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.

Marine Meteorology Research Progress of China from 2003 to 2006

The progress in marine meteorology research achieved by scientists in China during the four-year period from 2003 to 2006 is summarized under four categories： marine disaster study, typhoon over the ocean, ocean-atmosphere monitoring technology, and ocean-atmosphere forecasting technology. Compared to the previous four years, many more first-hand datasets have been obtained and more scientific issues have been addressed. In particular, many contributions have been made by young scientists. A brief statement on the research strategy of marine meteorology in China for the coming years is given at the end.

Application of LICOM to the numerical study of the water exchange between the South China Sea and its adjacent oceans

On the basis of 900-year integration of a global ocean circulation model-LICOM driven by ECMWF reanalysis wind data with uniform 0.5°-grids, a quantitative estimate of the annual and monthly mean water exchange of the South China Sea （SCS） with its adjacent oceans through 5 straits is obtained. Among them, the annual transport is the largest in the Luzon Strait, then in the Taiwan Strait, and then in the Sunda Shelf, in the Balabac Strait and in the Mindoro Strait in turn, the largest monthly transport variation appears in the Luzon Strait and Sunda shelf. It is shown that the mass transport through the Taiwan Strait is affected by monsoon, while the transport through the Luzon Strait may be associated with the bifurcation position of the North Equatorial Current off the east Philippines shore; the transports in the Luzon Strait and Sunda Shelf are out of phase in direction but well correlated in magnitude. The annual and monthly mean heat and salinity exchange of the SCS through the straits are also calculated and shown to be in phase with the mass transport. The Kuroshio water carries about 0.43 PW heat transport and 151.33 kt/s salinity transport into the SCS, while most of them is carried out of the SCS through the Taiwan Strait and Sunda Shelf annually. The further model integration based on the 900-year integration for another 44 a from 1958 to 2001 driven by real wind data （ERA40 data） shows that the monthly mean mass transport via these straits varies annually with a large variation range, which may be associated with the seasonal and interannual variations in the current field and sea surface height in the SCS. The mean mass transport through the Taiwan Strait, Luzon Strait, Mindoro Strait, Balabac Strait and Sunda Shelf is 2.012×10^6, -4.063×10^6, -0.124×10^6, -0.083×10^6 and 2.258×10^6 m^3/s, respectively.

Different roles of Ekman pumping in the west and east segments of the South China Sea Warm Current

A three-dimensional model is used to investigate the mechanism of the South China Sea （SCS） winter counter-current （also known as the SCS Warm Current, or the SCSWC）, which flows against the wind. The model can reproduce the structure of the band-like currents over the northern shelf of the SCS, including the westward coastal current and slop current, and the SCSWC sandwiched in between. Sensitivity experiments are designed to understand the different roles of Ekman pumping of the SCSWC at different longitude. The results show that the Ekman pumping drives the SCSWC in the west segment. In the east, it is not the Ekman pumping but the intrusion of the Kuroshio that drives the SCSWC.

Variability of phytoplankton absorption in the northern South China Sea:influence of the size structure and pigment composition of algal populations

Data from three cruises conducted in the Zhujiang River （ZR）, coastal waters of Guangdong （CWGD） and the northern South China Sea （NSCS） during 2003 and 2004 were examined for assessing the relative importance of pigment composition and packaging effect in modifying the specific absorption coefficients of phytoplankton. The three survey regions differ widely in their phytoplankton community with large cells dominating the ZR and CWGD waters and small cells dominating the NSCS region. Variations in the size structure and the accessory pigments have much effect on the chlorophyll a-specific absorption coefficient of phytoplankton. The size index accounted for about 42% and 33% of the variation of the specific absorption coefficient at 440 and 675 nm, respectively. Using the multiple regression analysis approach, pigment concentrations for each sample were calculated. The accessory pigments other than chlorophyll a contribute to absorption mainly in the blue - to - green region of the spectrum and their absorptions account for about 44%, 43% and 53% on the average of the total phytoplankton absorption at 440 nm for the ZR, CWGD and NSCS regions. Among the accessory pigments, the photosynthetic carotenoids （noted PSC） play a dominant role in the ZR and CWGD waters, while in the NSCS the nonphotosynthetic carotenoids （noted PPG） as well as PSC have important contributions. Because the variations of both the size structure and accessory pigments in algal populations contributed to the variability of the specific absorption coefficient in the study regions, these factors may be considered explicitly in future bio - optical algorithms to derive chlorophyll a concentration more accurately.

