The Predictability Limit of Oceanic Mesoscale Eddy Tracks in the South China Sea

Employing the nonlinear local Lyapunov exponent (NLLE) technique, this study assesses the quantitative predictability limit of oceanic mesoscale eddy (OME) tracks utilizing three eddy datasets for both annual and seasonal means. Our findings reveal a discernible predictability limit of approximately 39 days for cyclonic eddies (CEs) and 44 days for anticyclonic eddies (AEs) within the South China Sea (SCS). The predictability limit is related to the OME properties and seasons. The long-lived, large-amplitude, and large-radius OMEs tend to have a higher predictability limit. The predictability limit of AE (CE) tracks is highest in autumn (winter) with 52 (53) days and lowest in spring (summer) with 40 (30) days. The spatial distribution of the predictability limit of OME tracks also has seasonal variations, further finding that the area of higher predictability limits often overlaps with periodic OMEs. Additionally, the predictability limit of periodic OME tracks is about 49 days for both CEs and AEs, which is 5-10 days higher than the mean values. Usually, in the SCS, OMEs characterized by high predictability limit values exhibit more extended and smoother trajectories and often move along the northern slope of the SCS.

Seasonal Forecasts of Precipitation during the First Rainy Season in South China Based on NUIST-CFS1.0

Current dynamical models experience great difficulties providing reliable seasonal forecasts of regional/local rainfall in South China.This study evaluates seasonal forecast skill for precipitation in the first rainy season(FRS,i.e.,April–June)over South China from 1982 to 2020 based on the global real-time Climate Forecast System of Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology(NUIST-CFS1.0,previously known as SINTEX-F).The potential predictability and the practical forecast skill of NUIST-CFS1.0 for FRS precipitation remain low in general.But NUIST-CFS1.0 still performs better than the average of nine international models in terms of correlation coefficient skill in predicting the interannual precipitation anomaly and its related circulation index.NUIST-CFS1.0 captures the anomalous Philippines anticyclone,which transports moisture and heat northward to South China,favoring more precipitation in South China during the FRS.By examining the correlations between sea surface temperature(SST)and FRS precipitation and the Philippines anticyclone,we find that the model reasonably captures SST-associated precipitation and circulation anomalies,which partly explains the predictability of FRS precipitation.A dynamical downscaling model with 30-km resolution forced by the large-scale circulations of the NUIST-CFS1.0 predictions could improve forecasts of the climatological states and extreme precipitation events.Our results also reveal interesting interdecadal changes in the predictive skill for FRS precipitation in South China based on the NUIST-CFS1.0 hindcasts.These results help improve the understanding and forecasts for FRS precipitation in South China.

DYNAMIC CHARACTERISTICS OF SEASONAL THERMOCLINE IN THE DEEP SEA REGION OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

The dynamic characteristics of the seasonal thermocline in the deep sea region of the South China Sea were analyzed by using seasonal mean temperature climatology. The thermocline undergoes remarkably seasonal variation throughout a year, is thinnest and weakest in winter, and thickest in spring, strongest in summer and fall. Due to the upper Ekman transport caused by monsoon over the SCS, the thermocline slopes upward(downward) in winter(summer) from northwest to southeast, but there is no pileup of upper warm water along the monsoon direction. In addition, the intrusion of the Kuroshio loop through the Luzon Strait, and some local eddies in the SCS, can notably affect the depth, thickness and strength of the thermocline in the deep sea region of the SCS.

Seasonal characteristics and formation mechanism of the thermohaline structure of mesoscale eddy in the South China Sea

The seasonal characteristics and formation mechanism of the thermohaline structure of mesoscale eddy in the South China Sea are investigated using the latest eddy dataset and ARMOR3D data. Eddy-centric composites reveal that the horizontal distribution of temperature anomaly associated with eddy in winter is more of a dipole pattern in upper 50 m and tends to be centrosymmetric below 50 m, while in summer the distribution pattern is centrosymmetric in the entire water column. The horizontal distribution of eddy-induced salinity anomaly exhibits similar seasonal characteristics, except that the asymmetry of the salinity anomaly is weaker. The vertical distribution of temperature anomaly associated with eddy shows a monolayer structure, while the salinity anomaly demonstrates a triple-layer structure. Further analysis indicates that the vertical distribution of the anomalies is related to the vertical structure of background temperature and salinity fields, and the asymmetry of the anomalies in upper 50 m is mainly caused by the horizontal advection of background temperature and salinity.

