Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

WEI Zexun; FANG Guohong; XU Tengfei; WANG Yonggang; LIAN Zhan

doi:10.1007/s13131-016-0791-3

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Article Navigation > Acta Oceanologica Sinica > 2016 > 35(1): 11-20

WEI Zexun, FANG Guohong, XU Tengfei, WANG Yonggang, LIAN Zhan. Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(1): 11-20. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0791-3

Citation:

WEI Zexun, FANG Guohong, XU Tengfei, WANG Yonggang, LIAN Zhan. Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(1): 11-20. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0791-3

Citation:

WEI Zexun, FANG Guohong, XU Tengfei, WANG Yonggang, LIAN Zhan. Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model[J]. Acta Oceanologica Sinica, 2016, 35(1): 11-20. doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0791-3

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Seasonal variability of the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea derived from a variable-grid global ocean circulation model

doi: 10.1007/s13131-016-0791-3

First Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266061, China;Laboratory for Regional Oceanography and Numerical Modeling, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266061, China;Key Lab of Marine Science and Numerical Modeling, State Oceanic Administration, Qingdao 266061, China

Received Date: 2015-03-19
Rev Recd Date: 2015-09-08

Abstract

Abstract

In this study, we develop a variable-grid global ocean general circulation model (OGCM) with a fine grid (1/6)° covering the area from 20°S-50°N and from 99°-150°E, and use the model to investigate the isopycnal surface circulation in the South China Sea (SCS). The simulated results show four layer structures in vertical: the surface and subsurface circulation of the SCS are characterized by the monsoon driven circulation, with basin-scaled cyclonic gyre in winter and anti-cyclonic gyre in summer. The intermediate layer circulation is opposite to the upper layer, showing anti-cyclonic gyre in winter but cyclonic gyre in summer. The circulation in the deep layer is much weaker in spring and summer, with the maximum velocity speed below 0.6 cm/s. In fall and winter, the SCS deep layer circulation shows strong east boundary current along the west coast of Philippine with the velocity speed at 1.5 m/s, which flows southward in fall and northward in winter. The results have also revealed a fourlayer vertical structure of water exchange through the Luzon Strait. The dynamics of the intermediate and deep circulation are attributed to the monsoon driving and the Luzon Strait transport forcing.
- South China Sea,
- isopycnal surface circulation,
- ocean general circulation model,
- Luzon Strait transport

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