Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Temporal variability of the current in the northeastern South China Sea revealed by 2.5-year-long moored observations

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Oceanography Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The current in the northeastern South China Sea (NSCS) has been extensively studied by both observations and numerical models, but its vertical structure and temporal variability are still not well understood because of the lack of long-term and full-depth direct observations. From August 2010 to March 2013, the current velocity in the NSCS was directly observed by Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers from a subsurface mooring at 117°52.07′E, 21°06.68′N. The observed current velocity was coherent in the vertical direction and nearly showed the same sign in the nearly full water column (960 m). The observed current presented strong intraseasonal variabilities (ISVs) within periods between 30 and 90 days. Analysis of the altimeter observation suggested that the ISVs were closely related to the propagating mesoscale eddies. Corresponding to the seasonally varying circulation in the NSCS, the ISV-removed current roughly showed a semiannual cycle. The seasonal U (V) averaged over 80–200 m depths reached the peak in March and October (January and July) and the trough in July and February (April and August), respectively, with a peak-to-trough amplitude of 0.14 m/s (0.19 m/s). Dynamical modes analysis suggested that the observed current velocity showed dominated energy in the barotropic mode during most of the observation period but enhanced energy in the first baroclinic mode during eddy events because of the enhanced vertical shear of velocity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Chen GX, Xue HJ (2014) Westward intensification in marginal seas. Ocean Dyn 64(3):337–345

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen GX, Hou YJ, Chu XQ (2011) Mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea: mean properties, spatiotemporal variability, and impact on thermohaline structure. J Geophys Res 116:C06018. doi:10.1029/2010JC006716

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen GX, Xue HJ, Wang DX, Xie Q (2013) Observed near-inertial kinetic energy in the northwestern South China Sea. J Geophys Res: Oceans 118(10):4965–4977. doi:10.1002/jgrc.20371

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gan JP, Li H, Curchitser EN, Haidvogel DB (2006) Modeling South China Sea circulation: response to seasonal forcing regimes. J Geophys Res 111:C06034. doi:10.1029/2005JC003298

    Google Scholar 

  • Gill AE (1982) Atmosphere-Ocean dynamics. Academic Press, San Diego, p 662

    Google Scholar 

  • Hsin YC, Qu TD, Wu CR (2010) Intra-seasonal variation of the Kuroshio southeast of Taiwan and its possible forcing mechanism. Ocean Dyn 60:1293–1306. doi:10.1007/s10236-010-0294-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu JY, Kawamura H, Hong HS, Qi YQ (2000) A review on the currents in the South China Sea: seasonal circulation, South China Sea Warm Current and Kuroshio intrusion. J Oceanogr 56:607–624. doi:10.1023/A:1011117531252

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hu JY, Gan JP, Sun ZY, Zhu J, Dai MH (2011) Observed three-dimensional structure of a cold eddy in the southwestern South China Sea. J Geophys Res 116:C05016. doi:10.1029/2010JC006810

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu JY, Zheng QA, Sun ZY, Tai CK (2012) Penetration of nonlinear Rossby eddies into South China Seaevidenced by cruise data. J Geophys Res 117:C03010. doi:10.1029/2011JC007525

    Google Scholar 

  • Jia YL, Chassignet EP (2011) Seasonal variation of eddy shedding from the Kuroshio intrusion in the Luzon Strait. J Oceanogr 67:601–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kashino Y, Ishida A, Hosoda S (2011) Observed Ocean variability in the Mindanao Dome region. J Phys Oceanogr 41:287–302. doi:10.1175/2010JPO4329.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lan J, Zhang NN, Wang Y (2013) On the dynamics of the South China Sea deep circulation. J Geophys Res: Oceans 118(3):1206–1210. doi:10.1002/jgrc.20104

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu WT, Xie X (1999) Space-based observations of the seasonal changes of South Asian monsoons and oceanic response. Geophys Res Lett 26:1473–1476. doi:10.1029/1999GL900289

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu WT, Tang W, Xie X (2008) Wind power distribution over the ocean. Geophys Res Lett 35:L13808. doi:10.1029/2008GL034172

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maximenko N, Niiler P, Rio M, Melnichenko O, Centurioni L, Chambers D, Zlotnicki V, Galperin B (2009) Mean dynamic topography of the ocean derived from satellite and drifting buoy data using three different techniques. J Atmos Oceanic Tech 26(9):1910–1919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morimoto A, Yoshimoto K, Yanagi T (2000) Characteristics of sea surface circulation and eddy field in the South China Sea revealed by satellite altimetric data. J Oceanogr 56(3):331–344

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nan F, He ZG, Zhou H, Wang DX (2011a) Three long-lived anticyclonic eddies in the northern South China Sea. J Geophys Res 116:C05002. doi:10.1029/2010JC006790

    Google Scholar 

  • Nan F, Xue HJ, Xiu P, Chai P, Shi MC, Guo PF (2011b) Oceanic eddy formation and propagation southwest of Taiwan. J Geophys Res 116:C12045. doi:10.1029/2011JC007386

