Impact of the South China Sea Throughflow on the Pacific Low-Latitude Western Boundary Current:A Numerical Study for Seasonal and Interannual Time Scales

Prior studies have revealed that,as a part of the Pacific tropical gyre,the South China Sea throughflow（SCSTF） is strongly influenced by the Pacific low-latitude western boundary current（LLWBC）.In this study,ocean general circulation model（OGCM） experiments with and without connection to the South China Sea（SCS） were performed to investigate the impact of the SCSTF on the Pacific LLWBC.These model experiments show that if the SCS is blocked,seasonal variability of the Kuroshio and Mindanao Current becomes stronger,and the meridional migration of the North Equatorial Current（NEC） bifurcation latitude is enhanced.Both in seasonal and interannual time scales,stronger Luzon Strait transport（LST） induces a stronger Kuroshio transport combined with a southward shift of the NEC bifurcation,which is unfavorable for a further increase of the LST;a weaker LST induces a weaker Kuroshio transport and a northward shifting NEC bifurcation,which is also unfavorable for the continuous decrease of the LST.

Implication of the South China Sea Throughflow for the Interannual Variability of the Regional Upper-Ocean Heat Content

In this study the interannual variability of the upper-ocean heat content in the South China Sea （SCS） was revisited using simple ocean data assimilation （SODA） combined with objective analyzed data sets that included the horizontal and vertical structures. The results confirmed that the upper-ocean heat content in the SCS is lower than normal during the mature phase of E1 Nifio events, and two super E1 Nifio events, 1982/1983 and 1997/1998 were also included. The variability of the heat content was consistent with the variability of the dynamic height anomalies. The SCS throughflow （SCSTF） plays an important role in regulating the interannual variability of the heat content, especially during the mature phase of E1 Nifio events.

The South China Sea throughflow: linkage with local monsoon system and impact on upper thermal structure of the ocean

The tendency of South China Sea throughflow (SCSTF) variation associated with the local monsoon system, and its impact on upper-layer thermal structure, are studied using the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) dataset, combined with Ishii reanalysis data. Luzon Strait Transport (LST) is measured and used as an index for studying the SCSTF variation. Results show that LST had an increasing tendency over the last 50 years, mainly in summer and fall. The increasing tendency was 0.017 1 Sv/a in summer and 0.027 4 Sv/a in fall, as estimated by SODA, and 0.018 0Sv/a in summer and 0.018 9 Sv/a in fall, as estimated by "Island Rule" theory. LST increased by 0.53Sv in JJA (June-July-August) and 0.98Sv in SON (September-October-November) after climate shift, as inferred by SODA data. The average LST anomaly in JJA and SON is strongly related to the local monsoon system, especially to variability of the meridional wind stress anomaly after application of a 3-year running mean, with correlation coefficients 0.57 and 0.51, respectively. In addition to the basin-scale wind forcing, the local northeasterly wind stress anomaly in the SCS can push Pacific water entering the SCS more readily in JJA and SON after climate shift, and an SCSTF-associated cooling effect may favor subsurface cooling more frequently after climate shift.

An overview of 10-year observation of the South China Sea branch of the Pacific to Indian Ocean throughflow at the Karimata Strait

Besides the Indonesian throughflow(ITF), the South China Sea throughflow(SCSTF) also contributes to the water transport from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. However, this South China Sea(SCS) branch at the Karimata Strait is poorly observed until 2007, even though its importance has been suggested by numerical studies for decades. In this paper, we review the nearly 10-year field measurement in the Karimata Strait by the execution of the projects of "SCS-Indonesian Seas Transport/Exchange(SITE) and Impacts on Seasonal Fish Migration" and "The Transport, Internal Waves and Mixing in the Indonesian Throughflow regions(TIMIT) and Impacts on Marine Ecosystem", which extend the observations from the western Indonesian seas to the east to include the main channels of the ITF, is introduced. Some major achievements from these projects are summarized.

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.