Nutrient and chlorophyll a anomaly in red-tide periods of 2003-2008 in Sishili Bay, China

Sishili Bay is the most important aquiculture and tourism area for the city of Yantai, China; however, red tides occurred frequently and have caused huge economic losses in this bay in recent years. To gain a better understanding of the local ecological environments in the bay, we conducted this research between 2003 and 2008 to analyze variations in nutrients and chlorophyll （chl-a） during high frequency red tide period （May to September）. The results show that the chl-a concentration increased from 2.70 in 2003 to 7.26 mg/m3 in 2008, while the concentration of total inorganic nitrogen （TIN） and silicate （SiO3-Si） increased lineally from 5.18 and 1.45 pmol/L in 2003 to 18.57 and 9.52 pmol/L in 2008, respectively, and the annual phosphate （PO4-P） varied between 0.15 and 0.46 μmol/L. Special attention was given to a red tide in August 2007 occurred when water temperature was high and nutrient concentrations increased sharply because of a heavy rainfall. Overall, the results show the P limitation in Sishili Bay, and reveal that red tides were caused by eutrophication from terrestrial inputs and local warm weather, particularly during rainy periods. Therefore, to control red tide, greater efforts should be made to reduce sewage discharges into Sishili Bay, particularly during rainfall seasons.

Covariation of the Indonesian Throughflow and South China Sea Throughflow Associated with the 1976/77 Regime Shift

Changes in the Indonesian Throughflow （ITF） and the South China Sea throughflow-measured by the Luzon Strait Transport （LST）-associated with the 1976/77 regime shift are analyzed using the Island Rule theory and the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation dataset. Results show that LST increased but ITF transport decreased after 1975. Such changes were induced by variations in wind stress associated with the regime shift. The strengthening of the easterly wind anomaly east of the Luzon Strait played an important role in the increase of LST after 1975, while the westerly wind anomaly in the equatorial Pacific contributed significantly to the decrease in ITF transport after 1975; accounting for 53% of the change. After 1975, the Kuroshio Current strengthened and the Mindanao Current weakened in response to a decrease in the total transport of the North Equatorial Current. Both the North Equatorial Countercurrent and the South Equatorial Current weakened after 1975, and an anomalous cyclonic circulation in the western equatorial Pacific prevented the tropical Pacific water from entering the Indian Ocean directly.

Investigation of saltwater intrusion and salinity stratification in winter of 2007/2008 in the Zhujiang River Estuary in China

Saltwater intrusion is a serious environmental problem in the Zhujiang River Estuary (ZRE),which threatens the water supply of fifteen million people. The hydrological observations as well as meteorological and tidal forcing in the winter of 2007/2008 were analyzed to examine the saltwater intrusion in the ZRE.The observational results suggest that the maximum vertical difference of salinity can reach 10 in the Humen Channel during neap tide,but is very small in the Hengmen Channel. The vertically averaged salinity from time series stations during spring tide is higher than that during neap tide.A three-dimensional finite difference model was developed based on the environmental fluid dynamic code (EFDC) to study the mechanism of saltwater intrusion and salinity stratification in the ZRE.By analyzing the salt transport and the temporal variation of saltwater intrusion,the authors found that the net salt transport due to the estuarine circulation during neap tide was more than that during spring tide.This caused salt to advance more into the estuary during neap tide.However,saltwater intrusion was stronger during spring tide than that during neap tide because the spring-neap variation in salt transport was small relative to the total length of the saltwater intrusion.The physical mechanism causing this saltwater intrusion was investigated by a series of sensitivity experiments,in order to examine saltwater intrusion in response to river discharge and winds.The freshwater source was a dominant influencing factor to the saltwater intrusion and controlled salinity structure,vertical stratification and length of the saltwater intrusion.The prevailing northeast monsoon during winter could increase the saltwater intrusion in the ZRE.Though the southwest wind was uufavorable to saltwater intrusion during spring tide,it could increase stratification and saltwater intrusion during neap tide.