Influence of Tropical Cyclone Landfalls on Spatiotemporal Variations in Typhoon Season Rainfall over South China

This study examined the impact of tropical cyclone (TC) landfalls on the spatiotemporal variations in the rainfall over South China for the period 1957–2005. The target region was selected to show the noteworthy contribution of TC landfalls to the total rainfall during the typhoon season (July–October). Two prevailing spatial variations in the rainfall were obtained from an EOF analysis. The first EOF mode displays singlesign variability over South China with an explained variance of 23.4%. The associated time series of this mode fluctuates on a decadal timescale and was found to be correlated with TC genesis in the South China Sea. The second EOF mode shows a seesaw pattern between Hainan Island/Guangdong Province and the remaining regions with an explained variance of 11.4%. This seesaw pattern results from an anti-correlation in seasonal TC landfalls between the two regions, which was found in previous studies. This is related to the strengthening (weakening) of the upper tropospheric jets and the corresponding development of a massive anticyclonic (cyclonic) circulation over East Asia. The EOF analysis was also conducted using just the data for rainfall caused by landfalling TCs. This revealed that the first EOF mode using just the TC-induced rainfall is nearly identical to the second mode from the total rainfall. The obvious seesaw pattern of the first mode when employing just the TC-induced rainfall in the EOF analysis implies that this pattern has larger temporal variability than the single-signed pattern (i.e., the first EOF mode using the total rainfall) in terms of TC landfalls. This study suggests that TC landfalls over South China and the accompanying rainfall significantly modulate the spatial variation of the typhoon season rainfall there.

Seasonal variability of tropical cyclones generated over the South China Sea

The seasonal variability of tropical cyclones （CTCs） generated over the South China Sea （SCS） from 1948 to 2003 is analyzed. It peaks in occurrence in August and few generate in late winter （from January to March）. The seasonal activity is attributed to the variability of atmosphere and ocean environments associated with the monsoon system. It is found that the monsoonal characteristics of the SCS basically determine the region of tropical cyclone （TC） genesis in each month.

THE IMPACT OF DIFFERENT PHYSICAL PROCESSES AND THEIR PARAMETERIZATIONS ON FORECAST OF A HEAVY RAINFALL IN SOUTH CHINA IN ANNUALLY FIRST RAINING SEASON

An ensemble prediction system based on the GRAPES model, using multi-physics, is used to discuss the influence of different physical processes in numerical models on forecast of heavy rainfall in South China in the annually first raining season(AFRS). Pattern, magnitude and area of precipitation, evolution of synoptic situation, as well as apparent heat source and apparent moisture sink between different ensemble members are comparatively analyzed. The choice of parameterization scheme for land-surface processes gives rise to the largest influence on the precipitation prediction. The influences of cumulus-convection and cloud-microphysics processes are mainly focused on heavy rainfall;the use of cumulus-convection parameterization tends to produce large-area and light rainfall. Change in parameterization schemes for land-surface and cumulus-convection processes both will cause prominent change in forecast of both dynamic and thermodynamic variables, while change in cloud-microphysics processes show primary impact on dynamic variables. Comparing simplified Arakawa-Schubert and Kain-Fritsch with Betts-Miller-Janjic schemes, SLAB with NOAH schemes, as well as both WRF single moment 6-class and NCEP 3-class with simplified explicit schemes of phase-mixed cloud and precipitation shows that the former predicts stronger low-level jets and high humidity concentration, more convective rainfall and local heavy rainfall, and have better performance in precipitation forecast. Appropriate parameterization schemes can reasonably describe the physical process related to heavy rainfall in South China in the AFRS, such as low-level convergence, latent heat release, vertical transport of heat and water vapor, thereby depicting the multi-scale interactions of low-level jet and meso-scale convective systems in heavy rainfall suitably, and improving the prediction of heavy rainfall in South China in the AFRS as a result.

Revisiting the seasonal wave height variability in the South China Sea with merged satellite altimetry observations

The seasonal variability of the significant wave height（SWH） in the South China Sea（SCS） is investigated using the most up-to-date gridded daily altimeter data for the period of September 2009 to August 2015. The results indicate that the SWH shows a uniform seasonal variation in the whole SCS, with its maxima occurring in December/January and minima in May. Throughout the year, the SWH in the SCS is the largest around Luzon Strait（LS） and then gradually decreases southward across the basin. The surface wind speed has a similar seasonal variation, but with different spatial distributions in most months of the year. Further analysis indicates that the observed SWH variations are dominated by swell. The wind sea height, however, is much smaller. It is the the largest in two regions southwest of Taiwan Island and southeast of Vietnam Coast during the northeasterly monsoon, while the largest in the central/southern SCS during the southwesterly monsoon. The extreme wave condition also experiences a significant seasonal variation. In most regions of the northern and central SCS, the maxima of the 99 th percentile SWH that are larger than the SWH theoretically calculated with the wind speed for the fully developed seas mainly appear in August–November, closely related to strong tropical cyclone activities.Compared with previous studies, it is also implied that the wave climate in the Pacific Ocean plays an important role in the wave climate variations in the SCS.

Seasonal variation and formation mechanism of the South China Sea warm water

The South China Sea warm water (SCSWW) is identified as the warm water body withtemperature no less than 28*. There are three stages in the seasonal variation of the SCSWW. The SCSWW expands rapidly and deepens quickly in the developing stage. The warm water thickness decreases near the coast of Vietnam and increases near Palawan Island in the steady stage. The SCSWW flinches southward while its thickness off Palawan Island remains no less than 50 m in the flinching stage. The maximum thickness of the SCSWW is always located near the southeastern SCS. The seasonal variation of the SCSWW has a close relationship with seasonal variation of the thermocline. According to the analysis of the numerical experiment results from the Princeton Ocean Model (POM), the mechanism of the seasonal variation of the SCSWW can be interpreted as: (1) in the developing stage, the rapidly expanding and thickening feature of the SCSWW is mainly due to buoyancy flux effect (67% contribution). The weak wind and anticyclonic wind stress curl (22% contribution) present an environment which facilitates the accumulation of warm water; (2) in the steady stage, the decrease feature near the Vietnam coast and increase eature in southeast of the SCSWW thickness are mainly caused by wind stress (70% contribution); (3) in the flinching stage, the thickness reduction of the SCSWW is mainly due to upwelling and enhanced turbulent mixing caused by wind stress (accounts for 60%).

Temporal Variations of the Frontal and Monsoon Storm Rainfall during the First Rainy Season in South China

The temporal variations in storm rainfall during the first rainy season (FRS) in South China (SC) are investigated in this study. The results show that the inter-annual variations in storm rainfall during the FRS in SC seem to be mainly influenced by the frequency of storm rainfall, while both frequency and intensity affect the inter-decadal variations in the total storm rainfall. Using the definitions for the beginning and ending dates of the FRS, and the onset dates of the summer monsoon in SC, the FRS is further divided into two sub-periods, i.e., the frontal and monsoon rainfall periods. The inter-annual and inter-decadal variations in storm rainfall during these two periods are investigated here. The results reveal a significant out-of-phase correlation between the frontal and monsoon storm rainfall, especially on the inter-decadal timescale, the physical mechanism for which requires further investigation.

Modeling Seasonal Variations of Subsurface Chlorophyll Maximum in South China Sea

In the South China Sea(SCS), the subsurface chlorophyll maximum(SCM) is frequently observed while the mechanisms of SCM occurrence have not been well understood. In this study, a 1-D physical-biochemical coupled model was used to study the seasonal variations of vertical profiles of chlorophyll-a(Chl-a) in the SCS. Three parameters(i.e., SCM layer(SCML) depth, thickness, and intensity) were defined to characterize the vertical distribution of Chl-a in SCML and were obtained by fitting the vertical profile of Chl-a in the subsurface layer using a Gaussian function. The seasonal variations of SCMs are reproduced reasonably well compared to the observations. The annual averages of SCML depth, thickness, and intensity are 75 ± 10 m, 31 ± 6.7 m, and 0.37 ± 0.11 mg m-3, respectively. A thick, close to surface SCML together with a higher intensity occurs during the northeastern monsoon. Both the SCML thickness and intensity are sensitive to the changes of surface wind speed in winter and summer, but the surface wind speed exerts a minor influence on the SCML depth; for example, double strengthening of the southwestern monsoon in summer can lead to the thickening of SCML by 46%, the intensity decreasing by 30%, and the shoaling by 6%. This is because part of nutrients are pumped from the upper nutricline to the surface mixed layer by strong vertical mixing. Increasing initial nutrient concentrations by two times will increase the intensity of SCML by over 80% in winter and spring. The sensitivity analysis indicates that light attenuation is critical to the three parameters of SCM. Decreasing background light attenuation by 20% extends the euphotic zone, makes SCML deeper(~20%) and thicker(12% – 41%), and increases the intensity by over 16%. Overall, the depth of SCML is mainly controlled by light attenuation, and the SCML thickness and intensity are closely associated with wind and initial nitrate concentration in the SCS.

