Spring mesoscale high in the western South China Sea

• Published in: Acta oceanologica Sinica 2013-06, Vol.32 (6), p.1-5
• Main Authors: He, Zhigang, Zhang, Yan, Wang, Dongxiao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Annual variations; Climatology; Decay; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Ecology; Engineering Fluid Dynamics; Environmental Chemistry; High seas; Marine; Marine & Freshwater Sciences; Mesoscale phenomena; Ocean circulation; Oceanography; Potential energy; Precipitation; Remote sensing; Remote sensing systems; Salinity; Science; Seasons; Spring; Vortices; Wind; Wind effects; Wind stress; Winter; 中国; 低矿化度; 南海西部; 原位观测; 反气旋环流; 年际变化; 遥感数据; 风应力旋度
• ISSN: 0253-505X; 1869-1099
• DOI: 10.1007/s13131-013-0318-0

A recurring spring mesoscale eddy in the western South China Sea （SCS） is studied using remote sensing data and historical in situ observations. The feature first appears east of the central Vietnam coast in Febru- ary as a high sea-level anomaly, grows rapidly to a well-developed anticyclonic eddy by March, matures in April, and decays in May. Besides the warm-core feature, it also has an inherent low-salinity property, so it is named ＂spring mesoscale high （SMH）＂. Though with clear interannual variation in terms of intensity and spatial coverage, the SMH always emerges in the region between ll0~E and l14~E and between 12~N and 16~N. The formation of SMH is ascribed to the combined effects of wind forcing and releasing of po- tential energy set up by winter monsoon. In particular, the wind-stress curl plays an important role in its development, maintenance, and dissipation.