Interdecadal Modulation of the Influence of La Nia Events on Mei-yu Rainfall over the Yangtze River Valley

The aim of this study was to investigate changes in the relationship between mei-yu rainfall over East China and La Nifia events in the late 1970s, a period concurrent with the Pacific climate shift, using meiyu rainfall data and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research （NCEP/NCAR） reanalysis. This relationship was modulated by the climate shift： Before the 1977/1978 climate shift and after the 1992/1993 climate shift, mei-yu rainfall levels were above normal in most La Nifia years, whereas during the period 1979 1991, mei-yu rainfall was usually below normal levels in La Nifia years. Both composite analyses and results from an atmospheric general circulation model show remarkable detail in terms of La Nifia＇s impacts on mei-yu rainfall in the late 1970s due to the change in the mean climatic state over the tropical Pacific. After the late 1970s, the tropical Pacific SSTs were warmer, and the mean state of low-level anticyclone circulation over the western North Pacific （WNP） weakened. Superimposed on La Nifia-related cyclonic anomaly over the WNP, anticyclonic circulation weakened. Prior to the late 1970s, the mean state of low-level anticyclone circulation over the WNP was stronger and was less affected by La Nifia-related anomalous cyclones. Anticyclone circulation may have brought moisture to the Yangtze River valley, leading to above-normal rainfall.

The characteristics of sea fog with different airflow over the Huanghai Sea in boreal spring

Using the observations from ICOADS datasets and contemporaneous NCEP/NCAR reanalysis datasets during 1960-2002,the study classifies the airflows in favor of sea fog over the Huanghai （Yellow） Sea in boreal spring （April-May） with the method of trajectory analysis,and analyzes the changes of proportions of warm and cold sea fogs along different paths of airflow.According to the heat balance equation,we investigate the relationships between the marine meteorological conditions and the proportion of warm and cold sea fog along different airflow paths.The major results are summarized as follows.（1） Sea fogs over the Huanghai Sea in spring are not only warm fog but also cold fog.The proportion of warm fog only accounts for 44% in April,while increases as high as 57% in May.（2） Four primary airflow paths leading to spring sea fog are identified.They are originated from the northwest,east,southeast and southwest of the Huanghai Sea,respectively.The occurrence ratios of the warm sea fog along the east and southeast airflow paths are high of 55% and 70%,while these along the southwest and northwest airflow paths are merely 17.9% and 50%.（3） The key physical processes governing the warm/cold sea fog are heat advection transport,longwave radiation cooling at fog top,solar shortwave warming and latent heat flux between airsea interfaces.（4） The characteristics of sea fog along the four airflow paths relate closely to the conditions of water vapor advection,and the vertical distribution of relative humidity.

Numerical simulation of the structure and variation of upwelling off the east coast of Hainan Island using QuikSCAT winds

The spatial structure and variation of the upwelling in the waters east and northeast of Hainan Island, China during 2000-2007 were investigated using a nested high-resolution Princeton Ocean Model (POM) forced by QuikSCAT winds. The model produced good simulations of the summer upwelling and the seasonal and annual variability. Strong upwelling occurs from mid-July to mid-August with a peak east of Hainan Island associated with the southwesterly monsoon in the South China Sea. Sensitivity experiments indicated that when the local wind stress controls the variability of the upwelling, the large-scale circulation significantly enhances the upwelling northeast of Hainan Island by inducing a local upwelling and transporting cold water northeast-ward along the island's east coast. The joint effects of the local wind stress and large-scale circulation result in stronger upwelling northeast of Hainan Island. This implies that the annual variation of the upwelling northeast of Hainan Island is controlled not only by the local alongshore wind stress but also by the large-scale circulation. This result will help us investigate the decadal variation of the upwelling in this region in the future.

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.