Seasonal variation of water transport through the Karimata Strait

Four trawl-resistant bottom mounts, with acoustic Doppler current profilers(ADCPs) embedded, were deployed in the Karimata Strait from November 2008 to June 2015 as part of the South China Sea-Indonesian Seas Transport/Exchange and Impact on Seasonal Fish Migration(SITE) Program, to estimate the volume and property transport between the South China Sea and Indonesian seas via the strait. The observed current data reveal that the volume transport through the Karimata Strait exhibits significant seasonal variation. The winteraveraged(from December to February) transport is –1.99 Sv(1 Sv=1×10~6 m^3/s), while in the boreal summer(from June to August), the average transport is 0.69 Sv. Moreover, the average transport from January 2009 to December2014 is –0.74 Sv(the positive/negative value indicates northward/southward transport). May and September are the transition period. In May, the currents in the Karimata Strait turn northward, consistent with the local monsoon. In September, the southeasterly trade wind is still present over the strait, driving surface water northward, whereas the bottom flow reverses direction, possibly because of the pressure gradient across the strait from north to south.

南海南部与外海间的体积和热、盐输运及其对印尼贯穿流的贡献

根据中国近海高分辨率 ( 1 / 6°)环流模式的模拟结果 ,计算了南沙邻近海域与外海之间的海水体积、热量和盐量输运及其对印度尼西亚贯穿流的贡献。研究海域为 0°— 1 4°N的整个南海南部海域。计算得出 ,穿过研究海域流向印度尼西亚海域 ,最终流向印度洋的年平均体积、热量和盐量输运分别为 5 .2Sv( 1Sv =1× 1 0 6m3·s- 1 )、0 .5 7PW和 1 84Gg·s- 1 ,大约占印度尼西亚贯穿流相应输运量的 1 / 4。这一结果表明南海是全球大传送带这一全球海洋最主要热盐环流系统的重要通道之一。从南海流向印度尼西亚海域的通道以卡里马塔海峡为最主要 ,以下依次为巴拉巴克海峡、民都洛海峡和马六甲海峡。大的南向通量主要发生在冬、秋季 ,春末夏初总的通量向北。计算还得出输入本海区的热输运量比输出少 0 .0 64PW ,由这一结果推得 ,通过海 -气界面由大气进入海洋的年平均净热通量约为 30W·m- 2 。

LICOM模拟的南海贯穿流及其对南海上层热含量的影响

利用SODA(Simple Ocean Data Assimilation)数据、XBT(Expendable Bathythermograph)观测数据和绕岛环流理论(island rule)诊断计算结果评估了一个涡相容(eddy-permitting)全球海洋环流模式——LICOM对南海贯穿流及南海上层热含量的模拟能力,同时利用模式输出探讨了南海贯穿流对南海上层热含量的影响。NEC(North Equatorial Current)分叉的垂向结构、南海内区环流的季节和吕宋海峡体积输送的年际变化等分析结果都表明,LICOM能获取西北太平洋-印尼海域环流和南海贯穿流的合理模拟结果。模式模拟的南海上层热含量季节变化与观测及同化数据都表现出良好的一致性,尤其在南海内区。相关分析表明,吕宋海峡热输送主要控制着南海内区上层的热含量变化,两者呈显著负相关,这进一步证实了南海贯穿流作为一支冷平流调制着南海上层热含量变化的重要事实。

太平洋-印度洋贯穿流南海分支研究综述

从海洋动力学角度,概述了太平洋-印度洋贯穿流南海分支的主要入流和出流通道—吕宋海峡和卡里马塔海峡的研究现状。太平洋-印度洋贯穿流南海分支是太平洋、南海和印度尼西亚海域进行水体和热盐交换的传输带,对西太平洋、南海、印尼海和东印度洋的环流系统有重要影响。吕宋海峡水交换和卡里马塔海峡贯穿流都呈现冬季大夏季小的季节变化特征,对维持南海的物质、能量和动量平衡起重要作用。太平洋通过吕宋海峡向南海输运水体和热盐,并传递ENSO等气候信号,对南海的环流、水体和海洋环境都产生重要影响。卡里马塔海峡向印度尼西亚海区的水体和热盐输运对印度尼西亚贯穿流有重要意义。太平洋-印度洋贯穿流南海分支和印尼贯穿流的年际变化趋势呈反位相,两者相互调制相互影响,维持了太平洋-印度洋两大洋间的平衡关系,对全球大洋环流的结构和长期的气候变化有重要作用。

