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Recent progress in studies of the South China Sea circulation

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Abstract

The South China Sea (SCS) is a semi-enclosed marginal sea with deep a basin. The SCS is located at low latitudes, where the ocean circulations are driven principally by the Asia-Australia monsoon. Ocean circulation in the SCS is very complex and plays an important role in both the marine environment and climate variability. Due to the monsoon-mountain interactions the seasonal spatial pattern of the sea surface wind stress curl is very specific. These distinct patterns induce different basin-scale circulation and gyre in summer and winter, respectively. The intensified western boundary currents associated with the cyclonic and anticyclonic gyres in the SCS play important roles in the sea surface temperature variability of the basin. The mesoscale eddies in the SCS are rather active and their formation mechanisms have been described in recent studies. The water exchange through the Luzon Strait and other straits could give rise to the relation between the Pacific and the SCS. This paper reviews the research results mentioned above.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physical Oceanography Laboratory & Ocean-Atmosphere Interaction and Climate Laboratory, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266100, China

    Qinyu Liu

  2. Graduate School of Engineering, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, 739-8527, Japan

    Arata Kaneko

  3. State Key Laboratory of Ocean Dynamic Processes and Satellite Oceanography, Second Institute of Oceanography, State Oceanic Administration, P.O. Box 1207, Hangzhou, 310012, China

    Su Jilan

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  1. Qinyu Liu
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  2. Arata Kaneko
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  3. Su Jilan
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Correspondence to Qinyu Liu.

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Liu, Q., Kaneko, A. & Jilan, S. Recent progress in studies of the South China Sea circulation. J Oceanogr 64, 753–762 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10872-008-0063-8

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