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Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

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Abstract

In this study, we develop a variable-grid global ocean general circulation model (OGCM) with a fine grid (1/6)° covering the area from 20°S–50°N and from 99°–150°E, and use the model to investigate the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea (SCS). The simulated results show four layer structures in vertical: the surface and subsurface circulation of the SCS are characterized by the monsoon driven circulation, with basin-scaled cyclonic gyre in winter and anti-cyclonic gyre in summer. The intermediate layer circulation is opposite to the upper layer, showing anti-cyclonic gyre in winter but cyclonic gyre in summer. The circulation in the deep layer is much weaker in spring and summer, with the maximum velocity speed below 0.6 cm/s. In fall and winter, the SCS deep layer circulation shows strong east boundary current along the west coast of Philippine with the velocity speed at 1.5 m/s, which flows southward in fall and northward in winter. The results have also revealed a fourlayer vertical structure of water exchange through the Luzon Strait. The dynamics of the intermediate and deep circulation are attributed to the monsoon driving and the Luzon Strait transport forcing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Zexun Wei, Guohong Fang, Tengfei Xu, Yonggang Wang & Zhan Lian

  2. Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Zexun Wei, Guohong Fang, Tengfei Xu, Yonggang Wang & Zhan Lian

  3. Key Lab of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Zexun Wei, Guohong Fang, Tengfei Xu, Yonggang Wang & Zhan Lian

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  1. Zexun Wei
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  2. Guohong Fang
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  3. Tengfei Xu
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  5. Zhan Lian
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Correspondence to Zexun Wei.

Additional information

Foundation item: The National High Technology Research and Development Program (863 Program) of China under contract No. 2013AA09A506; the National Natural Science Foundation of China-Shandong Joint Fund for Marine Science Research Centers under contract No. U1406404; the National Basic Research Program (973 Program) of China under contract No. 2011CB956000; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract No. 40476016.

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Wei, Z., Fang, G., Xu, T. et al. Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 35, 11–20 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-0791-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-016-0791-3

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