Zhujiang Estuary and adjacent sea area in South China Sea (SCS)

Through the investigation on radioactive activities of water, sediment and some marine organismsin the Zhujiang Estuary, adjacent sea area and the distributary mouths of the Zhujiang River, activities of total α. radioactivity, total β radioactivity, artificial radioactive 90Srand 157Cs, and factors inflencing the distribution and the content of U in seawater are studied.The mainly radioactive pollution substances and their sources in the sea area are studied by γ spectra obtained from sediment in the sea area. The results show that the main radioactivity substances are natural radioactivity U,Th series and 40K. which were produced by the modern industry and transported into the sea through the main current of the Zhujiang River.

＂Institutionalization＂ as Weapons of the Weak： ASEAN Countries and the South China Sea Disputes

＂Institutionalization＂ can be understood as a process of norm and law setting to regulate and control individual attitudes. An institutionalized area could be more stable and ordered, then the relationships between the factors can be identified by the predicted signals. Institutions can help to provide a key form of such frameworks, through which all states, but especially the stronger states, can use rules and other normative expectations of conduct in the international relation. Weaker states, in return, gain limits on the action of the leading states and access to the political process, in which they can press their interests. This article analyzes the disputes in the South China Sea~, particularly between China and ASEAN countries to prove the argument. It is argued that ASEAN, in the situation of power asymmetry between dominant （power-holders） and dominated groups, has used ＂institution＂ and ＂institutionalization＂ as a countermeasure to constrain the powerful China in the two ways： （1） trying to lock-in China in a rule-based order, in order to restrict its power, and （2） by institutionalizing the way in which the disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved, ASEAN countries want to create a frameworks for setting rules of games, which are shaped by principles and norms instead of balance-of-power.

Mesoscale structure of the central South China Sea detected by SCSMEX Buoy and Argo float

We addressed the mesoscale structure variation of the central South China Sea （SCS） with the measurements by a long-lived Argo float and a high-resolution ATLAS buoy during 1998-2002. T-S diagram indicates cooling and freshening events in 2000 and 2001 with lower salinity （0.5-0.8） and lower temperature （1-1.7℃）. Significant decrease in the net heat flux and increase in the precipitation suggest that the cooling and freshening is due to extra forcing by the atmosphere. Additional to large year-to-year changes, intraseasonal variability is moderate in the research area. The axis of the maximum intraseasonal temperature and salinity signals are mainly located on the thermocline, Typically, amplitude and period of intraseasonal temperature is about 2℃ and 40-60 days, and that of salinity is 0.34）.5 and 35-60 days. Rapidly-changing winds, heat flux, and precipitation are critical in controlling the intraseasonal fluctuations of the mixed layer of the area. Studies on heat and freshwater balance in the mixed-layer further suggest that horizontal advection plays an important role in intraseasonal fluctuation in the upper ocean. In addition, the energetic mesoscale propagation radiated from the east boundary is linked to the intraseasonal variability in winter.

Spatial-temporal variability of submesoscale currents in the South China Sea

Spatial and seasonal variabilities of submesoscale currents in the northeastern South China Sea are investigated by employing a numerical simulation with a horizontal resolution of 1km. The results suggest that submesoscale currents are widespread in the surface mixed layer mainly due to the mixed layer instabilities and frontogenesis. In horizontal, submesoscale currents are generally more active in the north than those in the south, since that active eddies, especially cyclonic eddies, mainly occur in the northern area. Specifically, submesoscale currents are highly intensified in the east of Dongsha Island and south of Taiwan Island. In temporal sense, submesoscale currents are more active in winter than those in summer, since the mixed layer is thicker and more unstable in the winter. The parameterization developed by Fox-Kemper et al. is examined in terms of vertical velocity, and the results suggest that it could reproduce the vertical velocity if mixed layer instability dominates there. This study improves our understanding of the submesoscale dynamics in the South China Sea.