The Effect of Typhoon-Induced SST Cooling on Typhoon Intensity: The Case of Typhoon Chanchu (2006)

In order to investigate air-sea interactions during the life cycle of typhoons and the quantificational effects of typhoon-induced SST cooling on typhoon intensity, a mesoscale coupled air-sea model is developed based on the non-hydrostatic mesoscale model MM5 and the regional ocean model POM, which is used to simulate the life cycle of Typhoon Chanchu （2006） from a tropical depression to a typhoon followed by a steady weakening. The results show that improved intensity prediction is achieved after considering typhoon-induced SST cooling; the trend of the typhoon intensity change simulated by the coupled model is consistent with observations. The weakening stage of Typhoon Chanchu from 1200 UTC 15 May to 1800 UTC 16 May can be well reproduced, and it is the typhoon-induced SST cooling that makes Chanchu weaken during this period. Analysis reveals that the typhoon-induced SST cooling reduces the sensible and latent heat fluxes from the ocean to the typhoon＇s vortex, especially in the inner-core region. In this study, the average total heat flux in the inner-core region of the typhoon decrease by 57.2%, whereas typhoon intensity weakens by 46%. It is shown that incorporation of the typhoon-induced cooling, with an average value of 2.17℃, causes a 46-hPa weakening of the typhoon, which is about 20 hPa per 1℃ change in SST.

Marine Atmospheric Boundary Layers Associated with Summer Monsoon Onset over the South China Sea in 1998

The variations of the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) associated with the South China Sea Summer Monsoon were examined using the Global Positioning System (GPS) sounding datasets obtained four times daily during May-June 1998 on board Research Vessels Kexue 1 and Shiyan 3. The MABL height is defined as the height at the lowest level where virtual potential temperature increases by 1 K from the surface. The results indicate that the MABL height decreased over the northern South China Sea (SCS) and remained the same over the southern SCS, as sea surface temperature (SST) fell for the northern and rose for the southern SCS after the monsoon onset. Over the northern SCS, a decrease in both the SST and the surface latent-heat flux after the onset resulted in a reduction of the MABL height as well as a decoupling of MABL from clouds. It was found that MABL height reduction corresponded to rainfall occurrence. Over the southern SCS, a probable reason for the constant increase of SST and surface heat flux was the rainfall and internal atmospheric dynamics.

Response of the cold water mass in the western South China Sea to the wind stress curl associated with the summer monsoon

Analysis of climatological observation temperature data reveals that during the southwesterly monsoon, there exists a low tempera- ture zone east of Vietnam. It cools down from June to August and warms up in September. Meanwhile, during this period, the cold water mass spreads eastward to the deep basin. Numerical experiments validate the results of data analysis and further verify that there are two basic factors that induce the Vietnam cold water. The major one is the strong local positive wind stress curl, which leads to the divergence of sea surface water and the upward supplement of lower layer water in the deep basin. Another minor one is the alongshore component of southwesterly monsoon, which drives the offshore Ekman transport and coastal upwelling in the shallow region along the Vietnam coast. In addition, the negative wind stress curl in the southern South China Sea inputs negative vorticity to the ocean and drives a strong anticyclonic gyre, which affects the spatial distribution of the cold water evidently.

Retrieval of chlorophyll a and suspended solid concen-trations by hyperspectral remote sensing in Taihu Lake,China

Chlorophyll α（ch1-α） and suspended solid concentrations are two frequently used water quality parameters for monitoring a lake. Traditional measurement of ch1-α and suspended solids, requiring laborious laboratory work, which is often expensive and time consuming. Hyperspectral remote-sensing measurement provides a fast and easy tool for estimating water trophic status. In situ hyperspectral data on March 7-8, July 6-7, September 20 and December 7-8, 2004 and the corresponding water chemical data were used to regress the algorithm of water quality parameters. Results showed that the peak of water leaving radiance around 700 nm （R700） varied proportionally with ch1-α concentration, and moved to infrared when algal bloom occurred. The reflectance ratio of R702/R685 was well correlated with ch1-α when water surface in no algal bloom case and the correlation coefficient was better if absorption of phycocyanin was considered. The reflectance ratio R620/R531 was highly correlated to the concentration of suspended solids. The relationship between suspended solids and other band groups were also compared. Secchi disk depth could be calculated by non-linear correlation with suspended solids concentration.

