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Journal of Tropical Oceanography >

2013 , Vol. 32 >Issue 5: 29 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2013.05.005

Marine Hydrology

Variability of surfer circulation and Kuroshio intrusion in northern South China Sea using growing hierarchical self-organizing maps

  • XU Xiao-hua ,
  • LIAO Guang-hong ,
  • YANG Cheng-hao ,
  • YUAN Yao-chu ,
  • HUANG Wei-gen
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  • 1. College of Physical and Environmental Oceanography, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, China; 2. State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, Hangzhou 310012, China

Received date: 2011-10-29

  Revised date: 2013-04-27

  Online published: 2013-11-21

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Abstract

Sea surface height (SSH) variations and eddies on both sides of the Luzon Strait are examined from the merged satellite altimeter data from October 1992 to November 2009. The neural network analyses based on the growing hierarchical self-organizing map (GHSOM) are used to extract feature patterns of the circulation variability. The evolution of the characteristic circulation patterns with time is investigated. The seasonal and inter-annual variations of the sea-surface circulation are identified. The analysis indicates a branch of the Kuroshio intrudes into the northern South China Sea (NSCS) during the cold season, accompanied by a stronger cyclonic eddy northwest of Luzon Island. That is closely related to the meridional pressure gradient cross the Luzon Strait. The Kuroshio does not intrude remarkably in the warm season. The spring and autumn, as transitional periods, have relatively complicated circulation structures, which can be explained by more GHSOM arrays in the second layer. The prominent Kuroshio intrusion and non-intrusion patterns denote 24.57% and 27.53% of all SSH variation, respectively. The transitional pattern sums up to 47.87%. The seasonal variation is modulated by the inter-annual variation. The events that the surface Kuroshio intruded into the NSCS in 1994-1995, 1997-1998 and 2002-2003 are much more frequent than the other periods, and the frequency of the events decreased remarkably from 1998 to 2001 and from 2006 to 2009, with no intrusion events were prominent in these two periods. The time series of non-intrusion pattern is best correlated with the Niño3.4 index, when it lags the Niño3.4 index by one month.

Key words： sea surface height; circulation in northern South China Sea; Kuroshio intrusion; growing hierarchical self-organizing map; season variability; inter-annual variability

Cite this article

XU Xiao-hua , LIAO Guang-hong , YANG Cheng-hao , YUAN Yao-chu , HUANG Wei-gen . Variability of surfer circulation and Kuroshio intrusion in northern South China Sea using growing hierarchical self-organizing maps[J]. Journal of Tropical Oceanography, 2013 , 32(5) : 29 -41 . DOI: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2013.05.005

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