Nocturnal-to-morning rains during the warm season in South China:characteristics and predictability

The characteristics of nocturnal-to-morning rainfall(NMR)during the warm season in South China are examined using hourly surface observations from 2015–2019.Results show that strong NMR is mainly located in coastal regions and mountainous areas.NMR mainly occurs during 0200–0800 LST.The distribution of NMR can be divided into two types.The first pattern is a coastal type where NMR is mainly located at windward sites,such as southern coastal mountain areas in Guangdong(GD)and in Guangxi(GX).The second type is an inland type where NMR is mainly located at windward sites,such as the northern mountainous areas in GX and the Pearl River Delta regions in GD.The strong convergence between the northerly wind over the mountainous regions and southerly wind,as well as the strong downhill winds strengthened by the narrow pipe effect over the valleys in mountainous areas,together contribute to the high frequency of inland NMR.The strong southeasterly onshore wind and the cyclonic circulations strengthened by the northeasterly wind over the northern mountainous areas contribute to the high frequency of coastal NMR.Though the GRAPES(Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System)model can capture the intensity and distribution of large-scale NMR,it exhibits low predictability of small-scale NMR,especially that in the warm sector.

Seasonal and annual variations of marine sinking particulate flux during 1993 ~ 1996 in the central South China Sea

A total of 67 samples from the upper and lower sediment traps in the central South China Sea were analyzed, which were collected during 1993 ~ 1996. It is indicated that the distribution of stable isotope values, surface primary productivity, fluxes of total particulate matter, carbonate, biogenic opal, organic carbon, planktonic foraminiferal species and their total amount exhibit obviously seasonal and annual fluctuations. High values of the fluxes occurred in the prevailing periods of the northeastern and southwestern monsoons, and the low values occurred during the periods between the two monsoons. The fluxes of some planktonic foraminiferal species （ Globigerinoides sacculifer , G. ruber , Globigerinita glutinata, Neogloboquadrina dutertrei ） and their percentages also exhibit two prominent peaks during the prevailing periods of the northeastern and southwestern monsoons respectively, while those of Globigerina bulloides, Globorotalia menardii and Pulleniatina obliquiloculata only exhibit one peak in the prevailing periods of the northeastern monsoon. In addition, fluxes and percentages of Globigerinoides sacculifer and Globorotalia menardii as well as the fluxes of carbonate and total amount of planktonic foraminifera decrease gradually from 1993 to 1996, and those of Globigerina bulloides, Globigerinita glutinata and biogenic opal increase gradually from 1993 to 1996. The fluxes of carbonate and organic carbon in the upper trap are higher than those in the lower one. The study indicates that the seasonal and annual variations of the sediment fluxes and planktonic foraminiferal species are mainly controlled by the changes of surface primary productivity and hydrological conditions related to the East Asian monsoon. The lower carbonate and organic carbon fluxes in the lower trap are related to the dissolution.

INFLUENCES OF LOW-FREQUENCY MOISTURE TRANSPORTATION ON LOW FREQUENCY PRECIPITATION ANOMALIES IN THE ANNUALLY FIRST RAINY SEASON OF SOUTH CHINA IN 2010

85-station daily precipitation data from 1961-2010 provided by the National Meteorological Information Center and the NCEP/NCAR 2010 daily reanalysis data are used to investigate the low-frequency variability on the precipitation of the first rain season and its relationships with moisture transport in South China,and channels of low-frequency water vapor transport and sources of low-frequency precipitation are revealed.The annually first raining season precipitation in 2010 is mainly controlled by 10-20 d and 30-60 d oscillation.The rainfall is more(interrupted) when the two low-frequency components are in the same peak(valley) phase,and the rainfall is less when they are superposed in the inverse phase.The 10-20 d low-frequency component of the moisture transport is more active than the 30-60 d.The10-20 d water vapor sources lie in the South India Ocean near 30° S,the area between Sumatra and Kalimantan Island(the southwest source),and the equatorial middle Pacific region(the southeast source),and there are corresponding southwest and southeast moisture transport channels.By using the characteristics of 10-20 d water vapor transport anomalous circulation,the corresponding low-frequency precipitation can be predicted 6 d ahead.