Microfossils, carbonate lysocline and compensation depth in surface sediments of the northeastern South China Sea

Based on the quantitative analyses of abundance of planktonic foraminifera, benthic foraminifera, calcareous nannofossils, the ratios of calcareous to siliceous microfossils, and the determination of carbonate contents in the surface sediments of the northeastern South China Sea, it has been found that the carbonate contents, the abundance of planktonic foraminifera and calcareous nannoplankton, and the ratio of calcareous microfossils decrease rapidly while the ratio of the benthic foraminifera to the total foraminiferal fauna, specific value of siliceous microfossils, and the percentage of the agglutinated tests in the benthic foraminiferal fauna increase with the water depth. The results indicate that the microfossils abundance and ratio, and the carbonate content are closely related to the carbonate lysocline and carbonate compensation depth (CCD) in the study area. In addition, the carbonate lysocline and the CCD are different between the southern and northern parts of the South China Sea. Both the lysocline and the CCD are deeper in the south with 2 600 and 3 600 m than in the north with 2 200 and 3 400 m, respectively.

Highly nonlinear internal solitary waves over the continental shelf of the northwestern South China Sea

Large amplitude internal solitary waves(ISWs) often exhibit highly nonlinear effects and may contribute significantly to mixing and energy transporting in the ocean.We observed highly nonlinear ISWs over the continental shelf of the northwestern South China Sea(19°35'N,112°E) in May 2005 during the Wenchang Internal Wave Experiment using in-situ time series data from an array of temperature and salinity sensors,and an acoustic Doppler current profiler(ADCP).We summarized the characteristics of the ISWs and compared them with those of existing internal wave theories.Particular attention has been paid to characterizing solitons in terms of the relationship between shape and amplitude-width.Comparison between theoretical prediction and observation results shows that the high nonlinearity of these waves is better represented by the second-order extended Korteweg-de Vries(KdV) theory than the first-order KdV model.These results indicate that the northwestern South China Sea(SCS) is rich in highly nonlinear ISWs that are an indispensable part of the energy budget of the internal waves in the northern South China Sea.

Geoacoustic Inversion for Bottom Parameters in the Deep-Water Area of the South China Sea

Bottom acoustic parameters play an important role in sound field prediction. Acoustic parameters in deep water are not well understood. Bottom acoustic parameters are sensitive to the transmission-loss （TL） data in the shadow zone of deep water. We propose a multiple-step fill inversion method to invert sound speed, density and attenuation in deep water. Based on a uniform liquid hMf-space bottom model, sound speed of the bottom is inverted by using the long range TL at low frequency obtained in an acoustic propagation experiment conducted in the South China Sea （SCS） in summer 2014. Meanwhile, bottom density is estimated combining with the Hamilton sediment empirical relationship. Attenuation coefficients at different frequencies are then estimated from the TL data in the shadow zones by using the known sound speed and density as a constraint condition. The nonlinear relationship between attenuation coefficient and frequency is given in the end. Tile inverted bottom parameters can be used to forecast the transmission loss in the deep water area of SCS very we//.

An isopycnic-coordinate internal tide model and its application to the South China Sea

A three-dimensional isopycnic-coordinate ocean model for the study of internal tides is presented. In this model, the ocean interior is viewed as a stack of isopycnic layers, each characterized by a constant density. The isopycnic coordinate performs well at tracking the depth variance of the thermocline, and is suitable for simulation of internal tides. This model consists of external and internal modes, and barotropic and baroclinic motions are calculated in the two modes, respectively. The capability of simulating internal tides was verified by comparing model results with an analytical solution. The model was then applied to the simulation of internal tides in the South China Sea （SCS） with the forcing of M2 and K1 tidal constituents. The results show that internal tides in the SCS are mainly generated in the Luzon Strait. The generated M2 internal tides propagate away in three different directions （branches）. The branch with the widest tidal beam propagates eastward into the Pacific Ocean, the most energetic branch propagates westward toward Dongsha Island, and the least energetic branch propagates southwestward into the basin of the SCS. The generated KI internal tides propagate in two different directions （branches）. One branch propagates eastward into the Pacific Ocean, and the other branch propagates southwestward into the SCS basin. The steepening process of internal tides due to shoaling effects is described briefly. Meridionally integrated westward energy fluxes into the SCS are comparable to the meridionally integrated eastward energy fluxes into the Pacific Ocean.