南海贯穿流荷载中尺度过程能量学诊断

本文利用南海海洋再分析产品REDOS(Reanalysis Dataset of the South China Sea)和风场资料CCMP(Cross-Calibrated,Multi-Platform),通过能量诊断探讨了越南沿岸南海西边界流(南海贯穿流主体部分)区域夏季(6—9月)涡流相互作用的年际变化特征以及平均流对中尺度过程的贡献。结果显示,在季风和西边界强流、南海贯穿流的共同影响下,越南沿岸东向急流和双涡结构的能量分布和收支有显著的年际差异。尽管涡动能(EKE,Eddy Kinetic Energy)和涡动有效势能(EPE,Eddy available Potential Energy)的量级基本一致,但二者在水平和垂向空间分布上存在明显差异,这与夏季风影响下的南海西部边界流,越南离岸流的上层海洋密度梯度、流速大小和剪切导致的斜压、正压不稳定性等因素相关。同时随着深度的增加,密度梯度变化相对水平速度剪切对海洋涡流过程的影响逐渐凸显。EKE能量收支分析表明,压强与风应力主要做正功,是维持EKE稳定的主要能量来源,而EKE平流项既可以促进涡旋的增长,也会造成涡旋的消耗,对EKE的年际变率影响比较显著。正压不稳定导致的能量转换主要影响南海西部边界流区域,并存在显著年际变化,并且在风和平均流的影响下,沿贯穿流方向存在显著空间分布差异。越南离岸流正异常年,整体呈现平均流向涡旋传递能量;负异常年,出现EKE反哺平均动能的情况。

南海贯穿流季节变化数值模拟研究

本文采用美国伍兹霍尔研究所研发的海洋-大气-波浪-泥沙输运耦合模式COAWST(Coupled Dcean-Atmosphere-Wave-Sediment Transport)对南海及邻近海域进行了9 km分辨率的数值模拟研究。结果表明,南海贯穿流的季节变化再现了冬强夏弱的特征,在南海内部冬季呈现气旋环流结构,夏季呈现反气旋环流结构,尤其在冬季其流轴结构更为清晰和稳定,海水从吕宋海峡进入南海,从民都洛海峡、卡里马塔海峡、台湾海峡和巴拉巴克海峡流出,吕宋海峡断面流量与其他4个海峡流量合计在数量级上相当,保持南海海水总量不变。吕宋海峡、卡里马塔海峡、民都洛海峡的流量呈现明显相关性,吕宋海峡流量增大时,民都洛海峡和卡里马塔海峡的流量也相应增大,相关系数分别达到0.78和0.9。通过更适于分析中短期变化的简化绕岛环流理论,定量计算2019年吕宋海峡、黑潮和棉兰老流流量与北赤道流分叉点位置的关系,发现夏季北赤道流分叉点NECBL(North Equatorial Current Bifurcation Latitude)偏南,在13.6°N附近;冬季NECBL偏北,在15.6°N左右,同期黑潮流量减少,棉兰老流流量增加,作为南海贯穿流入流的吕宋海峡流量可达13.4 Sv。吕宋海峡输运补偿了北赤道流到达菲律宾海岸后的北向分支的流量,与棉兰老流的流量呈正相关,相关系数达到0.5361。

印度尼西亚海与印度尼西亚贯穿流研究概述

概述过去30年间与印度尼西亚海和印度尼西亚贯穿流有关的海洋动力学方面的研究进展。印度尼西亚海处于海洋大陆的中心地带,衔接西太平洋和印度洋的暖池,是影响大气环流的关键海域;而通过印度尼西亚海多个连通海峡从太平洋进入印度洋的贯穿流,对维持全球大洋热盐分布和平衡起着关键的作用,影响着全球大洋环流的结构及长期的气候变化。基于大型观测计划的推动,国际上对印度尼西亚海和印度尼西亚贯穿流(ITF)研究已经有了长足的进展。不但对印度尼西亚海的环流、波动、潮流和混合、垂向层结结构,以及海气相互作用等方面取得重要进展,而且对流经该海区的世界大洋环流唯一热带跨洋盆分支———ITF进行全面研究。贯穿流研究涉及ITF的分支、垂向结构、多尺度变化、水体的来源及影响、热盐输运、与太平洋和印度洋环流的关系,以及对大尺度海气相互作用的贡献等诸多方面。对相关的研究进行分类总结并对未来的研究提出展望。