SEASONAL AND INTER-ANNUAL VARIABILITY OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA WARM POOL AND ITS RELATION TO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA MONSOON ONSET

The South China Sea warm pool interacts vigorously with the summer monsoon which is active in the region. However, there has not been a definition concerning the former warm pool which is as specific as that for the latter. The seasonal and inter-annual variability of the South China Sea warm pool and its relations to the South China Sea monsoon onset were analyzed using Levitus and NCEP/NCAR OISST data. The results show that, the seasonal variability of the South China Sea warm pool is obvious, which is weak in winter, develops rapidly in spring, becomes strong and extensive in summer and early autumn, and quickly decays from mid-autumn. The South China Sea warm pool is 55 m in thickness in the strongest period and its axis is oriented from southwest to northeast with the main section locating along the western offshore steep slope of northern Kalimantan-Palawan Island. For the warm pools in the South China Sea, west Pacific and Indian Ocean, the oscillation, which is within the same large scale air-sea coupling system, is periodic around 5 years. There are additional oscillations of about 2.5 years and simultaneous inter-annual variations for the latter two warm pools. The intensity of the South China Sea warm pool varies by a lag of about 5 months as compared to the west Pacific one. The result also indicates that the inter-annual variation of the intensity index is closely related with the onset time of the South China Sea monsoon. When the former is persistently warmer (colder) in preceding winter and spring, the monsoon in the South China Sea usually sets in on a later (earlier) date in early summer. The relation is associated with the activity of the high pressure over the sea in early summer. An oceanic background is given for the prediction of the South China Sea summer monsoon, though the mechanism through which the warm pool and eventually the monsoon are affected remains unclear.

Diagnosis of Seasonal Variations of Tropical Cyclogenesis over the South China Sea Using a Genesis Potential Index

This study examines the seasonal variations of tropical cyclogenesis over the South China Sea (SCS) using a genesis potential (GP) index developed by Emanuel and Nolan. How different environmental factors (including low-level vorticity, mid-level relative humidity, vertical wind shear, and potential intensity) contribute to these variations is investigated. Composite anomalies of the GP index are produced for the summer and winter monsoons separately. These composites replicate the observed seasonal variations of the observed frequency and location of tropical cyclogenesis over the SCS. The degree of contribution by each factor in different regions is determined quantitatively by producing composites of modified indices in which only one of the contributing factors varies, with the others set to climatology. Over the northern SCS, potential intensity makes the largest contributions to the seasonal variations in tropical cyclogenesis. Over the southern SCS, the low-level relative vorticity plays the primary role in the seasonal modulation of tropical cyclone (TC) genesis frequency, and the vertical wind shear plays the secondary role. Thermodynamic factors play more important roles for the seasonal variations in tropical cyclogenesis over the northern SCS, while dynamic factors are more important in the seasonal modulation of TC genesis frequency over the southern SCS.

Seasonal variation and modal content of internal tides in the northern South China Sea

A nine-month mooring record was used to investigate seasonal variation and modal content of internal tides(ITs) on the continental slope in the northern South China Sea(SCS). Diurnal tides at this site show clear seasonal change with higher energy in winter than in spring and autumn, whereas semidiurnal tides show the opposite seasonal pattern. The consistency of ITs with barotropic tides within the Luzon Strait, which is the generation region of the ITs, implies that the seasonal variation of ITs depends on their astronomical forcing, even after extended propagation across the SCS basin. Diurnal tides also differ from semidiurnal tides in relation to modal content; they display signals of high modes while semidiurnal tides are dominated by low modes. Reflection of the diurnal tides on the continental slope serves as a reasonable explanation for their high modes. Both diurnal and semidiurnal tides are composed of a larger proportion of coherent components that have a regular 14-day spring-neap cycle. The coherent components are dominated by low modes and they show obvious seasonal variation, while the incoherent components are composed mainly of higher modes and they display intermittent characteristics.

