Seasonal Variations of Upper Ocean Circulation over the South China Sea from Satellite Altimeter Data of Many Years

Abstract

In combination with the topography model EGM96 for stationary sea surface, we use high‐precision grid data of sea surface anomaly from satellite altimeter measurements in ten years to construct the time series for the formation of the sea surface topography in the South China Sea and calculate the circulation fields of its upper layer in different periods. Comparison between the satellite tracing observations to drifting buoys and the geostrophic current fields in corresponding times indicates that the circulation fields derived by this study can reveal some characteristics of the circulation and eddy over the South China Sea on medium‐ and small‐scales. Based on the circulation field structure of the uppermost layer of the South China Sea averaged to seasons of many years, we make a preliminary analysis of the annual and seasonal variations of the circulation in the study area. The result shows that the circulation of the uppermost layer of the South China Sea is always in a constant process of change and evolution which exhibits pronounced multi‐scale characteristics both in time and space.

Dissolved Nitrous Oxide and Hydroxylamine in the Northern South China Sea in Summer

“…Exchanging with the adjacent rivers and oceans, the circulation of the SCS is mainly composed of the mixing water layers of westward upper water (<750 m) and deep water (>1,500 m) from the northwest Pacific Ocean as well as eastward mid‐water (750–1,500 m) through Luzon Strait (Liu & Gan, 2017). The flow of surface water is mainly affected by the southwest monsoon, which is prevailing in summer from June to August (Bao et al., 2005; Zhu et al., 2019. Figure 1a, black arrows).…”

Rainstorm variability is mainly influenced by the southwest monsoon in the Hanjiang River basin of China during 1985–2020

“…The definitions of the indicators are shown in Table 1. Based on previous studies (Bao, 2007;Chen & Zhai, 2013;Tao, 1980) and taking into account the scale of this study area, the persistent rainstorm event is empirically defined as follows: (1) a daily rainstorm occurring on at least two consecutive days at one station.…”

Increase in summer precipitation over the Sichuan Basin in recent decades and possible causes

“…Located to the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau, the Sichuan Basin (SCB) is frequently hit by heavy precipitation in summer due to its special geographic location (Bao & Huang, 2006; Zhou et al, 2011). The frequent heavy precipitation and fragile geological conditions make the SCB and its surrounding areas one of the most vulnerable areas in China to natural disasters, such as floods and landslides (Li et al, 2013; Qu et al, 2016; Shi et al, 2016).…”