Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2010, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (6): 34-45.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2010.06.034cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2010.06.034

• Marine meteorology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Temporal and spatial characteristics of evaporation over the South China Sea from 1958 to 2006

DING Zhang-wei1, LI Wei-biao1, WEN Zhi-ping1, LUO Cong2   

  1. 1. Center for Monsoon and Environment Research/ Department of Atmospheric Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China; 2. Guangzhou Meteorological Observatory, Guangzhou 510080, China
  • Received:2009-03-27 Revised:2009-10-09 Online:2010-12-15 Published:2010-12-15
  • Contact: 黎伟标。 E-mail:eeslwb@mail.sysu.edu.cn
  • About author:丁张巍 (1984—), 男, 江西省景德镇人, 博士研究生, 现从事海气相互作用研究。E-mail: paton1945 @163.com
  • Supported by:

    国家自然基金项目(40875020); 国家自然科学基金重点项目(40730951); 国家自然科学基金联合资助项目(U0733002)

Abstract:

Based on the latest Objectively Analyzed Air-Sea Heat Fluxes (OAFlux) data, the temporal and spatial variability of monthly-mean evaporation (EVP) over the South of China Sea (SCS) from 1958 to 2006 are analyzed. The EVP in winter and autumn is stronger than that in spring and summer. By the EOF analysis, the variation of the EVP of the first mode depicts an in-phase mode, while the second EOF mode describes an oscillation between northern and southern parts of the SCS. These two modes can explain over 60% of the variance. The interannual change of the EVP over the SCS is closely associated with the Niño3.4 sea-surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) during December-February. The spatial pattern of composite EVP anomalies shows that the southern SCS is out-of-phase with the northern area during La Niña years, while there is a monopole mode (with the same EVP anomaly sign) during the El Niño years. The research on the periodic variation of spatial structure of seasonal EVP reflects that there is interannual and interdecadal variability in each season. The outcome of wavelet analysis shows that the periods of 2-5 yr and 10-14 yr are the leading cycles of seasonal EVP over the SCS, and the significance of these oscillation periods is different at various stages. Finally, by Mann-Kendall and trend methods, it is considered that the EVP was gradually strengthened on the interannual and seasonal scale in the area in 1997 and after the 1980s.

Key words: South China Sea, evaporation, spatial distribution, EOF, season, abrupt change, period