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Interannual Variability of Shelf and Slope Circulations in the Northern South China Sea

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Abstract

The northern South China Sea (NSCS) is a dynamically complex region whose shelf and slope currents are driven by different mechanisms. In this study, we used field measurements to identify clear interannual variations in the circulation related to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation cycle. To investigate the modulation mechanisms, we used a high-resolution numerical model that covers the shelf and slope regions of the NSCS. The results indicate that the stronger southwestward slope current during La Niña and stronger northeastward shelf current during El Niño in summer and winter are largely related to changes in wind forcing. The Kuroshio intrusion into the NSCS does not appear to significantly affect the circulation in the southwestern shelf region.

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Acknowledgements

This study is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2016YFC140 1604), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 41806035), the Key Special Project for Introduced Talents Team of Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou) (No. GML2019 ZD0305), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 41730536, 41890805), the Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. ISEE2019 ZR02), the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation (No. 2019A1515012108), and the Research Funds from the State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography (No. LTOZZ1803).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Na Liu, Bingxu Geng, Huijie Xue, Peng Xiu, Qiang Wang & Dongxiao Wang

  2. Southern Marine Science and Engineering Guangdong Laboratory (Guangzhou), Guangzhou, 511458, China

    Bingxu Geng & Peng Xiu

  3. Innovation Academy of South China Sea Ecology and Environmental Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510301, China

    Bingxu Geng & Peng Xiu

  4. School of Marine Sciences, University of Maine, Orono, ME, 04469-5706, USA

    Huijie Xue

Authors
  1. Na Liu
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  2. Bingxu Geng
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  3. Huijie Xue
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  4. Peng Xiu
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  5. Qiang Wang
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  6. Dongxiao Wang
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Correspondence to Bingxu Geng.

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Liu, N., Geng, B., Xue, H. et al. Interannual Variability of Shelf and Slope Circulations in the Northern South China Sea. J. Ocean Univ. China 19, 1005–1016 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-020-4446-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11802-020-4446-9

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