Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2016, Vol. 35 ›› Issue (1): 72-81.doi: 10.11978/2015077CSTR: 32234.14.2015077

Special Issue: 海上丝绸之路专题

• Marine Hydrography • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Decadal variability of oceanic advection in the South China Sea associated with ENSO and Indian-Ocean Basin and its impacts on SST

YANG Yali1, 2, DU Yan1   

  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:2015-06-02 Online:2016-01-10 Published:2016-02-02
  • Contact: DU Yan, E-mail: duyan@scsio.ac.cn
  • Supported by:
    Strategic Priority Research Programme (XDA11010103); Major State Global change Research Development program (National Key Basic Research Program of China)(2012CB955603)

Abstract: Using the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS) and Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis, this study investigates the decadal variability of sea surface temperature (SST) over the South China Sea (SCS) associated with El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Indian Ocean Basin (IOB) mode. Four epochs during 1870-2007 were identified with significant differences. The SST anomalies showed single peak of warming during the periods before the 1950s, and double peaks of warming after the 1950s. The results of ocean heat budget indicated that the oceanic advection anomalies contributed little to the SCS warming in an ENSO developing year during Epochs 2, 3 and 4. The SCS warming was mainly due to the latent heat flux and shortwave radiation anomalies associated the ENSO. However, the SCS warming in the summer of an ENSO decay year could attribute to oceanic advection during the periods after the 1950s. The different contributions of oceanic advection to the SST warming in the past 138 years indicated that the ENSO teleconnection to the SCS climate experienced decadal changes.

Key words: ENSO, Indian Ocean Basin, South China Sea SST, oceanic advections, decadal variability