The monthly average distributions of sea-surface wind speeds and directions in the East Vietnam Sea

Abstract

This paper analyzes a monthly global gridded sea-surface wind dataset from Jan 1991 to Dec 2020, sourced from the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS). The goal is to construct schematic maps depicting the monthly average distributions of sea-surface wind speeds and directions in the East Vietnam Sea. These maps provide a visual representation of the monsoon patterns at different points and areas in the region. The statistical and analytical findings reveal that the East Vietnam Sea is primarily influenced by two types of monsoons: Northeast and Southwest. When one is strong, the other is weak, and vice versa. The Northeast monsoon dominates from September to April of the following year, while the Southwest monsoon is more dominant from May to August. The intensity of the Northeast monsoon is usually greater than that of the Southwest monsoon. These results provide an overview of the monsoon distributions in the East Vietnam Sea, which can assist scientists and managers in proposing policies and measures suitable to the climate environment and wind seasons. These findings also help in the effective exploitation of abundant wind energy resources in coastal Vietnam and the East Vietnam Sea. Furthermore, the results are consistent with previous studies of monsoons in the East Vietnam Sea, indicating that the data source used in this study is reliable and can be utilized as input data for tidal, currents, or oil spread models.