Marine Hydrography

Analyses of the tidal current characteristics on the continental shelf of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea

  • DENG Xiao-dong ,
  • LIU Jun-liang ,
  • CAI Shu-qun
Expand
  • 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 date: 2011-10-09

  Revised date: 2011-12-23

  Online published: 2013-10-30

Abstract

In this paper, the tidal current characteristics on the continental shelf of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea are analyzed by using the current data, which are observed at a mooring site near the Xisha Islands in July, 2010. The parameters, such as the elliptical elements of the barotropic and baroclinic tidal current, the current energy spectra and the kinetic energy are calculated. The results show that the current mainly flows to the east and the barotropic tidal current is significant in this area while the baroclinic tidal current is not obvious. K1 is the main component barotropic tidal current, and then O1. The current energy of diurnal frequency is very strong and the near-inertial oscillation increases significantly after the passage of typhoon. The ratio of the mean kinetic energy of the baroclinic tidal current to the observational current is very small at the depth of 20m.

Cite this article

DENG Xiao-dong , LIU Jun-liang , CAI Shu-qun . Analyses of the tidal current characteristics on the continental shelf of the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea[J]. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2013 , 32(4) : 8 -12 . DOI: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2013.04.002

References

[1]方国洪, 曹德明, 黄企洲. 南海潮汐潮流的数值模拟[J]. 海洋学报, 1994, 16(4): 1-12.
[2]FANG GUOHONG, KWOK Y-K, YU KEJUN, et al. Numerical simulation of principal tidal constituents in the South China Sea, Gulf of Tonkin and Gulf of Thailand[J]. Continental Shelf Research, 1999, 19: 845-869.
[3]邱章, 徐锡祯, 龙小敏. 南海北部一观测点内潮特征的初步分析[J].热带海洋, 1996, 15(4): 63-67.
[4]郭朴, 方文东, 甘子钧, 等. 南海北部大陆坡区的内潮特征[J]. 科学通报, 2006, 51(增): 15-22.
[5]张效谦, 梁鑫峰, 田纪伟. 南海北部450m以浅水层内潮和近惯性运动研究[J]. 科学通报, 2005, 50(18): 2027-2031.
[6]蔡树群, 陈荣裕, 邱章. 底地形变化对内潮产生影响的数值研究[J]. 台湾海峡, 2000, 19(1): 74-81.
[7]蔡树群, 黄企洲, 邱章, 等. 内潮动力机制的数值研究[J]. 热带海洋, 2000, 19(3): 27-32.
[8]杜岩, 王东晓, 陈荣裕, 等. 南海西边界ADCP观测海流的垂直结构[J]. 海洋工程, 2004, 22(2): 31-38.
[9]LIU JUNLIANG, CAI SHUQUN, WANG SHENGAN. Current and mixing in the Northern South China Sea[J]. Chinese Journal of Oceanology and Limnology. 2010, 28(5): 974-980.
Outlines

/