A NUMERICAL STUDY OF THE INFLUENCE OF SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES WITH DIFFERENT TEMPORAL RESOLUTIONS ON TYPHOON DUJUAN OVER THE SOUTH CHINA SEA

Daily and weekly sea surface temperature data of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System sensors are used as forcing of the underlying sea surface in the mesoscale numerical model to simulate Typhoon Dujuan that moved across the South China Sea in 2003. The numerical results show that different SSTs near the typhoon center result in differences in the atmospheric wind field, indicating that the model has a fast and obvious response to SSTs. Different SST influences the intensity and track of Dujuan to some degree and has significant impacts on its precipitation and latent heat flux near the eye. The SST influence on Dujuan is mainly fulfilled by changing the latent heat flux between the ocean surface and the atmosphere above.

A Long-Term Numerical Model of Morphodynamic Evolution and Its Application to the Modaomen Estuary

Because of the influence of human activities, the evolution of the Modaomen Estuary is no longer a purely natural process. We used a long-term morphodynamic model （PRD-LTMM-10） to study the evolution of the estuary from 1977 to 1988. The model incorporated modules for riprap-siltation promotion and waterway dredging. The model can simulate the morphodynamic evolutionary processes occurring in the Modaomen Estuary during the period of interest. We were able to isolate the long-term influences of various human engineering activities and the roles of natural factors in estuarine evolution. The governance projects had the largest effect on the natural development of the estuary, resulting in larger siltation on the west side. Installation of riprap and reclamation of submerged land resulted in scouring of the main Hengzhou Channel causing deep trough out-shift. Severe siltation narrowed the upper end of the Longshiku Deep Trough.

Atmospheric correction of Landsat data for the retrieval of sea surface temperature in coastal waters

A mono-window algorithm was introduced to retrieve sea surface temperature （SST） using Landsat data in coastal waters. In this algorithm, the effective mean air temperature and the water vapor content of air column were estimated with the local meteorological parameters of air temperature and relative humidity, based on the facts that in the troposphere, （ 1 ） air temperature decreases linearly with the altitude, and （2） water vapor content lapses exponentially with the altitude. The sea-truth temperature data and MODIS Terra SST product were used to validate the SST retrieved from Landsat TM and ETM ＋ thermal infrared （TIR） data with the algorithm. The results show that the algorithm can improve the spatial temperature contrast which is often masked due to water vapor effects, and the temperature derived from the algorithm is closer to the sea-truth SST. When applying the algorithm, the initial parameters of air temperature and relative humidity can be easily collected from local meteorological stations, and there is no need to identify the model of air profile.

Impacts of Typhoons Tianying and Dawei on seagrass distribution in Xincun Bay,Hainan Province,China

More than 50% of the typhoons landing in China have landed on the southeast coast, where they have caused great pressure on the coastal environment. Seagrass, one of the most important con- stituents of coastal ecosystems, is also greatly affected by typhoons. In order to clarify how seagrass distribution variation is affected by typhoons in coastal areas in southeast China, data of Typhoons Dawei and Tianying （category 4 and category 2 respectively, which just ran through the southern part of Hainan province） have been studied. In situ observation and satellite remote sensing data （CBERS-China Brazil Earth Resources Satellite） in 2004 and 2006 were used to retrieve seagrass distribution in Xincun Bay, Hainan province. In situ observations showed that leaf length, stem biomass and above ground biomass on average showed evidence of reduction after Typhoons Tiany- ing and Dawei. However, seagrass density showed no evidence of reduction after typhoon Tianying and Dawei passed by and increased rapidly in January 2006. From results of satellite remote sensing data, seagrass distribution can be detected with high accuracy, and the area of seagrass distribution on the south coast of Xincun Bay in 2006 after the typhoon passed by was smaller than that in 2004 in region A and B. However, in region C, area of seagrass coverage under 20% increased. These results demonstrated that typhoons Tianying and Dawei damaged seagrass bed and helped seagrass to get rid of aged and dead leaves, and this correspondingly facilitated seagrass growth.