Abstract
This study investigates the response of surface chlorophyll (CHL) to mesoscale eddies generated in the eastern South China Sea (ESCS) during their lifecycles based on global eddy dataset and chlorophyll data from January 2003 to December 2016. The results show that the responses of CHL anomalies to cyclones are stronger than anticyclones generated in the Luzon Strait (LS) and in the area off northwest Luzon Island (NWLI). CHL anomalies are higher when cyclones disappear than when they are generated in the LS and in the NWLI. Furthermore, impacts of different eddy dynamic mechanisms (eddy advection, eddy trapping, eddy pumping and eddy-induced Ekman pumping) on CHL anomalies are quantified during eddy lifecycles based on empirical orthogonal function (EOF) method. Our results reveal that CHL anomalies in cyclones generated in the NWLI are affected by eddy pumping and its strengthening effect enhanced until the middle stage of their lifecycles. CHL anomalies in cyclones generated in the LS are modulated by eddy advection and linear Ekman pumping. CHL anomalies in anticyclones generated in the LS are jointly induced by eddy trapping, nonlinear Ekman pumping and eddy pumping. This study helps us attribute surface CHL to specific mechanisms and understand the differences in the response of surface CHL to mesoscale eddies generated in the ESCS during their lifecycles, and thus gains a deeper understanding of the role of mesoscale eddies in regulating the marine primary production.
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Acknowledgements
All data used here are available at hermes.acri.fr, marine.copernicus.eu, www.aviso.altimetry.fr and www.remss.com. This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Nos. 2016YFC1401404 and 2017YFC1405100) and by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41876089, 41806026 and 41890805). Support by open fund of State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources (No. QNHX1904) to Y.Y. is also acknowledged. The authors also thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments and valuable suggestions.
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Liu, J., Wang, Y., Yuan, Y. et al. The response of surface chlorophyll to mesoscale eddies generated in the eastern South China Sea. J Oceanogr 76, 211–226 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-020-00540-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-020-00540-y