A numerical study of the South China Sea Warm Current during winter monsoon relaxation

Using a Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model, we investigated the dynamic mechanism of the South China Sea Warm Current(SCSWC) in the northern South China Sea(NSCS) during winter monsoon relaxation. The model reproduces the mean surface circulation of the NSCS during winter, while model-simulated subtidal currents generally capture its current pattern. The model shows that the current over the continental shelf is generally southwestward, under a strong winter monsoon condition, but a northeastward counter-wind current usually develops between 50-and 100-m isobaths, when the monsoon relaxes. Model experiments, focusing on the wind relaxation process, show that sea level is elevated in the northwestern South China Sea(SCS), related to the persistent northeasterly monsoon. Following wind relaxation, a high sea level band builds up along the mid-shelf, and a northeastward current develops, having an obvious vertical barotropic structure. Momentum balance analysis indicates that an along-shelf pressure gradient provides the initial driving force for the SCSWC during the first few days following wind relaxation. The SCSWC subsequently reaches a steady quasi-geostrophic balance in the cross-shelf direction, mainly linked to sea level adjustment over the shelf. Lagrangian particle tracking experiments show that both the southwestward coastal current and slope current contribute to the northeastward movement of the SCSWC during winter monsoon relaxation.

Surface diurnal warming in the East China Sea derived from satellite remote sensing

Process of sea surface diurnal warming has drawn a lot of attention in recent years, but that occurs in shelf seas was rarely addressed. In the present work, surface diurnal warming strength in the East China Sea was calculated by the sea surface temperature(SST) data derived from the MODIS sensors carried by the satellites Aqua and Terra. Due to transit time difference, both the number of valid data and the surface diurnal warming strength computed by the MODIS-Aqua data are relatively larger than Terra. Therefore, the 10-year MODIS-Aqua data from 2005 to 2014 were used to analyze the monthly variability of the surface diurnal warming. Generally, the surface diurnal warming in the East China sea is stronger in summer and autumn but weaker in winter and spring, while it shows different peaks in different regions. Large events with ΔT≥5 K have also been discussed. They were found mainly in coastal area, especially near the Changjiang(Yangtze) River estuary. And there exists a high-incidence period from April to July. Furthermore, the relationship between surface diurnal warming and wind speed was discussed. Larger diurnal warming mainly lies in areas with low wind speed. And its possibility decreases with the increase of wind speed. Events with ΔT ≥2.5 K rarely occur when wind speed is over 12 m/s. Study on surface diurnal warming in the East China Sea may help to understand the daily scale air-sea interaction in the shelf seas. A potential application might be in the marine weather forecasts by numerical models. Its impact on the coastal eco-system and the activities of marine organisms can also be pursued.