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Asymmetric response of the South China Sea SST to El Niño and La Niña

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Abstract

The interannual variability of the sea surface temperature (SST) in the South China Sea (SCS) is investigated according to its relationship with El Niño/La Niña (EN/LN) using monthly products from ICOADS. The SCS SST bears two peaks associated with EN/LN and shows the asymmetric features. Coinciding with the mature phase of EN/LN, the first SST warming/cooling peaks in December(0)-February(1) (DJF(1)) and centers in the southern part. The major difference is in the amplitude associated with the strength of EN/LN. However, the SCS SST anomaly shows distinct difference after the mature phase of EN/LN. The EN SST warming develops a mid-summer peak in June-August(1) (JJA(1)) and persists up to September-October(1), with the same amplitude of the first warming peak. Whereas the LN SST cooling peaks in May(1), it decays slowly until the end of the year, with amplitude much weaker. Comparing with SST and atmospheric circulations, the weak response and early termination of the second cooling is due to the failure of the cyclonic wind anomalies to develop in the northwest Pacific during JJA(1).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Oceanography in Tropics, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, P. R. China

    Zhuo Huang, Yan Du & Yanling Wu

  2. Guangxi Climate Center, Nanning, 530022, P. R. China

    Zhuo Huang

  3. College of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210044, P. R. China

    Zhuo Huang & Haiming Xu

Authors
  1. Zhuo Huang
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  2. Yan Du
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  3. Yanling Wu
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  4. Haiming Xu
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Correspondence to Yan Du.

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Huang, Z., Du, Y., Wu, Y. et al. Asymmetric response of the South China Sea SST to El Niño and La Niña. J. Ocean Univ. China 12, 272–278 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-013-2169-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-013-2169-x

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