Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2015, Vol. 34 ›› Issue (6): 11-18.doi: 10.11978/2015055CSTR: 32234.14.2015055

• Marine Hydrography • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Near-inertial oscillations induced by tropical cyclones under the background of South China Sea winter monsoon surge: A case study of Mirinae (0921)

WAN Yun-jiao1, 2, CHEN Geng-xin1, SHU Ye-qiang1, WANG Qiang1, CHEN Rong-yu1, WANG Dong-xiao1   

  1. 1. State Key Laboratory of Tropical Oceanography (South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Guangzhou 510301, China;
    2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China;
  • Received:2015-04-21 Revised:2015-05-21 Online:2015-11-10 Published:2015-11-24

Abstract: A number of tropical cyclones are active in the South China Sea each year. Near-inertial oscillations (NIOs) induced by the passing of tropical cyclones in the upper ocean became a hot research topic recently. Based on an acoustic Doppler current profiler (ADCP) moored in the northwestern South China Sea, we observed prominent NIOs during tropical cyclone Mirinae crossing the South China Sea. Comparing with the tropical cyclones that induced significant NIOs in previous studies, Mirinae was weak, moving quickly and far from the mooring site. After rotary wavelet analysis on currents observed by the moored ADCP, we found that significant NIOs were also triggered by Mirinae. How did Mirinae trigger these significant NIOs? We found that winter monsoon prevailed in the South China Sea during Mirinae. The northerly wind of Mirinae had the same direction as the winter monsoon. So, the arrival of Mirinae enhanced the magnitude of winter monsoon and changed its direction, which indirectly changed the magnitude and direction of local winds above the mooring site mainly controlled by winter monsoon and also made the local winds turn clockwise. Prominent NIOs at the mooring site were thus induced by the changing of local winds. These results were verified by the results of a damped-slab model.

Key words: South China Sea, tropical cyclone Mirinae, winter monsoon, near-inertial oscillation

CLC Number: 

  • P731.24