Pathways of mesoscale variability in the South China Sea

The propagation of oceanic mesoscale signals in the South China Sea(SCS) is mapped from satellite altimetric observations and an eddy-resolving global ocean model by using the maximum cross-correlation(MCC) method.Significant mesoscale signals propagate along two major bands of high variability.The northern band is located west of the Luzon Strait,characterized by southwestward eddy propagation.Although eddies are the most active in winter,their southwestward migrations,steered by bathymetry,occur throughout the year.Advection by the mean flow plays a secondary role in modulating the propagating speed.The southern eddy band lies in the southwest part of the SCS deep basin and is oriented in an approximately meridional direction.Mesoscale variability propagates southward along the band in autumn.This southward eddy pathway could not be explained by mean flow advection and is likely related to eddy detachments from the western boundary current due to nonlinear effects.Our mapping of eddy propagation velocities provides important information for further understanding eddy dynamics in the SCS.

Geochemical Characteristics of the Trace and Rare Earth Elements in Reef Carbonates from the Xisha Islands(South China Sea): Implications for Sediment Provenance and Paleoenvironment

Based on the concentrations of the trace elements,rare earth elements(REE),and Sr isotopic compositions in reef carbonates from the well‘Xike-1’reef core of the Xisha Islands,the constraints on sediment provenance and paleoenvironment were defined.Variations of the terrigenous input into the paleoseawater were traced in detail and the paleoenvironment and sediment provenance were further investigated.The results show that the HREE/LREE values in the reef carbonates are negatively associated with their Th and Al concentrations;however,their Al and Th concentrations show positive correlation.The lowest 87 Sr/86 Sr values in the reef carbonates generally coincide with the lowest values of Al,Th concentrations and the highest values of HREE/LREE.These data indicate that the HREE/LREE,Al concentrations,and Th concentrations of the reef carbonates are useful indexes for evaluating the influence of the terrigenous inputs on the seawater composition in the study area.From top to bottom,the changing process of the HREE/LREE values and Al,Th concentrations can be divided into 6 intervals;they are H1(0–89.30 m,about 0–0.11 Myr),L1(89.30–198.30 m,about 0.11–2.2 Myr),H2(198.30–374.95 m,about 2.2–5.3 Myr),D(374.95–758.40 m,about 5.3–13.6 Myr),L2(758.40–976.86 m,about 13.6–15.5 Myr),and H3(976.86–1200.00 m,about 15.5–21.5 Myr).Moreover,the changing trend of the HREE/LREE values coincides with that of the seawater δ^13C values recorded by benthonic foraminiferal skeletons from the drill core of ODP site 1148 in the South China Sea(SCS),but not with that of the seawaterδ18O values.The high uplifting rates of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau coincide with the high Th and Al concentrations and the low HREE/LREE values in the reef carbonates.These data indicate that the main factors controlling the changes of terrigenous flux in the SCS are the tectonic activities associated with Qinghai-Tibet Plateau uplifting and the variations of uplifting rates rather than paleoclimatic changes.

A new type of internal solitary waves with a re-appearance period of 23 h observed in the South China Sea

The South China Sea （SCS）, in particular the northern SCS, is one of ocean areas where energetic internal solitary waves （ISWs）occur most frequently （Cai et al., 2012; Zheng, 2017）. Based on the re-appearance period （RP） at an observation station, Ramp et al.（2004） divided the ISWs into two types：Type-a and Type-b. Type-a ISWs arrive regularly at the same time every day, i.e., the RP is about 24 h, and Type-b ISWs arrive about one hour late every day, i.e., the RP is about 25 h.

Combined effects of topography and bottom friction on shoaling internal solitary waves in the South China Sea

A numerical study to a generalized Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation is adopted to model the propagation and disintegration of large-amplitude internal solitary waves (ISWs) in the South China Sea (SCS). Based on theoretical analysis and in situ measurements, the drag coefficient of the Chezy friction is regarded as inversely proportional to the initial amplitude of an ISW, rather than a constant as assumed in the previous studies. Numerical simulations of ISWs propagating from a deep basin to a continental shelf are performed with the generalized KdV model. It is found that the depression waves are disintegrated into several solitons on the continental shelf due to the variable topography. It turns out that the amplitude of the leading ISW reaches a maximum at the shelf break, which is consistent with the field observation in the SCS.Moreover, a dimensionless parameter defining the relative importance of the variable topography and friction is presented.

