Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2009, Vol. 28 ›› Issue (5): 49-55.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2009.05.049cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2009.05.049

• Marine physics • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Two sea-surface warming events in the South China Sea during and after El Nino

HUANG Zhuo1, XU Hai-ming1, DU Yan2, XIE Qiang   

  1. 1. College of Atmospheric Sciences, Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology, Nanjing 210044, China;
    2. Key Laboratory of Tropical Marine Environmental Dynamics, South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, CAS, Guangzhou 510301, China
  • Received:2009-04-07 Revised:2009-08-05 Online:2009-11-10 Published:2009-10-10
  • About author:黄卓(1985—),女,广西桂平市人,硕士研究生,主要从事海气相互作用与气候变化研究。
  • Supported by:

    科学院知识创新工程项目(KZCX2-YW-BR-04);国家自然科学基金项目(40876007);国家重点基础研究项目(2006CB403607,KZCX2-YW-Q11-02)

Abstract:

Using monthly products from the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set (ICOADS), the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP), and the Optimum Interpolation Sea Surface Temperature (OISST), the authors investigate the interannual variation of sea-surface temperature (SST) along a meridional transection in the South China Sea (SCS). It is found that the air-sea interaction in the tropical Pacific plays an important role in the SCS SST variation. Taking warming as an example, the SCS SST warms up in the winter of El Nino developing year and again in the following summer. The first SCS warming occurs during the mature phase of El Nino. The decrease in cloudage and increase in net shortwave radiation flux contribute to the SST warming in the winter. The air-sea interaction associated with El Nino has a direct impact on this SCS warming process. The second warming occurs in the summer after the decay of El Nino. The weakening summer monsoon reduces the latent heat flux release and coastal upwelling off the southeastern Vietnam, which could not be attributed to the direct impact of the El Nino.

Key words: El Nino, South China Sea, sea-surface temperature, interannual variability