Toward a Mesoscale Hydrological and Marine Meteorological Observation Network in the South China Sea

Abstract

Air–sea interaction in the South China Sea (SCS) has direct impacts on the weather and climate of its surrounding areas at various spatiotemporal scales. In situ observation plays a vital role in exploring the dynamic characteristics of the regional circulation and air–sea interaction. Remote sensing and regional modeling are expected to provide high-resolution data for studies of air–sea coupling; however, careful validation and calibration using in situ observations is necessary to ensure the quality of these data. Through a decade of effort, a marine observation network in the SCS has begun to be established, yielding a regional observatory for the air–sea synoptic system. Earlier observations in the SCS were scarce and narrowly focused. Since 2004, an annual series of scientific open cruises during late summer in the SCS has been organized by the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology (SCSIO), carefully designed based on the dynamic characteristics of the oceanic circulation and air–sea interaction in the SCS region. Since 2006, the cruise carried a radiometer and radiosondes on board, marking a new era of marine meteorological observation in the SCS. Fixed stations have been established for long-term and sustained records. Observations obtained through the network have been used to study regional ocean circulation and processes in the marine atmospheric boundary layer. In the future, a great number of multi-institutional, collaborative scientific cruises and observations at fixed stations will be carried out to establish a mesoscale hydrological and marine meteorological observation network in the SCS.

Maritime continent coastlines controlling Earth’s climate

“…Many other projects over this important region have been carried out in collaboration with various countries and agencies, for example, ocean-atmosphere interaction studies with China (e.g., Yang et al 2015), aerosol studies with the USA and others (e.g., Reid et al 2016), a collaboration within Southeast Asia (e.g., Koh and Teo 2009), and a collaboration/capacity building for meteorological operations and database construction with Australia, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and others. Collaborations between projects are occurring, and contributions from Indonesian scientists are increasing (see the last paragraph of the "Conclusions" section of this article).…”

Biases of five latent heat flux products and their impacts on mixed‐layer temperature estimates in the South China Sea

“…[] evaluated the performances of several LHF products and noted the importance of obtaining high‐quality meteorological observations. In recent years, field experiments in the SCS have increased in number [ Yang et al ., ], making it possible to collect more reliable and long‐term air‐sea flux observations. In this paper, five commonly used LHF products are evaluated against in situ data in order to understand their biases in the SCS.…”

A three-dimensional variational data assimilation system for the South China Sea: preliminary results from observing system simulation experiments

“…As mentioned in the first section of introduction, seasonally regular and feature-targeted observations by vessels or moorings have been increasingly conducted to monitor the marine environmental changes over the SCS during the last several decades (Yang et al 2015), resulting in a significant number of T/S and current profiles annually. In addition, a pair of HF radars has been setup in the west coast of Guangdong Province recently, and SSS observations can be obtained from Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) or Aquaria satellites though with considerable biases.…”

“…Observational investigations of the SCS are being carried out increasingly (Kuo et al 2000;Yuan et al 2007;Hu et al 2011;Yang et al 2015). These investigations rely on observations acquired from ship surveys and/or satellites.…”