Freshening of the intermediate water of the South China Sea between the 1960s and the 1980s

Variation in intermediate water salinity in the South China Sea (SCS) between the 1960s and 1980s was studied using historical hydrographic data. The results demonstrate that the water was significantly fresher in the 1980s than in the 1960s, indicating that vertical mixing at intermediate water depth was reduced in the 1980s. This was partially because of the change of the SCS meridional overturning circulation (MOC) connecting local intermediate water with deep water. Data assimilation showed a 0.5Sv (1 Sv=10 6m 3/s) reduction in the strength of the MOC, which is about one third of the mean SCS MOC. Because the SCS MOC is linked to the Pacific Ocean, such an interdecadal variation in the intermediate water SCS may reflect anthropogenic climate change in the world ocean.

Empirical ocean color algorithm for estimating particulate organic carbon in the South China Sea

We examined regional empirical equations for estimating the surface concentration of particulate organic carbon （POC） in the South China Sea. These algorithms are based on the direct relationships between POC and the blue-to-green band ratios of spectral remotely sensed reflectance, Rrs（λB）/Rrs（555）. The best error statistics among the considered formulas were produced using the power function POC （rag/ m3）=262.173 [Rrs（443）/Rrs（555）]^-0.940. This formula resulted in a small mean bias of approximately -2.52%, a normalized root mean square error of 31.1%, and a determination coefficient of 0.91. This regional empirical equation is different to the results of similar studies in other oceanic regions. Our validation results suggest that our regional empirical formula performs better than the global algorithm, in the South China Sea. The feasibility of this band ratio algorithm is primarily due to the relationship between POC and the green-to- blue ratio of the particle absorption coefficient. Colored dissolved organic matter can be an important source of noise in the band ratio formula. Finally, we applied the empirical algorithm to investigate POC changes in the southwest of Luzon Strait.

Nonlinear interactions among internal tidal waves in the northeastern South China Sea

We used a set of 75-day long ADCP data from the northeastern South China Sea(SCS) to investigate nonlinear interactions among freely propagating internal tidal waves.The kinetic energy spectra displayed significant peaks at some higher tidal frequencies,such as O1M2(O1+M2),and M4(M2 +M2),where O1 is the lunar diurnal internal tide,M2 is the lunar semidiurnal internal tide,and M4 is the first higher harmonic frequency of M2.These higher tidal harmonic frequency peaks,as well as the fundamental tidal harmonic peaks,show a σ-2.3 spectral falloff rate with frequency.In addition,we explored the possible generation mechanism of higher tidal harmonics.Analysis on the rotary and bicoherence spectra suggests that strong forced non-resonant interaction induced by nonlinear advections was the dominant physical mechanism that induced these higher tidal harmonics.Moreover,the energetic,freely propagating semidiurnal(M2) internal tidal wave played the most crucial role in these interactions.These results indicate that strong nonlinear forced non-resonant interactions among internal tides can be one of the processes responsible for the redistribution of energy in the internal wave spectrum.

Currents and mixing in the northern South China Sea

We investigated the vertical distribution of current velocity data of the entire water column at a site on the continental shelf of the northern South China Sea(SCS) from August 4 to September 6,2007,and found that the characteristics of barotropic and baroclinic tides are mainly diurnal.During the observation period,we also estimated the mixing before and after the passage of Typhoon Pabuk.We found that the internal-wave-scale dissipation rate,the turbulent dissipation rate,and the mixing rate in every water layer increased by about an order of magnitude after the typhoon passage.We analyzed a case of abrupt strong current and calculated the mixing rate before,during,and after the typhoon event.The results show that the internal-wave-scale dissipation rate and the mixing rate in every water layer increased by about two orders of magnitude during the event,while the turbulent dissipation rate increased by about an order of magnitude.Passage of the abrupt strong current could also have increased the mixing rate of affected seawater by more than an order of magnitude.However,the passage of the typhoon differed in that there was an increase in mixing only in the lower layer where the abrupt strong current was particularly strong.The variation of the mixing rate may help us to understand the effects of typhoons and abrupt strong currents on the mixing of seawater.