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nan F, Xue HJ, Chai F, Shi L, Shi MC, Guo PF (2011c) Identification of different types of Kuroshio intrusion into the South China Sea. Ocean Dyn 61:1291–1304. doi:10.1007/s10236-011-0426-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qu TD (2000) Upper-layer circulation in the South China Sea. J Phys Oceanogr 30(6):1450–1460. doi:10.1175/1520-0485(2000)030<1450:ULCITS>2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qu TD, Gan JP, Ishida A, Kashino Y, Tozuka T (2008) Semiannual variation in the western tropical Pacific Ocean. Geophys Res Lett 35:L16602. doi:10.1029/2008GL035058

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw PT (1991) The seasonal variation of the intrusion of the Philippine sea water into the South China Sea. J Geophys Res 96(C1):821–827. doi:10.1029/90JC02367

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw PT, Chao SY, Fu LL (1999) Sea surface height variations in the South China Sea from satellite altimetery. Oceanol Acta 22:1–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang GH, Su JL, Chu PC (2003) Mesoscale eddies in the South China Sea observed with altimeter data. Geophys Res Lett 30(21):2121. doi:10.1029/2003GL018532

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang DX, Xu HZ, Lin J, Hu JY (2008a) Anticyclonic eddies in the northeastern South China Sea during winter 2003/2004. J Oceanogr 64:925–935. doi:10.1007/s10872-008-0076-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang GH, Chen D, Su J (2008b) Winter eddy genesis in the Eastern South China Sea due to Orographic wind jets. J Phys Oceanogr 38:726–732. doi:10.1175/2007JPO3868.1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang DX, Wang Q, Zhou WD, Cai SQ, Li L, Hong B (2013) An analysis of the current deflection around Dongsha Islands in the northern South China Sea. J Geophys Res: Oceans 118(1):490–501. doi:10.1029/2012JC008429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu CR, Chang CWJ (2005) Interannual variability of the South China Sea in a data assimilation model. Geophys Res Lett 32:L17611. doi:10.1029/2005GL023798

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu CR, Chiang TL (2007) Mesoscale eddies in the northern South China Sea. Deep Sea Res Part II 54:1575–1588. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2007.05.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu CR, Shaw PT, Chao SY (1998) Seasonal and interannual variations in the velocity field of the South China Sea. J Oceanogr 54(4):361–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu CR, Tang TY, Lin SF (2005) Intra-seasonal variation in the velocity field of the northeastern South China Sea. Cont Shelf Res 25:2075–2083

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wunsch C (1997) The vertical partition of oceanic horizontal kinetic energy. J Phys Oceanogr 27:1770–1794

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wyrtki K (1961) Scientific results of marine investigations of the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand 1959–1961. NAGA report 2

  • Xiu P, Chai F, Shi L, Xue HJ, Chao Y (2010) A census of eddy activities in the South China Sea during 1993–2007. J Geophys Res 115:C03012. doi:10.1029/2009JC005657

    Google Scholar 

  • Xu XZ, Qiu Z, Chen HC (1982) The general descriptions of the horizontal circulation in the South China Sea. In: Proceedings of the 1980 symposium on hydrometeology of the Chinese Society of oceanology and limnology, pp 137–141

  • Xue HJ, Chai F, Pettigrew N, Xu DY, Shi MC, Xu JP (2004) Kuroshio intrusion and the circulation in the South China Sea. J Geophys Res 109:C02017. doi:10.1029/2002JC001724

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang ZW, Zhao W, Tian JW, Liang XF (2013) A mesoscale eddy pair southwest of Taiwan and its influence on deep circulation. J Geophys Res Oceans. doi:10.1002/2013JC008994

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang ZW, Zhao W, Tian JW, Yang QX, Qu TD (2015) Spatial structure and temporal variability of the zonal flow in the Luzon Strait. J Geophys Res Oceans. doi:10.1002/2014JC010308

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao J, Li YL, Wang F, Zhai FG, Yu XL (2012) Spatial–temporal patterns and driving mechanisms of semiannual variations in the Philippine Sea. Deep Sea Res Part I 68:105–115

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhuang W, Xie SP, Wang DX, Taguchi B, Aiki H, Sasaki H (2010) Intraseasonal variability in sea surface height over the South China Sea. J Geophys Res 115:C04010. doi:10.1029/2009JC005647

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We thank two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. This work was supported by the National Key Basic Research Program of China (Program 973; grant no. 2014CB745003), the National Key Scientific Research Project “the South China Sea Deep” (grant no. 91028008), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 41176010, 41176008), the "Strategic Priority Research Program" of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (grant no. XDA11010202) and a grant from the Sanya Institute of Deep-Sea Science and Engineering (grant no. SIDSSE-201207).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Oceanography Laboratory/Qingdao Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Science and Technology, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, China

    Li Cheng, Zhiwei Zhang, Wei Zhao & Jiwei Tian

Authors
  1. Li Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Zhiwei Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Wei Zhao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jiwei Tian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jiwei Tian.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cheng, L., Zhang, Z., Zhao, W. et al. Temporal variability of the current in the northeastern South China Sea revealed by 2.5-year-long moored observations. J Oceanogr 71, 361–372 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-015-0295-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-015-0295-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation