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Variability of the deep South China Sea circulation derived from HYCOM reanalysis data

  • The South China Sea Annual Meeting 2020
  • Published:
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Abstract

This study aims to investigate variability of the deep South China Sea (SCS) circulation using the Hybrid Coordinate Ocean Model (HYCOM) global reanalysis product. The results reveal that annual cycle is a dominant component in the deep SCS circulation. Meanwhile, the boundary circulation strength is the weakest in January and peaks between June and September. The eastern and southern boundary currents strengthen/weaken one to three months earlier than that in the western and northern boundaries. Vector Empirical Orthogonal Functions (VEOF) analysis results reveal that semiannual and intraseasonal fluctuations are significant components, of which the spatial patterns are mainly confined in the northern and western boundary areas as well as the southwestern sub-basin. Wavelet analysis results show the strength of significant fluctuation varies year to year. Trend analysis results indicate a decadal weakening in the deep SCS circulation. An anomalous anticyclonic circulation, 50–70 km apart from the slope break, tends to weaken the cyclonic boundary circulation in the western and northern boundaries as well as the southwestern sub-basin. This trend is similar to the observed decadal weakening in the North Atlantic deep circulation. Thus, the findings of this study reveal that the variation of the deep SCS circulation has a remarkable response to the climate change. The mechanisms responsible for the variation are worth pursuing if more observations are available.

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Funding

The National Key Research and Development Program of China under contract No. 2019YFC1408400; the National Natural Science Foundation of China under contract Nos 41876029 and 41821004.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. First Institute of Oceanography, and Key Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, Ministry of Natural Resources, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Yaohua Zhu, Yonggang Wang, Shujiang Li, Tengfei Xu, Dingqi Wang, Fei Teng & Zexun Wei

  2. Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, 266237, China

    Yaohua Zhu, Yonggang Wang, Shujiang Li, Tengfei Xu & Zexun Wei

  3. Shandong Key Laboratory of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao, 266061, China

    Yaohua Zhu, Yonggang Wang, Shujiang Li, Tengfei Xu, Fei Teng, Fei Teng & Zexun Wei

  4. Navigation College, Jiangsu Maritime Institute, Nanjing, 211100, China

    Guojiao Cao

  5. College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Dingqi Wang

Authors
  1. Yaohua Zhu
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  2. Guojiao Cao
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  3. Yonggang Wang
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  4. Shujiang Li
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  5. Tengfei Xu
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  6. Dingqi Wang
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  7. Fei Teng
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  8. Zexun Wei
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Correspondence to Zexun Wei.

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Zhu, Y., Cao, G., Wang, Y. et al. Variability of the deep South China Sea circulation derived from HYCOM reanalysis data. Acta Oceanol. Sin. 41, 54–64 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1952-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13131-021-1952-6

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