A study of intra-seasonal variations in the subsurface water temperatures in the South China Sea

Through analysis of the results of a verified high-fidelity numerical model, the intra-seasonal variations(ISVs) in the depth of the 22°C isotherm(D22) in the South China Sea(SCS) basin are investigated. The results show that the ISVs in the D22 exhibit distinct seasonality in the SCS. The ISVs in the D22 are quite significant, especially within a band along the northwestern boundary of the basin and at the southern end of the basin during boreal winter. In these areas, the ratio of the standard deviations(STDs) of intra-seasonal band to the STDs of total data could exceed 0.6. Although the ISVs in the D22 are detectable in the area affected by the Vietnam Offshore Current during boreal summer and autumn, these variations are sometimes overwhelmed by oscillations with other frequencies. An analysis of the causes of the ISVs in the D22 in the SCS indicates that sea surface fluxes and wind stirring are not the dominant external driving mechanisms of the phenomena described above. The ISVs in the D22 are thought to be induced mainly by the thermodynamic adjustment of the ocean itself and the associated instabilities. The energy of the northern and southern bands that display strong ISVs in the D22 may be derived from eddy kinetic energy, rather than eddy available potential energy. The diversity of the propagation of the ISVs in the D22 is very conspicuous within these two bands.

High-resolution simulation of upper-ocean submesoscale variability in the South China Sea:Spatial and seasonal dynamical regimes

Submesoscale processes in marginal seas usually have complex generating mechanisms,highly dependent on the local background flow and forcing.This numerical study investigates the spatial and seasonal differences of submesoscale activities in the upper ocean of the South China Sea(SCS)and the different dynamical regimes for sub-regions.The spatial and seasonal variations of vertical vorticity,horizontal convergence,lateral buoyancy gradient,and strain rate are analyzed to compare the submesoscale phenomenon within four sub-regions,the northern region near the Luzon Strait(R1),the middle ocean basin(R2),the western SCS(R3),and the southern SCS(R4).The results suggest that the SCS submesoscale processes are highly heterogeneous in space,with different seasonalities in each sub-region.The submesoscale activities in the northern sub-regions(R1,R2)are active in winter but weak in summer,while there appears an almost seasonal anti-phase in the western region(R3)compared to R1 and R2.Interestingly,no clear seasonality of submesoscale features is shown in the southern region(R4).Further analysis of Ertel potential vorticity reveals different generating mechanisms of submesoscale processes in different sub-regions.Correlation analyses also show the vertical extent of vertical velocity and the role of monsoon in generating submesoscale activities in the upper ocean of sub-regions.All these results suggest that the sub-regions have different regimes for submesoscale processes,e.g.,Kuroshio intrusion(R1),monsoon modulation(R2),frontal effects(R3),topography wakes(R4).

Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing in the central and northern South China Sea in the spring intermonsoon season of 2017

Phytoplankton growth rates and mortality rates were experimentally examined at 21 stations during the 2017 spring intermonsoon(April to early May)in the northern and central South China Sea(SCS)using the dilution technique,with emphasis on a comparison between the northern and central SCS areas which had different environmental factors.There had been higher temperature but lower nutrients and chlorophyll a concentrations in the central SCS than those in the northern SCS.The mean rates of phytoplankton growth(μ0)and microzooplankton grazing(m)were(0.88±0.33)d–1 and(0.55±0.22)d–1 in the central SCS,and both higher than those in the northern SCS with the values ofμ0((0.81±0.16)d–1)and m((0.30±0.09)d–1),respectively.Phytoplankton growth and microzooplankton grazing rates were significantly coupled in both areas.The microzooplankton grazing impact(m/μ0)on phytoplankton was also higher in the central SCS(0.63±0.12)than that in the northern SCS(0.37±0.06).The microzooplankton abundance was significantly correlated with temperature in the surface.Temperature might more effectively promote the microzooplankton grazing rate than phytoplankton growth rate,which might contribute to higher m and m/μ0 in the central SCS.Compared with temperature,nutrients mainly affected the growth rate of phytoplankton.In the nutrient enrichment treatment,the phytoplankton growth rate(μn)was higher thanμ0 in the central SCS,suggesting phytoplankton growth in the central SCS was nutrient limited.The ratio ofμ0/μn was significantly correlated with nutrients concentrations in the both areas,indicating the limitation of nutrients was related to the concentrations of background nutrients in the study stations.